An infantry company lived or died on communication, and by 1944 the American squad had something new — the SCR-536 "handie-talkie," the first true handheld radio, backed by the larger SCR-300 "walkie-talkie" carried on a man's back. In theory a platoon leader could now call for fire or report a position in seconds. In practice, in the Normandy bocage, the earth banks and dense hedgerows swallowed the signals, and units fell back on field telephones, runners, and shouted word of mouth. A man on the radio, kneeling in the open to get reception, was doing one of the most valuable — and most exposed — jobs on the line.

The set pairs two infantrymen kneeling under fire: one pressing a handset to his ear as he reports the position, the other steadying his M1 Garand on guard, both in M1943 field jackets and netted M1 helmets with field gear worn thin. On separate groundwork bases, they form the heart of a small-unit command-post diorama. Add the Infantryman Walking with SCR-536, the Infantry NCO Shouting, and the Company Officer to build a squad passing orders forward in the hedgerows.

W. Britain model 25307. 1/30 scale (approximately 60mm), matte-painted metal. Two-figure set on separate sculpted groundwork bases. Boxed.