KING & COUNTRY WS398 WWII GERMAN "AMBUSHED SS CITROEN" GEN. KUSSIN'S STAFF CAR!

Description: KING & COUNTRY WS398 WWII GERMAN GEN. KUSSIN "AMBUSHED SS CITROEN" MIB! (GERMAN GENERAL FRIEDRICH KUSSIN'S STAFF CAR... ARNHEM SEPTEMBER 1944) NEAR ARNHEM DURING OPERATION MARKET GARDEN... SEPTEMBER '44 - JANUARY '45 *Note: the addition of the King & Country Company Registered Trademark Logo in the photos for this listing certifies that an authorized and licensed King & Country Dealer is offering this item for sale. NEW 2024, MINT CONDITION & AVAILABLE NOW FROM PICACHO PEAK COLLECTIBLES! MINT CONDITION IN THE ORIGINAL KING & COUNTRY BOX! KING & COUNTRY PRODUCT NOTE: This time, in a total remake of the earlier released (2015 - WH044 "Arnhem Ambush") the German General Major Friedrich Kussin's Citroen Staff Car, has been painted in a standard WWII German tricolor camouflage pattern complete with SS plates and two dead Waffen SS officers lying around the vehicle... one is the German General Kussin, the Garrison Commander of the German forces in Arnhem, whose Citroën Staff Car was surprised by British paratroopers who killed Kussin, his Interpreter Max Koester, his driver Josef Willeke and an NCO Willi Haunt, who was another passenger in the Citroën staff car. This NEW 2024 edition also has two front doors, which can opened or closed, plus some significant... and deadly bullet holes... somewhere near Arnhem 17 September 1944. Please Note: Images contained in this listing of the actual WWII German General Major Friedrich Kussin's Citroën Staff Car during the Battle of Arnhem, the Map of the area where General Kussin and others in his car were killed, British Paratroopers, the German War Cemetery Ysselsteyn (Netherlands) grave sites of General Major Kussin, his interpreter Max Koester, his driver Josef Willeke, and a non-commissioned (NCO) Willi Haunt or any other images from The Battle of the Arnhem or Operation Market Garden are ALL FOR HISTORICAL OR EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY AND ARE NOT INCLUDED IN THE SALE OF THIS KING & COUNTRY WS398 WWII "AMBUSHED SS CITROEN"! NEW 2024, MINT CONDITION & AVAILABLE NOW FROM PICACHO PEAK COLLECTIBLES! MINT CONDITION IN THE ORIGINAL KING & COUNTRY BOX! *WE DO COMBINE SHIPPING; IF YOU PURCHASE MULTIPLE ITEMS, PLEASE WAIT FOR AN INVOICE PRIOR TO SUBMITTING YOUR PAYMENT. HISTORICAL QUOTE: "In war there is no second prize for the runner-up."General Omar N. Bradley HISTORICAL NOTE: WWII BATTLE OF ARNHEM & GERMAN GENERAL FRIEDRICH KUSSINSunday afternoon, 17 September 1944... on the road to Arnhem. Just after midday men of the British 1st Airborne Division have been landing by parachute and glider on the outskirts of the Dutch town of Arnhem. Their mission is to capture three (3) bridges across the lower Rhine River at Arnhem and hold them for two or three days until relieved by the British XXX Corps which was advancing up a corridor secured by the American 101st and 82nd Airborne Divisions. As news arrived to the German headquarters of the British landings, Arnhem Garrison Commander General Friedrich Kussin drove to the area to assess for himself the situation. Fatally for him and his companions in his staff car he drove directly into an advancing platoon of British paratroopers led by Lieutenant "Jimmy" Cleminson of the British 3rd Parachute Battalion. A concentrated barrage of rifle and machine gun fire riddled Kussin's staff car and soon violently ended the General's inspection tour. BRIEF HISTORICAL NOTE: THE DEATH OF GERMAN GENERAL FRIEDRICH KUSSIN General Major Kussin was the Stadtkommandant of Arnhem. In that role he was responsible for the regular German troops in Arnhem. After the British landed at Wolfheze in the afternoon of September 17, Kussin was unsuccessful in communicating with SS-Sturmbahnführer Sepp Krafft. As part of his responsibility for the German garrison and in an attempt to get more information from Krafft, Kussin drove to Krafft's command center shortly after the British paratroopers landed on Utrechtseweg near Wolfheze on Sunday September 17. As he returned from the meeting, he arrived at a nearby crossing (Now referred to as "Kussin Crossing") where his Citroën Staff Car was attacked and Kussin, his driver, his interpreter and an NCO were killed by advancing troops of the British 3rd Parachute Battalion. ADDITIONAL EXPANDED HISTORICAL INFORMATION ABOUT GENERAL KUSSIN'S DEATH: German General Krafft led a battalion of of about 450 German soldiers who were housed at the headquarters of the German field marshal Walter Model in Oosterbeek. When the first British paratroopers landed at around 1:30 p.m., General Krafft was the first German commander to sound the alarm. Immediately after the landings, Krafft placed his troops in a defense line between Oosterbeek and Wolfheze. As General Kussin was unable to connect with Krafft during the afternoon, the German General decided to drive to Krafft’s headquarters at Hotel Wolfheze to get personally informed of the seriousness of the situation. The outward journey went without incident. General Kussin, together with his driver Josef Willeke, his interpreter Max Koester, and a non-commissioned officer (NCO) Willi Haunt arrived at Krafft’s headquarters in Wolfheze around 5:15 pm.After Krafft informed