take on the role of presi-

dent, I must admit to do-

ing so with my eyes wide

open, and since then they

have been opened even

wider.

To say that organising

QMHE has been easy

would be rather akin to

saying the same thing

about herding cats!

I think we have now

ironed out all the kinks

and just about everything

is ready to roll. We have

some new retailers and

even one who has re-

turned after an absence of

some years.

The interest seems to be

growing daily, with enquir-

ies from all over—I look

forward to seeing you all

there.

I am in the process of,

unusually for me, a Tasca

kit. I must admit to being

impressed by the quality

of the mouldings and the

fit of the parts.

Unlike a certain other ori-

ental manufacturer, the

instructions are clear and

contain NO errors.

There is, however, the

usual problem of parts

launching themselves into

orbit as they are being

removed from the sprue.

One such part dropped

onto the recently cleaned

model bench and quite

simply disappeared. I

haven’t the foggiest clue

where it went, unlike one

other part on another kit

which turned up inside

one of my ugg boots 48

hours later!

I even had the assistance

of No. 1 grandson’s four

year old eagle eyes, and

even he couldn’t find it. As

a result, I was reduced to

building a replacement,

and again his lordship

came in handy.

Some of the pieces which

I was cutting to form the

new part were very small,

and prone to flying off into

the distance when cut, but

I had a solution. Grand-

son’s fingers are a lot

smaller than mine, and he

could hold the small part

while I removed it from the

sheet of polysterene. No,

his mother does not know

what I was doing with her

son!

On a totally different mat-

ter, QMHE 2016 is almost

upon us—where have the

last 12 months gone?

When I volunteered to

Editorial (aka Rob’s Rantings)

6 August 2016

Volume 12, Issue 6

AMMS Brisbane News

Inside this issue:

From the Cupola 2

Vehicle headlights 3

Pioneer of US Marine Corps armour

4-7

Tarakan 8

Have a Laugh 9

Odds & Sods 10

Page 2

AMMS Brisbane News Volume 12, Issue 6

I would love to know the name of the person who first uttered these words to credit them appropriately here, but

this is nothing surer than the truth when we are talking about 3D printing. Yes yes you may have heard of it all

before, and yes you may well have heard it from me before too, but how awesome is this printing technology!

A few months back I stumbled across the latest masterpiece by outstanding English modeller David Parker, a dio-

rama entitled “Mademoiselle”, which is showcased in the online forum Missing Lynx Constructive Comments. It

was probably also uploaded to various other online sources as well. You can find the Construction Comments

thread on Missing Lynx here - http://www.network54.com/Forum/110741/thread/1464709605

For those yet to behold this work it is a relatively simple scene in 1:35 of a pair of French tankers and their Hotch-

kiss H-39, engaging in conversion with a young lady. Simple as it might be it showcases the present level of 3D

printing capabilities as the Hotchkiss and figures are all printed in this fashion. Interestingly the proper terminolo-

gy for this process is referred to as “raised” by 3D printing. The Hotchkiss is the magnificent design of Niels

Henkmens, a regular participant in many of the Missing Lynx forums, and the kit is available as a number of sets

through the commercial 3D printing company Shapeways.

The form of the female figure is raised as it appears in the discussion thread images, however the tankers are

raised as mannequins thus providing proportions and articulation for any DIY sculptors to have a crack at any and

all manner of 1:35 subjects they like. Quite a nifty idea really! The rest of the scene is not 3D printed however but

easily could have been and therefore this piece by David Parker very nearly became the first ever fully 3D printed

diorama. I’m sure someone will claim this title very soon!

So for anyone wanting to create subjects using this technology, or just purchase items that are already available

through any of the various commercial 3D printing companies, here’s more proof of the concept, quality of the

raised product, and the unlimited nature of the technology that is 3D printing.

Who knows, we may even see some 3D printed masterpieces at QMHE this year, which is only a couple of weeks

away now. As always it should be another great event and I hope to see as many of our members there taking

advantage of everything that the expo has to offer. And please consider offering a small portion of your time to

helping AMMS fulfil its QMHE duties and responsibilities over the course of the weekend. The more members we

have helping the less everyone has to do.

