The M4 Sherman was the primary tank used by the Allies during World War II. Thousands were also distributed via lend lease, including the the British Vommonwealth and Soviet armies. Britain named the M4 (Mki) after General William Tecumsen Sherman, who fought with great distinction and bravery in the American Civil War.

Mould Tools made in 1961, pack Illustration by Ron Jobson, 1975. Enjoy the nostalgia with Airfix Vintage Classics.

The Churchill was the standard Bntish infantry tank from 1941. It was not fast but had heavy armour, good firepower ond good cross-country performance. The Mk.VII used a 75mm gun and had increased frontal armour. It first saw service in Normandy in 1944.

The restrictions imposed on Germany as part of the Versailles treaty saw if focus on wheeled armoured cars. The development of these centred around the need for mobile support around reconnaissance units. This final variant of the type was the SdKfz 234/4. The vehicle was fitted with a 75mm Pak 40 gun.

This landing vehicle was designed for the US Army, and later used by the British Army. This box also contains the Willys jeep. Although usually associated with the Pacific theatre, toward the end of the war LVT's were employed in Europe as well.

Mould Tools made in 1967, pack illustration by Roy Cross, 1967. Enjoy the nostalgia with Airfix Vintage Classics. 

The '88' proved to be an excellent anti-tank gun in France in 1940. By the time it arrived in North Africa it was a feared tank killer, which could knock out any Allied tank at distances well over 1000 metres. The Sd.Kfz.7 could carry gun crews of up to 12 men in theatre-type seats.

The Sd kfz222 performed well enough in countries with good road networks, like those in Western Europe. The Volkswagen Kubelwagen was a military vehicle designed by Ferdinand Porsche.

Designed in 1930 by the Swedish Bofors Company, this gun was adopted by some 18 countries and became the standard light anti aircraft weapon with the British forces. The Morris CS8 15-cwt 4x2 General Service Trucks were made in large numbers and they became the backbone of the British Army.

The PAK 40 formed the backbone of the German anti-tank gun forces throughout the latter part of the Second World War. Capable of taking on Allied armour with relative ease, while it was not as powerful as the famous 88mm gun, it was however smaller and easier to conceal. Featured here with a truck, and set is representative of a German anti-tank unit towards the end of the war.

• Skill: 1
• Flying Hours: 1
• Number of Parts: 50

The M3 personnel carrier was developed from the four-wheeled scout car. During the Second World War, more than 41,000 vehicles were produced by the White Motor Company. This version came with the improved M49 machine gun ring mount over the right hand side front seat. Between 1942 and 1943 all M3 Half-Tracks (standard and A1's) were continually uprgraded.

To support the infantry through the minefields on the ground operation in Europe and the Pacific , US military engineers decided to modify the Sherman, which was not only used by US forces, but also by the British, Canadian and Free French forces.

The 1943 British engineers developed the flame-throwee tank known as Crocodile, capable of producing a ten metre flame. These flames allowed the Allies to destroy bunkers and shelters without having to call the demolition teams of the infantry.

The Rocket Launcher T34 (Calliope) was a tank-mounted multiple rocket launcher used by the US Army during WWII. The launcher was placed atop the tank, and fired a barrage of 4.5 in (114mm) rockets from 60 launch tubes. It adopts its name from the musical instrument 'Calliope', also known as the steam organ.

The Cromwell, official name Cruiser Tank MkVIII, was one of the most successful British tanks of the Second World War. Named after the English Civil War leader Oliver Cromwell, the tank proved to be an adept and rugged fighting machine and served until the end of the war.

The Landing Craft Mechanised (LCM) Mk.III was the most widely used of the LCMs during World War II, with more than 8,600 being built in yards in the USA. They were employed by both the US Navy and the Royal Navy. The LCM Mk.III was extensively used in operations in the European and Pacific theatres from 1942, with many hundreds taking part in the "D-Day" landings in Normandy in June 1944. The Sherman M4A2 Tank was the best-known of all American medium tanks. The Sherman was designed in 1941 as an improvement on the earlier M3 Lee and Grant series: after initial production in 1942, large numbers of Shermans were issued to the British Army, and the type became the standard Allied medium tank.

Taking just 1.5 minutes to deploy, the Tank Bridge No.2 provided a Class 60 tracked load and a Class 40 wheeled load over a 30ft gap. The bridge was in one piece and mounted on the turretless tank. The launching arm was attached by a pivoting arm mechanism with rollers to the front of the tank, the other end of the arm being attached to the centre of the bridge. The bridge remained horizontal as it was raised and then lowered by the pivot arm across the gap.

Early on the morning of June 6th 1944 the combined forces of the Allied armies landed on the Normandy beaches in Northern France in the most ambitious and important operation of the Second World War. With airborne troops already on the ground and fighting, the sea-borne element of the force began landing. This phase of the operation was codenamed Neptune and consisted of five invasion beaches, three British and Canadian (Sword, Gold and Juno) and two American beaches (Omaha and Utah). The landings themselves were preceded both by a powerful air attack and by a fierce naval artillery barrage from a vast armada of ships anchored off-shore.

The majority of the beaches were taken with casualties, but no severe losses, except for Omaha where the American troops were pinned down after the naval bombardment failed to destroy the German defences. But even this obstacle was overcome and once the beach-heads were secure, Allied troops and equipment were quickly brought ashore, ready to continue on and liberate the occupied countries of Western Europe and ultimately to defeat Germany and win the war.

This collection comes from the Normandy beach-head, with tanks, landing craft, trucks, a gun emplacement, soldiers and a diorama base to enable you to recreate this momentous day. Airfix Gift Sets are ideal for more advanced modellers and include glue, acrylic paints and brushes.