Here’s something a little different, a sdkfz 222 in Chinese service - 1937, Nanjing area.
Figures are kit bashed from hasegawa, Tamiya, and ICM - then converted into an elite armor commander and a ‘Big Sword’ local militia. Various Chinese posters and advertising for effect in a small vingette.
A bit more details and pictures on this page https://waihobbies.wkhc.net/index.php/14-models/ground/171-sdkfz222-nanjing
Oh that’s awesome Waikong!!! Really nice work on the 222, I love the weathering, subtle but there. And neat work on the figures and base!
I picked up the 1/35th Dragon kit of the early 222 in ROC colours a few years ago. Thankfully there are a few figures out therein 1/35th. And Hornet makes several sets of ‘Asian’ heads that can be swapped to Wehrmacht and other figures.
And may I ask where you found the ‘Little Golden Mouse’ cigerette ad and signs? I looked around the internet a while back for some Chinese posters for a diorama that currently sitting in the box but I want to get back to some day soon. I didn’t have a whole lot of luck. And not being able to read Mandarin didn’t help me…
I would pay dearly to have the choices in 1/35. Swappable Asian heads? Wow! BTW, I copied the decals from that Bronco 1/35 kit and modified them.
As for poster, I just searched on “chinese ads 1930s” and use the image filter, no need for using Chinese to search :). If you find a good candidate, but wanted to make sure the texting us appropriate, just pm me. [:)]
That came out great and impressive work on the figures! Nice to see a 222 in something other than German markings.
Thanks Waikong! I’ve had the nice Chinese/American lady and her husband that own the local Japanese resturant (don’t ask- all the Japanese resturants in the area are owned by Chinese and Korean/Americans) help me with a several translations. I may have to get you to help out in some places though.
I’ve used the Hornet replacement heads in several places. They work really well, pretty much just drop fit. Looks like all my photos are on my old Photobucket account though. I used a few with Soviet figures to get PLA tank crewmen for my Type 62 (posted here but with PhotoBucket watermarks) and a few on US WWII infantry to get ROK infantry from the Korean War. They’re really good stuff.
http://cs.finescale.com/fsm/modeling_subjects/f/3/t/172448.aspx
Greysnake, thanks for your comments. Gamera - same here, all my local Japanese restaurants are Chinese or Korean owned 
Great looking scene I really like your 1/48 armor.
Really diffrent,didn’t know that Nazi Germany supplied Chiang with wespons
It’s an interesting story- Chiang wanted his military brought up to date and the Germans were desparate for money so the Chinese started hiring German experts to teach the troops. They recommended German military hardware to make more money for the ailing German economy.
When the Japanese signed the allience with Germany they were all about ‘Why are you training and arming the guys we’re invading!?!?!?!’ So the Germans pulled out.
Chiang Wei-kuo the adopted son Chiang Kai-Sheks was sent to Germany in 1936 for a military education. He commanded a panzer unit during the annexation of Austria in 1938. He almost took part in the invasion of Poland till he was recalled to China to help against the Japanese.
Now that we are on this topic, I too was first amazed to see Chinese troops in German supplies. Took a bit of getting use to seeing Asian faces in those helmets. And speaking of Chiang’s adopted son in Germany, here he is in full German uniform
or how about more Chinese troops in german helmets
To double the fun, Japanese troops on top of a captured Chinese Panzer 1
And to bring it full circle, Chinese troops in a sdkfz 222
Now that’s interesting guys, had no idea about Chiang’s son. Thanks!!!
I do remember the weird case of the western Allies capturing Asian troops on D-Day and the guess that they were Japanese observers. Turns out they were Mongolian troops drafted by the Soviets the Germans had captured. Given the choice of helping build the Atlantic Wall or go to a POW camp they took the former option.
Some historians believe this guy,others do not,but it makes a great story
In 1938, at the age of 18, he was in Manchuria when he was conscripted into the Kwantung Army of the Imperial Japanese Army to fight against the Soviet Union.[1] At the time, Korea was ruled by Japan.
