Tigers

Rodger Herbst · Post by **Rodger Herbst** » Mon May 29, 2006 5:27 am

Did Aberdeen Proving Ground return thier Tiger to Germany as a goodwill gesture, have the Germans done any restoration on it?

Do the Brits at Bovington have a Tiger that they're trying to make a runner?

Do the French have a Tiger thats a runner?

I don't know if any of my questions have merit,but when you get old the old brain cells play tricks,I seem to have read about these subjects and I know several Feldgrauers' are Tiger trackers and i would appreciate an update.
Thanks you

phylo_roadking · Post by **phylo_roadking** » Mon May 29, 2006 6:30 am

Bovington's Tiger is supposed to be a runner once again and will do shows this year. It appeared the year before last at the Beltring and others but sounded very very sick....

Bovington actually have two, the runner and a rusty hulk.

phylo

Paulus II · Post by **Paulus II** » Mon May 29, 2006 8:39 am

The French have a Tiger II at the museum in Suamur that runs. I believe they drive it for the public once a year at one of the national holidays.
The Germans have a Tiger I and II at the Panzermuseum in Munster. Maybe there are others but I'm not sure about that.

Paul

pzrmeyer2 · Post by **pzrmeyer2** » Mon May 29, 2006 9:42 am

When i visited Munster last year, they said they had to return the Tiger I to I believe the private owner in France and were trying to obtain another one. Perhaps this has ouccured Paulus? Otherwise, they are without a Tiger I....

Rodger Herbst · Post by **Rodger Herbst** » Mon May 29, 2006 1:54 pm

Thank guys,I've looked up some info on the Aberdeen Tigers. It seems Aberdeen had two Tigers, Tiger Aust.B, Fahrgestell(chassis) Nr. 280101 -Turm(turret) Nr.280110 was returned to Germany to the Panzer Museum in Munster, from what I could see they were doing restoration work on the turret.

The other Tiger (Fgst. Nr. 280243 ) was to have the right side of the turret and superstructure cut out for display purpose inside the Museum.

Thanks again,if you guys run across anything let me know, is it possible to get engine parts for the Maybach engines,i believe Maybach is still in business.
This info. is old,maybe they got another runner, wouldn't be nice to hear that Maybach come to life and roar?

)

mvonb · Post by **mvonb** » Mon May 29, 2006 2:54 pm

phylo_roadking wrote:Bovington's Tiger is supposed to be a runner once again and will do shows this year. It appeared the year before last at the Beltring and others but sounded very very sick....

Bovington actually have two, the runner and a rusty hulk.

phylo

Was the Tiger 1 running on one bank of cylinders? (not even sure if this is possible). It sounded like the motor was having a really hard time.

phylo_roadking · Post by **phylo_roadking** » Tue May 30, 2006 6:06 am

Not impossible, if one magneto was out....after all most of my bikes seem to b able to run on 2 out of the normal 4 cylinders.....but on a hi-performance motor doing that can load the crank and mess up mains and big-end bearings VERY fast.....

Regarding spares, we're not talking rocket science here, not even about most modern car engines; a GOOD toolmaker can turn up most spares form metal, and usually at a MUCH higher specification than before. After all, think of things like battleships and submarines and aircraft carriers.... didnt THEIR artificers have to make MOST of their spares from metal stock???? Like in Das Boot where they reline a shell bearing with white metal.

phylo

Rodger Herbst · Post by **Rodger Herbst** » Tue May 30, 2006 2:35 pm

True Phylo, but the cost, as for bearing shells, when i started working on Diesel engines, the bearings were poured babbit in the rod and main bearing caps, gives away my age. Some guys can probly remember those old Chevy 6 inline engines with the babbit rod brgs. with the dipper oil scoops.

phylo_roadking · Post by **phylo_roadking** » Tue May 30, 2006 3:15 pm

Yep, thats EXACTLY what makes restoration of vehicles like this a labour of love....cos its certainly never of economic or financial sense!!!

phylo

phylo_roadking · Post by **phylo_roadking** » Sat Jul 01, 2006 9:38 am

heres a question - am i right in thinking that Bovington has THREE tigers??? The supposed runner, the rusty hulk in external storage...AND the sectioned-out one indoors????

phylo

Rodger Herbst · Post by **Rodger Herbst** » Sat Jul 01, 2006 12:00 pm

I see Maybach has a car,part of the Benz group i believe,why couldn't they make some tank engine parts for the Tigers?

