Tiger/T-34 suggestion (1 Viewer)

[Combat]

Ana- I came across the following which would make for a nice HB Tiger/T34 or JS1 set.

On July 22 of 1944, 1st Lieutenant Otto Carius with his company of eight (early and mid production) Tigers advanced towards village of Malinava (northern suburb of Dunaburg) in order to halt the Russian advance. 1st Lieutenant Otto Carius and 1st Lieutenant Albert Kerscher (one of the most decorated commanders of sPzAbt 502) took a Kubelwagen in order to check if the village was already occupied by Russians. They discovered that village of Malinava was already occupied by the enemy. Carius recognized that the Russian tanks in the village were only advance troops waiting for the main force to arrive. He decided to recapture the village before the arrival of reinforcements. Carius returned to his company for briefing and explained his plan to take the village. He decided to attack the village using only two tanks because there was only one road leading to the village and rushing all of his Tigers would be dangerous. Six Tigers remained in the reserve while Carius and Kerscher's Tigers moved towards the village of Malinava. Speed was the essence of Carius' strategy and it was decisive to upset Russians and immobilize their tanks.

When Carius' Tiger No.217 was about to enter the village, two T-34/85 tanks were observed rotating their turrets. At this moment, Kerscher's Tiger No.213 which followed Carius at about 150m, fired and knocked them out. Also for the first time, Otto Carius encountered Russian's latest JS-1 (or possibly JS-2) heavy tank. Its silhouette was somewhat similar to the German King Tiger and Carius was confused at first but after hesitating a bit, he fired and JS-1 burst into flames. Afterwards, Otto Carius recalls that the entire battle did not last more than 20 minutes. In such a short time, Carius and Kerscher's Tigers knocked out 17 Russian tanks including the new JS-1. Although the Russians were attacked by suprise, Carius' quick and accurate recognition of the situation and the excellent tactics used were the main factors in the outcome. Carius' achievement at Malinava is equally outstanding to Michael Wittmann's achievement at Villers-Bocage.

 

[jazzeum]

That's a great account. Where did you get it from. That feat may surpass Wittmann's.

 

[Combat]

That's a great account. Where did you get it from. That feat may surpass Wittmann's.

That is from Achtung Panzer, but this account indicates that a further 20+ tanks were destroyed:

http://www.militaryartgallery.com/ And then click on "Armor" and then "Tigers Roar"

 

[Ana Donzino]

Thank you, Doug. We fully appreciate this. I'll pass the information to the boyz. I'm sure that Gabriel and Daniel will consider making them.

Thanks,

Ana

 

[Blowtorch]

There's also a published story in one of Zaloga's books regarding a single T-34/85 that knocked out a platoon of King Tigers in a Polish Village in 1944. Somewhat more impressive than either of the Germans!

 

[OzDigger]

That's a great account. Where did you get it from. That feat may surpass Wittmann's.

Carius had a higher overall kill score than Wittman but Wittman's episode at Villers Bocade is more famous because it was against British armour, similiar to the high Luftwaffe scores against Russian aircraft. The Russians had some good aircraft and tanks but weren't as well trained in tactics as the Germans.

Here's a list of German tank aces above 100.

Name Kills Unit
Kurt Knispel 168 s.Pz.Abt. 503
Walter Schroif 161 s.SS-Pz.Abt. 102
Otto Carius 150+ s.Pz.Abt. 502
Johannes (Hans) Bolter 139+ s.Pz.Abt. 502
Michael Wittmann 138 s.SS-Pz.Abt. 101
Uscha Oberhaber 127 s.SS-Pz.Abt. 102
Paul Egger 113 s.SS-Pz.Abt. 102
Arno Giesen 111 8./SS-Pz.Rgt. 2
Heinz Rohndorf 106 s.Pz.Abt. 503
Heinz Gartner 103 s.Pz.Abt. 503
Albert Kerscher 100+ s.Pz.Abt. 502
Balthazar (Bobby) Woll 100+ s.SS-Pz.Abt. 101
Karl Mobius 100+ s.SS-Pz.Abt. 101

 

[Eazy]

Oz once again you are on the ball. Carius was a superior Tiger Ace than Wittman and best of all not a fanatical Nazi SS guy either!

Interesting that Bobby Woll is on the list. I had always though he was Wittman's gunner. So does that mean they share the kills?

 

[Combat]

Anyone know if Ernst Barkmann or Carius are still alive? They would be approaching 90. What would Barkmann make of the HB Panther set?

 

[boot51]

Doug, they're both still alive.

Fred

 

[boot51]

Carius will be 85 in May, if we can Ana to make his Tiger this year, a nice birthday present to celebrate a great Tiger Ace, maybe we can get autographed certificates.

Fred

 

[Combat]

Carius will be 85 in May, if we can Ana to make his Tiger this year, a nice birthday present to celebrate a great Tiger Ace, maybe we can get autographed certificates.

Fred

I would declare that collecting nirvana and call it quits.

 

[boot51]

I would declare that collecting nirvana and call it quits.

Doug, you mean your whole existance and every fibre of your being doesn't hinge on every new K&C release like the rest of the forum?

Fred

 

[OzDigger]

Oz once again you are on the ball. Carius was a superior Tiger Ace than Wittman and best of all not a fanatical Nazi SS guy either!

Interesting that Bobby Woll is on the list. I had always though he was Wittman's gunner. So does that mean they share the kills?

Wittman was certainly in the SS but from what I've read I wouldn't say he was better or worse than most others. I feel there has been to much generalistion about the SS and its members that developed from WWII propaganda. There were plenty of BAD NAZI's in the Kriegsmarine, the Luftwaffe and the regular German Army. And it should be noted that service in the nastier side of Nazisim such as the concentration camps was often a punishment and not limited to SS soldiers. There were plenty of guys in the regular German army that did some horrible deeds whilst doing duty in those terrible camps. They escaped punishment after WWII purely because their uniform was grey and not black