BUNDLEA42 Operation Citadel Bundle

Tiger-1 Early Version - Operation Citadel

Product code: A1354

Following their disastrous defeat at Stalingrad during the winter of 1942-43, the German armed forces launched a major offensive in the East known as Operation Citadel on July 4th, 1943. The climax of Operation Citadel, the Battle of Kursk, involved as many as 6,000 tanks, 4,000 aircraft and 2 million fighting men and is remembered as the greatest tank battle in history.

The peak of the battle was the massive armour engagement at Prochorovka, which began on July 12th. Prochorovka is one of the best-known of the many battles on the Eastern Front during World War II. Tiger heavy tanks with deadly 88mm cannons, lumbered forward while hundreds of nimble Soviet T-34 medium tanks raced into the midst of the SS armour and threw the Germans into confusion. The Soviets closed with the Panzers, negating the Tigers 88mm guns, outmanouvered the German armour and knocked out hundreds of German tanks.

The Soviet tank forces audacious tactics resulted in a disastrous defeat for the Germans, and the disorganised SS divisions withdrew, leaving 400 destroyed tanks behind, including between 70 and 100 Tigers and many Panthers. Those losses smashed the SS divisions fighting power, and as a result Hoths Fourth Panzer Army had no chance to achieve even a partial victory in the south of the Soviet Union. After receiving the news of the Allied invasion of Sicily, as well as reports of impending Soviet attacks on the Mius River and at Izyum, Hitler decided to cancel Operation Citadel. From then on the German forces were on the back-foot and the war had now turned against them.

Individual price: £36.49

T34-85 112 Factory Production

Product code: A1361

When the first T-34-85s (85mm gun) delivered by Zavod #112 appeared, they were given to the best units, the elite Red Guards battalions. However, they were in training during December 1943, so it is uncertain whether they saw action before January or February 1944.

By then, around 400 had already been delivered to front-line units and instantly became popular with the crews. They gradually replaced the T-34/76 and in mid-1944 the T-34-85 outnumbered the older versions. By then they formed the bulk of the tank units on the eve of Operation Bagration, the Soviet response to the Allied landings in Normandy, and the biggest offensive ever planned by the Red Army to date. This was the final push, aimed at Berlin. Before the production built-up, the T-34-85 model 1943 were usually given to chosen crews, usually of the Guard units.

Individual price: £38.99