The Vimoutiers Tiger 1
- The Tiger stands beside a main road just outside the town - not far from where it was abandoned in 1944.jpg (37.84 KiB) Viewed 545 times
The following is a summary of what can be found on wikipedia at the time of writing:
"The Vimoutiers Tiger tank is on outside display on the outskirts of Vimoutiers in the French departement of Orne, in Normandy. The tank is located on the way out of Vimoutiers heading towards Gacé on Route Départemental D979.
The tank, a Tiger I (Sd.Kfz. 181 Panzerkampfwagen Tiger Ausf. E (late version), serial no. '251 113 AMP' on the turret (AMP refers to the manufacturer Dortmund-Hoerder Huttenverein).
- Foundry mark on top of the mantlet - something which would have been covered by zimmerit.jpg (47.08 KiB) Viewed 545 times
The chassis number is currently unknown, numbered 231 (according to the information board next to the tank) belonged to the 2nd Company of the 102nd SS Heavy Panzer Battalion (there is some debate surrounding exactly which unit this tank was attached to, some sources refer to 503rd Heavy Panzer Battalion).
On August 21, 1944, along with several other tanks (Panthers, Panzer III & IVs and other Tigers) plus assorted vehicles, it was heading out of the Falaise pocket to a fuel dump at the Chateau de l'Horloge in Ticheville during the last days of the Battle of Normandy. It is thought the tank ran out of fuel on RN 179 between Lisieux and Alençon just before entering Vimoutiers. The tank’s crew abandoned the tank after setting two explosive charges (which immobilized the turret and damaged the engine decking). Sometime later, advancing units of 2nd Canadian Division (the Black Watch) bulldozed the tank off the road and down an embankment.
After World War II the Tiger was sold to a scrap dealer called Morat who removed easily accessible parts of the tank such as the gear box, hatches, smaller fittings, exhaust cowlings etc. Souvenir hunters over time also removed other items off the tank.
However, for the next 30 years the majority of the tank remained rusting in a ditch. After Morat’s death, ownership passed to another scrap dealer in Caen, but when they attempted to start scrapping the tank, the local people of Vimoutiers decided to purchase the tank as a historical monument for 6,000 Francs.
The tank featured prominently in the May [Issue 8] magazine of After the Battle in 1975.
In October 1975, the Tiger was then removed from the side of the road by Alain Roudeix. The turret was lifted off the reduce weight and the chassis then pulled out of the ditch by a bulldozer. The turret was replaced and the tank was placed on a concrete plinth close to where it was originally abandoned in 1944. Partially restored, the Tiger is now displayed on the outskirts of the town. It was classified as a French Monument historique in December 1975.
Weather and time has caused damage to the Tiger tank. The tank's current paint scheme was applied by a local volunteer and does not closely match the green, dark yellow and red that Tiger tanks had during the Normandy campaign.
As of 2013, the mayor of Vimoutiers began to seek funding for a restoration project. But due to the high cost, the decision on whether to carry out this restoration is being debated by the city council."[/i]
I cannot help thinking that this won't be around in its current state for much longer. To me it seems remarkable that it is still standing (or sitting?) in indifferent Normandy weather close by to where it was abandoned on the retreat from Normandy almost 70 years ago (at the time of writing). Yes, the paint scheme is absurd - but better than many museum jobs I have seen. At least it's
camouflaged...
As to plans to 'restore' the tank, well what is left? Certainly a lot is gone. That scrap dealer certainly did a thorough job...
From what I could see of the interior pretty much everything has been stripped out. Many of the exterior fittings have also been removed. All the crew hatches for one. Even the rear engine deck is missing (replaced in a wonderful make-and-do-approach with Panzer IV decking!)
- Panxer IV decking replacing the missing parts of the Vimoutiers Tiger.jpg (45.87 KiB) Viewed 545 times
And yet... a lot remains. What is more, a few anachronisms aside (those engine hatches), what you have is the real deal. Stripped of much of its external fittings and zimmerit (which has obviously fallen away - a topic I will return to with the Saumur Tiger 1) it's naked, brutal and beautiful in it's own way.
More to follow...