Hopefully AMMS will have another great display showcasing the outstanding work of our members. And on that

note I must emphasize that only financial members are invited to display their items with the AMMS display. I will

also take this opportunity to wish our members entering the Queensland Scale Model Championships the best of

luck. Go AMMS Brisbane!

Until next time, take care, stay safe, and happy modelling to all!

Regards,

Page 3

AMMS Brisbane News Volume 12, Issue 6

Looking over some of my older model builds recently I was struck by the poor quality of the headlights I’d painted- (yes- even WW1 vehicles had lighting of sorts) This visual deficit has to have a solution and after some thought and deliberation I was prompted to give consideration to using rhinestones as a viable replacement for more realistic vehicle lights instead of using the likes of “MV Lenses” that can be expensive and somewhat difficult to locate here in Australia.

After brainstorming the idea with Bill Burke (to make sure my idea was indeed sound and I wasn’t just off on anoth-er whimsy) he decided to make a couple of sorties to the local haberdashery outlets here in Toowoomba and see what was available.

Now not all rhinestones are going to be suitable being designed as clothing accoutrements and not plastic models but what he was able to locate seems to me to have viable applications in 1/35 th.

Bill managed to find several sizes of rhinestones at both Lincraft and Spotlight that have potential for 1/35th mod-els in both clear and red with prices in the $5-$6 range they do offer a value for money alternative.

I haven’t had a chance to actually try them to see how they fit but they certainly LOOK like they will serve as viable replacements for standard solid injection plastic moulded kit parts.

With many thanks to Bill Burke who did the leg work and shelled out his coin to put my theory to the test.

Vehicle Headlights (Thanks Dave Scorer)

Lt. Col. Rowland 'Rollo' Hall (1916-2004) shares his reminiscences of the Marine Corps 1st Tank Battalion, from its formation up to early 1944.

Early Days on the Atlantic Coast

In September 1941, while I was on detached duty, the skeleton elements of the 1st Marine Division's were reu-nited at a recently-activated facility near Jacksonville, NC known as Marine Barracks, New River (now Camp Lejeune). What was designated as Co. A, 1st Tank Bn. was actually just a single company commanded by Maj. Charles G. Meints, USMC which I had joined a year earlier as the 1st Tank Co. in Quantico. I was the Platoon Leader of its 1st Platoon.

The facility, then still under construction, was known as Tent Camp, located south of Jack-sonville. While there were semi-permanent mess halls, heads and showers, and a few sort-of warehouse build-ings, the officers and men were under canvas with wooden decks.

When I returned to the Company HQ, it was crawling with nearly a dozen new 2nd Lt.s, none of whom I knew. Maj. Meints told me that he had received orders to activate a Hdq. Co. and B Tank Co. He would become Bn. CO. Capt. Harvey Walseth, his Co. Exec. would take over A Co., and I, a 2nd Lt., would organize and command B Co. After the Major took a few people to staff Hdq. Co., Walseth and I would "chose up sides," each of us end-ing up with half of the original A Co. My Company Officers were all new: 2nd Lt.s, Leonard D. Reid, Edward G. Roff. and Warren N. Martin. My 1st Sgt. was H. F. Robinson, recently promoted in the 5th Marines. While not a tanker, he was my "strong right arm" when it came to putting together my new outfit. Early in October, my 18 new tanks began to arrive by rail right off the assembly line from American Car & Foundry's facility at Berwyck, PA. They were M-3s, an improved version of the M2A4s we had in A Co., a bit more armor, trailing idlers to accom-modate the extra weight, and somewhat improved vision devices. They were powered with the same W -670 ra-dial gas engines. Our tank park and training area was a couple of miles south of Tent Camp. It appeared to have

been a cotton farm. The rather dilapidated farm house was pressed into service for maintenance and security personnel. The sole remaining residents of the farm were dozens of rattlesnakes. It was a bit daunting to have them slithering around, but those that survived the tank treads soon moved out.

