GA-58
John Jenkins Designs
Not yet Released - pre-order perios ends Jun 30th, 2026. Estimated delivery November/December 2026.
JJ Designs is proud to announce the release of King Tiger #311 of the s.Pz.Abt. 505.
It displays the two-tone camouflage pattern of RAL8017 Rotbraun painted in large bands over the RAL7028 Dunkelgelb base coat typical of s.Pz.Abt. 505’s tanks. King Tiger #311 also sports the striking “Charging Knight” insignia of s.Pz.Abt. 505, which was painted on the turret sides of their King Tigers inside a rectangle where the zimmerit was removed. Additionally, the model features the unique tank numbering system of s.Pz.Abt. 505.
The three-digit turret number #311 was painted in the normal fashion on the turret rear. However, on each side of the tank’s cannon, the Kompanie number “3” was painted on the upper cannon mantlet, with the Zug (platoon) and section numbers “11” painted on the sides of the cannon itself. This system resulted in the tank number appearing as #311 when read left to right from the right side of the tank, but appearing as #113 when read left to right from the left side of the tank. Needless to say, this system provided decades of consternation to historians and tank enthusiasts alike as they tried to identify individual tanks!
In addition to historically accurate markings and paint scheme, JJD’s King Tiger #311 includes the following features:
All hatches open and close
Detailed turret and hull interior
Detailed engine bay
Removable side mudguards
The schwere Panzerabteilung 505 (s.Pz.Abt. 505) was one of the most successful Tiger units. Its first major combat action was in Unternehmen Zitadelle (Operation Citadel), the epic Battle of Kursk. During the battle, s.Pz.Abt. 505 acquitted itself well, killing 164 Russian tanks for the loss of only 5 Tigers, for a 32.8 to 1 kill ratio. s.Pz.Abt. 505 would see continuous action, fighting in the sectors of Orel, Vitebsk, and northern Ukraine until late July 1944, when the unit was pulled from the front line and sent to the Ohrdruf Training Area where it was reconstituted with new Panzerkampfwagen VI Ausf. B “King Tiger” tanks.
Sent into action in East Prussia in September, s.Pz.Abt. 505 fought in close cooperation with the 5. Panzer-Division (5. Pz.Div.) and the Fallschirm-Panzer-Korps Hermann Göring during the Gumbinnen operation that successfully relieved Goldap, the first German city captured by the Russians. This action also marked the last German victory on the Eastern Front. Continuing its attachment to 5. Pz.Div., s.Pz.Abt. 505 took part in the brutal defense of Königsberg and Samland, with its last King Tigers seeing action at Pillau on 15 April 1945, shortly before the unit disbanded. During the course of the war, s.Pz.Abt. 505 killed approximately 900 enemy tanks, for the loss of 78 Tiger I and 48 Tiger II tanks.
Historically, King Tiger #311 was commanded by Feldwebel Heinz Mausberg. Mausberg joined the Wehrmacht in 1940, beginning his career in the Czechoslovakian-made Panzer 38(t) while serving with Panzer Regiment 27 of the 19. Panzer-Division. He served with 19. Pz.Div. until being seriously wounded by anti-tank fire while serving as a Panzerkommandant (Panzer commander) in August 1942.
After recovering in a Dresden hospital, Mausberg was assigned to the 3./s.Pz.Abt. 505, which was in the process of forming. After numerous successes in the Tiger I, by the fall of 1944 Mausberg was serving as a Zugführer (Platoon Leader) in 3./s.Pz.Abt. 505 as the unit embarked for East Prussia. He successfully led his platoon during the relief of Goldap and in the hard defensive fighting during the Battle of Königsberg. For his actions, he was decorated with the German Cross in Gold on 15 March 1945.
Mausberg commanded two of the last four remaining King Tigers of s.Pz.Abt. 505 during the evacuation from Königsberg to Samland, giving a ride to two mothers and their three daughters as Mausberg’s small panzergruppe provided protection to scores of other fleeing German civilians. Heavy defensive fighting occurred in Tenkitten, where the four King Tigers were subjected to artillery fire, Sturmovik ground attack aircraft strikes, and assaults by scores of Russian tanks. The four King Tigers took a severe beating. Mausberg was able to pick off numerous Russian tanks from distances of over 2,000 meters, but the Russians possessed overwhelming numbers, forcing the group to blow up two of their heavily damaged King Tigers. Mausberg then pulled back with the last two surviving King Tigers to Peyse for makeshift repairs before breaking out and managing to reach Pillau during the height of the battle. The additional firepower of Mausberg’s King Tigers allowed the defenders to temporarily stall the Russian onslaught, but both tanks sustained heavy damage, ran out of ammunition, and Mausberg’s tank had a broken transmission. Both King Tigers were then blown up by their crews.
Mausberg then transferred to a Panther that had been accompanying them and fought on. After intense fighting, the Panther was damaged with a direct artillery hit to the tracks and another near miss that put the Panther’s cannon out of action. Although the Panther was technically repairable, because no recovery vehicles were available Fw. Mausberg made the decision to blow up the tank. This act was witnessed by an infantry company, whose commander, a Major, accused Mausberg of sabotage. Because the HQ section of s.Pz.Abt. 505 had already relocated, Mausberg had no higher ranking officer support as he was quickly tried, convicted, and sentenced to death in a flying trial typical of the chaos and desperation in the closing days of the war. He was sent to a penal battalion, and while awaiting his death sentence, the war ended. Fw. Mausberg was then handed over to the Russians and spent the next three years in a Russian prison camp near Moscow before finally being released and repatriated back to Germany. Felwebel Heinz Mausberg was one of the most successful Tiger aces of the war with 50+ kills.