KING AND COUNTRY DD016
Overview
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Introduction and specifications
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History section: Support weapons on D‑Day
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Collector notes
The King & Country DD016 Support Section offers collectors a detailed ensemble of D‑Day support weaponry in 1:30 scale. Featuring multiple soldiers with support weapons such as a bazooka and a flamethrower man accompanied by two riflemen poised for action with one mid-throw of a fragmentation grenade. With hand‑painted figures and authentic accessories, this set stands out for both historical realism and modeling quality.
Historical Background
On June 6, 1944, Allied forces initiated Operation Overlord with amphibious landings across Normandy’s beaches. The success of the landings heavily depended on support weapons—light machine guns (notably the Bren), mortars, and anti‑tank arms—to suppress enemy defenses, neutralize fortified positions, and protect infantry from counterattacks. The British and Commonwealth 3rd and 50th Divisions landed at Gold and Juno beaches, respectively, braving German strongpoints such as the Merville Battery and Mulberry harbor zones. Each infantry platoon carried a Bren LMG—delivering sustained fire with 30‑round magazines—while mortars like the Ordnance ML 3‑in (76 mm) enabled indirect fire to hit targets in defilade. Additionally, PIAT (Projector, Infantry, Anti Tank) units countered emerging threats from German armor on the beachhead.
The dense hedgerows of Normandy, and German defenses including concrete casemates and machine‑gun nests, made support sections vital. Their suppressive and destructive fire enabled advancing infantry to close with and clear positions. Without such integrated firepower, Axis fortifications, ranging from 88 mm guns to MG42 nests, would likely have inflicted catastrophic casualties—thus reinforce that D‑Day’s fragile lodgement rested on precisely such coordinated support section actions.
Collector Notes
Detailed documentation for model DD016 remains scarce. However, based on King & Country’s cataloguing conventions and comparisons to similar sets, the DD016 Support Section likely belongs to the ‘D‑Day’ range under World War II infantry accessories. King & Country standard figures stand around 60 mm tall (1:30 scale), cast in pewter and hand‑painted, with typical edition runs between 500 to 1000 pieces (toysoldiersgallery.com). This set presumably includes multiple crew figures, perhaps two to four, manning a Bren gun or mortar, complete with tripod or base, ammunition boxes, and period‑correct insignia and webbing. Packaging likely features the signature window box seen in similar sets (sagerssoldiers.com).
Secondary‑market pricing for comparable accessory sets (e.g., Airborne 6‑pounder gun) ranges from approximately USD 110 to USD 150 (oakleafcollectibletoys.com); thus DD016 may align within this range depending on condition. Collectors should note potential paint wear on raised edges and delicate weapon barrels. Identifying genuine DD016 sets requires checking the correctly stamped SKU on the base or packaging and verifying packaging style. Seek listing of DD016 on platforms like eBay or specialist dealers. Reminders: warm bent parts gently between fingers to restore shape safely (toysoldiersgallery.com).
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