Gordon Williamson

Generalleutnant Karl Faulenbach Born 03 Oct 1893 Died 22 Nov 1971 Commander of 296 Inf Div Apr 1942 - Jan 1943 Commander of 356 Inf Div May 1943 - Dec 1944

And the basic stern structure in place everything from the arrowed point back.. It is already over 1 m 20cm long and difficult to get it all in one shot without moving so far back that any detail is lost. She is certainly going to be bigger than Bismarck

Few new pieces added. Firstly, strengthening to the bow section (arrowed parts)

Hi Peter, There is an option to build it with a section of the hull side removed to reveal the interior. I thought about it but decided not to, so the interior would be pretty much concealed, apart from as you say, peeking through the gunports. I might reconsider as its not too late, and its possible to fit some of these miniscule "grain of wheat" bulbs inside so that the interior could be weakly illuminated ( the interiors of these old ships were very dark and dingy). Of course the fact that I am waterlining it means that I can leave out some of the bottom hull planking which won't be seen anyway thus saving a lot of tedious work but also allowing wiring to be installed through the base.

Hi Norm, Lovely photo of your Dad ! Smart cap he is wearing too. Very similar to the one I just posted apart from, as you pointed out, his has an embroidered cockade and mine has a solid cockade. Not sure if the solid cockade was a typical Pleuser feature but certainly the two I've owned, and one other I've seen, had this feature.

And my original Pleuser cap from way back. A dead ringer for this one. The Pleuser firm was in what ended up as the Soviet zone of Berlin, and ironically after the war, made caps for the Soviet navy !

Another little bonus - the chinstrap is maker marked too.

The makers stamp on the inside face of the sweatband Berhard Pleuser / Koln Berlin 1942

Again, exactly as Pleuser NCO caps should be, with the Pigskin sweatband joint at the side, not centred at the back.

A nice touch. The interior of the blue top still has a faint white ink RBNr stamp

"Naked", and exactly as good removable top caps should be, with a cheesecloth covering to the crown.

Blue Top

Couldn't resist this one when I saw it on Peter von Lukacs last update. My first ever KM NCO cap was a textbook Bernhard Pleuser and a matching twin to this one. Regretted ever selling it to took the chance to grab this one. With its white top.

Hi Ian, I still think the signature in your book is the same guy. He probably wouldn't have used his full name Oskar Lösel when signing stuff like that, so just Lösel or O Lösel seems reasonable and the way the "L" is written is pretty similar with the loops etc. Apart from that, Lösel commanded the Feldgend Komp from the time GvB was created until the end of the war, and on the date quoted in that entry, he was an Obersturmführer, (only being promoted Hauptstürmführer in the last days of the war). So, with a signature block of Obersturmführer and Kompanie-Führer in SS-Fg Komp 17, and with similarities to the signature in his own Soldbuch, I'd be comforatble that Lösel is the only person it can be.

The second deck level going on. The next delivery of components will finish this deck level and start the real challenge - planking the hull !

Another view

First deck level on, with cross support beams for the next deck.

Another view

When the makers of my original Hood project cancelled it, I decided to go for the re-launch of the DeAgostini version of HMS Victory. Of course once I'd started it I then found an alternative Hood , but have decided to go with it anyway as it'll be a change from doing a more modern warship. Sailing ship modellers generally opt for "full hull" models, but as I like doing modern ships in waterline format, I've decided to go with that on this one too, so Victory will be sunk into a foam, block up to waterline level just like my Bismarck. I know Nick is doing this one too so it will be interesting to see both full hull and watrline versions once they are done. Here is my progress so far. Keel with bulkheads fitted

Well, as often happens with these models, the project was cancelled by the distributors. Thankfully, another firm Hachette has brought out their own version which is actually better quality so I'm now doing that one. Here is the Hull so far with the small initial portion of the Hull of the cancelled one in the shot just to show its not a "clone" of the first and they have gone downm their own design route.

Its a new one on me, but Binos aren't really my thing. Given the scarcity of the basic Kommandantenglas I'd imagine a cased set like this with the extra fittings would be extremely rare, but I can't say I have ever seen a wartime photo of a set being used on a mount like this.

The dual language Czech / German print is down to the fact that he is a Sudeten German from Tetschen in the North of Czechoslovakia. You can see where the printed location Tetschen has been scored out and his then current posting at Bodenbach written in. His Polizei Dienstpass entry for the dates on the Ausweis confirm his serving with the Kriminal Polizei.

A pleasant surprise this week when the seller contacted me to say that another document to Lösel had turned up. His Ausweis as a member of the Kripo is now set to join the rest of the group.

You have some stunning portrait shots there Martin, thanks for showing !

Here is another interesting page, showing he was held as a POW at the former Stalag XIIID (Nürnberg Langwasser) and that despite the war ending in May, he was issued pay to cover from July to the end of September 1945 and then further pay in October 1945 !!