Dragon Armor Expo Special - Tiger 1, Late Production - Gefreiter "Alfred Kurzmaul"
No. 60320, Vintage year - 2007, Scale - 1:72
Unit - 2/sPzAbt 503 - the unit was created in May 1942 and consisted of 45 Tiger Is by May 1943. It was deployed to Army Group Don after the Battle of Stalingrad. It served with divisions of the 4th Panzer Army in securing the withdrawal of Army Group A and then retreated to Rostov. In February 1943, the unit was transferred to Kharkov and took part in the 3rd battle of Kharkov and Operation Citadel in 1943. In 1944, the battalion formed Panzer Regiment Bakke and was part of the relief force that tried unsuccessfully to break through to encircled forces in the Korsun Pocket. The battalion was trapped in Hube's Pocket and was then dissolved and sent west in April 1944 for refitting with new Tiger IIs.
Campaign - Eastern Front 1943-44
Markings -Dark tan, brown and green camouflage with 123 in black on turret and cross on hull. Zimmerit on turret and hull and extra track armor on turret.
History: Kurzmaul volunteered at age 17 for service in the Panzerwaffe. He received training as a gunner and loader in spring 1941 and took driver training for the Panzer III and Panzer IV. He was then posted to Panzer Regiment 25 with the 7th Panzer Division at Erlangen. He transferred to the Eastern Front in July 1941 and fought in the Central Sector as part of Panzer Gruppe 3. He was sent back to France in 1942 for rest and refitting with s.Pz.Abt. 502 where he received the new Tiger tank at Paderborn. He was then assigned to s.Pz.Abt. 503 until the end of the war. In October 1944, he was sent to Hungary under the command of Skorzeny and his unit took part in the occupation of the Burgberg castle which was the seat of the Hungarian Government. After, he was sent back to the Eastern Front where he fought through the end of the war. He became ill and was sent back to a hospital near his hometown right before the war ended. This was a stroke of luck and his family eventually emigrated to Canada in 1956.
Type - Tiger 1 - Late Production - Sd.Kfz.181