Another Land lady painted and Two LDV Painted

I have painted the plastic farm worker and I think she looks right spiffy with her green beret. This one I depicted in a pale khaki shirt without the green jumper under the overalls. The overalls are in a lighter color than the head hanky girl but the shade of the overalls most likely varied. The Land Girls were issue brown shoes but also had gumboots. I'm not certain but the gum boots may also have been green as well as black. 

You are unlikely to see them but the pretty little red head was painted with freckles!

The Britains farm girl in yellow I painted prior to these figures.

                                                  

                                                The Home Guard appears on the scene! 

 Pike is particularly impressed by the fetching young, red headed girl; what would his mum say about him staring like that?

                   Initially the Home Guard arm band had the letters LDV (Local Defence Volunteers) and later 'Home Guard'). The idea was to make clear who the men were, especially in the early days, when uniforms were not always available or complete. It also distinguished them from the regular army. Also, if invasion occurred it made clear they were legitimate fighters but a uniform was even more required to ensure the Home Guard, if captured, were treated under the Geneva Convention POW rules. However, the Germans, even prior to WW2, usually did not treat, even uniformed partisans, under the rules for POWs and they were likely to be executed.

 The main visual differences from regular soldiers, even after being uniformed and equipped, were the black gaiters and the ammunition pouches, that were a different shape and especially made for the LDV. Also they might not have been fully equipped and had improvised weapons including shotguns.

 The tactical doctrine was to wait for the Germans to enter built up or other suitable ambush areas to enable deployment of closer ranged weapons, including Molotov Cocktails. The Home Guard also had heavy machine guns to give covering fire whilst those armed with closer ranged weapons got closer. They did also have rifles and sub machineguns and supplies improved later in the war but also when a threat of invasion diminished.

 The age for joining the Home Guard was 17 to 65 but this was not always strictly enforced and there were older men, especially, employed. Some women also joined although this was not encouraged. Usually they did not wear uniform and performed roles as drivers and clerks. they were given plastic badges. There was an 'Amazon' home Guard of a much smaller number of women who did wear uniforms and train to use weapons.

  Over a thousand Home Guard died in the war, mostly when manning anti-aircraft weapons. The Home Guard was used to guard sensitive positions and to look out for fifth columnists and downed enemy pilots or infiltrators. Despite initial fears fifth columnists did not become a big issue.