German Heavy Tank-Hunter Kampfgruppe

German Heavy Tank-hunter Kampfgruppe (GEAB21)
Schwere Panzerjägerabteilung 559 (559th Heavy Tank-hunter Battalion) was one of the few units to be equipped with the mighty Jagdpanther tank-hunter, which combined the mobility and the well-sloped armour of the Panther chassis with the deadly 8.8cm PaK43 gun

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German Heavy Tank-hunter Kampfgruppe includes:

• Three Plastic Jagpanther (8.8cm) Tank-hunters
• Two Hornisse (8.8cm) Tank-hunters
• Three Panzer IV (7.5cm) Tanks 
• Two Ostwind (3.7cm) Tanks
• Three Hummel (15cm) SP Guns 
• Two Puma (5cm) Armoured Cars

• One Panzergrenadier Platoon
• Four Sd Kfz 251 Half-tracks
• Complete A5 Flames Of War rulebook
• One German "Start Here" Guide
• Two Decal Sheets
• Ten Unit cards.

The Jagdpanther heavy tank-hunter has strong front armour with a well-sloped armour of 80 to 100mm over its hull front. This gives it enough armour to protect it from most allied medium tanks. The long 8.8cm PaK 43 gun with its very high anti-tank rating can defeat any armour that it encounters on the battlefield. Despite its size and power, the Jagdpanther tankhunter retains a similar mobility to that of the Panther tank

The Panzer IV’s balance of an effective gun, moderate armour, and ease of manufacture kept it in production after five years. With armoured ammunition bins, the survivability of the Panzer IV under fire is remarkably good. With a penetration of 96mm (3.8”) of sloped armour at 500m, the 7.5cm KwK40 gun of the Panzer IV outperforms most tanks in its weight class and can take on any medium tank in existence

During the Operation Nordwind fighting in Alsace, the veterans of Schwere Panzerjägerabteilung 525 and their open-topped Hornisse tank-hunters were added to the fighting strength of Schwere Panzerjägerabteilung 654, another heavy tank-hunter battalion armed with Jagdpanthers. The Hornisse mounts the same devastating 8.8cm gun as the Jagdpanther and is capable of destroying any Allied tank at range.

All six Hummel self-propelled 15cm heavy howitzers of 2. Panzerdivision were allocated to Kampfgruppe Böhm. These heavy Hummel self-propelled guns have a devastating punch and at a pinch they can be brought up to destroy bunkers at close range. However, they are not tanks and need to avoid enemy tanks at all costs

The Ostwind (East Wind) has been designed as a successor to the Wirbelwind. It is fitted with a similar but not identical, hexagonal turret armed with a 3.7cm FlaK43 anti-aircraft gun. Its turret gives it improved armoured protection over the Wirbelwind, while the 3.7cm AA gun gives it better range and hitting power than the quad 2cm AA guns of its predecessor

The Sd Kfz 234/2 Puma was one of the best armoured cars fielded by any nation during World War II. With good speed and mobility, it also mounts the effective 5 cm KwK 39 L/60 gun which can successfully engage Allied medium armour in favourable conditions. With only a little over 100 vehicles of the type produced, they were uncommon.

The Sd Kfz 251 half-track gives the panzergrenadiers the speed and armour to attack at the same pace as the panzers. Suppressing the enemy defences with their on-board weapons, the panzergrenadiers can be on top of the enemy positions before the defenders can reposition their reserves and bring fire to bear.

Despite the disasters of the Falaise Pocket and Operation Bagration, Germany is still able to form effective combat units out of training units led by experienced veterans, supplied with the best equipment available.