„D“ – the British armored train

Anticipating a German invasion at the turn of 1940 and 1941, the British military command began arming and armoring the trains, which were expected to be used as an anti-landing means in the defense of the British Isles. Despite the fact, that the newly organized units of the British army already needed a large number of soldiers, it was proposed to crew these trains with Polish soldiers, resting after the French campaign. On September 17, 1940 General Wladislaw Sikorski issued an order to form 12 armored train crews. It was decided to collect their staff from the surplus officers of the 1st Rifle Corps. Inclusion in the crews of armored trains was voluntary and involved officers, who agreed to serve as regular soldiers (during service, epaulettes with officers' insignia were covered with the epaulettes of ordinary soldiers). The first crews were trained at Broughton in the operation and management of weapons, laying and repairing railway lines. In October 1940 the IV Division was formed, its commander was colonel Aleksandrowicz. Train No. 10, 11 and 12 crews consisted of Polish soldiers. In the middle of 1941 the trains received new letter designations: "K", "J" and "L". In November the Ist Division was formed, which was led by Colonel Lodz - Michalski. It consisted of the "C", "G" and "E" trains. In January 1941 the III Division was formed under the command of colonel Jozef Kapciuk and consisted of trains "B", "M" and "H", later the II Division was formed under the command of colonel Andrzej Zbijewski and consisted of trains "A", "D" and "F". The main task of these trains was the patrolling of railway lines and the destruction of possible airborne forces, as well as supporting their own forces with fire in the event of an enemy seaborne landing. These formations mostly performed their tasks at night and at dawn. After the greatest threat of the German attack had passed, the armored trains began to be dismantled at the end of 1941. In July 1943 the last armored train - the hero of this publication - "D" was liquidated.

Although it is a large, but not very complicated model of the railway structure, which, under the supervision of a more experienced colleague, can be perfectly assembled by modellers with little experience. Although otherwise, this model is more suitable for intermediate and experienced modelers.