This project is of the INITIAL PRODUCTION COMMAND TIGER 100, serial number 250009, assigned to SCHWERE PANZER ABTEILUNG 502, 1st COMPANY, 4th PANZER GROUP, ARMY GROUP NORTH, RUSSIA, 1942. Tiger 100 has the distinction of being the first Tiger tank to be captured intact by the Red Army.
My personal interest lies in the re-creation of a particular vehicle set in its historic context and area of operation. To this effect, I have undertaken considerable research on Tiger 100, including a visit to Kubinka, the Russian Army’s tank establishment which includes the Tank Museum. The German WWII tank collection at Kubinka is the most complete in the world, It contains most if not all, the tanks and other military vehicles that were used by the German armed forces during the war. Although I have used a variety of sources, most of the information relating to my subject matter comes from Russia, including some interesting period photographs that are illustrated here.
THE BACKGROUND – LENINGRAD SUMMER 1942
The operational objective of Army Group North was to take Leningrad (present day St Petersburg) in late summer of 1941, but this was not achieved. The capture of Moscow had appeared to be more alluring to Adolph Hitler, consequently significant armoured forces had been withdrawn from the northern sector to support the drive to Moscow. With the new summer offensive the following year, the focus of the German efforts had clearly shifted to the south. The objective was the Caucasus and the oilfields near Baku.
After the fall of Sebastopol however, Hitler ordered the resumption of the attack on Leningrad. Large parts of the 11th Army under the command of Field Marshall Erich Von Manstein, were moved to Army Group North, bringing their powerful artillery with them. With the added forces, Hitler believed he could take possession of the northern corner-post of the Eastern Front in one concentrated push.
The Soviets however, had other ideas, they beat the Germans to the punch by launching their own offensive in the north on 24th August 1942. The Soviet 2nd Shock Army launched an attack on the Volkhov Front towards Schlusselburg and Mga, the pivotal areas of the Northern Front.
As the first four Initial Production Tigers were unloaded at the railway station at Mga, the City lay under Soviet artillery fire. The 2nd Shock Army had already achieved penetration, 8kms wide and 12kms deep on the Volkov front and were moving towards Schlusselburg. Amid the thunder of Soviet artillery the first four Tiger tanks to be committed to combat, rolled out of the station at Mga into a wooded area wher
e they found their assembly point. It was just after 10am on 29th August 1942.
In order to enhance the understanding of the background within which the historical events of the Siege of Leningrad took place, I have selected a short colourised documentary which illustrates the traumatic effects and ferocity of the 900 day Siege. This is the backcloth where the armies of the Soviet Union and Hitler’s Germany battled for control of the symbolic city of Leningrad and where the Tiger tanks were first introduced in August 1942.
https://youtu.be/bZdOREgFEI0?list=PLC0n ... rkiDut0B4d
SCHERE PANZER ABTEILUNG 502
Heavy Tank Battalion 502 was established on May 15th 1942 as part of Army Group North under the command of Major Richard Marker. The Battalion fought with distinction almost continuously until the end of the War. It was one of the most highly decorated tank battalions in the Wehrmacht, renowned for its tenacity and resourcefulness in combat. On 22nd September 1942 Battalion 502 was committed to action in support of the 170 Infantry Division in the south of Leningrad.
By December 1942, 502 had a complement of 19 Tigers and 27 Panzer IIIs. Training for the new Tiger crews was initially slow to get off the ground. Training Battalion 500 was established in Paderborn, France, but lack of equipment and indeed available Tigers, made it an uphill struggle. The early Tiger crews of 502 consisted mainly of trained Panzer III operators upgrading to the Tiger.
Between August and October 1942, Battalion 502 received seven Initial Production Tigers, numbering 100, 102, 111, 112, 121, 122 and 123. Tiger 100 joined 502 on 26th October 1942 and by November the tank had been readied for combat. With all its external equipment and tools installed, Tiger 100 joined operations with the Battalion as Command tank, becoming the COs mount.
