King & Country
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King & Country DISPATCHES
February 2025
February 2025
Hi Guys,
Welcome as usual, to this month’s ‘DISPATCHES’ which includes quite a number of new releases for TWO of King & Country’s most popular ranges from our long and varied list of historical subject matter…
THE DESERT WAR which was fought across the vast expanse of North Africa between 1940-1943 and…
THE AGE OF NAPOLEON where the armies of the French Emperor marched and battled their way from the sun-scorched pyramids of Egypt to the frozen gates of Moscow before final defeat on the lush, green fields of Waterloo.
1. BEING RELEASED THIS FEBRUARY
A. ‘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 3 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.
AK154(SE) #731
Pzkpfw VI ausf. H Tiger 1 By February 1943 the first and second companies of Panzer Abteilung 501 were attached to Panzer-Regiment 7 of the 10th Panzer Division and the tanks were numbered as the regiment’s 7th and 8th companies.
AK155(SE) #813
The second of our two new Tigers belongs to the 8th Company of Panzer-Regiment 7.
Please note the distinctive exhaust covers, rounded rear mudguards and original stowage box are noticeably different from our earlier Tigers.
In addition, to these ‘Desert Tigers’ we are also releasing 5 sets of Afrika Korps figures to support the tanks…
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AK156 ‘Sitting AK Tankers’
As collectors know Tiger tanks had a crew of 5 men and each of the above models come with 3. So, for those guys who want to complete their crew here are two useful additions, one crewman enjoys a smoke while the other takes a swig of water from his canteen.
AK157 ‘The AK Tankriders Set’
This 4-man set includes three kneeling and sitting Afrika Korps troopers with Kar. 98 rifles and one standing with a ‘Schmeisser’ MP40 machine pistol.
All four of these figures come with no bases in order that they can be placed in different positions on this new Tiger or any of K&C’s other AK ‘Fighting Vehicles’.
AK158 ‘Standing AK Machine Gunner’
A single AK figure standing with the MG34 Machine Gun, another useful addition.
AK159 ‘Two AK Officers’
These two dismounted Afrika Korps tank officers discuss their present situation.
AK160 ‘The Tank Mechanics Set’
Two AK mechanics inspect a potential problem and, hopefully come up with a practical solution.
AVAILABLE: Early February
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