I don't recall any particular activation ceremony for the battalion on Nov. 1, as we started driver training as rapidly as our new tanks were placed in service. At that time, it was the practice to split things up. That is to say, a tank company would be assigned to a regiment and its platoons to the infantry battalions.

(Continued on Page 5)

Pioneer of US Marine Corps Armour (thanks Murray)

Page 4

Volume 12, Issue 6 AMMS Brisbane News

Left: In September 1940, the 1st Tank Company operated its 10 Marmon-Herrington CTL-3A

tankettes, one seen here on maneuvers with the LVT-1 Alligator. At the same time, it received its

first deliveries of the M2A4 light tank, eventually equipping the successor Company A, 1st Tank

Battalion. Above: Tank T-11 (the first M2A4 delivered to the USMC) practices unloading from a

Left: M3 light tanks newly issued to B Company, November 1941 (USMC)

This was quite unsatisfactory, since the tank platoon leaders were brand-new in their jobs and the tanks themselves were poorly suited to infantry cooperation. We had no radios for tank-to-tank communication, nor did we have trans-muted phones. The thing that bothered me most was that in my company of 18 tanks, only I and three of my NCOs had ever fired a single round of 37mm or machine gun from a tank! Mine was two rounds of 37mm and about 25 rounds from the coax machine gun, and that was a year earlier down at Gitmo. I do recall one bit of joint training when a college classmate who was with the Engineers and I successfully ferried one of my tanks across a narrow inlet on a rubber pontoon raft from his outfit.

Barely five weeks after the activation of my company came a blur of events. First of all, Capt. Francis "Red" Cooper, USMC, recently returned from sea duty, joined the 1st Tank Bn. And as of Jan. 1 '42, 2nd Lt. Rowland L. Hall, US-MCR was bumped out of his first command after exactly two months. But guess what -- on that date, that same 2nd Lt. USMCR was given the job of organizing and commanding Co. C, 1st Tank Bn.! I kept that one a lot longer.

Some 60 years later, on Nov. 15 2001, I had the most unique experience of meeting the present CO of Co. B, 1st Tank Bn., his officers and men, and taking their salute. I am unable to recall a more emotional or nostalgic moment in all of my 85 years. They were such a fine body of Marines, trim and proud. We were perhaps not quite as trim, maybe a bit raggedy, certainly not as skilled, but we were proud and we were the very first of a long line!

Reassembly from Guadalcanal to Australia

In early December, 1942, the Battalion looked something like this:

Lt. Col. Charles G. "Griff" Meints commanded the battalion at Lower Hutt, Wellington, NZ along with Hdq. Co. under Master Gunner Theodore Sundhausen, D Co., Capt. Donald J. Robinson, and 1st Scout Co., under Capt. Thomas J. O'Mahoney. At Guadalcanal were Co. A, Maj. Harvey Walseth, and Co. B., Capt. Francis Cooper. At Noumea, New Caledonia was Co. C, Capt. R. L. Hall.

By mid-month, all of the units were at Camp Cable, a few miles west of Brisbane, Australia. I believe it had been used earlier by the Army 32nd Division and had rudimentary facilities for Hdq. buildings, galleys, etc. As I recall, personnel lived in tents. Almost as soon as we arrived, it started to rain and seemed to never quit. The soil was such that it quickly became a quagmire and water ran everywhere. I recall one of my M-3 light tanks bogging down before it moved a couple of lengths.

I don't think in my six years of active service I ever saw Marine units come so close to falling apart. It was like one big binge. One might excuse the people from A and B Cos., but certainly not the NZ contingent. My company had been an "orphan" for nine months and I, frankly, was looking forward to getting back to "family." Was I in for a sur-prise! Griff Meints couldn't have cared less. The only thing he seemed interested in was continuing the party that started back in July in Wellington. He promptly set up his command post at a beach resort and we rarely saw him.