PREVAILING CONDITIONS
Persistent heavy rains for several weeks in the area of deployment of 502, in the autumn of 1942, had made the ground very soft and the topography of the terrain made the effective use of heavy armour inadvisable. These conditions were locally known as ‘rasputicha’ (muddy season). Indeed, in the opinion of the CO of 502, Major Marker, deploying the Tigers under such conditions was tantamount to an act of lunacy.
By late autumn the terrain in this region of Russia tends to disintegrate into channels of bottomless mud. In October 1941, the 4th Panzer Group lost 50 tanks and other vehicles to the mud, without a shot being fired. At the height of rasputicha, tracked recovery vehicles that are normally capable of traversing difficult terrain, become useless, as they tend to bury themselves deeper into the mud by the force of their own traction. As the early winter frost arrives, trapped vehicles practically cemented themselves to the frozen mud until the thaw of the following spring.
INTO ACTION
On the morning of the arrival of the first four new Tigers, Battalion 502 was ordered into action. Arming and refuelling was the first priority. Just before mid day the tank commanders received the order “Mount up and Start Engines”. Once again weapons were checked and radios tuned. With engines already warm the Battalion Commander Major Marker, climbed into the turret of the first Tiger and gave the signal to move out. The engines roared making the ground tremble, slowly the heavy tanks rolled out on to flat ground that was already criss-crossed with deep track ruts. Five Panzer IIIs headed by tank 102, accompanied the four Tigers and followed on closely.
The infantry in their dugouts stared at the powerful Tigers in wonderment, they had long wished for such powerful support. As the Tigers and Panzer IIIs rolled on, the first enemy positions gradually came into view. The Panzer Grenadiers gingerly followed the tanks on foot, keeping low over the ground.
The Tigers halted, at Major Marker’s command the MG34s mounted on the glacis gun balls opened fire on the dispersed Soviet infantry.
The Tigers rolled forward again and trained their 88s in the direction of the Soviet artillery. A number of T34s and KV1s were spotted on the horizon at a range of approximately 2000 meters . The Soviet infantry started to fall back.
The 88s commenced firing, their deadly high explosive shells pounding the Soviet artillery positions, the attack appeared to gain momentum. One by one the Tigers engaged the Soviet armour. “KV1 at Ten o’clock….. range 1500m…. load armour piercing….. FIRE! Tiger 121 cover my right flank….. enemy artillery positions at One o’clock….. range …… fire at will…….” Major Marker was barking orders through his throat mike as the Tigers followed by the Panzers and the infantry slowly advanced towards the Soviet positions .
After the initial surprise the Soviets started to settle, their forward artillery shifted their attention towards the German tanks, the T34s and KV1s aimed their concentrated fire on the Tigers. The Soviet gunners could not believe what was happening, armour piercing rounds were bouncing off the Tigers like ping pong balls. What are these tanks comrades? Were the hell do they come from? Shouted nervously the commander of the lead T34, to himself. Shells were exploding all around ripping up clods of earth and vegetation. The Tigers started to score direct hits on the Soviet armour, three T34s had already exploded spectacularly. The noise was deafening. Major Marker ordered the Panzers to hold their positions and the Tigers to split up in front of a small hill, two of the Tigers rolled to the left whilst the other two swung around the hill out of line of sight of the artillary…….
The action was closely shadowed by a lone VW Kubelwagen, driven by a corporal from the Battalion. The vehicle was hastily camouflaged with rubbed on mud. The two helmeted occupants sitting at the rear, Henschel’s technician Franke and Government observer Uebel, had been ordered to observe the action first hand and report. (NOTE: It was common practice for observers reporting to the Ministry of Armaments to be sent to the Front to monitor the performance of new weapons).
As the explosions intensified around them, the VW zigzagged between shell craters dodging schrapnel. Suddenly, they spotted a stationery Tiger with its engine revving but not moving. The Corporal was ordered to draw up alongside the Tiger. “Why have you stopped”? shouted Herr Uebel, over the noise of the engine and the explosions, “My transmission is broken” shouted back the Commander, “it won’t move, 122 is also stuck with a broken eng”…..He was cut short by a shell exploding too close for comfort. The shattering blast of the explosion showered debris onto the open topped Kubelwagen, the Corporal, not waiting for instructions, sped away looking for cover, his terrified civilian passengers surrounded by the harbinger of death, were white faced.
