Hi folks,
After a flight with an Airfix C-47 (let's call it a draw) I'm ready to turn to 1944. Last year I intended to do a Tamiya Panther D (new tool 2015) along with an ICM T-34/76 for a Kursk duo. Reality kicked me in the shins, and only the T-34 saw the light of day.
But I've still got the Tamiya Panther and want to build it. For one thing, I haven't built a Panther for over fifty years (remember one when I was about 12). Second, I was very impressed with recent Tamiya armor kits - I thought their Jagdpanzer IV was a great kit, adn this one looks good too.
I think I can work this "Kursk Panther" kit into the spirit of 1944 without changing history. I have no intention of adding zimmerit. The Panzer D was produced until September 1943 - with some 800 vehicles made. (Zimmerit was introduced in September 43 and I believe was factory applied.) There were 200 at Kursk: only about 40 were destroyed completely, but from what I can gather, most were gone by fall during the hasty German retreat to the Dnieper. That still leaves 600 - and most would have gone East. A few showed up in Italy, but as I understand it, German armor there relied heavily on Stugs and other self-propelled guns. After the failure at Salerno to destroy the allied landing - no real answer to naval artillery - German defense centered on static defenses which suited Stugs nicely and anti-tank guns more. (There was enough armor around to give the allies a real scare at Anzio, but the naval guns saved the day again - and would do once more at Omaha.)
I'm not going to track down a specific unit, but the entire German Wehrmacht was under intense pressure after twin counter blows on both sides of the Kursk salient in mid-July/early August 1943. By year's end the Germans were west of the Dnieper, hoping (vainly) to make a stable line. What did result in the southern sector was German Army Group South finding itself assailed by two Soviet Fronts under Konev and Vatutin. It's pretty safe to assume, I think, that Manstein had been getting his share of Panthers. (All of this led to the famous Korsun Pocket where much armor was involved.) But if not in the South, than in AG Center - it too was running. I think it almost certain that many Panthers were still in service in January. Mechanical reliability of the Panther improved steadily - at least the Germans started to understand what might cause breakdown. The heavy armor made Panthers tough to demolish and the Germans were very good at recovering damaged vehicles. I also can't imagine the Germans sending back damaged tanks unless essential - the Eastern Front was fighting for its life - again.
So we're going to put a Panther G into the German line somewhere in Russia in January 1944. Obviously that will mean a winter build - I've only done a couple of those and had great fun. Winter builds are not exactly rare, but arguably there should be more. When you figure it, at least one third of the year in the Ost was either winter or Rasputitsa. As I understand it, the Ukraine is a little like my Minnesota home: it has two seasons (cold/snow winter: hot/humid summer) seperated by a few week integrenums. Anyway, a very good excuse to do serious weathering - goody.
For formality sake, here's the kit:
Eric
Kit by Eric Bergerud, on Flickr