Category: Research
Tiger II Fgst.Nr. 280 009 or 280 012 Revisited
When Henschel’s tank proving ground at Haustenbeck became part of the British zone, a number of interesting armoured fighting vehicles fell right into their lap, some of which were transported back to the UK for detailed study. Prime examples are the second built Tiger II ‘V2’ and a Porsche suspension Jagdtiger, which are now in…
Haustenbeck’s Heritage: Journey of Tiger II V2
For the past two years, I have been working on a series of articles on Henschel’s test site at Haustenbeck. So far, I have covered the origin and use of the site, as well as most of the vehicles that were present during and after the war. All these articles have paved the way for…
What’s in a name? From Tiger II to Königstiger
As is customary with German tanks, the successor to the Tiger I received many names. Initially, the new tank was named VK 45.03 (H), or Tiger III. Because the VK 45.02 (H), the original Tiger II, was cancelled, the Tiger III was later renamed back to Tiger II. In technical contexts, the same tank was…
Minenräumgerät “Dreschflegel”
In the course of the Second World War, mines proved to be one of the most effective weapons to thwart an enemy tank offensive from the outset. It was often the case that thousands of mines were laid as part of defensive lines, to consolidate key points and slow down the enemy. Clearing mines by…
Tiger II V2 Extra: Off the Beaten Track
The size of my original article on Tiger II V2 got a little out of hand. To keep the length down, the section with a comprehensive background on Tiger II tracks is published here as a separate article for the tech-savvy readers. Being a test vehicle, it is not surprising that Tiger II V2 covered…
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 Senne to finally arrive at its final destination: the Bovington Tank Museum in the UK?…
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, high-ranking Nazi officials as well as senior officers. Unlike during the regular Vorführungen neuer Waffen,…
Haustenbeck’s Heritage: Taking Inventory
In this second part of the “Haustenbeck’s Heritage” series, we will take a look at which vehicles were still present on the site after the war. All vehicles are described one by one in the sections below. Some of these vehicles were eventually taken back to England for further inspection. I will write more about…
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 test site near Haustenbeck was one of a kind and deemed invaluable by the Allies…
Saumur’s “Bretagne” Panther: facts & fiction
At this year’s Tank fest, Wargaming presented the newly restored Bretagne Panther. Starting in 2017, this Panther was restored at Musée des Blindés courtesy of the publisher of World of Tanks. The reveal of the Panther tank was accompanied by a campaign “Make the Panther roar again” and the introduction of a premium in-game version…
Short survey of air filters
It is a familiar sight for German armour enthusiasts: one or two white boxes dotted around a Panther (or Tiger II) wreck. Usually these boxes seem to have been thrown down carelessly and are not in the best of shape. I began to wonder what the function of these boxes was and why they were…
Problematic exhausts
Already since its conception, the exhaust system of the Panther had been kind of troublesome. During the Panther’s production various solutions have been proposed and fitted. In this post I’ll elaborate a bit on two of these solutions in particular. Auspufftopf – Exhaust muffler It is often disregarded or simply not known that the well…