The Kubelwagen found shelter behind the ruins of a peasant’s farm building. The bombardment went on relentlessly, shells whistling above their heads exploding all around them, they had lost all sense of time, it seemed an eternity since they had set out. Suddenly the artillery fell silent, the sound of an approaching tank shook them out of their daze. It was 111 the CO’s Tiger. The tank trailing plumes of smoke & vapour drew level with the Kubelwagen and stopped. The copula hatch clanged open and the Major’s agitated face emerged from the bowels of the monster. “Three of my Tigers are stuck in a bog, broken, he shouted, 121 is on the other side of the hill in open ground, verdamm noch mal” swore Major Marker with frustration “and I am overheating like Hell”…………..
To the dismay of local commanders, the first engagement of the new Tigers was disappointing, with an adverse psychological effect on the hard-pressed infantry. The topography of the general area was unforgiving to the deployment of heavy armour and the Tigers were bedeviled by technical problems. The ground was boggy and unstable with few made-up roads. Recent torrential rain had made the situation impossible.
Alas, the disappointment was palpable, especially to Major Marker. Of the four Tigers that had rolled out to begin a new chapter in panzerwaffe, and take the new tank into battle and victory, three broke down in mid-battle on boggy terrain and the fourth limped back with an overheating engine. It was fortunate that the Soviets did not realise the Tigers were disabled, at any rate, they made no attempt to have them snatched.
This had been a close call indeed. It had taken three 18-ton SdKfz 7 half-trucks to recover each of the disabled Tigers under extreme conditions. Vital spare parts had to be airlifted by the Luftwaffe from Germany. By the end of September 1942 however, thanks to the engineers magic, the four Tigers were again operational.
During the month of December 1942 the temperature plummeted to minus 30 degrees C, which effectively slowed down combat operations on all sides. Nonetheless, on 12th December the Battalion’s combat-ready tanks led by Tiger 100, defended a fierce attack launched by the 2nd Shock Army in the immediate area of Shlisselbourg.
Four Tigers and three Panzer IIIs of the 1st Company faced the Soviet force supported by twenty-four T34s.
The ground was frozen solid which greatly aided the Tiger’s manoeuvrability, instantly launching a savage counter-attack. The result of which was the destruction of twelve T34s in twenty minutes. The remaining twelve, followed by the infantry units, retreated.
On 13th January 1943 Tiger 100 led an assault on the Gorodok sector, during which the Soviets lost five T34s. On 14th January the Red Army’s advance again threatened to encircle the German positions defending Shlisselbourg and Mga. Tiger 100 leading a mixed detachment of 502’s Tigers and Panzer IIIs successfully defended the German positions destroying several T34s and a number of anti-tank artillery pieces.
On 17th January Tiger 100 led Tigers 102 and 111 and two Panzer IIIs into action in support of the 16th Infantry Division in the area of Rago-Poselok. During the evening of 17/18 January, the tanks of 502 finally repelled the Red Army’s attack against the positions of the 16th Infantry. During the action seven T34s and a number of anti-tank artillery guns were destroyed for the loss of one Panzer III.
During the evening of the 18th , Tiger 100 stalled and became stuck in a peat bog caused by driver error. The crew were unable to get the tank going again, on account of an electrical fault. After repeated failed attempts to repair the problem in the dark, the Tiger was reluctantly abandoned by it’s crew, with the intention of having it recovered the following morning. It was just after 2200 hours. Shortly after midnight of the 19th January however, Tiger 100 became the victim of a crack recovery unit of Red Army engineers under the command of Major General Badanov. In an act of courage and skill, the unit audaciously managed to snatch the Tiger and towed it away under the noses of the Germans.
