Named after Ioannis Metaxas (the Greek dictator from 1936-41), the Metaxas Line was a series of 22 fortification clusters that protected Greece’s 155km border with Bulgaria. The defensive network included tunnels, bunkers and machine gun nests, of which some still survive today. Major extension work commenced in 1936, but the Metaxas Line was not properly completed before Greece became embroiled in WWII in 1940. When Germany came to the aid of struggling Italian forces in April 1941, German troops found the Metaxas Line difficult to penetrate. Finally, German soldiers outflanked the Metaxas Line by conducting its attack via Yugoslavia.
Dragon’s latest 1/35 scale figure set features four German soldiers attempting to breach the fiercely defended Metaxas Line. The pioneer soldiers are from a Gebirgs, or mountain, division, with these alpine troops usually distinguished by wearing the famous edelweiss badge. The four combat engineers are using a variety of methods to breach a barbed wire entanglement, including wire cutters and an explosive charge. These pieces of equipment are brand new toolings. The pioniere figures are sharply sculpted in dramatic action poses as they conduct their desperate assault. They are also equipped with personal weapons and gear typical of soldiers operating in Operation Marita, the German invasion of Greece in April 1941. This 1/35 set is a useful selection from a period of WWII that is not usually well covered by scale models. However, the figures are so versatile that they could be used in any number of other campaigns too.