Hi to all my friends on PF ,
It is always good to see a new company releasing and one that I have the pleasure to review is a bust from PATHOS Miniatures .
PATHOS is a small company from Greece run by a fellow called Andreas Motsios using the very latest in sculpting tools namely digital sculpting .
The release has been available since Euro and is of a soldier from the Totenkopf Division in Budapest in 1945 .
As with all my reviews lets hav some historical background on the time our subject is depicted.
Budapest was the last ditch for the german forces fighting in horric conditions against a Red Army supported by the Romanians , fighting in the ruins of a once proud and beautiful city .
nearly 33,000 German and 37,000 Hungarian soldiers, as well as over 800,000 civilians, became trapped within the city. Hitler refused to authorize a withdrawal and had declared Budapest a fortress city which had to be defended to the last man. Waffen SS General Karl Pfeffer-Wildenbruch the commander of the SS Alpine Corps was put in charge of the city's defences.
The Soviet offensive began in the eastern suburbs, advancing making good use of the large central avenues to speed-up their progress. The German and Hungarian defenders, overwhelmed, tried to trade space for time to slow down the Soviet advance. They ultimately withdrew to shorten their lines, hoping to take advantage of the hilly nature of Buda
In January 1945, the Germans launched a three part counter-offensive codenamed Op Konrad this was a joint German-Hungarian effort to relieve the encircled garrison of Budapest.
Operation Konrad I was launched on 1 January. The German 4th SS Panzer Corps attacked north of Budapest in an effort to break the siege. Simultaneously, Waffen-SS forces struck from the west of Budapest in an effort to gain a tactical advantage. On 3 January, the Soviet command sent four more divisions to meet the threat. This Soviet action stopped the offensive less than 20 kilometers west of Budapest. The Germans were forced to withdraw on 12 January.
They then launched Operation Konrad II on 7 January. The IV SS Panzer Corps attacked towards Budapest Airport. They tried to capture it in order to improve supplying the city by air. This offensive was halted near the airport.
On 17 January, Operation Konrad III was launched. The IV SS Panzer Corps and the 3rd Panzer Corps attacked from the south of Budapest and attempted to encircle ten Soviet divisions. This encirclement attempt failed.
On 20 January 1945, German troops launched their second major offensive, this time south of the city, blasting a 20 km hole in the Soviet lines and advancing to the Danube, threatening Soviet supply lines.
Stalin ordered his troops to hold their ground at all costs, and two Soviet Corps that were dispatched to assault Budapest were hastily moved to the south of the city to counter the German offensive. Nevertheless, German troops who got to less than 20 kilometres from the city were unable to maintain their impetus due to fatigue and supply problems. Budapest's defenders asked permission to leave the city and escape the encirclement. Hitler refused.
On 28 January 1945, German troops could no longer hold their ground and were forced to withdraw. The fate of the defenders of Budapest was sealed.
Horrific tales are known of the Soviet treatment of the defenders and in particular the civilain populations , all in a desparate attempt to claim total victory .
The subject is titled as part of the SS Totenkopf Division and by 1944, the situation on the Eastern Front was very dire. Everywhere the Soviets were advancing. In the center of the Front, the Soviets had managed to launch what was probably the largest offenisve of the entire war, sending hundreds of units against the German lines, pushing them nearly 300 miles in four weeks. When the Soviets finally came to a halt, they were at the gates of Warsaw. With the Soviets so near, an uprising in Warsaw took place and the 3rd SS Division was sent in. The Division helped push the Soviets out of the city and back across the Vistula River. Around two Soviet Armies were held back by the operations of the 3rd SS Division with the help of the SS Division Wiking and the 19th Panzer Division.
Next, the Division was sent south to help rescue the encirled German units in Budapest. Totenkopf launched an assualt taking it all the way to the Budapest airport, but was pulled back in an action that was hoped would result in the destruction of Soviet units to the North of the Budapest. The Division was on the verge of rescuing some 45,000 Germans trapped in the city, and the Soviets proved stiff once again, as no Soviets units were trapped as was hoped.
From there, the Division was pushed back West, fighting battles west of Budapest, and then in Vienna. The Division surrenderd to the Americans on May 9th, 1945, and handed over to the Soviets.
Irrespective on your personal thoughts on SS units , they fought with tenacity and pride often using captured weapons due to preference or supply issues .
