German 200L Fuel Drum Set

MiniArt, 1/35 scale

Reviewed by Zack Sex

FirstLook   

In another look at MiniArt’s diorama detail sets, we turn our attention to its German 200L Fuel Drum Set. The set contains 12 200-litre fuel drums and a selection of portable hand pumps. The drums are straightforward to assemble and feature various pressed markings and manufacturer’s codes on each end.

The 200-litre fuel drum, also available from Tamiya, is a must-have for World War II dioramas and is equally useful for dressing up many Panzer models. It is not uncommon to see these drums mounted on the sides or rear of Tigers, Panthers and Panzer IVs.

For a refuelling scene, one possibility that immediately springs to mind is a 200-litre drum lying on its side, with a portable hand pump being operated by a supply trooper beside an Opel Maultier. If you choose this approach, some guitar string would be ideal for the fuel hose, while a few wooden blocks would provide a suitable base for the drum, as depicted in the review photograph.

At least one reference photograph shows a soldier refuelling a StuG III in this fashion, and this otherwise mundane task must have been repeated countless times throughout the war.

By mid-1944, despite increasingly severe fuel shortages, the German Army and other ground services were consuming approximately 11.3 million litres of fuel per day. To put this into perspective, a Tiger tank required between 70 and 90 litres of petrol to cover 10 miles on standard roads, rising to between 110 and 130 litres when travelling cross-country. Little wonder that vast quantities of these 200-litre drums were needed to keep military operations moving.

Indeed, for fans of modern armour, these drums have a surprisingly long afterlife. Fuel drums bearing Wehrmacht markings could still be seen on Soviet T-54s during the invasion of Czechoslovakia in 1968 and on Russian T-72s in Chechnya.

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Purchased by the reviewer