The Tiger Tank Restoration project - "Our Tiger" Journal.

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ONE MISSING PIECE

There is one item missing from Tiger 131 that we will not be able to replace or fabricate.

This is the telescopic tube, stowed in the rear of the engine compartment that was used for submerged driving.

It was certainly there when the tank was displayed, after capture in 1943.

But somewhere along the way it was lost.

Tank Museum photo No. 0292/D/3

Tank Museum photo No. 6067/B/3

The tube in which it was stowed is still there,
however and can be seen in this overhead view,
that also shows the rearranged fan drives.

One interesting point that does not appear to have been studied in any detail concerns the location of this tube.

All other views, including a prototype, have the tube at the rear but in this case, a demonstration for British troops in the huge wading tank at Haustenbeck in 1945, the schnorkel tube is located on the commander's cupola.

Was this a later development?

Incidentally this wading tank was constructed in order to test the prototype Maus tank, hence the size.

Tank Museum photo No. 2377/B/5