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Georg Diers | Untersharfuhrer Georg Diers On the 30th April, Untersharfuhrer Georg Diers and his crew of tank 314, were ordered to take up a defensive position at the Reichstag buildings. The crew of tank 314 consisted of commander Georg Diers, gunner Wolf-Dieter Kothe, loader Alex Sommer and radio operator Bodo Harms. This was one of only two remaining King Tigers belonging to Heavy SS Tank Battalion 503 in Berlin. By that evening they had knocked out about 30 T34s, and the following day led a successful counterattack against the Kroll Opera House directly opposite the Reichstag. Their efforts though, merely postponed the inevitable and by the end of the day the order was given to abandon the position and prepare to break out of Berlin. In Georg Diers own written accounts, At the end of April the units strength was 6 Tiger 2s from sSSPzAbt503 were attached to the 11th Waffen SS Panzergrenadier Nordland and by April 30th only 2 of the Konigstigers remained. Georg Diers Tiger and the other of Karl Korner whose kill total was over100 Russian tanks and 29 field pieces. Georg Diers states that on May 1st they successfully counter attacked and temporarily re captured the Kroll Opera House but withdrew at 7pm. Georg Diers is credited with a total of 39 Russian tanks destroyed, plus many others during the last days in the defence of Berlin. During the Russian attacks he was faced with a large number of Russian tanks and Russian infantry had entered and were fighting within the Reichstag. So Georg Diers crew destroyed their Tiger 2 with mines near the Schonhause Alley. Georg Diers certainly would have been awarded for his actions but at such a late stage his heroism went un rewarded. We were very honoured to contact Georg who agreed to sign a small number of art prints. |
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| Text for the above items : |
Night Fight, Bollersdorf, East of Berlin, 19th April 1945 by David Pentland. Following a full day of combat Hauptscharfurher Korner of SS Heavy Tank Battalion 503 foiled a night attack by a battalion of Josef Stalin JSII heavy tanks. By the end of the day he had accounted for 76 enemy tanks, over 40 of these on this one day alone. It was his 25th birthday. |
Stemming the Tide, Straussberg, East of Berlin, 19th April 1945 by David Pentland. Tiger II 314 of Unterscharfurher Georg Diers supported by Oberscharfurher Bootsman of SS Heavy Tank Battalion 503, knocked out 13 T34s in 19 minutes. |
Defence of the Reichstag, Berlin, 1st May 1945 by David Pentland. On the 30th April, Untersharfuhrer Georg Diers and his crew of tank 314, were ordered to take up a defensive position at the Reichstag buildings. This was one of only two remaining King Tigers belonging to Heavy SS Tank Battalion 503 in Berlin. By that evening they had knocked out about 30 T34s, and the following day led a successful counterattack against the Kroll Opera House directly opposite the Reichstag. Their efforts though, merely postponed the inevitable and by the end of the day the order was given to abandon the position and prepare to break out of Berlin. |
Escape from Berlin. Germany 3.00 a.m, 2nd May 1945 by David Pentland. Leading one of the last columns attempting to breakout from the doomed city, Georg Diers battered Kingtiger of SS Heavy Tank Battalion 503 smashed through the Soviet roadblock on the far side of the Weidenammer Bridge. |
Panther on the loose, Berlin, 2nd May 1945 by David Pentland. Hauptscharfurher Korner of SS Heavy Tank Battalion 503 makes his escape from the city in an abandoned Panther via the suburb of Staaken. On the way he destroyed a JSII, and a couple of Assault guns, before his tank broke down for a final time later that night. |
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