Forces of Valor 80304 German Mid Production Sd. Kfz. 181 PzKpfw VI Tiger I Ausf. E Heavy Tank - schwere Panzerabteilung 505, Eastern Front, 1943 (1:32 Scale)
"The gun and armor of the Tiger were superb, making it in many ways the most formidable tank in service. Even so, it was poor in maneuver, it was slow, and its turret was a slow traverser in action. It was a tank which was, at its best, immobile in ambush, when its killing power was very frightening."
- Douglas Orgill, "German Armor"
The German Waffenamt issued an order to design the VK4501(H) (as the PzKpfw VI Ausf. E was then known) in May 1941, just one month prior to the commencement of Operation Barbarossa. Interestingly, Henschel und Sohn of Kassel was charged with building the heavily armored chassis while Krupp, by far the largest munitionwerks in Germany, was given the task of developing the turret. The PzKpfw VI Ausfuhrung E (type E) was one of the first German tanks to feature a torsion bar with eight interleaved wheels, which was designed to support the weight of the mammoth 57-ton tank. The Ausf. E mounted a huge 8.8cm KwK36 L/56 cannon and featured two MG34 machine guns for close support against enemy infantry. By war's end, 1,354 vehicles had been produced, some rolling off the Wegmann assembly line.
Now Forces of Valor has crafted a marvelous 1:32 scale diecast replica of the late version PzKpfw VI Tiger Ausfuhrung E heavy tank. This stunning recreation features a rotating turret, elevating gun, opening hatches, and vinyl tracks! This particular Tiger was used on the Eastern Front and has been slathered with a layer of distressed zimmerit anti-magnetic mine paste. Comes bundled with all sorts of battlefield accessories.
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Dimensions:
Length: 10-1/4-inches
Width: 4-1/2-inches
Height: 3-1/2-inches
Release Date: August 2005
Historical Account: "Last of a Breed" - Schwere Panzer Abteilung 505 was formed in January 1943. It was assigned to 9.Armee where it saw action at the Battle of Kursk. After Kursk, it was attached to Heeresgruppe Mitte where it fought at the Battle of Smolensk. The unit was eventually refitted with King Tiger tanks in September 1944, then fought alongside the 24. and 25.Panzer-Division in East Prussia until it was completely decimated.