Continued in next post:
Nap
It is always good to see a new company releasing and one that I have the pleasure to review is a bust from PATHOS Miniatures .
PATHOS is a small company from Greece run by a fellow called Andreas Motsios using the very latest in sculpting tools namely digital sculpting .
The release has been available since Euro and is of a soldier from the Totenkopf Division in Budapest in 1945 .
As with all my reviews lets hav some historical background on the time our subject is depicted.
Budapest was the last ditch for the german forces fighting in horric conditions against a Red Army supported by the Romanians , fighting in the ruins of a once proud and beautiful city .
nearly 33,000 German and 37,000 Hungarian soldiers, as well as over 800,000 civilians, became trapped within the city. Hitler refused to authorize a withdrawal and had declared Budapest a fortress city which had to be defended to the last man. Waffen SS General Karl Pfeffer-Wildenbruch the commander of the SS Alpine Corps was put in charge of the city's defences.
The Soviet offensive began in the eastern suburbs, advancing making good use of the large central avenues to speed-up their progress. The German and Hungarian defenders, overwhelmed, tried to trade space for time to slow down the Soviet advance. They ultimately withdrew to shorten their lines, hoping to take advantage of the hilly nature of Buda
In January 1945, the Germans launched a three part counter-offensive codenamed Op Konrad this was a joint German-Hungarian effort to relieve the encircled garrison of Budapest.
Operation Konrad I was launched on 1 January. The German 4th SS Panzer Corps attacked north of Budapest in an effort to break the siege. Simultaneously, Waffen-SS forces struck from the west of Budapest in an effort to gain a tactical advantage. On 3 January, the Soviet command sent four more divisions to meet the threat. This Soviet action stopped the offensive less than 20 kilometers west of Budapest. The Germans were forced to withdraw on 12 January.
They then launched Operation Konrad II on 7 January. The IV SS Panzer Corps attacked towards Budapest Airport. They tried to capture it in order to improve supplying the city by air. This offensive was halted near the airport.
On 17 January, Operation Konrad III was launched. The IV SS Panzer Corps and the 3rd Panzer Corps attacked from the south of Budapest and attempted to encircle ten Soviet divisions. This encirclement attempt failed.
On 20 January 1945, German troops launched their second major offensive, this time south of the city, blasting a 20 km hole in the Soviet lines and advancing to the Danube, threatening Soviet supply lines.
Stalin ordered his troops to hold their ground at all costs, and two Soviet Corps that were dispatched to assault Budapest were hastily moved to the south of the city to counter the German offensive. Nevertheless, German troops who got to less than 20 kilometres from the city were unable to maintain their impetus due to fatigue and supply problems. Budapest's defenders asked permission to leave the city and escape the encirclement. Hitler refused.
On 28 January 1945, German troops could no longer hold their ground and were forced to withdraw. The fate of the defenders of Budapest was sealed.
Horrific tales are known of the Soviet treatment of the defenders and in particular the civilain populations , all in a desparate attempt to claim total victory .
The subject is titled as part of the SS Totenkopf Division and by 1944, the situation on the Eastern Front was very dire. Everywhere the Soviets were advancing. In the center of the Front, the Soviets had managed to launch what was probably the largest offenisve of the entire war, sending hundreds of units against the German lines, pushing them nearly 300 miles in four weeks. When the Soviets finally came to a halt, they were at the gates of Warsaw. With the Soviets so near, an uprising in Warsaw took place and the 3rd SS Division was sent in. The Division helped push the Soviets out of the city and back across the Vistula River. Around two Soviet Armies were held back by the operations of the 3rd SS Division with the help of the SS Division Wiking and the 19th Panzer Division.
Next, the Division was sent south to help rescue the encirled German units in Budapest. Totenkopf launched an assualt taking it all the way to the Budapest airport, but was pulled back in an action that was hoped would result in the destruction of Soviet units to the North of the Budapest. The Division was on the verge of rescuing some 45,000 Germans trapped in the city, and the Soviets proved stiff once again, as no Soviets units were trapped as was hoped.
From there, the Division was pushed back West, fighting battles west of Budapest, and then in Vienna. The Division surrenderd to the Americans on May 9th, 1945, and handed over to the Soviets.
Irrespective on your personal thoughts on SS units , they fought with tenacity and pride often using captured weapons due to preference or supply issues .
Continued in next post:
Nap