IN SOVIET HANDS
Thus ended the short but eventful combat career of Command Tiger 100, which lasted hardly 3 months (October 1942-January 1943). Some of this time was spent in field repair depots or being retrieved from the quagmire that was Leningrad’s general area in late autumn. Tiger 100 was lost to Battalion 502 only to reappear as a war trophy at Gorky Park in Moscow. In short measure 502 lost Tiger 121 again almost intact and in similar circumstances.
It is only due to the capture of Tiger 100 and indeed 121, that we have any meaningful photographic evidence of their existence beyond statistics. In June 1943 the Soviets staged a propaganda trophy exhibition of captured German equipment at Moscow’s Gorky Park. Command Tiger 100 and the remnants of Tiger 121, held centre stage at the exhibition amongst other German military equipment and aircraft. The exhibition was visited by Joseph Stalin and other senior members of the Soviet Government and the Red Army’s high command.
This exercise was designed to bolster moral in the Red Army and the general population at large, which was, at the time, at extremely low ebb. A colour film was commissioned of the event by the Kremlin, which, for obvious reasons, was distributed widely at the time. I have discovered this curious propaganda film, which I am delighted to share it with you.
https://youtu.be/B24_tjVPIb0
My research at Kubinka indicates that despite the large collection of German tanks housed at the museum, no remnants of Tigers 100 and 121, exist today, it seems that after evaluation and exhibition at Gorky Park, they had probably became victims to the quest for scrap metal. I was however able to discover that some witnesses had claimed that Tiger 100 survived the war in a scrap yard at Kubinca and disappeared with out trace some time in the early 1950s. It is all however inconclusive speculation.
What is well documented, is the extensive evaluation that was undertaken at Kubinka of both tanks. Tiger 100 was subjected to operational and engineering evaluation, whilst 121 underwent ballistic tests and experimentation with various types of armour penetrating munitions, in order to determine the most vulnerable parts of the Tiger’s structure. As a result, a number of field manuals were issued to Red Army tank crews indicating practical ways of inflicting maximum damage in combat encounters with the Tiger.
The astonishing fact is that the Soviets passed no technical or other information to the Allies resulting from the Tigers capture and evaluation, even tough the exhibition was visited by US Army Officers attached to the US Mission in USSR. Apparently that had to wait the capture by the British and US Armies of their Tigers in Tunisia in 1943.
OPERATIONAL DECISIONS
The first four Initial Production Tigers to equip Battalion 502 were thrown in at the deep end on the day of their arrival. At this stage of the tank’s technical development the Tigers were plagued by teething problems. In the opinion of many German military experts of the time, it was deemed unwise to deploy the Tigers in front line combat against hardened Soviet units before all the bugs were ironed out, particularly the complex transmission and power steering systems and the persistent engine overheating.
It was suggested that if a Tiger was immobilised by a simple mechanical failure, it could easily be captured, particularly since the combination of the enormous weight of the vehicle at 56 tons and the shortage of available recovery vehicles, would greatly facilitate such an early capture. Prophetic words indeed.
Major Marker repeatedly appealed to his superiors to exclude the use of the new Tigers from immediate deployment, stating that significant losses may well be sustained even without enemy engagement. His efforts however, came to nothing, as the order was given directly by Hitler himself, the so-called Fuhrerbefelhl. Finally, on November 21st 1942, Major Marker was summoned to the Wolf’s Lair, Hitler’s Field HQ in East Prussia, where predictably he was given a dressing down and was relieved of his command on the basis of making a nuisance of himself.
From captured official transcripts of Hitler’s meetings at Rustenburg, we learn that at the said meeting of 21st November Major Marker received a barrage of criticism especially from Hermann Goering, who pointed to a number of aerial photographs of the Battalions operating area, and insisted that it was an ideal tank terrain and that the Battalion should stop whinging and get on with it. It is patently obvious that old Hermann, not to mention Hitler, Keitel, Jodel and the other General officers participating in the meeting, had never heard of rasputicha.