him of the latest information on the British airborne landings, Kussin left Krafft’s headquarters. On his departure, Krafft warned him to be careful because he was not sure how far the British forces had advanced. However, Kussin decided to take the same route back to Arnhem, but he never got there. Almost immediately after his departure from Wolfheze, Kussin suddenly came under attack from British paras at the junction of Utrechtseweg and Wolfhezerweg. The driver of Kussin's Citroën Staff Car tried to escape the bullets by reversing, but the British riddled the Citroën with bullets before the car could get away. As a result of the gun fire all four occupants of the car were killed.The German general had crossed the path of a British reconnaissance platoon, No. 5 Platoon, “B” Company, 3rd Parachute Battalion. British Lieutenant James Cleminson later said of this: “The reconnaissance platoon was selected to lead the 3rd Battalion’s march to Arnhem, and the first two hours progressed well. When they reached the defense line of Battalion Krafft east of Wolfheze, a German Citroën suddenly appeared at an intersection. The paratroopers immediately started firing their Lee Enfield rifles and Sten machine guns and all the occupants of the car including, General Kussin, his driver Josef Willeke, his interpreter Max Koester, and a non-commissioned officer (NCO) Willi Haunt, were killed”.Today, General Major Kussin, his driver Josef Willeke, his interpreter Max Koester, and the non-commissioned officer (NCO) Willi Haunt are all buried in the German War Cemetery Ysselsteyn, located in the Netherlands. Although General Major Kussin was the highest soldier who died in the fighting in Arnhem and the surrounding area, there were two generals on the British side who were injured. Both General Lathbury and General Hackett were wounded in the fighting and admitted to the Elisabeth Gasthuis hospital. Both generals managed to escape with help from the Dutch resistance. ADDITIONAL HISTORICAL INFORMATION: OPERATION MARKET GARDEN In early autumn 1944 Supreme Allied Command decided to launch an ambitious attack on occupied Holland. Its purpose was to create a long corridor through Holland, across the Rhine and into the German heartland. The corridor, which included eight key bridges, would be captured and held by three Allied airborne divisions... two American, one British. Meanwhile ground forces, led by the British 30 Corps, would rapidly advance along this corridor and straight into the Ruhr... the industrial center of Nazi Germany. That was the plan... It was bold, audacious and doomed to fail! Initial landings appeared successful; the two American airborne divisions achieved most of their goals rapidly. The British 1st Airborne, whose objective was to take the important bridge and town of Arnhem, got into difficulties almost immediately. Their drop zone was almost 8 miles from the town center. Although German forces in and around the Dutch towns were initial caught by surprise, they quickly rallied, set up road blocks and launched counter attacks. The situation in Arnhem was proving disastrous for the British 1st Airborne. Out of almost 11,000 men of the British 1st Airborne who landed at Arnhem on September 17, 1944, just over 2,000 escaped. The rest were killed, wounded or captured. The defeat at Arnhem proved to be the last major Allied failure of the Second War. It was definitely.... 'A bridge too far!' Please Note: Images contained in this listing of the actual WWII German General Major Friedrich Kussin's Citroën Staff Car during the Battle of Arnhem, the Map of the area where General Kussin and others in his car were killed, British Paratroopers, the German War Cemetery Ysselsteyn (Netherlands) grave sites of General Major Kussin, his interpreter Max Koester, his driver Josef Willeke, and a non-commissioned (NCO) Willi Haunt or any other images from The Battle of the Arnhem or Operation Market Garden are ALL FOR HISTORICAL OR EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY AND ARE NOT INCLUDED IN THE SALE OF THIS KING & COUNTRY WS398 WWII "AMBUSHED SS CITROEN"! NEW 2024, MINT CONDITION & AVAILABLE NOW FROM PICACHO PEAK COLLECTIBLES! MINT CONDITION IN THE ORIGINAL KING & COUNTRY BOX! *WE DO COMBINE SHIPPING; IF YOU PURCHASE MULTIPLE ITEMS, PLEASE WAIT FOR AN INVOICE PRIOR TO SUBMITTING YOUR PAYMENT. Please note: the pictures that have been uploaded for this auction serve as part of the description. If there is Ever a Question or Concern Regarding This Item, PLEASE Contact Us BEFORE Bidding. By placing a bid, you have entered into a contract and agree to pay for any winning bid. *Note: We ship ALL International packages via eBay Global Shipping Program; if you are an International buyer, please refer to those instructions and directions before bidding. It is important to remember, that when using the eBay Global Shipping Program, it is your responsibility to be aware of import duties, taxes, and charges imposed by customs; These are the buyer's responsibility and are Not included in the item price or the shipping charges. Normal.dotm 0 0 1 60 345 BAC 2 1 423 12.0 0 false 18 pt 18 pt 0 0 false false false

Price: 219 USD

Location: Huntingdon Valley, Pennsylvania

End Time: 2025-02-14T22:45:43.000Z

Shipping Cost: 0 USD