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A Tiger tank is on display beside the D979 (N179) road to Gacé, just south of Vimoutiers.
In 1941 an order was given to Henschel, Porsche, MAN and Daimler-Benz for a new heavy tank. At Rostenburg on 20 April 1942, Hitler’s birthday, two competing prototypes, from Porsche and Henschel, were demonstrated before Hitler. The Henschel design proved superior and an order was given to start production in August with the designation Panzerkampfwagen VI Tiger.
The very first production Tigers were fitted with a cylindrical ‘dustbin’ cupola with five vision slots. The suspension consisted of eight roadwheel stations each side, each comprising three rubber-tyred roadwheels. The roadwheels were overlapped and interleaved. These early vehicles were equipped with an air cleaner system known as ‘Feifel’, since many of them were destined for North Africa. Late production vehicles had the Feifel system and the smoke grenade dischargers omitted, and they were fitted with a new cupola. This had six episcopes and an anti-aircraft MG mount, and was identical to that fitted to the Panther tank. Very late production Tigers, those after chassis number 250822, were distinguished from earlier vehicles by being fitted with all-steel resilient roadwheels.
Between August 1942 and August 1944 some 1,350 Tigers were built, out of 1,376 ordered. They had chassis numbers from 250001 to 251350. Although it was only in production for two years the firepower and apparent invulnerability of the Tiger made it a legend among the Allied forces.
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Unique ID: |
79
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Serial Number: |
Reported as “250155”, but “251055” more likely. Turret number “251113”.
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“231” originally painted on turret sides.
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This late-production Tiger, with steel road-wheels, is believed to have belonged to the Heavy SS Panzer Abteilung 503 in August 1944 and originally carried the number 231 on the side of its turret. On 19 August several German tanks that had escaped from the Falaise Gap were making their way to a fuel dump which had been set up in the nearby Château de l’Horloge. They were forced to detour along the Vimoutiers-Gacé road and several ran out of fuel. Others were simply abandoned, and eventually about sixty Panzers, including three Tigers, were left scattered around Vimoutiers.
The crew of this one left it sitting in the middle of the road and attempted to destroy it by setting off charges on the engine deck and beside the turret. It was recovered in May 1975 by M. Alan Roudeix from the road-side where it had lain since being pushed by an American bulldozer in 1944. It has since been repainted but not significantly restored. It is badly damaged, with its hull and turret armour severely cracked, and it is missing its gearbox and most external fittings. It is reported to have the chassis number “250155”, but this would indicate that it was the 155th Tiger of the 1,350 built, that is a very early production model. It is more likely to be “251055”.
This Tiger is #8 of the nine listed in Preserved German Tanks 2.
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