Obviously, Camp Cable was not the place for a bunch of battle-weary malarial Marines. Early in January, 1943, the Division was loaded aboard the large, fast transport that had formerly been the SS America [USS West Point] of the United States Line, which made a mercifully quick trip to Melbourne where the climate was much more suitable than semi-tropic Brisbane. The Tank Bn., along with the Special Weapons Bn. and the 11th Marines, went to Ballarat, a nice little town of 40,000 (peacetime) about 40 miles west of Melbourne. We were billeted in Victoria Park on the west edge of town. An electric trolley line passed the main gate and went about two miles to the centre of the town. The citizens took the Marines into their homes and hearts (and not infrequently into their bedrooms, since their ma-tes were off fighting Rommel in the desert). In the evening it was a rare sight to see a Marine on the streets. They were all in the homes.

For about a month, R&R was the order of the day but on a very orderly basis. Many of the 'canal veterans were ro-tated Stateside, including Wally Walseth, who went to HQMC, and never came out again. Red Cooper took over an Amtrac Battalion.

(Continued on Page 6)

Pioneer of US Marine Corps Armour (Cont’d from Page 4)

Page 5

AMMS Brisbane News Volume 12, Issue 6

Left: M3 Scout Cars of the 1st Scout Company, 1st Marine Division offload at Camp New River. These M3s and

the CTL-3A tankettes of former 1st Tank Company never went to combat with 1st Marine Division and the

prewar notions of mechanized operations faded fast in the South Pacific. By 1943, all the T and SC numbers for

tanks and scout cars had been replaced by uniform USMC registration numbers in the 6000 and 5000 ranges,

respectively. (USMC)

I guess it was around March when we finally settled down to some serious training. Although we knew we were to get a company of M4A1 mediums and two companies of M5A1 lights, we went ahead with our training using the M3 lights. Replacement personnel began to arrive in large numbers, many from a strange place known as "Jacques Farm." Word had filtered down that we would be re-equipping with a company of M4A1 medium tanks and two of M5A1 lights. Somewhere around this time, D Co. was disbanded and the Scout Co. became Div. Troops, minus their White scout cars, which were surveyed. M-1 rifles were issued to replace the '03 Springfields and officers got M-1 carbines to replace their pistols. Every-one got checked out on their new weapons on an Aussie militia rifle range near Ballarat.

John Heath and I spent quite a bit of time looking for a suitable site for tank gunnery firing, and finally found one down by the coast near Torquay about 40 miles south of Ballarat. We got in some good shooting and suc-ceeded in setting off a grass fire that burned off several square miles of

grazing land. Fortunately the locals knew how to deal with such things and were able to contain it. Reportedly, Un-cle Sam had to pay a hefty sum for burnt fenceposts and the like.

The Aussies had an armored force school at a place called Puckapunyal north of Melbourne. While most of their troops were in the Middle East, there remained a small group there with some M-3 mediums that had 75mm guns. We sent a group from A Co. up there to learn how to shoot them. The differences between the M-3 and the M4A1 tanks were so vast that the value of this training was minimal.

As you know, the 1st Marine Division had been loaned to MacArthur for one more operation. In retrospect, I would say he got the short end of the stick. Part of the deal was that he would have to re-equip the Division and this in-volved everything from mess kits to tanks. This is why we got M4A1s instead of the M4A2s used by the Marine Corps. As I recall, it was May, 1943, when we got the new tanks. A civilian technical rep from Cadillac was most helpful in teaching our mechanics the ins and outs of the engines and the hydromatic transmissions on the M5A1s. For the life of me, I can't recall any similiar support from Pacific Car and Foundry, who built the M4A1s.

The other units with us were the 11th Marines and the Special Weapons Bn. We messed with the latter and got to know them quite well. I particularly remember Ray Davis the CO, Jack Leonard his Exec., and Cleve Hundley MC-USN, his medical officer. They were a cut above the average and I enjoyed their company. An amusing side note on Cleve: My younger brother had been a Navy fighter pilot in WW-II. Shortly after the war he was badly injured in a private plane crash down on Martha's Vineyard. Raymond Spruance, a classmate of our uncle's at USNA '07, was in command at the Naval War College and arranged for a Navy hospital plane to pick up my brother and fly him to a Boston hospital. My father accompanied the flight and conversed with the three-striper Navy doctor in charge of the detail. It turned out to be Cleve!

