WS396 PzKpfwVI 'KURSK TIGER' Hull #S32

 For an attack of this magnitude and complexity there must be an ‘element of surprise’.

Alas however, the Russians, with their extensive German spy network, already knew of the planned offensive and began to build up their own forces in that area.

Simultaneously, Hitler decided to postpone the operation believing that it was better to avoid the Russian Spring ‘Thaw’ during which the landscape was a ‘sea of mud’ making infantry and armor progress almost impossible.

Hitler himself had another important reason to delay the attack…  The imminent arrival of TWO of Germany’s heaviest and most powerful tanks – the ‘Panther’ and its even heavier and more powerful battlefield partner the PzKpfw Ⅵ, better known of course, as ‘The Tiger’.

By June 1943 the German High Command received additional alarming reports of growing Soviet strength in what they had begun to call ‘The Kursk Salient’.

After relaying this to Hitler, the Fuhrer delayed the offensive for another month in order to get additional ‘Panthers’ and ‘Tigers’ from their factories in Germany transported to the Eastern Front.

 On 5 July 1943 two German Panzer Armies attacked from north and south of the salient and moved rapidly into it with the new Panthers and Tigers in the lead.

Among those German tanks spearheading the advance were the ‘Tigers’ belonging the 2nd Waffen SS Panzer Division ‘Das Reich’ which formed an integral part of the Ⅱ SS Panzer Corps and attacked the salient from the south.

The stage was now set for what was to become, the largest tank battle in history with over 6,000 armoured vehicles from both sides taking part as well as over 4,000 aircraft and more than 2,000,000 soldiers.  It was a ‘clash of armour’ the World had never seen before… or would ever see again.

In the war on the Eastern Front this battle was to prove decisive and ultimately, fatal for Hitler and his armies fighting against the Soviets.

Even though the mighty ‘Tiger’ could not change the end result its battlefield reputation remained intact and would go on to be highly respected and much-feared in other battles… in many other places from Italy to Normandy and finally onto the ruined streets of Berlin and the last desperate days of the Third Reich!

The Panzerkampfwagen VI better known by its nickname ‘THE TIGER’ was one of the most powerful tanks to see action during the Second World War. Conceived as a response to the heavily armoured Soviet tanks the Germans encountered after their invasion of Russia in June 1941, the ‘TIGER’ completely outclassed all its opponents at the time of its introduction. Its formidably thick frontal armour was almost impossible to penetrate with all existing anti-tank weapons systems of the period. Armed with a superb tank version of the 88mm KwK 36 Flak Gun it was capable of destroying enemy targets at well over 2 kilometres. There were even some reports of ‘kills’ at almost 4 kilometres! Being a heavy armoured ‘breakthrough’ vehicle it was often employed as the spearhead of many German offensives. Our latest ‘KURSK TIGER’ represents one of two from the Heavy Tank Company of the 2nd. Waffen SS Division ‘DAS REICH’ which was equipped with Tigers. Painted in the two-colour camouflage scheme typical of Das Reich vehicles during the Battle of Kursk this model comes with many unique features: ALL-METAL DIECAST HULL, TURRET and 88mm MAIN GUN…MOVING FLEXIBLE METAL TRACK… ROLLING WHEELS with FULL SUSPENSION… FOUR OPENING HATCHES… PLUS TWO ORIGINAL CREW FIGURES FOR EACH TURRET.

Our latest ‘Tiger’ model is painted in the two-colour camouflage scheme of ‘Dunkelgelb’, a kind of tan / yellow and ‘Olivgruen’, a dark olive green, first introduced in February 1943.

The great majority of the ‘Tigers’ that took part in ‘Operation Zitadelle’, the German codename for the assault on the Russian salient during the Battle of Kursk were camouflaged in this manner.

Like K&C’s previously released ‘Winter Tiger 1’ this latest model also includes all of these original features: ALL-METAL HULL, TURRET and 88mm MAIN GUN… MOVING FLEXIBLE METAL TRACKS… ROLLING WHEELS with FULL SUSPENSION… FOUR OPENING HATCHES plus TWO COMPLIMENTRARY ORIGINAL CREW FIGURES.

On the eve of battle, 4 July 1943, Das Reich could muster 48 x Panzer Ⅲs… 33x Panzer Ⅳs… 8 x Panzer Ⅲ Command Tanks… 18 x Captured T34s… 33 Stug Self-Propelled Guns plus 10 Marder SPGs and… just 12 x Tigers.

Overall, the Germans deployed four armies alongwith a large proportion of their total tank strength on ‘Operation Zitadelle’.

In preparation for this mammoth battle a total of 259 ‘Panthers’ and around 211 ‘Tigers’ were used including those attached to the Ⅱ SS Panzer Corps.

Although the battle began well for the Germans their attack soon faltered as they drove deeper into the salient and encountered stronger and fiercer Russian opposition from the well-prepared Soviet defences.

In addition, the Western Allies, Britain and America, began the invasion of Sicily and Hitler was forced to divert some of his badly-needed forces to counter this new Allied threat in the Mediterranean.

One of the units sent south was Das Reich’s fellow Waffen SS Division ‘Leibstandarte Adolf Hitler’ which handed over the remainder of their ‘Tigers’ to Das Reich as they departed.

The Battle of Kursk proved to be the last strategic offensive that the Germans were able to launch on the Eastern Front.

And even though their newest and best tanks, the Panthers and Tigers achieved spectacular ‘kill-ratios’ against the enemy there were simply not enough of them to overcome their Soviet opposition.

This latest King & Country ‘TIGER’ is a worthy addition to any collector interested in the mighty struggle that was the war on the Eastern Front.

Notice: This KURSK TIGER is packaged in a sturdy, custom-designed, full-colour presentation box and with a numbered certificate limiting each model to just 250 pieces.