Dragon Hobby Expo 2005 Exclusive #2: Panzer gunner "Johann Huber" of 5. Kompanie/II.Abteilung, Panzer Regiment 25, 7.Panzer-Division, serving on the Eastern Front from 1944-45. Note: This item has been signed by Johann Huber. Now in stock!

Dimensions:
Height: 12 inches

Historical Account: "Remember Me, Always" - At the age of 20, Johann Huber joined the Wehrmacht in 1944 as a Reserve Offizier Bewerber (Reserve Officer Candidate), reporting for basic training in Bamberg with the 4.Kompanie / PzAufklAbt 7 (Reconnaissance Battalion) of Panzer-Regiment 25. Having worked as a civilian at the military contractor Krauss-Maffei AG in Munich on the PzKpfw VK 901 and VK 1801, Huber had initially hoped to join the Panzertruppe upon his enlistment, but in true military bureaucratic style, was assigned instead to a Kradschutzenkompanie (Motorcycle Company).

Still setting his sights on the Panzertruppe, Huber sought permission for transfer and after much effort and paperwork was reassigned to 1.Kompanie/PzRegt 25 - a Panzer unit - and then to 3.Kompanie/ROB-Lehrgang. Upon completion of his training he was assigned to 5.Kompanie of the 25th Panzer Regiment's II.Abteilung in Rothenburg, and on October 5th embarked with his unit for the Eastern Front with the rank of ROB-Gefreiter.

Huber's combat experience began in earnest after joining the 7.Panzer-Division at Kurland in October 1944. Serving originally as a loader and then as gunner in the PzKpfw IV Ausf. J and the Leicht PzJgr 39/IV (L70) armored vehicles, Huber earned the Panzerkampfabzeichen 'Silber' badge, the Panzerkampfabzeichen 'Silber 25', and the Eisernes Kreuz II (Iron Cross) medal. He, along with the rest of the 25th Panzer Regiment, fought the Russians at Kurland, East Prussia, Memel, Weichsel, Danzig, Oxhafter Kampe, Waren, Penzlin, and Mecklenburg. In May 1945, Huber fought with the remnants of the 7.Panzer-Division in the final battles against tanks of the Soviet Red Army before Germany's capitulation. At surrender, Huber was interned by the British Army as a POW in Hagenow-Land near Friedrichsmoor.

After the war, Huber retained his interest in the military and became a knowledgeable and respected adviser to senior commanders of the current German Bundeswehr, particularly in the specialties of Infantry and Mechanized Infantry. He is the author of the book "So War Es Wirklich" ("How It Really Was"), which chronicles his wartime experiences and career.