Kurland Panther | Baltic Region 1945

German Panther Ausf A tank of 14th Panzer Division during operations in Kurland pocket, Baltic region from Sept 1944 to war's end in April 1945.

Panther painted "Dirty White" camouflage to mimic yellowish tint on winter white-washed vehicles from prolonged operations in the field.

Germans committed major military resources for Kurland defense for multiple reasons, including : 1) Saving as many German refugees as possible who were being massacred in-masse by advancing Soviet forces, 2) Use Baltic region as forward naval base to interdict Soviet naval forces from Gulf of Finland, 3) Tie down Soviet forces in Baltic that otherwise would have been redirected to final offensive against Germany.

In all, Soviets launched 6 major offensives against Kurland, in which the Germans all successfully defeated until war's end.

Model diorama depicts Verschnaufpause (German military term for Pause Between Battles) as Panther tank crew rearms with 75mm armor-piercing tank shells (indicated by its black cap).

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http://uwemilitaria.org/2-Track/KurlandPanther