[/quote]

Thank you for that input Yan and so I will have to go back to RSM Gerald Holloway's Cromwell, and it has a more pleasing background. Any photographic help you can offer will be gratefully received.[/quote]

Darren,
unfortunately there are very few pics of Holloway's tank and the front view is the best one I'm aware of... Its rear end does appear in the background in a couple of other shots (showing Dyas's Cromwell) - see below.

FYI at least one crew member was killed : the driver, Lance-Corporal John Trevor-Roper. Shortly after Holloway's tank was KO'd by Wittmann, Captain Dyas's Cromwell was also destroyed just a short distance away while stalking Wittmann. Dyas was blown out of his wagon but suffered from minor injuries and was able to dash across the street to Holloway's tank, grabbed a headset that was hanging out of the tank and tried to alert the other Squadrons at the rear of the column.

In one of his accounts, Dyas recalled he found Holloway's driver was dead inside the tank and had obviously been hit in the face (I'll spare you the gruesome details)...Dyas said he was quite distressed and shocked after that.

PS : there are more / better views of Dunlop's Cromwell in case you change your mind...

Rgds
Yann

Thank you as I never realised that was his tank from behind, even in the linked thread I missed that information.

Unfortunately this spot / area is not well covered and at present the views are restricted to what you can make out in the photos I posted.

Below are a couple of 'then & now' images but again sadly the extension on the side of the property (outlined in green) has changed as have the fences.

Hope this helps a bit
Yann

I have been picture grabbing.

I see Meng released their Toony BMW's

Are front doors in France 6,6 ?
I ask as I need to start working out how big my base need to be and how much of the street will be in the scene.

Darren, this is an amazing project. I have been following and will continue to do so with interest.

Looks like some changes were made to the house behind the Cromwell: the side room seems to have been extended and the "shed" next to the house demolished.

The white building with the three dorma windows would appear to be the same as it was during the war with the addition of a new build on the right. The property on the left has had the arched roof removed as evidenced by the filler line on the brickwork of the building, a right to left sloping roof has then been cut into the bare brick structure. I believe the wall with the railings is original with new railings installed and a cement shim over that brickwork; I believe the railings on the property to the left again may be the original iron railings. The pavement section looks very wide as it does in the period pictures; I have no idea as to why this is the case. I also note a telegraph pole has been removed and that will have to be best guess for location.

I believe the image below clears up the property change.

If these are farm houses, or were, the pavement area could originally be to allow wagons or vehicles access to park and load or unload and keep the main roadway clear. The writing on the side of the house might give more details.

If you're talking about this :



I guess it's just an typical example of painted advertising popular in these years. This one appears to be for a clothing brand or more probably a clothing shop. I'm afraid it has nothing to do with the house it's painted on.

H.P.

Aaaaaand Sprue Bros. has it back and stock and it's on sale. Or as I explained it to my wife, it's fate, and you can't fight fate. So I ordered two.

Note that some of the Cromwells have the all-round vision cupola - some Cromwells did at this point whilst others still had the older style.

Regards,
John

I have both styles ready John and will likely go for the three periscope style.

Can anyone provide me with the details on a door height in France during this period. Once I have that I can start laying out the diorama base, if I cannot get that info I am going to work on 6,6 for the door.

Does the layout below look right ?

Hello Darren

It may be a little late but anyway…. My own doorway (early 19th Century) is about 2m, so 6'6". The door itself is about 1,95m.
I live about 45 minutes from Villers Bocage, so close enough for a comparison. It's just a straightforward door, no skylight or anything
I would just add though that there may be a difference between rural (mine) and urban houses, even those on the edge of a town like Villers Bocage.

Cheers

Sean

Sean that is of great use as I have not started the buildings yet and so thank you for your input.

For those who are trying to get a Cromwell "D type deck" in the US, Wanamaker Hobbies carry Accurate Armor.

I will add to that Greg that the hatches do not fit the holes but the kit ones are a perfect fit. This does require the handle detail is cut off and replaced with wire.

Don't know if this helps at all, but I found this link while looking through a page at Missing Lynx.
http://www.christopherlong.co.uk/oth/farmstruct.html

I would think construction would be fairly consistent as to door sizes.

Thank you Russ; I am unsure if rural buildings can be used as a direct comparison, but I found it interesting. The other plus is that rural building tend to be more often used in scenes than town buildings.