In January 1943, a new Tiger tank was ordered by the Waffenamt, this time with a turret large enough to mount the fearsome 8.8cm L/71 gun. Besides improving its tank killing capabilities, the new Tiger was also intended to be more survivable on the battlefield. To achieve this, the thickness of the frontal armor was increased to 150mm, while the side armor remained constant at 80mm. A wooden mock-up showing the immense size of the vehicle was displayed on October 20th, 1943 and immediately became the center of attention to all that saw it. Production of the vehicle began soon thereafter in November 1943 although the first 50 vehicles sported the Porsche turret with its curved front plate.

On December 6th, the Waffenamt deemed that the shot-trap formed by the turret be eliminated. This was achieved by Henschel re-designing the turret and gun mantlet, in such a manner as to decrease the frontal area while at the same time incorporating a bell-shaped mantlet. By March 1945, 489 Royal Tigers (a.k.a. Konigstigers or "King Tigers") had been produced. Apart from five vehicles issued to the Feldherrnhalle division, all of the Tiger II heavy tanks were assigned to independent schwere Panzer detachments due to the tank's staggering size and weight, as well as its relatively slow rate of maneuver.

Pictured here is a 1:72 scale replica of a German King Tiger heavy tank that was attached to schwere Panzerabteilung 509, which fought in Hungary in 1945. Sold Out!

Dimensions:
Length: 5-1/2-inches
Width: 2-1/4-inches

Release Date: December 2018

Historical Account: "Destruction of Armee Gruppe Centre" - Schwere Panzer Abteilung 509 (abbreviated s.Pz.Abt. 509) was a German heavy panzer abteilung equipped with Tiger I and later Tiger II Knigstiger tanks. The 509th saw action on the Eastern Front during the Second World War. As with other German heavy tank battalions, it was never assigned to a single corps; but shuffled around as needed.

The 509th was ordered formed on September 9th, 1943, taking most of its personnel from Panzer-Regiment 204 of the disbanded 22.Panzer-Division, although some sources claim March 1943. The battalion was initially issued with forty-five Tiger Is. It was committed to action in Ukraine as a part of Army Group South. Reaching the Front in October 1943, the 509th saw action near Kirovograd and Krivoi Rog, falling back as a part of the overall withdrawal of the front. In early November, the third company was detached and attached to the 2.SS-Panzer-Division Das Reich.

In early 1944, the 509th was involved in the Second Battle of Kiev and was heavily engaged in fighting for the city. After the defeat at Kiev, the detachment saw action at Pavlova during the withdrawal. In late May, the exhausted and severely depleted 509th was pulled back for refitting. After receiving a full complement of Tiger Is, the detachment was sent back to the front on June 1st, 1944.

On June 22nd, 1944, the Soviets launched Operation Bagration, and the 509th, attached to Army Group Centre, was in their line of advance. The 509th saw heavy fighting at Novosselki, Shitomir and Chelmik. On September 8th, 1944, the detachment lost sixteen Tigers in under 24 hours near Kielce, Poland.