The last 3 Jagdtigers of sPzJgAbt.512 in Iserlohn 1945

[JagdAlex]

Hi everybody,

I wanted to know if anybody knows which JT in the surrender at Iserlohn was the one with the 5 kill rings on his gun barrel. I have a really nice picture showing the 3 tanks and we can clearly see the 5 kill rings on one of the tank but there is some much folliage that I cannot see the superstructure numbering. For sure there was the "X1" Ernst's JT and the other I think were "X2" and "X8".

I have another picture showing the "X1" but I cannot see any kill rings on the barrel. There is people mentionning that there is one with 2 kill rings but I am pretty sure that it is the one with the 5 kill rings because in the big picture I have of the surrender, the 5 kill rings are really close the each other and from a distance people can think that it is only 2. Anyway the picture that I am talking about is the picture that is on 2 pages at the beginning of the book of Andrew Devey "The most powerfull AFV in WW2: Operational History". So anybody who have the book will be able to see it.

So that being said if anybody got some accurate infos regarding which JT of the 1/Komp of sPzJgAbt.512 got 5 kill rings on his gun barrell that would be awesome. And if somebody got the camo scheme of the tank that would be marvelous but maybe I am dreaming a bit too much!

[JagdAlex]

I answered myself finally! Through some observations, I have been able to verify that the JT with the 5 kill rings mark on the barrel was the "X2" belonging to Oblt. Heinz Rondorf. And the 3 JT were "X1"= Albert Ernst, "X2"= Heinz Rondorf and "X8"=Sepp Tarlach

And there is no JT with 2 kill rings, the only JT with kill rings on the barrel was the "X2". "X1" and "X8" had no kill ring on their barrel.

[Jones]

POST THE PICTURE POST THE PICTURE POST THE PICTURE POST THE PICTURE

[JagdAlex]

HEHEHE...it will kind be of hard because I do not have any scanner nearby, but if you like Jagdtigers and wants some detailed account about both komp 512 (especially the 512 since there is already a book out there that detail alot about 653) and 653 with a bunch of pictures go get the book: "The most powerfull AFV of WW2: Operational History" by Andrew Devey at 49.99$ on Amazon.com it is worth the 50$ trust me, there is so few infos about those untis especially the 512.

That really nice picture of the surrender scene at Iserlohn with the 3 JT aligned is really big an clear and make the full 2 first page when you open the book. If anybody here have a scanner maybe they can put the picture on this forum. As soon as I am able to put my hand on a scanner I will scan it.

[Jan-Hendrik]

http://forum.panzer-archiv.de/viewtopic ... &start=300


Jan-Hendrik

[JagdAlex]

Thanks Jan-Hendrik for that links, but even if they are a lots of pictures depicting the surrender in Iserlohn (we saw them numerous times) all of them are ok at best in term of quality and it is not possible to see any real details.

But that huge picture at the beginning of the book is so clear, only on that big picture can you see the 5 kill rings and all the details of the JT which is what you want when you are model maker like me. There was some artworks and some mention in books that there is one JT in Iserlohn that got 2 Kill rings on the barrel, that was a mistake.

[JagdAlex]

Finally guys I was able to scan the picture et voilà! It's there... the 5 kill rings on the barrell of JT "X2" not 2 kill rings like some source use to mention. And when we look at the first picture, from a distance it does look like it is only 2 kill rings. Both Pictures come from: "Jagdtiger: The Most Powerfull Armoured Vehicle of WW2" by Andrew Devey

P.S: It is clearer in my book, and we can see the 5 distinctive kill rings even more.

[Rnox]

In the new panzerwrecks 3
Pages 31 to 59 show the surrender of the remnants of 1./s.Pz.Jg.Abt512 at Iserlohn, Germany on April 16, 1945 with numerous well known shots of Jadgtigers along with many of the accompanying German soldiers surrendering their arms such as Panzerfausts and MG42s. Other Abt'512 vehicles shown are Bergepanthers, Sd.Kfz.250s and 251s and a couple if interesting shots of captured M3A1 White Scout Car.
The end for 1./s.Pz.Jg.Abt.512 (50x photos!!)
Not really sure that M3A1 White Scout Car belongs to Pz.Jg.Abt512 .
Sorry I don't have it, I must come back to my home in 2 months
http://www.panzerwrecks.com

[JagdAlex]

Thanks for the link Rnox, but I already saw that. The Panzerwreck will show a lot of the surrender! I wanted ot order it the other day and it says available december and know it says end of January 2007

[Michael Kenny]

Panzerwrecks 3 is out now.

[C.GILLONO]

I concur with Michael (Hi! I always read with interest your posts on various DGs), I got mine in France on Thursday.
HTH

[JagdAlex]

But for Canada it is another story I guess

[Hardigan]

It looks to me in the photo above that there are 2 normal rings and 1 wide ring on this barrel for 12 panzerkills , otherwise there wasn't such a space between them. This total also makes more sense for a panzer Ace like Rondorf.

Harry

[mikel]

Of course I don't know the circumstances, but my personal indoctrination says surrenduring these vehicles intact is particularly bad form.

There were U Boat commanders who ignored orders ands scuttled their boats rather than surrender them.

War ending over not a consideration.

[Christian Ankerstjerne]

The unit surrendered because it was trapped in a small pocket with a large number of civilians. To continue fighting would have caused many civilian deaths.

As for destroying the equipment, the war was all but over at the time, so destroying the equipment would have been pointless.