Tag Archives: dragon

German DAK 15cm s.IG.33 auf Pz.Kpfw.III (Dragon)

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This is the Dragon 6904 kit in 1/35 scale, of the ‘German DAK 15cm s-IG.33 aud Pz.Kpfw.III’.

German DAK 15cm s.IG.33 auf Pz.Kpfw.III

History

Germany created a wide number of self-propelled howitzers (SPH) during WWII, these typically being converted from existing tank chassis.
It represents a 15cm s.IG.33 auf Fahrgestell Pz.III which, as its name suggests, mated a 15cm field howitzer with a Panzer III chassis.

Field Marshal Erwin Rommel was seeking heavy artillery mounted on tracked chassis because horse-drawn or truck-drawn howitzers were impractical in the desert.

This SPH was used by the Deutsches Afrika Korps, specifically the 90 leichte Infanterie-Division, in North Africa. It first saw action in September 1942.

Source: Dragon website

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German Wittmann’s Command Tiger I, Pz.Kpfw.VI Ausf.E (Dragon)

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This is the Dragon 6730 kit in 1/35 scale, of the ‘German Wittmann’s Command Tiger I, Pz.Kpfw.VI Ausf.E’.

German Wittmann's Command Tiger I, Pz.Kpfw.VI Ausf.E

History

Hauptsturmführer Michael Wittmann was one of Germany’s highest-scoring tank aces of WWII, with the credited destruction of 138 tanks and 132 anti-tank guns.

He cut his teeth on the Eastern Front with a StuG.III, and later he took command of a Tiger I in time for combat during Operation Citadel at Kursk in July 1943.

Source: Dragon website

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German 5cm PaK 38 auf Pz.Kpfw.II (Sf) (Dragon)

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This is the Dragon 6721 kit in 1/35 scale, of the ‘German 5cm PaK 38 auf Pz.Kpfw.II (Sf)’.

German 5cm PaK 38 auf Pz.Kpfw.II (Sf)

History

Conceived along the same lines as the Marder II, the 5cm PaK 38 was an expedient solution to mount the 50mm antitank gun on the Panzer II chassis.However, the much greater effectiveness of the 75 mm antitank gun made this option less desirable and it is not known how many field modifications were made to this effect.

Source: Wikipedia

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German Pz.Kpfw.IV Ausf.B, mit Schneeräumer System Schmidt (Dragon)

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This is the Dragon 6764 kit in 1/35 scale, of the ‘German Pz.Kpfw.IV Ausf.B, mit Schneeräumer System Schmidt’.

German Pz.Kpfw.IV Ausf.B, mit Schneeräumer System Schmidt

History

The Panzer IV Ausf.B – fitted with a snow plow. The Panzer IV Ausf.B still featured a short-barreled 7.5cm KwK37 L/24 main gun and an MG34 machine gun.

A crew of five operated the Sd.Kfz.161 tank, and it saw service in the 1939-40 campaigns in Poland, Norway and France, and also in the Balkans and in Russia from 1941 onwards.

A snow plow was very useful for winter combat in places like the Eastern Front, which was subject to extreme temperatures and large amounts of snow that severely hampered mobility.

Source: Dragon website

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German Sd.Kfz.165 Hummel/Wespe (Dragon)

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This is the Dragon 6535 kit in 1/35 scale, of the ‘German Sd.Kfz.165 Hummel/Wespe’.

German Sd.Kfz.165 Hummel/Wespe

History

‘Bumble Bee’ might seem an unusual nickname for a self-propelled howitzer, but that is what the Germans initially called their 15cm sFH 18 L/30 howitzer mounted on a Panzer IV chassis.

The Sd.Kfz.165 Hummel, of which 714 were produced from late 1942 onwards, was created because of an urgent need for artillery that could keep pace with Germany’s panzers during WWII.

Interestingly, the prototype of the Hummel was originally fitted with a 10.5cm leFH18 gun, the weapon that eventually found its way onto the Wespe that was based on the Panzer II chassis.

Source: Dragon website

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German Kampfgruppe von Luck – Normandy 1944 (Dragon)

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This is the Dragon 6155 kit in 1/35 scale, of the ‘German Kampfgruppe von Luck – Normandy 1944’.

German Kampfgruppe von Luck - Normandy 1944

Hans–Ulrich Freiherr von Luck und Witten (15 July 1911 – 1 August 1997), usually shortened to Hans von Luck, was a Colonel in the German Armored Forces (Oberst der Panzerwaffe) during World War II.

He served with the 7th Panzer Division and 21st Panzer Division, seeing action in Poland, France, North Africa, Italy and Russia. He was a close associate of Generalfeldmarschall Erwin Rommel.

Source: Wikipedia

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German s.IG.33 auf Fahrgestell Pz.Kpfw.III (Sfl) (Dragon)

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This is the Dragon 6713 kit in 1/35 scale, of the ‘German s.IG.33 auf Fahrgestell Pz.Kpfw.III’.

German s.IG.33 auf Fahrgestell Pz.Kpfw.III

History

The s.IG.33 auf Fgst. Pz.Kpfw.III (Sfl) was a heavy infantry gun mounted on a StuG.III chassis. The Sturm-Infanteriegeschütz 33B featured a 15cm s.IG.33/1 gun in its boxy superstructure. Just 24 of these 21-tonne weapons were produced by Alkett from December 1941 onwards. They utilized a StuG.III Ausf.E or F/8 chassis.

Five crewmen operated this self-propelled gun that was used exclusively on the Eastern Front. Half fought in the bloody Battle of Stalingrad from October 1942 onwards, where their heavy guns could effectively demolish buildings in the bitter urban combat.

The remaining vehicles didn’t reach Stalingrad because the German 6th Army was encircled by that time, so instead they deployed with the 23rd Panzer Division.

Source: Dragon Models website

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German Ardelt-Rheinmetall 8.8cm PaK 43 Waffenträger (Dragon)

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This is the Dragon 6728 kit in 1/35 scale, of the ‘German Ardelt-Rheinmetall 8.8cm PaK 43 Waffenträger’.

German Ardelt-Rheinmetall 8.8cm Pak 43 Waffenträger

History

This is a German design that reached only prototype status, but which is a fascinating subject nonetheless. The vehicle is the Ardelt-Rheinmetall 8.8cm PaK 43 Waffenträger.The conceptual idea behind this weapon system was a self-propelled mount for the powerful but heavy 8.8cm antitank gun, as towed versions of this gun were too unwieldy for crews to move readily. Ardelt and Rheinmetall combined to build the first prototype and tests were conducted on this Ardelt I.

The vehicle’s engine was fitted at the front of the hull, which permitted the main armament – an 8.8cm L/71 cannon – to be fitted on the rear. It utilized a 38(t) chassis with four road wheels per side. An improved prototype (Ardelt II) was later produced by Ardelt and Krupp, but the end of the war intervened before production got off the ground.

Source: Dragon Website

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German Panzerkampfwagen VI (P) (Dragon)

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This is the Dragon 6352 kit in 1/35 scale, of the ‘German Panzerkampfwagen VI (P)’.

German Panzerkampfwagen VI (P)

History

The VK4501 (P), also known as the Tiger (P), was an unsuccessful heavy tank prototype produced by Porsche in Germany in 1942.

On the 21st May 1942, Henschel and Porsche at a meeting in Germany were asked to submit designs for a 45 ton heavy tank capable of mounting the high velocity 88mm KwK L/56 gun which was derived from the German 88mm FlaK gun. Both the Henschel and Porsche tanks were to be fitted with the same turret supplied by Krupp.

The Porsche company worked on updating the VK3001P medium tank, Porsche’s medium tank prototype, and adapted parts used on it for the new tank.

Source: Wikipedia

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German Sd.Kfz.165 Hummel (Late Production) (Dragon)

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This is the Dragon 6321 kit in 1/35 scale, of the ‘German Sd.Kfz.165 Hummel – Late Production’.

German Sd.Kfz.165 Hummel – Late Production

History

Hummel (German: “bumblebee”) was a self-propelled artillery gun based on the Geschützwagen III/IV chassis, armed with a 15 cm howitzer. It was used by the German Wehrmacht during the Second World War from early 1943 until the end of the war.

The full designation was Panzerfeldhaubitze 18M auf Geschützwagen III/IV (Sf) Hummel, Sd.Kfz.165. On February 27, 1944, Hitler ordered the name Hummel to be dropped as being inappropriate for a fighting vehicle.

Source: Wikipedia

Manufacturer

German Panzerkampfwagen IV, Ausf. D (Dragon)

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This is the Dragon 6265 kit in 1/35 scale, of the ‘German Panzerkampfwagen IV, Ausf. D’.

German Panzerkampfwagen IV, Ausf. D

History

Well over 200 Panzer IV Ausf. D medium support tanks were produced between October 1939 and May 1941. These armored vehicles, armed with 7.5cm KwK37 L/24 guns, formed the backbone for early German military successes in France, the Balkans, North Africa and Russia.
Source: Dragon website

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