Major Marker, after his dismissal as the CO of 502, was given command of s.Pz.Abt.31 in the 5th Panzer Division and was killed in action on February 22nd 1943. In an attempt to mitigate his unfair dismissal the Army posthumously promoted him to Oberstleutnant (Lieutenant Colonel). He was succeeded by Hauptmann (Captain) Wollshlager, as CO of 502.
PREMATURE DEPLOYMENT
In retrospect, the opinions of Major Marker and other experts of the time were fully vindicated. According to the Chief of OKH, General Staff (1938/1942) Generaloberst Franz Halder’s diaries, “Hitler’s impatience made no distinction between the delivery of a new weapon from the factory and its readiness for combat. He completely overlooked the fact that a new tank type had to be thoroughly tested under various conditions and that the crew had to be trained until the new equipment was mastered”.
In his book, Memories of a Soldier, published after the War, General Heinz Guderian wrote of the first Tiger combat operations in Leningrad, criticizing Hitler’s management “an old lesson of war says that one must exercise patience in employing a new weapon until mass production and therefore mass employment, is assured. Hitler knew this, but he was itching to try out the big tank in completely unsuitable terrain”.
Albert Speer, the former Reichsminister for armaments, provided information in his memoirs with regard to Hitler’s knowledge of the difficult terrain conditions prevailing in Leningrad and the early deployment of the Tigers, in the autumn of 1942. “Hitler’s staff called his attention to the fact that the sector of terrain he had chosen made the tactical deployment of the Tigers impossible because of the marshy ground. Hitler chose to ignore this”.
In the early weeks of deployment Battalion 502 lost two Tigers in rapid succession, Tigers 100 and 121, entirely due to immobilisation caused by breakdown in unsuitable terrain. A third Tiger of the new arrivals was blown up by its crew, to prevent capture by the Red Army in similar circumstances. Tiger 111, was almost lost in the same conditions, but in the end, it was retrieved under fire over three days with several casualties sustained by the recovery crews.
This urgent problem of the broken Tigers bogged down in mud did eventually penetrate into the higher echelons of the German High Command. Indeed it became a subject of great concern and was even discussed by Field Marshall von Manstein with Hitler. The consensus was that in order to prevent the Tigers falling into Soviet hands, in cases of incapacitation, Tigers were to be stripped of all detachable equipment then rigged with explosives and blown up. This became a standard directive throughout the Tigers service with the German Armed Forces for the duration of the War.
Despite its inherent superiority, it’s armoured protection and the all-powerful 88mm KwK 43 L/71 gun, (the most powerful gun mounted on a German tank during WWII), the early performance of the prematurely deployed Initial Production Tigers in Russia, was lacklustre and disappointing. The inevitable early loss of two intact Tigers to the Soviets as well as dissipating the surprise in the introduction of this new powerful weapon to the Front, caused additional dismay and disappointment to the Army.
What is astonishing, however, is that the German Army despite their experience in 1941 of the extreme seasonal mud fields of the Leningrad region, went out of their way in order to avoid at all costs, contradiction with the Fuhrerbefelhl. Typically, not a single strategist or member of the German High Command was prepared to challenge the decision of the infallible Adolph Hitler to deploy and commit the Tigers to combat on the Eastern Front as soon as possible without any further considerations.
THE TIGER TANK
The early technical teething problems of the Tiger were eventually more or less conquered and it became a formidable weapon to spread fear to its opponents by its very appearance in theatre. The huge kill ratio to allied tanks and tank destroyers, established its reputation, although according to some experts at least, it was by no means the best German tank of the War. Be that as it may, it came to be regarded as the most charismatic and iconic tank of the Second World War. By the end of February 1943, the Tigers of Battalion 502 had destroyed 163 Soviet heavy tanks and a large number of anti-tank guns.
During the pivotal battle of Kursk, Hitler mustered the best part of all available Tigers and committed some 100 of them to the battle. Some military historians maintain that larger numbers of Tigers at Kursk could have conceivably made a difference to the outcome, despite the seemingly limitless numbers of T34s deployed by the Soviets. What is an undisputed fact however, is that the Germans did not produce enough Tigers, a mere 1,347 in total, against thousands of T34s and Shermans pouring out of Soviet and American factories.