I was attending the Aussie Armored Force school up at Pucka and missed the famous 4th of July 1943 parade there in Ballarat. As I heard, the 18 M4A1s with their steel tracks roared in column down the main street each executing a 90-degree right turn by the movie theater at the bottom of a small grade. It only took the first two or three to completely remove the thin layer of blacktop that served as pavement, and by the time #18 made its turn there were ruts four feet deep and a high wall of paving and gravel where each had made its piv-ot!

From the moment we arrived in their country until we left, these people were simply wonderful to us. I believe that the population was barely 7,000,000 souls. They were fiercely loyal to the Crown, and at the same time they were the most independent individuals I have ever met. (Continued on Page 7)

.

Pioneer of US Marine Corps Armour (Cont’d from Page 5)

Page 6

Volume 12, Issue 6 AMMS Brisbane News

Capt. Don Robinson, CO of A Company, tries out the newly

delivered M4A1 medium, the only use of this model tank in

the USMC. (USMC)

M3A1 light tanks on parade, Ballarat.

Pioneer of US Marine Corps Armour (Cont’d from Page 6)

Page 7

AMMS Brisbane News Volume 12, Issue 6

Their war went back to September, 1939, and they had suffered heavily in the Mediterranean, the Western Desert, and at Singapore. They could expect no help from England, so the US were their saviors and they made no bones about it. They took us into their homes and again, not infrequently into their beds. The one thing that bugged most of us was the attitude and behavior of their labor unions. At the ports we could not lay a hand on our specialized equipment, and as a result they ruined nearly half of our wheeled vehicles. They broached cargoes of badly needed supplies and when we made an issue of it, they struck the ports. The coal miners went on strike so that the rail-roads were reduced to burning green logs in their locomotive fireboxes. Outside Ballarat it was a common sight to see a train stopped partway up a grade while they built up another head of steam.

The Cape Gloucester Landings

Meanwhile, it was time to get on with the war. MacArthur's people up in Brisbane were working on the plans for the New Britain operation. Some of our top young talent like Don Fuller, Bob Bowen, and Freddie Wiesman were as-signed to the CINC' staff. A call came from 6th Army staff that they wanted a tank officer for a few days to consult on some details. Guess who went? Not Griff, the CO, not Reid Fawell, the Exec, but Rollo Hall, the Bn-3. The main thing I recall coming out of the conference was that I recommended that we not accept the offer for a newly arrived Army Tank Destroyer company of M-10s with long three-inch guns. With their light armor, open-top turrets, and no integral machine guns, I thought they would be out of their element in the jungle. My recommendation was accept-

ed. In the operation our M4A1s were able to handle things OK.

When the Battalion went back up north, I think everyone was ready to go. We had no sooner gotten to Goodenough Island when Reid Fawell made Lt. Col. and was sent stateside. Although junior to Robbie Robinson who had A Co., I was given the addi-tional job as Bn. Exec.

After major Japanese resistance in the Cape Gloucester area had dwindled, the Marines kept pressure on them by a series of ag-gressive patrols to the east to cut them off from their base at Ra-baul. By early March 1944, they had reached Iboki Plantation some 60 miles east of Cape Gloucester, from whence they were to leapfrog to the Williamez Peninsula, another 60 miles. No na-val support was available, so all we had was a bunch of Army LCMs and a few LCTs.

I got talking to Bill Buse, who I knew from his command of the 1st Scout Company back in 1940-41, now Exec. of the 5th Marines. I was Exec. of the 1st Tank Bn., and for this operation was in command of a composite group of four M4A1 me-diums and five M5A1 light tanks. What if we fired the 75mm gun from one of the former while in an LCM? I agreed to give it a try. I guess we had forgotten our high school physics since we were going to fire a 35-pound projectile from a gun mounted on a 35-ton tank!

The only noticeable effect was like a big "thunk" transmitted up through the soles of our feet. The next morning during the landing, I think each tank got off only a couple of rounds on the beach be-fore they were masked by the landing troops. I always wished we could have done more with this. To continued next issue.

