A rare beast on any account, this particular Jagdtiger is unique in being the only surviving specimen featuring Porsche’s alternative suspension design. How did this vehicle make its way from a small town in Austria to Henschel’s proving ground in Senne to finally arrive at its final destination: the Bovington Tank Museum in the UK? In this part of the Haustenbeck’s Heritage series we follow Jagdtiger Fahrgestellnummer 305 004 on its journey to and from Haustenbeck, where it was initially found by the Allies.
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Haustenbeck’s Heritage: Jagdtiger 305 004’s Journey
A rare beast on any account, this particular Jagdtiger is unique in being the only surviving specimen featuring Porsche’s alternative suspension design. How did this vehicle make its way from a small town in Austria to Henschel’s proving ground in
Read MoreHaustenbeck’s Heritage: Jagdtiger 305 004’s Journey
[Resource] D 655/27 Die Pantherfibel
Apart from the infamous Tigerfibel (D 656/27) for the Tiger, there was an equally richly illustrated for its younger cousin the Panther, called the Pantherfibel. These richly illustrated manuals taught the Panther-crews everything they should know about their respective tasks
Rüstungstagung in Hillersleben
In this article I’d like to discuss a relatively unknown armaments conference, held at the Hillersleben artillery range on June 6 and 7, 1943. This Rüstungstagung was presided by Reichsminister Albert Speer and attended by leaders from the armaments industry,
Haustenbeck’s Heritage: Taking Inventory
In this part of the “Haustenbeck’s Heritage” series we will take a look at the vehicles that were present after the war on Henschel’s proving ground at Haustenbeck. For an introduction to this facility, also known as Panzerversuchsstation 96, read
[Book] Der Panzerjäger “Ferdinand” by Michael Fröhlich
Continuing the story commenced in “Der andere Tiger”, in his latest work Michael Fröhlich tells us what became of the Tiger (P). The result is a companion volume devoted to the story of the Ferdinand tank destroyer: from design to
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King of the Bulge II – Engine Deck and Turret
In this next part in the ‘King of the Bulge’ series, we will take a closer look at the engine deck as well as the turret. There certainly are a few interesting details to find here for the more observant
Haustenbeck’s Heritage: Rise and Fall
The name “Haustenbeck” will ring a bell with many a tank fanatic. Not only were the heavy Tiger tanks tested here by Henschel, but this was also the place where the super-heavy E-100 and Grille 17 prototypes were found. Henschel’s
The Very Unfortunate Sherman
During my trip through the Ardennes last February I visited a number of tank monuments among which the M4 ‘Ginsling’ located in Wibrin. The tank was lost during a fierce battle round the town on 14 January 1945 and now
Telling apart the 810s from the 251s
Looks can be deceiving and perhaps all the more in the case of this half-track. You’d be forgiven for thinking this is a German-built SdKfz 251, but in reality we are looking at a post-war Czechoslovak half-track. In this article
King of the bulge
One of only a handful left, this King Tiger is perhaps the best known of the lot. Located in the picturesque town of La Gleize in the Ardennes, Belgium, this is the only Tiger II visible from the public road.
[Book] Panther – External appearance & design changes
In Panther, Martin Block and the late Roddy MacDougall combine a multitude of sources to present a single volume containing all contemporary knowledge about the Panther, its external appearance and design changes. It is not out of place in the
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The Panther: a British walk-around
As promised, here is the walk-around of Bovington’s Panther tank. According to the plaque welded to glacis, this was the 8th vehicle to be completed at the Laatzen factory under command of 823rd REME workshop. If you are interested in