The Tiger has its genesis at the meeting on 26th May 1941 held between Adolph Hitler, members of the Army High Command and representatives of German heavy industry. At this meeting the requirement for a heavy tank was determined. In engineering terms however, the Tiger’s heritage can be traced to tank designs of the 1930s, with flat armoured plate box construction, in welded tongue and groove fashion for ease in manufacture.
The Tiger’s innovation lies primarily in the combination of the thickness of its armoured protection [100mm vertical front plate] and the incorporation of the 88mm flak anti aircraft gun that was adopted for use in the tank. This combination gave the Tiger the ability to destroy enemy tanks and other targets at a distance of 2000 meters plus, before it self came into lethal range and even then the crews felt protected and safe. It was reported that Red Army tank gunners were astonished and terrified, as they watched their rounds bouncing off the Tiger’s front armour plate. This did little for their moral. The first 495 Tigers were fitted with a snorkel system to facilitate the crossing of rivers up to the depth of 13 feet. The system however was impractical, hardly ever used in action and was abandoned.
Another innovative design feature of the Tiger was the transmission system and the introduction of power steering. This allowed the use of a steering wheel [a first in tank design] rather than the conventional steering sticks, further more the overlapping road wheels provided good weight distribution. The torsion bar suspension system further facilitated a good ride in speeds of up to 30 mph. The horseshoe shaped turret manufactured by Krupp industries, incorporating the early drum copula, was originally designed for the Porsche Tiger but was now inherited by the selected Henschel Tiger.
Tiger I was in production from April 1942 to August 1944 and was built exclusively at Henschel’s Kassel works. It was complex to manufacture, requiring 100,000 man-hours to produce, and was also costly particularly in comparison to Panzer IV or the Panther at 250,800RM. This is equivalent in today’s values, to approximately US $1.3million
The Tiger tank as we know it, was the result of a competition between Porsche (favoured by Hitler) and Henschel. To Hitler’s irritation the Porsche design was rejected by the Army on the basis of unreliability primarily due to its complex petrol electric motor arrangement powering its tracks. Dr Erwin Aders, Henschel’s chief designer, was responsible for the Tigers design and evolution.
In the early days of deployment with 502, the initial production Tigers were accompanied by technicians from the manufacturers, Henschel and Maybach (engine), often effecting repairs under fire. Keeping the new Tigers in working order by this mixture of military and civilian technicians proved to be a real engineering feat for the battalion.
INITIAL PRODUCTION TIGERS
Tiger I was produced in three basic variants, the Early, Mid and Late Production. What is termed as Initial Production is no more than the description of the first batch of the early variant, that rolled off the production line and were hurriedly dispatched to the Front in their very basic state. This was in response to Hitler’s impatience to commit the Tigers to combat. They were delivered without external storage bins, side mudguards or provision for them, nor track links or external equipment and tools. The very first of the early Tigers were produced with out the escape hatch on the side of the turret, that was added later on all three variants.
At this point, all additions and modifications were installed at battalion level. Tiger 100 was no exception. The experimental side bins and installation of the flame supressing pipe extensions welded to the exhaust stacks for night operations, are the most noticeable items. In addition Tiger 100 was equipped with two clusters of smoke grenades mounted on either side of the turret. A toolbox, a mounting block, wire cutters and shovel, as well as the hastily procured 15ton jack from the German railways. These were fitted on the back plate of the tank. The double crowbars and axe were fitted on the hull deck and the hand crank onto the left hand side pannier. The tank was also fitted with five gun-cleaning rods on the hull deck. The double communication aerials and radio equipment were also added at battalion level.
It is interesting to observe that the first 15ton jacks were so hurriedly delivered to the Army, that were still painted in standard railways green, complete with DR stencil for Deutshe Reichbahn on their stem. Subsequently all externally fitted items and tools including the hinged front mud-flaps, the side and rear mudguards and all other external equipment as well as all communication equipment, were rationalised and became standard factory fit. The Bosch headlights and the rear green/red convoy light were also factory fitted.
