Loki and its Munitionsschlepper: Preparing for Remagen

Model builders like me, those interested in tanks and other armored vehicles, naturally gravitate towards Germany during WW2. They were obsessed with armor, more so than any country before, or since. At the time, Nazi Germany (which I suppose is synonymous with Hitler) also seemed to adhere to the axiom: bigger is better. It’s a persuasive argument, though in practice, bigness has many inherent problems when it comes to ordnance. But for modelers, the real-world problems of massive armor and 1 ½ ton shells is child’s play, and that’s why they are so enjoyable and interesting to build- rare engineered monstrosities.

For an in-depth overview of the Mörser Karl, click here. 

This diorama depicts the “Loki” before it was dispatched to Remagen in hopes of destroying the Ludendorff Bridge. Remagen is a city in West Germany that the Allies took in 1945. It was the last city in Germany with a functioning bridge over the Rhine. The bridge should not have been standing; during their retreat, the Germans tried to blow it up, but the dynamite failed to explode and the bridge remained (similar to what happened in operation Market Garden, immortalized in the film “A Bridge too Far”). Once the allies held the town and bridge, the Germans desperately tried to destroy it with sappers, planes and artillery to no avail. High command (Hitler?) decided to enlist the Loki which had a massive payload and a 6-mile range (look at that frickin’ shell!)- alas the Loki failed as well.

Here, before the operation’s failure, the Loki and one of its accompanying ammo carriers (they usually had two or three Munitionsschleppers) are preparing to fire a few practice rounds to hone their skills for the upcoming operation. There are lots of rough edges the crew needs to iron out as this was not an oft-used weapon. There is also an amateur photographer present and some SS reconnaissance personnel he is photographing for “the paper.” There is also a Kradschütze and his trusty BMW R75 who is interested in witnessing the Big Boom. In the meantime, he’s enjoying a break with cigarettes and the company of fellow soldiers.

That’s the way I envisioned it anyway. Don’t look for my “historical” depiction in Wikipedia!