The history
Popski’s Private Army was a small British raiding unit that fought behind German lines in North Africa and Italy in heavily armed jeeps. At some point in Italy it is said to have fitted one of them with a Wasp flamethrower, taken from a Canadian Universal Carrier. As far as is known, only this single prototype was built, and it never saw action.
At least one wartime photograph of it survives, with one of Popski’s officers, Lieutenant Nick Hubbard, working on the equipment. It shows a layout that differs from many modern reconstructions: the flame fuel tank lies across the bonnet, the projector sits on a pedestal in the middle of the jeep, and a large container and stowage fill the back. Peniakoff’s own photographs, including pictures of the unit’s flamethrowers, are held in his collection at the Imperial War Museum. A modern replica also appears at military vehicle shows in the UK.
The drawing at the top of this page is our own impression, not a photograph. It follows the layout seen in the wartime photograph, but the details are approximate.
The plan
Meng’s 1/35 kit, the first in its range of new jeeps. Reviewers point out that it seems to be based on the replica, and that there is no evidence the real vehicle carried the emblem the kit puts on the bonnet. Those are things to check before painting.
