MPM 1/72 A-20B Havoc (MTO)

MTO stands for Mediterranean (Sea) Theatre of Operations and was a crucial time during WW2 when both sides, the allies and the axis threw almost everything they had in their respective arsenals at each other in order to deny each other the vast oil fields in the middle east and control of the central Mediterranean sea lanes. The outcome of this two year long struggle would potentially determine the outcome of world war 2 and the end of Nazi tyranny and the strangehold which it had kept on civilisation.

Field Marshall Bernard Montgomery kept a wall painting depicting his direct adversary Field Marshall Erwin Rommel, on his mobile caravan office wall, he always said that it helped him to be able to try and pick his adversary's mind. This was of course a clever cover up since Monty was receiving Rommels full movement strategy from Bletchley Park. So while Rommel was admiring his adversary's mental attitude, Monty was in fact reading Rommel's emails !!

The Americans officially joined the Allied fight against tyranny on 7th December 1941. By declaring war on Japan, the USA had also declared war on Japan's allies, namely Germany and Italy. This meant bringing overwhelming numbers in both manpower, logistics, equipment and deadly strategy to the European Theatre of Operations (ETO). It was clear that without conquering the Nazi war machine in North Africa and Italy the fight to overcome tyranny could surely be a much longer fought affair.

Standalone invasions do not always go according to plan. This was 1942 and D-Day (Operation Overlord) was still 2 years ahead and may not have been as successful as it was had it not been for the earlier invasion of North Africa. On 8th Nov 1942 Operation Torch saw the landings of American and allied forces in French North Africa. It was believed that the Vichy French presence here would not put up a fight. The British and Commonwealth forces were already present in Egypt, Tunisia and Libya hence driving Rommel back into full retreat and back to the sea, out of Africa altogether, then withdrawing to Italy.

Allied control did not want to stop there, by this time America had been in the war for just over a year and were eager to take the fight to the enemy on his own soil. In the summer of 1943 Operation Husky would see the allies following the axis into Sicily and Italy driving the Nazis back into Germany. This did not happen overnight but it assured that Il Duce, Italy's dictator Benito Mussolini would be overthrown and eventually killed. Hitler did try to rescue Mussolini from captivity in the Gran Sasso but his fate was sealed near Lake Como where he was soon discovered and taken back into custody as he tried to flee into neutral Switzerland before flying to Spain. He was tried and executed by Italian communist partisans, as was his mistress.

The Kit:

The MPM kit of the A20B is not a beginners' model and tends to offer more problems than solutions. As its got a tricycle undercarriage it poses the problem of where to place the nose weight in a part-clear nose fairing. In the end I had to place some lead weight inside the nose wheel bay. This kit certainly requires patience and will bring out all the skills which one has in order to complete it properly. I thoroughly enjoyed building this but it had its challenges which in my humble opinion may be insurmountable by the novice.