During the Battle of Khalkhin Gol, he was captured by the Soviet Red Army and sent to a Gulag labor camp.[3]
Because of Soviet manpower shortages in the fight against Nazi Germany, he was pressed, in 1942, into fighting in the Red Army, along with thousands of other prisoners. He was sent to the Eastern Front of Europe.[3]
In 1943, he was captured by Wehrmacht soldiers in eastern Ukraine during the Third Battle of Kharkov, and then joined the “Eastern Battalions” to fight for Germany.[3] Yang was sent to Occupied France to serve in a battalion of former Soviet prisoners of war on the Cotentin peninsula in Normandy, close to Utah Beach.[citation needed] After the D-Day landings in northern France by the Allied forces, Yang was captured by paratroopers of the United States Army in June 1944.[citation needed]
I don’t believe the story of Yang Kyoungjong. There’s no primary source for any of the information and it just seems like sources are just repeating what other sources have already said. The only supposed evidence of Yang Kyoungjong is a photograph
and testimony by a lieutenant interviewed by Stephen Ambrose in 1994 for his book “D-Day The 6th of June” and the lieutenant stating four Korean men were captured at Normandy and it. There aren’t any more sources! Ambrose didn’t question the testimony which he should have.
In the early 2000 from what I gather someone found the above picture and somewhere along the way the story was created no doubt inspired by what Ambrose had written.
The soldier in the photograph didn’t even have a name till 2005 from a poster on Axis History Forum who later stated the information he gave had not been confirmed. Then Antony Beevor published his book “The Second World War” in 2012 and mentioned Yang Kyoungjong in the opening of the book with the picture above without any source! A major blunder for a well known author.
Other books that mention him don’t cite a primary source for the story. Every book, TV show, website, YouTube video etc doesn’t cite a primary source. It is just a myth that has grown over time due to one picture and testimony by one man that was not questioned by Ambrose. It’s said he moved to the U.S. after the war to Illinois and died sometime in 1992 and nobody has been able to prove that actually happened. Ambrose was the one that stated he died in Illinois in 1992 again without any proof.
After a little more digging and translating a few Korean websites the story is regarded as false in South Korea. There is no record of him in Korea, from his time with the Japanese, Russians or Germans. Not to mention because he had been conscripted into the Soviet military he would have been forcefully repatriated back to the Soviets due the agreement the Western Allies had to keep Stalin happy during the war. He would not have ended up in Illinois instead a gulag if he was lucky as he would have been regarded as a traitor for joining the Germans.
Nobody has bothered to question it since Beevor wrote about him it seems and took what he stated as fact even without any source in the book he wrote. The myth has just grown more with websites and YouTube videos looking for easy ad revenue and just repeating what has already been said without checking the sources and the general viewership believing they have learned an interesting fact about WWII when it’s made up.
The more interesting story would be to figure out who this soldier actually is. Has been rathe interesting researching nonetheless.
Hmmm, there’s a fantastic Korean movie ‘My Way’ based on that story. I thought it was entirely fictional but it’s based on Yang Kyoungjong’s story - be it truth or fiction.
And also the ‘Flowers of War’, an amazing Chinese movie. There are two battle scenes with Chinese troops wearing German style helmets and gear. Here’s the biggest scene, the other is one Chinese sniper vs. a group of Japanese soldiers.
The rest of the film is a group of civilians trying to cope with the Rape of Nanjing’. Fantastic film, the end always tears me up.
They’re big manly tears, but I do need a hanky…
The Flowers of War, that is a decent movie with some lavish fight scenes.
As for the Asian looking German solider, I agree, the story is all heresay. More likely, someone from the Turkestan area? As the Germans did have a Turkestan division formed from both volunteers and former POWs from central Asia.
I would agree that he was someone from the Turkestan division/legion. Or one of the many other divisions made up of POW’s from the Soviet Union. That was something I was planning on bringing up in another post.
Gamera, just watched the trailer to ‘my way’ you posted, looks like a great movie, truth or fiction. Greysnake, love to see more info if you have it. This turned out to be a very interesting topic that has nothing to do with the sdkfz 222.
Waikong: My apologies for veering so far off topic though. [:$]
We all did,that’s what a unique build will do,stimulate lots conversations [Y]
