Series: Haustenbeck’s Heritage
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…
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: 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?…
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…
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…