Spinechicken · Post by **Spinechicken** » Sat Jul 01, 2006 5:21 pm

phylo roadking wrote:Bovington's Tiger is supposed to be a runner once again and will do shows this year. It appeared the year before last at the Beltring and others but sounded very very sick....

Yup, she was out wowing the crowds again, went along to Tankfest 2006 to see it specifically, and, well, wow! Only did a couple of runs around the arena but seemed to be running perfectly. What a sight. The TM had completely stripped down the engine after last year to get it back up and running again and, as far as my untrained ears could tell, it was in perfect condition. Sounded better in fact than some of the Chieftains they had there. Only downside of the day was the constant rain and the fact that both a Jagdpanther and a Crusader conked out.

A piccy of the Bovington Tiger in action at Tankfest 06:

phylo roadking wrote:heres a question - am i right in thinking that Bovington has THREE tigers??? The supposed runner, the rusty hulk in external storage...AND the sectioned-out one indoors????

As far as I know it's only got the one; according to their blurb there are only six Tigers still in existence. I visited the Tank Museum itself the day after the Tankfest and there was a gaping hole in the exhibits where the Tiger normally is (still outside for checking apparently), and there's no evidence in either the museum or any related literature I've read to suggest they have any others. The only Tiger in that museum, to my knowledge, is Tiger 131.

Cheers,

-SC

phylo_roadking · Post by **phylo_roadking** » Sat Jul 01, 2006 5:31 pm

SC, I've seen pics of the external storage at Bovington, they have one other, a REALLY rusty hulk with a jagged hole where the hull MG swivel was LOL COULD be just a parts donor now. There's a LOT at Bovvie they don't list, its their swap/trade stock LOL
There's at least one more in the UK, thought it was Bovington, but it COULD be the new northern IWM part, its well sectioned-away to allow you to see in from the port side.

phylo

Spinechicken · Post by **Spinechicken** » Sat Jul 01, 2006 5:38 pm

phylo roadking wrote:SC, I've seen pics of the external storage at Bovington, they have one other, a REALLY rusty hulk with a jagged hole where the hull MG swivel was LOL COULD be just a parts donor now. There's a LOT at Bovvie they don't list, its their swap/trade stock LOL
There's at least one more in the UK, thought it was Bovington, but it COULD be the new northern IWM part, its well sectioned-away to allow you to see in from the port side.

phylo

Lol, quite possibly it was used for parts, it wouldn't surprise me. When I was wandering around the museum I came accross a sign for a Sturmgeschutz III, and in that very spot...a Valentine Archer. So, yup, there's obviously stuff they shift around and/or keep stashed away. I guess they've only got so much space. Be great if they could do something with that hulk, rather than hide it away...

As regards the other Tiger, I hadn't heard that there was another in this country but IWM North (or perhaps even the Land Warfare hall in IWM Duxford) could be a good possibility. Must investigate.

Cheers for that,

-SC

Paulus II · Post by **Paulus II** » Sat Jul 01, 2006 11:49 pm

Hi guys,

Apart from the Tiger I's at Kubinka, Saumur, Vimoutiers, Bovington and Snegiri there is the Tiger of Aberdeen. This vehicle has been lent to Germany and is now in England for restoration. It is scheduled to go back to Aberdeen this year. I gather that it is not in Bovington but in a "private restoration facility". I have seen pictures of a Tiger I in England with parts of the hull (and turret?) cut away but neither the Bovington nor the IWM sites list it as part of their collections. I always thought it was at Bovington too but I can't find it anywhere now, iirc it was even used in one of those Discovery Channel "Best tanks ever" or "The mighty Tiger" or whatever bollocks documentaries. The wrecked hulk is indeed at Bovington, or at least it was there a few years ago when I visited the museum.
Usually there are six Tigers listed as having 'survived' the war (and we all know those), then there is the Bovington rusty hulk as number 6 1/2 but what about the cut-away one?
I can hardly imagine a Tiger being overlooked by all those people interested in this vehicle even though most people are just copying each others information. Somebody should have noticed and let the world know that there is a seventh.
Scratching my head in wonder here!

Paul