M4A1 tanks of A Company 1st Tank Battalion unload at Cape Glouces-

ter. The white stars have disappeared, with simple consecutive tactical

vehicle numbers placed at each turret corner. (USMC)

The going was tough for the M4A1s at Cape Gloucester, but tank support overmatched the

Japanese defenders and enabled the seizure of the western end of New Britain Island. (USMC)

Tarakan (thanks Al Kelly)

Page 8

Volume 12, Issue 6 AMMS Brisbane News

On 1 May 1945 Australian forces under the command of Brigadier David Whitehead landed on the island of Tara-kan off the north-east coast of Bornea in Operation Oboe 1, the intention of which was to secure the airfield there for use in the support of further Oboe operations in Borneo and the Netherlands East-Indies.

Because transport and escort ships were in short supply all supplies for not only the capture of the island but also the re-construction of the airfield would be loaded on just one convoy. An order was given that all units were to ‘slim’ their already meagre allocation of vehicles. GHQ directed the commanding officers of RAAF units to inspect all vehicles and to ‘ensure that no non-essential equipment is carried’. ‘In fact … RAAF units reduced the number of vehicles loaded, but not a proportional tonnage of their loads.’ Rather, ‘as much as possible was loaded on ve-hicles.’

And that leads us to this humorous anecdote

“Many were overloaded, became bogged, and blocked the exits. Brigadier Whitehead scathingly later complained that the ‘un-cooperative’ and ‘useless’ RAAF had ‘no conception of the job’, ‘wouldn’t slim’ and brought with them refrigerators, cookers and a mobile laundry. Engineers reported how they had been called to retrieve an RAAF 3-ton lorry (‘overloaded of course’). The sappers coupled a tractor, but succeeded merely in pulling off the lorry’s bumper. They wound chains around the axle, which simply became ‘banana shaped’. Finally, they hitched chains to the axle and springs and tried again, but only pulled off the cab, leaving the chassis securely anchored in the mud.”

It would make an interesting diorama!

Adapted from Peter Stanley’s 1997 book ‘Tarakan – An Australian Tragedy’

Above—an Australian close support Matilda in action at Tarakan.

Have a Laugh (thanks Kerry)

Page 9

AMMS Brisbane News Volume 12, Issue 6

I recently came across a little poem by Pam Ayres that brought back many memories of a road trip around Ireland that I had a couple of years ago. I'm sure that it will strike a cord with many a fellow

married club member.

MY SATNAV by Pam Ayres

I have a little Satnav, It sits there in my car

A Satnav is a driver's friend, it tells you where you are.

I have a little Satnav, I've had it all my life

It's better than the normal ones, my Satnav is my wife.

It gives me full instructions, especially how to drive

“It's sixty miles an hour,”it says, “You're doing sixty five.”

It tells me when to stop and start, and when to use the brake

And tells me that it's never ever, safe to overtake.

It tells me when a light is red, and when it goes to green

It seems to know instinctively, just when to intervene.

It lists the vehicles just in front, and all those to the rear

And taking this into account, it specifies my gear

I'm sure no other driver, has so helpful a device

For when we leave and lock the car, it still gives it's advice.

It fills me up with counselling, each journey's pretty fraught

So why don't I exchange it, and get a quieter sort?

Ah well, you see, it cleans the house, makes sure I'm properly fed

It washes all my shirts and things, and keeps me warm in bed!

Despite all these advantages, and my tendency to scoff

I only wish that now and then, I could turn the bugger off.

Did You Know?

During the Battle of Kursk in WW2, the advanc-

ing Germans were being plagued by swarms of

Russian ground attack aircraft. In frustration, the

gunner of one Tiger let loose with the 88mm gun

towards an attacking flight of Sturmoviks.

To his great surprise, one of the Sturmoviks

shed a wing and crashed in a fireball!

Meets first Saturday of every month at

Loganlea Community Centre, Timms Street,

Loganlea, between 11:30am and 4:00pm

Contributions to the newsletter are always

welcome. Please email contributions to the

editor at gncw@bigpond.com

A M M S B R I S B A N E

Another new Tamiya (Thanks PMMS)

AMMS Brisbane is on

the Web at

www.ammsbrisbane.co

.