World war photos.

[jarndice]

I was browsing the web looking for Tiger Turret numbers when I came upon this site, You might find it of interest.---
www.worldwarphotos.info
Shaun

[Tiggr]

An excellent resource. One of the Tiger pictures is the one of my models replicates - number 312
I got the number in the right position on the turret but there is no spare track mounted on the front hull plate though.

image.jpeg (62.14 KiB) Viewed 739 times

[silversurfer1947]

If I were to be a bit pernickety, the shovel in the photo of the original is the other way up and the right hand headlight is missing.

[Tiggr]

If I were to be a bit pernickety, the shovel in the photo of the original is the other way up and the right hand headlight is missing.

My excuse is that is when the crew first took delivery of their tank straight off the train.

[43rdRecceReg]

I was browsing the web looking for Tiger Turret numbers when I came upon this site, You might find it of interest.---
http://www.worldwarphotos.info
Shaun

That's the site I linked to, Shaun, when I found the Pz iV turret number you were looking for, and yes, it's a real corker of a photo treasure trove. It's very easy to get square eyed scouring it...
I also subscribe to Pinterest, and have created a file there entitled 'Destroyed tanks'....very handy for diorama and tank hulk modellers
I think I've put around 170 wrecks in it..but it could be more..

[Tiggr]

I also noticed that on a picture of Tunisian Tiger 131 there is a step iron on the spare track retainer bar on the front of the hull. Must have been a factory fit on early production Tigers.

[jarndice]

Tiggr Hi, The front step and grab handle along with a lack of Headlights on "131" have for a long time been a source of discussion,
The step and grab handle are almost certainly not factory fitments indeed whilst they may have been fitted in a local German Army workshop in Tunisia, why would you fit a step and handle that would allow your enemy an easy way onto your tank?
Their are many Photographs of King George 6th and Prime minister Winston Churchill standing on the Hull and Turret of "131" whilst they were in Tunisia and it is widely believed that a local REME Workshop fitted them to allow the Exalted leaders of the free world easy access, Mr Churchill was after all into his 70s by then so it makes a lot of sense BUT the big unsolved mystery is the lack of headlights which by the way were not found stored inside the Tiger.
Shaun.

[Tiggr]

I may be wrong but the photo looks as if it is in action pre-capture

[jarndice]

I would be very suspicious of a photograph labelled DAK (Deutches Afrika Korp)when referring to Tiger 1 Tanks because the first Tigers got to Tunisia in late 1942 BUT the title DAK was first granted in August 1941 and was officially withdrawn six months later (February 1942), Whilst it is true that many German Soldiers long after that date called themselves DAK soldiers this is not actual fact, and no Tiger 1s were ever seen carrying the PALM Tree emblem of that corps and given that in North Africa soldiers of both the Allied armies and the soldiers of the Axis forces usually wore only shorts, Boots and socks without a date for the picture it could well be after its capture on 19th April 1943.
There is a painting of an early Tiger 1 (221) of the 2./schwere Panzer-Abteilung 502 in Russia in 1943 with a grab handle but no step (There was no spare track carrier fitted)so it is possibly a field modification but I cannot agree that it was fitted by the factory simply because with 1,347 Tiger 1s built there would be many more pictures available of the fitting.
Shaun.