EAST PRUSSIA (1 Viewer)

[wayne556517]

 

[Pan]

OUTSTANDING - from where can I get such incredible backdrops please. That would be great accompanied by the new 505 KT

 

[ScottTR]

Yeah! the way the background blends with the foreground is uncanny... almost seamless. True wizardry, really. Almost otherworldly… dare I say, non-human levels of skill. ; )

 

[tmanthegreat]

Great scene, Wayne! There’s archival footage from the latter period of the war showing Panther tanks in similar MNH striped camouflage operating in East Prussia.

Pan and ScottTR, Wayne uses digital backgrounds in many of his photos, which is why they look so good.

 

[villagehorse]

That Camo is striking and backed up with a great backdrop. Robin.

 

[Hunter Rose]

That would be great accompanied by the new 505 KT

That was the intent of the MNH Striped Panther, the 5. Pz.Div. "Red Devil" Panther and the s.Pz.Abt. 505 King Tiger, i.e. you can display the 504th King Tiger with one of the Panthers in close proximity in a diorama or vignette and in addition to looking cool would also be historically accurate.

There is a master plan for most of these JJD releases...sometimes it just takes a coupe years to come to fruition.

 

[tmanthegreat]

That was the intent of the MNH Striped Panther, the 5. Pz.Div. "Red Devil" Panther and the s.Pz.Abt. 505 King Tiger, i.e. you can display the 504th King Tiger with one of the Panthers in close proximity in a diorama or vignette and in addition to looking cool would also be historically accurate.

There is a master plan for most of these JJD releases...sometimes it just takes a coupe years to come to fruition.

Very cool intel, Steve! I find the very late war period on the Eastern Front to be one of the more dramatic, brutal, and interesting phases of the war - and a period that is often overlooked by historians. In that sense, it’s neat to see John making tanks from this period. (Also a hat’s off to First Legion and W. Britain that have made figures from the very late war period as well).

 

[Pan]

From some research i did, even the Elefant Tank Destroyer (Ukraine Camo) by First legion would be historically accurate since these tank destroyers operated in support.

 

[wayne556517]

From some research i did, even the Elefant Tank Destroyer (Ukraine Camo) by First legion would be historically accurate since these tank destroyers operated in support.

I intend to use it with this Panther

 

[Pan]

I intend to use it with this Panther

that would be Awsome I have that Panther and its GREAT

 

[Pan]

As regards the insertion of the 505 King Tiger with the Elefant ..this is what I found:

To pair your Tiger II (King Tiger) from schwere Panzer-Abteilung 505 with actual Elefant heavy tank destroyers from schwere Panzerjäger-Abteilung 653, you need to target a very narrow historical window on the Eastern Front during late summer and autumn 1944.
While these units did not operate in the exact same tactical company, they were both deployed under Army Group Center in Poland, specifically fighting to contain the Soviet Bagration and Lvov-Sandomierz Offensives.

The Historical Window: Poland, Late 1944 [1, 2]

• The King Tigers: In July and August 1944, s.Pz.Abt. 505 was pulled back from the Eastern Front to be fully re-equipped with 45 brand-new Henschel-production Tiger II tanks. They returned to combat in September 1944, fighting defensive actions in the Narew River sector and East Prussia. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
• The Elefants: By mid-1944, s.Pz.Jg.Abt. 653 was the only unit operating the Elefant. Its 2nd and 3rd Companies were active in Poland and the Ukraine. By October 1944, the remaining operational Elefants were consolidated into a single sub-unit: schwere Panzerjäger-Kompanie 614, which continued fighting in Poland alongside various heavy tank elements. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]

Modeling and Diorama Guide

If you are a scale modeler or wargamer pairing these two legendary heavyweights, keeping their unique unit markings accurate is crucial for a historically authentic presentation.




1. Unit Markings and Emblems

• s.Pz.Abt. 505 King Tiger: This unit featured one of the most famous and striking markings of the war: the "Charging Knight" logo. Crucially, for the King Tigers, the crew painted over the standard turret numbers and placed a large, stylized Charging Knight right on the sides of the turret. Small, three-digit tactical numbers were instead painted on the rear or sides of the turret stowage bin. [1, 2, 3]
• s.Pz.Jg.Abt. 653 Elefant: This unit utilized a "Three-Arrow/Nibelungen" tactical insignia. The Elefants featured prominent, large three-digit numbers on the sides and rear of the massive armored fighting compartment casemate (e.g., black outlines with white/yellow fills). [1, 2]

2. Camouflage Schemes (Autumn 1944) [1]

• King Tiger: Most factory-delivered September 1944 mid-production variants wore a standard German Three-Tone Ambush Camouflage (Hinterhalt-Tarnung). This consisted of a dark yellow (Dunkelgelb) base with olive green (Olivgrün) and reddish-brown (Rotbraun) patches, covered in small contrasting dots. They were also coated in factory-applied Zimmerit anti-magnetic paste.
• Elefant: Having survived since the Battle of Kursk (where they were called Ferdinands) and gone through retrofits in early 1944, these vehicles typically wore a softer, field-applied hard-edge or soft-spray green and brown pattern over faded dark yellow. They also featured a distinct, rough grid-pattern Zimmerit coating applied during their 1944 overhaul. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]

3. Setting the Scene

To make the pairing authentic, build an Autumn 1944 Poland setting:

• Terrain: Muddy dirt roads, waterlogged ditches, or deforested areas near the Narew or Vistula river networks.
• The Dynamic: Position the King Tiger pushing forward as an offensive breakthrough tank, while the slower, fixed-casemate Elefant provides long-range overwatch fire support from a static defile or tree line. [1, 2, 3]

Are you building a scale model diorama, or are you setting this pairing up for a specific historical tabletop wargame? Let me know so I can provide the exact kit recommendations or unit point values.

​