THE TIGER’S ENGINE
The Tiger was powered by the Maybach HL210P45, a V12 water-cooled petrol engine with a power output of 650bhp. From May 1943 a later development of the engine, the HL230P45, with an increased power output of 700bhp, was installed on Mid and Late variants. The Maybach engine was specifically developed for the Tiger by Maybach Motorenbau GmbH.
THE MODEL
I started the model, Command Tiger 100, by acquiring a second-hand kit of 2003 vintage, it was the only Tiger kit I could lay my hands on at the time. I must confess though, that having worked on the 2010 mouse trap, I was a bit keen to see what I could do with an early kit. Call it my retrospective learning curve. I hasten to add that the 2003 kit only bears a passing resemblance to the latest Armortek output. To add insult to injury, every major component of the hull was bent. After countless hours spent straightening and reshaping, I decided to incorporate some new major components on the basis of weight reduction and dimensional accuracy. I rejected the very heavy main steel deck for an aluminium one, as well as the front glacis plate and driver’s visor armour. Furthermore, I corrected the angle of the hull upper front as it meets the front glacis plate. Main deck, front glacis, visor armour, motors, taperlocked sprockets, gears, electronics and track are all current Armortek products.
More than anything else, as an exercise in bloody-mindedness, the rest of the kit’s components were retained and used in full, be it modified, machined, shortened, re-engineered, or what have you. The rather substandard road wheel assembly of the early kit was given newly turned spacers with all suspension arms drilled and pinned to axles and suspension shafts.
The model has a fully detailed Maybach 210 engine and engine compartment, as well as an accurately modelled functioning cooling fan on the left hand side. On the right hand side I have positioned the master control box with all the appropriate switches. All of the above are accommodated in one sub-assembly designed to be fully removable and is anchored in position by only two M3 bolts. The engine is anchored via a specially designed bracket bolted to the floor at the rear of the tank and the forward side to the engine compartment’s firewall.
The modelling level of the engine and engine compartment begged the construction of an accurate scratch built engine hatch complete with working latches and a detailed armoured air intake. The patina of the early cast turret resembles that of the full size tank, which together with the scratch-build experimental side bins, looks convincing. The front portion of the turret however, where the gun-mount pivots, was totally re-engineered and reshaped to mirror the full size tank. A detailed drum cupola and loaders hatch, as well as the two early style pistol ports and smoke grenade clusters, complete the illusion of reality. As the kit was of the mid-production variant I had to delete, that is to say block, the escape hatch hole on the side of the turret.
The early Tiger gun mantlet was a project in its own right. Extensive hand filing followed by milling off the additional armour protection of the mid production variant mantlet and laminating appropriately shaped brass layers imitate Henschel’s early sand castings. The same technique was used to reproduce the early castings of the side mid-covers at the rear of the tank. Drilling a second hole on the mantlet to imitate the binocular gun site, created the early production look, The binocular holes milled above the drivers visor armour completed the effect.
The experimental extensions to the exhaust stacks were appropriately modelled and installed on the stacks. An accurate detachable working starter plate interfacing the hand crank, can either be fitted to the access aperture I have milled out, at the bottom of the tank’s rear plate (for hand cranking the engine), as on the actual Tiger, or in its normal stowed position between the exhaust stacks. A round plate covers the access hole, again as in the full size tank. The toolbox, mounting block, wire cutters, shovel and the 15-ton jack in German Railways green, are also modelled on the rear plate of the model Tiger.
One late, but important modification I have effected, is the re-design of the track tension assembly, in order to prevent the tension bolt from parting company from the tension cup, once the tension exerted by the track is released. The tension bolt is inserted from the rear of the tanks back plate and is held in place by a threaded retainer. This modification ensures the bolt is captive. The cup is held in position by a bracket bolted on the inside of the back plate, thus obviating the necessity of having to remove the engine and engine compartment in order to gain access, every time the tension bolt jumps the tension cup.
