Dragon Armor 1:72 Tiger I Early Production "Das Reich" Russia 1943, No. 60098

Description: Dragon Armor Tiger 1 (Early Production) - "No. 812/Tiki" Campaign - Russia 1943Unit - 8/2 Panzer Grenadier Division "Das Reich" - tank of SS-Untersturmfuhrer Steinhofen History - Also called the 2nd SS Panzer, this Division spent a considerable amount of time on the Eastern Front. During the invasion of the Soviet Union (Operation Barbarossa), Das Reich fought with Army Group Center, taking part in the Battle of Yelnya near Smolensk; it was then in the spearhead of Operation Typhoon aimed at the capture of the Soviet capital. By the time Das Reich took part in the Battle of Moscow, it had lost almost two-thirds of its combat strength. It was further reduced in the Soviet Winter Counteroffensive. By mid-1942, the division was pulled out of the fighting and sent west to refit as a Panzer Grenadier Division. In 1943, the unit was transferred back from France to the Eastern Front. The unit participated in Kharkov and then it was one of three SS divisions which made up the II SS Panzer Corps (led by SS General Paul Hausser and comprised of three elite panzer divisions - the 1st Leibstandarte Adolf Hitler (Adolf Hitler's bodyguard), 2nd SS Das Reich (The Empire), and 3rd SS Totenkopf (Death's Head) which took part in the Battle of Kursk (southern sector). All three were technically Panzergrenadier divisions and each had over 100 tanks when Citadel began. Das Reich operated in the southern sector of the Kursk bulge. By July 11, Hoth's Fourth Panzer Army was in position to capture Prochorovka and secure a key bridgehead over the Psel River (the final natural barrier between Manstein's panzers and Kursk) and advance on Oboyan. On the 11th, Hausser readied his divisions to assault Prochorovka with Das Reich commanded by SS Lt. Gen. Walter Kruger who moved into its attack zone on the corps' right flank (several kilometers south of Tetrevino and southwest of Prochorovka). Based on accounts, Hausser's three divisions possessed a total of 327 tanks between them with just 61 accorded to Das Reich (and only 15 Tiger tanks were still in action at Prochorovka). Das Reich began its attack several km southwest of Prochorovka and was quickly engaged by battle groups of the II Tank Corps and the II Guard Tank Corps. Das Reich pushed slowly eastward in the area south of the town until July 16 despite heavy combat against Rotmistrov's battle groups. This advance enabled the III Panzer Corps to link up with the SS division on July 14 and encircle several Soviet rifle divisions south of Prochorovka but these successes were not exploited due to decisions made at the top of the leadership chain (due interestingly to the Allied invasion of Sicily). Hitler thus dispersed the divisions of II SS Panzer Corps to deal with Soviet attacks south of the Belgorod Kharkov sector. The offensive was cancelled even though the SS panzer divisions maintained fighting capacity. Leibstandarte was sent to Italy but Das Reich and Totenkopf remained in the East. These divisions plus the 3rd Panzer Division were transferred to the Sixth Army area where they conducted a counterattack from July 31 to August 2 that eliminated a strong Soviet bridgehead at the Mius River. They were then transferred to the Bogodukhov sector in early August 1943. Under the command of III Panzer Corps, they were joined by the Fifth SS Panzergrenadier Division Wiking. For three weeks of constant combat, these four divisions stopped the main Soviet post-Kursk counteroffensive, Operation Rumyantsev, fighting Rotmistrov's Fifth Guards Tank Army (at 503 tanks) and portions of the First Tank Army (542 tanks). In October, the Division was redesignated SS Panzer Division Das Reich and was sent to France in the Normandy Campaign. Markings - Dark green and dark grey with yellow camouflage with # 812 on turret, cross on lower hull and "Tiki" on front right lower hull. Tiki was short for "Tiger Kind" (Tiger Child). Condition - New with minor wear on box. Thank you for your interest.

Price: 46.5 USD

Location: Alexandria, Virginia

End Time: 2025-01-13T15:52:02.000Z

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