Hiya folks,

I'll be going to Germany for two years from my company. I'll be based out of Stuttgart. In this regard, I'd like to know from ppl who're living there, or who have lived there as to whether there are good shops for buying models and stuff. Or will I need to travel somwhere else for that?

I'd also be interested in joining up some local clubs or so. If you have any info on that, pls let me know!!

And lastly, being a WWII buff, I'd love to get around and see some WWII sites and museums. I have plans to go around Europe after a year, and until then I want to complete the sites in Germany itself if possible. So please let me have a list of places to visit...

Cheers,
BP.

While in Stuttgart be sure to visit the Porsche mueseum and drink plenty of Dinkelacker Bier. Up the road is Heidelberg which has a famous castle worth a visit. Further south is Munich which is absoluetly one of the grandest places on earth. Near it is the Dachau concentration camp and the prison where Adolf Hitler wrote Mein Kampf in the 20s. You can roar around the autobahn at unbelievable speeds if you have nerves of steel or ride the train system which is equally as marvelous. Me, I had a Porsche 911 back then so you know which route I took. wa always able to find a good Hobby shop wherever I went, jst look it up in the Phone book

The Germans aren't too keen on remembering WW 2 so you pretty much will have to leave the country to see anything dealing with the war. London comes to mind

I come to Munich each year and can allso recommend a visit to Dachau. There allso is the "Deutsche Museum" in Munich and the aircraft department at the old airport at Ober Sleischheim ?

A longer trip is Dresden where there used to be the NVA museum, its still going i think.

Nurnberg , site of the Nazirallys and the trials after the war - http://thirdreichruins.com/ might be interesting, if the owner remebers to pay the fee

It has been some time since I was in Germany (left in 1980), but while there I was stationed in Boeblingen which is just south of Stuttgart. there are several things that I would advise you to try and take in while there.
1. In the town of Rastatt to the west of Stuttgart, there was an excellent military museum located in the old Rastatt Palace. it had several great exhibits, to include Rommel's Field Marshall's Baton.

2. In the town of Hammelburg to the north and east of Frankfurt, is the location of the German Infantry Museum.

3. Be sure and visit Nuremburg. At one time, many of the old Third Reich buildings were still there, sans any Nazi emblems which were removed at the end of the war.

4. Get down to Berchesgarden and see the Eagles Nest , general Walker Hotel (old SS barracks), and bunker tunnels.

Hope these give you a starting point.

Dave

not forgetting vist Samur in france(large tank museum)go up north you can vist the german arny tank muesum in Munster and Belsens not so far away from it either,visit Berlin loads to see there and can spend days walking around you can still see the damage causeed by shells ect on the buildings also some muesums there about the war and gestapo HQ is now a museum to the suffering they caused

anyway enjoy your stay in Germany and go skiiing in the winter

Some WW2 sites :
La Coupole Museum (St. Omer - France), a German V2 missile launching site :
http://www.lacoupole.com/en/default.asp
Le Mémorial de Caen (Caen - France), D-Day landing in Normandy site :
http://www.memorial-caen.fr/portail_gb/hp/hp.asp
Musée des blindés Saumur (Saumur - France), Armour Museum, an AFV collection from WW1 to today (website in french):
http://www.musee-des-blindes.asso.fr/
Imperial War Museum (London - GB), There is a huge collection of aircraft (over 150) at IWM Duxford :
http://www.iwm.org.uk/
Bovington Tank Museum (Bovington - GB), the biggest tank museum - many model manufacturers get tank pictures and information to mould their model kits:
http://www.tankmuseum.co.uk/

Hello everybody,

Thanks for pointing out so many sites of interest!! These pointers should keep me busy for the next year at least !!

And yes, the Normandy beaches, the Ardennes and teh Duxford museum are definitely high there up on my list!!

Cheers,
BP.

PS: Sorry for the late reply. Hv been really busy lately...