Dragon WWII Ardennes 1944 Schutze Rudolf Action Figure 2nd Anniversary NEW

KAMPFGRUPPE HANSEN

ISCHETZEI

On 16 December, 1944, the German Wehrmacht launched Operation Wacht am Rhein (Watch on the Rhine). The objective of this counter-attack out of the Ardennes was to reach Antwerp and effectively split the Allied Forces in two. This overly ambitious plan took the Allied Armies totally by surprise. The rugged and mountainous Ardennes was thought to be a quiet sector of the front line and the defending American units were stretched quite thinly in places. In the west many felt that the Wehrmacht was a beaten Army. So it was with shock. and confusion that the American defenders reeled before the might of the attacking Panzer Divisions.

On the Morning of 18 December, the vanguard of Kampgruppe Hansen (recent information indicates this may have actually. been KG Knittell encountered a convoy of American reconnaissance vehicles from the 14th Cavalry Group. Trapped on this narrow road between Recht and Poteau, the crew members elected to abandon their vehicles and withdraw on foot to avoid capture. Members of the battle group were then able to inspect the captured equipment at their leisure. Two Kriegsberichter (war correspondents) captured the scenes in photos and on film, creating some of the most familiar images of the "Battle of the Bulge.

It was a cold and wet day but winter clothing doesn't seem to have been issued to members of this battle group yet. The Luftwaffe members of the unit wore overcoats or Fallschirmjäger jump smacks over their wool uniforms, while the members of Panzergrenadier-Regiment I wore a mix of camouflage uniforms and smacks over their wool garments. All seemed to wear the standard M35 or M42 helmets From the abandoned American vehicles, some members of the battle group acquired GI items with cigarettes and rations being most popular. Several sported MI Carbines and another found a GI raincoat to wear. The impressive machine gunner in the group seemed to have found something to help shed the rain. None of the photos taken at this time are clear enough to be definitive but it appears that he found a US poncho to wear. He perhaps found that the poncho was too long for convenient wear and hacked it to length with the close combat knife that he had tucked into his collar. Perhaps he also found Some M43 GI trousers (with knee reinforcing) and pulled them over what he was already wearing.

The gunner then seems to have put on his equipment hurriedly. His right suspender strap isn't hooked into the ring of his MG parts pouch and the lid of that pouch wasn't properly closed. He doesn't appear to have a carrier for his shovel and he simply chose to tuck it into his belt. His pistol appears to be an MINIAI Colt but it was in fact, a Belgian Imm Browning (pistole £400ill. These continued to be manufactured for the German military after the German occupation.

The ultimate fate of these soldiers in Kampfgruppe Hansen is unknown but the unit managed to advance nearly to La Gleize. On 24 December they literally ran out of gas. Already fighting stiffening American resistance, the end was confirmed when clear weather brought the return of Allied air superiority. Without fuel, vehicles were abandoned or destroyed and the remnants of the battle group withdrew to the east.

Highly flexible 1/6(12") body - Authentic uniform featuring fully detailed decorations - Life-like head with character - Triple jointed arms and legs allow the figure to perform difficult poses - Each piece of equipment is accurately reproduced in 1/6 scale

Brand new, NRFB. Boxes are in mint to near mint condition.

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