Pzkpfw VI ausf. H Tiger 1 #731--tank and three figures
$439.00

King & Country

Item Number: AK154(SE)

Pzkpfw VI ausf. H Tiger 1 #731

By February 1943, the first and second companies of Panzer Abteilung 501 were attached to Panzer-Regiment 7 of the 10^th Panzer Division and the tanks were numbered as the regiment's 7^th and 8^th companies.

‘Afrikan Tigers On The Prowl!’
  By late 1942, the fate of the Italian and German forces in North Africa was looking bleak.  On November 7, 1942, a large Anglo-American force, three-quarters of which were from the U.S., had successfully landed in Morocco and Algeria.
   Code-named ‘Operation Torch’ and commanded by Lt. Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower their aim was to attack the Germans and Italians from the west while the British Eighth Army was advancing from the east thus squeezing the Axis forces out of North Africa entirely.
   To avoid this fate there was a rapid build-up of German reinforcements in Tunisia by both air and sea with aircraft and ships from mainland Italy and Sicily arriving daily.   Among the
badly-needed reinforcements to the Afrika Korps were several shipments of the new and very heavy Panzerkampfwagen VI  tanks better known as ‘The Tiger’.   Eventually a total of 31 Tigers arrived in Tunisia and they were divided among 3 individual heavy tank companies of 9 x Tigers each with the remainder going to 2 battalion staff units.
   Ultimately, the presence of this small number of Tigers had little effect on the eventual outcome of the Desert War.  However, the battlefield reputation of the Tiger was greatly enhanced by its performance in several battles during the closing months of the campaign where they destroyed more than 150 Allied tanks for the loss of just 9 of their own in action.

BATTLEFIELD PROBLEMS ELSEWHERE
While the Tiger 1 has been called an outstanding design for its time, it was also labelled ‘over-engineered’, using very expensive materials and labour-intensive production methods.  In addition, this highly complex machine was constantly hampered by ongoing mechanical reliability issues and, its massive weight of 56 tons, which strained its mechanical systems, resulted in frequent breakdowns.  Other negative factors included the tank’s size which made it difficult to operate on Tunisia’s narrow and under-developed road system and, of course, a general lack of adequate fuel and replacement parts.
     As a result the majority of Tiger 1’s lost and abandoned in Tunisia were caused by technical breakdowns and… lack of fuel!
     That being said the reputation of the Tiger 1 among their British and American opponents was sky-high helped along by its powerful 88mm main gun and incredibly thick armour which made it almost impossible to knock-out in open combat.  This is what struck fear and terror in the minds of many British and American soldiers and tank crews.
     As many K&C collectors know, over the last two years, we have released a total of 3 Tiger 1s… The first was for a ‘Winter Campaign’ followed in 2024 by 2 Tigers fighting in the Battle of Kursk in 1943.
    Now, we are introducing our first ‘Desert Tigers’ since 2007 and, once more, they are superb, all-metal diecast models complete with moving wheels and tracks with full suspension and hatches that open and close.
     Add to that THREE complimentary crew figures plus a handsome and sturdy full-colour presentation box along with a signed and numbered certificate for each of the 250 sets.

Please note:   The distinctive exhaust covers, rounded rear mudguards, and original stowage box are noticeably different from our earlier Tigers.

This is a superb, all-metal diecast model complete with moving wheels and tracks with full suspension and hatches that open and close.  Also, each of our Afrika Korps tanks comes in its handsome and sturdy full-colour presentation box along with a signed and numbered certificate for each of the 250 sets.

Due to be released in FEBRUARY 2025.