By early 1945, Allied forces had breached the formidable defenses of the Siegfried Line and were poised to strike deep into the heart of Germany.

Germany resorted to desperate measures in an attempt to halt the advancing Allied forces toward its core territories.

The 512th Heavy Panzerjagar Battalion was established at Döllersheim with the primary objective of impeding the Allied progress. Deployment arrangements were initiated on February 15 1945.

The battalion was equipped with the new Jagdtiger tank destroyer manufactured at the Nibelungenwerk factory.

The Jagdtiger was the heaviest armoured fighting vehicle produced during the war, mounting a 128 millimeter main gun, inside a 79-tonne chassis.

Commanding one of these steel behemoths was 1st Lieutenant Albert Ernst who was a renowned Panzerjäger ace.

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