COBI Battle of Berlin Set 2064

COBI's Battle of Berlin set contains 77 blocks making six figures: two Volkssturm militiamen, a German soldier with an StG 44, a soldier of the Polish People's Army, a Soviet tank crewman and a Soviet infantryman. A brick-built Tellermine 42 anti-tank mine and a bicycle complete the set. All markings are printed; the set contains no stickers.

Who was left to defend the city

The two Volkssturm figures are the ones worth looking at. One is an elderly man in a greatcoat and a steel helmet with a bandaged head wound; the other wears civilian clothes and spectacles, carries a Panzerfaust and gets around on a bicycle.

That is not artistic licence. The Volkssturm was raised in late 1944 from men between sixteen and sixty who had not already been conscripted — schoolboys, office workers, the elderly, men previously rejected as unfit. They were given a few days of training, an armband instead of a uniform in many cases, and whatever weapons were available. The Panzerfaust was issued in quantity because it was cheap, disposable and could be explained in minutes. By April 1945 a substantial part of Berlin's defence rested on people like this.

The photograph you have seen

The Soviet flag over the Reichstag is one of the most reproduced images of the war, and it was staged. Yevgeny Khaldei took it on 2 May, after the fighting there had ended, with a flag sewn from tablecloths. The negative was then retouched: one soldier had a wristwatch on each arm, which suggested looting, and the second watch was removed before publication.

In the COBI range

Part of the Historical Collection WWII figure series, alongside D-Day (2058A), German infantry (2060), Stalingrad (2061) and Monte Cassino (2063).

Specifications

Pieces: 77 · Figures: 6 · Age: 5+ · Also included: brick-built Tellermine 42 and bicycle