What a Monster!

[Proud Kraut]

I think it's high time to start my next modeling project. Last saturday I found a partially built 1/35 Sturmtiger at the local flea market. I remembered a photograph of U.S. soldiers examining an abandoned Sturmpanzer VI, that's the official name of this 38 cm caliber assault rocket launcher/mortar. Here is the picture, taken 1945 nearby Minden, Northern Germany:

 

 

 

[Patchcollector]

Looks pretty formidible.Ammo storage must have been a problem!

[littlebuddy]

Just a side note , my father was based at Minden during the1950's with the BAOR

[Proud Kraut]

@Patchcollector: Indeed! They could carry 14 rounds at a max.

@Littlebuddy: Those were the days. I remember many cold war exercises with German, U.S. and British troops in Munster & Bergen.

[Proud Kraut]

At the first glance the Sturmtiger kit seems to be complete. It came w/o a box but I'm pretty sure it's the Revell kit since it already has Zimmerit coating. The kit is nicely detailed with interior parts. The armored skirts (right term?) are too thick. I think I have to replace them with photo etched ones. I just received two MiniArt US figure sets. So these are the main elements for the new dio:

 

[littlebuddy]

@Patchcollector: Indeed! They could carry 14 rounds at a max.

@Littlebuddy: Those were the days. I remember many cold war exercises with German, U.S. and British troops in Munster & Bergen.

Maybe you exercised with him !! ??

[The Meatcan]

Another fun project for the rest of us to follow! Good luck, Lars!

Terry

[Bodes]

Looks like it's built on a King Tiger chassis...Bodes

[Proud Kraut]

@LB: No, unfortunately not, I served much later in this area.

@Terry: THANK YOU!

@Bodes: In fact it's the Tiger I Chassis

[Backtheattack]

Sorry Proud Kraut, this picture shows the Sturmtiger at Calbe near Magdeburg. There are some more pics of this tank from different views. Have a look at the homepage "Forum der Fachgruppe Militärgeschichte Magdeburg".

[Garandomatic]

Looking forward to seeing what develops...

[Proud Kraut]

Sorry Proud Kraut, this picture shows the Sturmtiger at Calbe near Magdeburg. There are some more pics of this tank from different views. Have a look at the homepage "Forum der Fachgruppe Militärgeschichte Magdeburg".

 

Thanks for this hint, Backtheattack! I don't know why the Sturmtiger's picture I posted was named "Sturmtiger-Minden-Ger" but obviously you're right. I indeed found some more pics of the Calbe-Sturmtiger at this very interesting website. In addidion I have learned that the wrecked "item" in front of the ST is NOT a burst shell but the inner part of the gun/mortar (what makes the dio a little bit more complicated, I think).

Finally I found out that the U.S. soldiers depicted are members of the 83rd Infantry Division in whose combat sector the ST was abandoned.

 

Here's another pic of the ST at the Sinsheim museum:

 

Von Original uploader was Darkone at de.wikipedia - Originally from de.wikipedia; description page is/was here., CC BY-SA 2.0 de, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=1670549

 

And here's one more pic of the ST captured at Calbe:

 

http://f15919.nexusboard.de/t452f47-Sturmtiger-bei-Brumby.html / Magado Collection

 

Notice the different diameter of the ST's guns/mortars

[Backtheattack]

There where 2 of this tanks in the Magdeburg area in 1945. One at Calbe, the other one near the Highway at Ebendorf. Informations on the site I told you, too. Pics from Calbe can be found in the After Action Report 83rd Division April 1945.

[patches]

There wasn't many of these beast we know, The Encyclopedia of German Tanks of World War Two gives a figure of 18 converted from Tiger Is from August to December 1944, with them serving in a mire three independent companies, Sturmmörser Kompanien 1001, 1002, and 1003. So I always wondered if the ones that were in the line had any successes, or were they just Road Bait, waiting to just be knocked out the moment they were spotted, with the crews bailing out.

[patches]

Seen in on the ACHTUNG PANZER site that, I quote " In January 1945, a single round from a PzStuMrKp 1001 Sturmtiger reportedly destroyed three American M-4 Sherman tanks located in a targeted village ". That's about it I guess.

[Backtheattack]

The Sturmtiger at Calbe runs out of fuel, a crewmember fires a Panzerfaust (Tankfist) against the vehicle. You can see the hit at the right side under the vision hatch. The vehicle itself was build to destroy heavy reinforced bunkers. The way of most is well known. There is only one mystery. A local historican wrote about one with the german 2. Tank Division fighting in Franconia near Hof in April 1945, source for this Information in his book is an interview with an 2nd Tank Division officer. This Division was at Cheb/Eger in the Czech Republic at the end of the war. But in Reports dealing with their last days there is no word about such a tank.

[468abnarm]

The gunner could take a nap waiting for the loader to yell "UP" on this one I'll bet

[Proud Kraut]

After some very busy weeks I finally found some time to assemble the ST this week.

 

 

 

 

 

Now it's time for some paintjob next weekend.

[patches]

It's coming along nicely.

[doyler]

Great model...that thing is a "BEAST"

[The Meatcan]

Nice update Lars. Hope you find some more time to finish it off.

Terry

[Proud Kraut]

Thank you very much for the nice feedback, guys! Last night the ST received a first coat of sand yellow color. As usual Tamiya XF-60 acrylic paint is my first choice. It has to be mixed with thinner if applyed with an airbrush.

 

 

 

 

[Proud Kraut]

It's gonna be the "Hinterhalt" (ambush) camouflage pattern. For masking the ST I'm using BLUTACK, a re-usable modeling clay and crepe tape.

 

 

 

 

[Proud Kraut]

...for the green spots I'm using Vallejo Model Air 71.092 "Medium Olive"

 

 

 

 

[Proud Kraut]

...after the color has dried completely same procedure with the brown spots (Vallejo Model Air 71.041 "Tank Brown"):