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Tiger II V2 Extra: Off the Beaten Track

It often happens to me that an initially small article grows into a colossus. Likewise, my article on Tiger II V2 got slightly out of hand. This part of the article is now published separately as complete background on the Tiger II tracks for the tech-savvy.

Tiger II V2 was a test vehicle, and it is therefore not surprising that many test drives were made with it. The results of these test drives would eventually trigger all kinds of changes and developments. Significant changes to the tracks were also initiated in this way. In this article, I devote further attention to the design evolution of the Tiger II’s tracks.

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STT 9110 Jagdtiger

Haustenbeck’s Heritage: Jagdtiger 305 004’s Journey

This entry is part 3 of 3 in the series Haustenbeck's Heritage

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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Hillersleben Hill Climbing Competition

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, Hitler was not present. The programme consisted of meetings and demonstrations of the latest and greatest German as well as captured equipment.

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Panther KT and JT before Kranhalle scaled

Haustenbeck’s Heritage: Taking Inventory

This entry is part 2 of 3 in the series Haustenbeck's Heritage

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 my previous article that appeared in this series.

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BU 8016 Four German heavy tanks at the Henschel tank testing ground at Haustenbeck near Paderborn Germany June 1945.

Haustenbeck’s Heritage: Rise and Fall

This entry is part 1 of 3 in the series Haustenbeck's Heritage

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 after its capture. Therefore activities on the site continued after the war under Allied supervision. Many of the vehicles were sent to the UK for further evaluation. But what actually happened in Haustenbeck, why exactly did Henschel settle here? And how did the E-100 and Grille 17 end up in Haustenbeck at all?

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Reme Panther

The Panther: a British view

Among the great collection of AFVs at the Tank Museum in Bovington, United Kingdom there is a vehicle that is often described as one of the best tanks of the Second World War. This tank is better known as the Panzerkampfwagen ‘Panther’ . Germany produced over 6000 Panthers during the war. The majority of these were assembled at one of the assembly firms Maschinenfabrik Augsburg-Nürnberg (M·A·N), Maschinenfabrik Niedersachen-Hannover (M.N.H.) or Daimler-Benz . The Panther in The Tank Museum, however, wasn’t produced during the war. Instead it was produced post-war under British supervision. In this post I’ll dive into the history of British evaluation of the Panther and look at how and why the British produced their own Panthers.

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