Gareth McGorman takes a look at MiniArt''s offering titled ''Volkssturm Germany, 1944-1945'' in 1/35th scale.

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Thanks!

Gareth re your comment about 22 rimfire being used to train soldiers in WW2 I'd be interested to know your source on this. Having spoken to dozens of British WW2 veterans over the years not one has mentioned use of sub calibre munitions in their training. Indeed when I served in the British army we only ever used full calibre weapons, either 7.62 or 5.56. I have to admit I have never heard of any army during WW2 using 22 rimfire during basic training. If as you suggest the clip is trimmed on the reloading figure to be .22 you wouldn't be able to see it. A 22 rimfire round is about an inch long!

I seem to recall the british having "boy" soldiers, I guess like cadets, I think they used lee enfields with 22lr here's an interesting writeup

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lee%E2%80%93Enfield

and a video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IP9NizILBlI

The Germans issued a Kar98K in .22 for training Hitler Youth, etc. Doubt that they used it with regular forces. Not much point in it. Hardly realistic and damn the costs! Here in Canada I understand that Army cadets did something similar though the old timer I spoke to couldn't recall the make of the rifles used.

Did they have women in the Volksturm? I'm not aware of any photographic evidence of this, but no doubt Frenchy will prove me wrong!!!

Was wondering about that one. Maybe she was just curious.

There were no women formally enlisted, but there were plenty that took training. There's plenty of anecdotal evidence as well as the photo.

Guys, photographic evidence doesn't mean women were firing a Panzerfaust. Much of the later photographs were Nazi propaganda-- like that famous newsreel clip of Tiger IIs lined up in formation that were actually from a unit deployed and destroyed by the time the clip was released.

Being oddly protective that way, Hitler would much rather women stayed at home while the men fought. He also liked dogs, or so I understand.

The term "anecdotal evidence" means stories by participants not propaganda photos. So there is anecdotal evidence of women (besides Helferins and league of German maidens) being trained and fighting as auxiliaries to the Volkstrum.

Helferins and League of German Maidens were already organized as gun crews and given panzerfausts as tank killer teams. There's at least one story of a League of German Maidens shooting from a window and getting hosed by advancing troops and weapons being collected from German civilian women They were fearful that what had happened in East Prussia would happen to them.