Somua MCG 307 (f) FFI/Paris August 1944

3D-printed resin kit for a French Somua MCG half-track artillery tractor

• 1:72 scale
• unbuilt, unpainted
• paint and glue not included

The Somua MCG was a French half-track artillery tractor produced in the 1930s. After the defeat of France in 1940, the Wehrmacht captured many examples, designated them Somua MCG 307 (f), and used them as transport vehicles, gun tugs, and supply vehicles.

In the summer of 1944, during the Paris Uprising, the FFI (Forces Françaises de l'Intérieur), the French Resistance, captured some of these vehicles. Improvised FFI units used the captured half-tracks for street fighting, transporting personnel and weapons, and as mobile support platforms. These vehicles often bore makeshift markings: tricolor, the inscriptions "FFI" and "Vive de Gaulle," Lorraine crosses, or improvised paint markings.

The Parisian version from August 1944 is characterized by the following:

• irregular field paint – mostly still in German dark yellow, sometimes with remnants of camouflage,
• clear, quickly and with high contrast applied FFI markings,
• signs of intensive use – dirt, damage, missing equipment,
• improvised weapons – often captured MG 34/42 machine guns or small arms from fighter planes were mounted.

The model in this configuration captures the characteristic atmosphere of the battle to liberate Paris: improvisation, a variety of equipment, and the dynamic mood of August 1944.