NEW RELEASES FOR JANUARY 2026
THE SECOND WORLD WAR
GERMAN ARMOUR
German King Tiger #123, Panzerkampfwagen Tiger Ausf. B with "Porsche Turret"
Schwere Panzerabteilung 503
Normandy – Operation Goodwood, July 1944
The fields of Normandy in the summer of 1944 witnessed some of the most intense armored clashes of World War II. Among the German forces holding the line against the Allied onslaught was
schwere Panzerabteilung 503 (s.Pz.Abt. 503), a heavy tank battalion that had recently received Germany’s newest and most powerful tank: the
Tiger II Ausf. B, more commonly known as the
King Tiger. The s.Pz.Abt. 503 received only enough King Tigers to outfit a single tank company (1. Kompanie), and all were early-production tanks equipped with the rounded turret that became colloquially known as "Porsche turret" King Tigers.
GA-54
THE SECOND WORLD WAR,
GERMAN ARMOUR,
German King Tiger #123,
Panzerkampfwagen Tiger Ausf. B with "Porsche Turret",
Schwere Panzerabteilung 503,
Normandy – Operation Goodwood, July 1944
After reconstituting in May and June 1944, s.Pz.Abt. 503 was transported to the Normandy front in the first week of July. It was attached to
Panzer-Regiment 22 (Pz.Rgt. 22) of the
21. Panzer-Division to increase that division's combat power, which had suffered significant armored losses since June. On 18 July 1944, s.Pz.Abt. 503 found itself deployed northeast of the village of Cagny, in support of
Kampfgruppe von Luck. It was on this day when Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery launched
Operation Goodwood, an ambitious offensive east of Caen designed to punch through German defenses and seize the strategic high ground beyond the Bourguébus Ridge. For the British, it was one of the largest tank battles they had ever fought. For the Germans, it was a test of resolve and survival.
Goodwood began with a massive aerial bombardment involving over 2,000 Allied bombers targeting German positions. This bombardment struck the assembly areas of
Panzer-Regiment 21 and the
3. Kompanie of s.Pz.Abt. 503 particularly hard. Most of the Panzer IVs of Pz.Rgt. 22 were damaged or destroyed, and almost all of the Tiger I tanks of 3./s.Pz.Abt. 503 were damaged and buried in dirt and bomb craters...some of the 56-ton Tigers were even flipped completely upside down. In contrast,
1./s.Pz.Abt. 503 fared somewhat better and escaped the bombardment relatively intact.
Following the air attack, the
7th Armoured Division, 11th Armoured Division, and Guards Armoured Division advanced across open terrain between the Orne and Dives rivers. After some initial British gains, including the capture of several villages and the destruction of some German units, they met siff resistance as the Germans rallied by noon and launched fierce counterattacks. The surviving Panzer IVs of Pz.Rgt. 22, along with the King Tigers of 1./s.Pz.Abt. 503, initially attacked along the Troarn–Caen road, and for the the rest of the day fierce fighting raged between the King Tigers and British tanks, particularly those of the Guards Armoured Division. Pz.Rgt. 22 and the 1./s.Pz.Abt. 503 initially reached Demouville, but by the end of the day the King Tigers had withdrawn to concentrate around Maneville, and repulsed further British attacks to the southeast. Over the course of the day's fighting, s.Pz.Abt. 503 knocked out 40 British tanks.
Fighting continued for the next two days, and the
21. Panzer-Division,
s.Pz.Abt. 503, and the
1. SS-Panzer Division "Leibstandarte Adolf Hitler" (LAH) mounted a determined defense that halted the British offensive. By the end of the operation, British forces suffered over
4,000 casualties and lost
300–400 tanks, with minimal territorial gains beyond the southern suburbs of Caen. Although a tactical disappointment, Operation Goodwood succeeded in tying down German armored reserves, helping pave the way for
Operation Cobra, the successful American breakout to the west.
The JJ Designs release of King Tiger #123 of 1./s.Pz.Abt. 503, represents one of the unit's King Tigers, equipped with the early-production “Porsche turret.”
However, this description is a misnomer, as Dr. Ferdinand Porsche had nothing to do with the design or construction of the turret. In reality, the turret was designed and manufactured by Krupp, and it was originally intended to fit either of the competing Tiger II chassis designs: one from Henschel, the other from Porsche. Ultimately, Porsche’s chassis was rejected due to mechanical and reliability issues, and Henschel’s design was chosen for production. For unclear reasons, early post-war historians and armor enthusiasts retroactively dubbed these turrets the “Porsche turret.” While the term persists today, it is more a matter of convenience than a reflection of historical reality.
This early King Tiger turret featured a rounded front with curved side armor and a curved gun mantlet. Unfortunately, this flowing design created shot traps, where incoming rounds could deflect downward into the top of the hull, often with catastrophic results. This design flaw was quickly recognized, but it was too late to revise the initial production batch of 50 turrets, and the Germans decided to use these turrets on the first 50 King Tigers, after which the revised turret would be produced.
In addition to the "Porsche turret", King Tiger #123 also features several early production characteristics of the Tiger II, including the one-piece 8.8cm KwK43 cannon, finished in factory grey heat-resistant lacquer, and equipped with the muzzle brake from the Tiger I. It also includes the early-style exhaust system, also reminiscent of the Tiger I. King Tiger #123 is painted in a field-applied, irregular blotchy tri-color scheme of Dunkelgelb, Olivgrün, and Rotbraun, typical of s.Pz.Abt. 503’s King Tigers.
The JJD King Tiger #123 also includes the following features:
- All hatches open and close
- Detailed turret and hull interior
- Detailed engine bay
- Removable side mudguards
Once again, a big thank you to, Steve “The Foreign Expert” (Hunter Rose)
As the forum members age, we will have more 'casualties' and no doubt, we'll see more arguements, I try and 'let it go', but that's easier for some than others 