The electronics installation is the familiar centre line tidy arrangement that I have a preference for. This is very much a matter of personal taste.
The painting and weathering of Tiger 100 was both straightforward and complicated. It was applied in successive layers over a period of months. Since the tank was operational for only 3 months, there was minimum wear and tear. Dirt, grime and the characteristic light-coloured mud sprays of the Leningrad area are the only elements to work with. (you know by now that I weather my tanks with impunity) Some battle scars were sustained subsequently by Tiger 100, for instance the right side bin was shot off in a fire exchange with Soviet anti tank artillery.
The period I have chosen to model, however, is shortly after induction of Tiger 100 to Battalion 502 and installation of external equipment. That would be placed, give or take, some time in mid November 1942. The main drawback with modelling this Tiger is its colour scheme Panzergrau (dark grey). This makes observation of the intricate details difficult to the casual onlooker, without close-up viewing or close-up photography for that matter.
Belatedly, I have tried to rectify some what this problem, by applying a layer of simulated early morning frost to the model. This is consistent with a time of year I am modelling. It has required a lot of experimentation in order to get the colour and transparency right, in the end I have settled for a mix of artist’s oil colours diluted with white spirit and applied by airbrush. The objective was that the new colour application did not attack chemically the painted and weathered surface bellow. Fortuitously the resulting translucent effect of the simulated frost tends to throw the surface details in relief, inviting the onlooker to discover more of the models details.
One particular detail from the full size Tigers of 502 that I have reproduced in the model, is the removal of the first outer road wheels adjacent to the sprockets. This was common practice as a means of preventing frozen mud from accumulating between the sprocket and the first set of wheels, resulting in damage to the sprockets or throwing the track. IT was emulated by other battalions operating the Tiger tank in the harsh conditions of the Russian winter.
THE KUBINKA TRAIL
Command tank Tiger 100 has been a challenging project from start to finish, but I have derived an inordinate amount of pleasure in the process. I have always been fascinated by the Tiger tank as an object, it’s angular and muscular presence exudes brute power. Tiger 100 is particularly interesting in its spartan and minimalist state, very much the brainchild of a Tutonic mind. Quite apart from modelling and engineering, the historical research has been fascinating, not to forget my visit to Kubinka near Moscow.
My thanks go to the Director of Kubinka for inviting me and affording me the opportunity to tour the Museum and have some access to the archives. (Actually getting hold of any historic material from the Russians was like pulling their teeth without anaesthetic, but that’s an other story for an other time. Kubinca is after all a military establishment. ) I took full advantage of this opportunity to visit during a business trip to Russia. Unfortunately, the visit took place in mid-winter in sub-zero temperatures. The actual temperature inside the German collection pavilion was minus 15 degrees C. the out side must have been minus 20 C. or so.
My thanks also go to the very hospitable Madam Tatiana my guide, not to forget her accompanying official interpreter who unhappily did not do much interpreting, on account of the fact that she did not speak much English. No matter, it is the thought that counts after all! All was not lost however the day was saved by my Russian friend, Alexander, a fluent English speaker, who had accompanied me to Kubinka and Deus ex machina, he took over the interpreting. Alexander’s participation was even more useful when we got to the archives.(It was a little warmer in the archives room but not enough to get us spoiled).
Amusingly, Alexander was convinced that an eccentric Westerner like myself would surely walk away from the Museum with frostbite at the very least. Fancy spending hours at Kubinka in mid-Winter in sub zero temperatures wearing an ordinary lounge suit, and top coat, with a pair of loafers on my feet!!! not even a hat. “No hat?.. No gloves?.. No boots?.. I ask you, what was I thinking ….” Mad dogs and Englishmen……….. only I’m not English.
The photograph below amply illustrates my miserable state as I was photographed by Alexander in front of the German pavilion, flanked by my guide and interpreter.
Images displayed within this post are sized to 2000 pixels wide - feel free to right click / open in a new window.
Shot with:
Nikon D700 with 50mm Nikor 1.4
& Apple iPhone 5S
HP scanner
