Occult Germany - Wiederbelebung Truppen - Zombies Part 2

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INTELLIGENCE FILE
Code name: Wiederbelebung Truppen
Troop type: Reanimated corpses, Zombies
Nationality: Occult Germany
Affiliation: Thule Society
Characteristics: Indifferent to pain, relentless, merciless, mindless
Vulnerabilities: Decapitation, severe head trauma, fire (not immediately), bodies of water (sinking)
Deployment zone: Western Front, Eastern Front, North Afrika
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While the Thule Society's Wiederbelebung program initially used enemy corpses as the source for their reanimation process, the warmachine is ever hungry and pretty soon fallen German soldiers and even civilians were used. While the initial impact on German morale was not good, most veteran soldiers had been numbed by too many horrors to dwell on it overly long. 

This one was converted from a 1/35 plastic Trumpeter Wehrmacht kit, repositioning the arms and hands, with a zombie head from the old GW plastic zombie kit (those heads were always oversized for the supposed 28mm scale). Some bulletwounds were drilled into the body and greenstuff used to add wear and tear to the uniform.

Wiederbelebung Truppen and Übersoldat

The Crimson Nun trying to stop the Nazi zombie tide...

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MODEL INFORMATION
Scale: 1/35
Brand: Trumpeter (bodies and helmet); Games Workshop (head)

Figure reference: Panzer Division [Poland 1939] Part 1 - TRU00402 
Material: Plastic
Conversions: Headswap, repositioning of arms and hands, battledamage (bulletholes, wear and tear)
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Occult Germany - Intelligence Report- Wiederbelebung Truppen

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INTELLIGENCE REPORT
Code name: Wiederbelebung Truppen
Troop type: Zombies
Nationality: Occult Germany
Affiliation: Thule Society, Doctor Mengele
Characteristics: Indifferent to pain, relentless, merciless, mindless
Vulnerabilities: Decapitation, severe head trauma, fire (not immediately), bodies of water (sinking)
Deployment zone: Western Front, Eastern Front, North Afrika
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It all started in 1943. The Thule Society and Ahnenerbe's repeated failures in attaining the quest for Immortality lead to Hitler sanctioning ever more dangerous experiments by scientists, occultists,  madmen and monsters. One such monster was Brigadeführer Josef Götz. He experimented on fallen soldiers, in an attempt to bring them back to life. 

Doctor Josef Götz, early photograph

Underground facility where the initial experiments took place.

His experiments were a success, of sorts, though not the kind the Führer had been hoping for. The reanimated soldiers were violent mindless creatures, seemingly suffering from an all consuming hunger. While walking around in a shambling way, they were, as individuals, still pretty much dead for all intent and purposes. The decay of their flesh seemed slowed down by the reanimation proces, but not halted, only adding to their gruesome appearances. Their resilience and immunity to pain nonetheless caught the high command's attention. It seemed only severe head trauma, destroying what is left of their brain activity, or total annihilation through fire seemed to stop them. Götz managed to convince the Thule Society to support putting the Wiederbelebung Truppen, as he called them, in the field.

Brigadeführer Götz and his Wiederbelebung Truppen

Initially, only enemy soldiers were reanimated in such a fashion. All memory of their past life was erased anyway and it was believed the German soldiers would consider it a desecration of their fallen friends bodies if they were treated in such a way. The added horror for the enemy soldiers seeing their fallen comrades march back onto them was considered a boon. The initial deployments took place in the Eastern Front and were met with some reasonable success, enough to greenlight the expansion of the program.

Some formerly Russian Wiederbelbung Truppen advancing on a Russian operative

As the war went on though, civilians and, in the end Wehrmacht and Waffen SS troops were reanimated in the same fashion. The Allied Forces would refer to them as Nazi Zombies, regardless of whatever uniform remains are on their back.

Image references: Dead Snow (movie), The Outpost (movie), Call of Duty: WWII Nazi Zombie game mode (game)

 

Occult Germany - Wiederbelebung Truppen - Zombies

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INTELLIGENCE FILE
Code name: Wiederbelebung Truppen
Troop type: Reanimated corpses, Zombies
Nationality: Occult Germany
Affiliation: Thule Society
Characteristics: Indifferent to pain, relentless, merciless, mindless
Vulnerabilities: Decapitation, severe head trauma, fire (not immediately), bodies of water (sinking)
Deployment zone: Western Front, Eastern Front, North Afrika
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Hitler had always been obsessed with the quest for immortality and the Thule Society fed that obsession, exploring different avenues towards attaining that goal. One such experiment resulted in the reanimation of fallen soldiers. As a quest for immortality, it was an abject failure. The subjects were mindless, shambling corpses and the process of decay was slowed, but not halted. While not working out as intended, the Thule Society saw an opportunity here and oversaw the creation of more of these Wiederbelebung Truppen, or Nazi zombies as they were dubbed by the Allies. 

Initially, the program only used enemy soldier's corpses, mostly Russians. The zombies are a disquieting enough sight without further shocking the German troops with the desecration of their fallen friends. However, as the war raged on and the Wehrmacht got accustomed to the sight of zombies over time, such delicate considerations were abandoned... 

A former Red Army nurse, now another gruesome tool in the German warmachine.

A couple (former) Russian zombies to kick off the zombie horde. The models are a couple of resin 1/35 figures produced by WAR (Weird Armies Reign). There was no need to convert them as they were already perfect as is. I used 32mm clear acrylic bases on them again, to match the others.

The Red Widow trying to fend off some former comrades, now mindless enemies

A couple of zombies advancing through the twilight hour, passing by an abandoned civilian vehicle.

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MODEL INFORMATION
Scale: 1/35
Brand: Weird Armies Reign (WAR)

Figure reference: Soviet "Recycled" Troops '46 - WM003/WM004
Material: Resin
Conversions: /
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Still early days, but I took the opportunity to take this groupshot of the project's advancement to keep me motivated: