(500 points) The Elefant (Elephant) stemmed from the Porsche design for the PzKpfw VI Tiger. Henschel was awarded the contract for the new tank, but it was decided to use the Porsche design as a tank destroyer. Hitler demanded that the new vehicle be ready for the 1943 offensive on the Russian front, so development was rather hurried. As a result, many broke down to their first action at the Battle of Kursk, and the lack of proper armor and ponderous mobility made them easy targets for Soviet gunners in the battle. In addition, the lack of machine guns meant that there was no defense against Soviet troops disabling them with explosive charges in close-quarter combat. The survivors were withdrawn to Italy, where unreliabilty and lack of spares ensured their continued ineffectiveness. This particular Elefant heavy tank destroyer was attached to the schwere Panzerjager Abteilung 653. Now in stock!
Length: 5 inches Width: 2.25 inches
Release Date: June 2004
Historical Account: Schwere Panzerjager Abteilung 653 was activated as a Sturmgeschutz unit - the 197th - then converted to the Ferdinand (later Elefant), and finally to the even more massive Jagdtiger in 1945.
