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Armor and ground forces of the Axis forces during World War II.
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TIGER I (Late) – PROJECT: NORMANDY CAMPAIGN
Doubledude
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Posted: Monday, May 11, 2020 - 05:11 AM UTC

Hi modellers and Tiger I experts!

I plan a new project and due to the lack of information I need a little assisstance. I’d like to build several Tiger I tanks of sPzAbt 101 during Normandy campaign.
This includes the Tiger tanks of Michael Wittmann and another one of Uscha. Warmbrunn (# 214).

The instruction of Dragon’s Tiger I (6253) says that M. Wittmann commanded the following tanks of 2. Kompanie:
#205 on 6th June 1944
#231 in July 1944
#212 on June 1944 (Villers-Bocage)
and last but not least
#007 (Command Tiger I) when he was shot.
On the internet you find rumors that say he also commanded tank #222. I have no idea if this is true.

I have several Dragon kits 6253, one AFV Club and one Rye Field kit for my project. I could answer many of my questions with the help of books and the internet myself but 5 questions remain.
As these questions belong together to one project I combined them all in here.
Nobody knows everything so please refer your answer to the question number below.

Here are my questions to the project:

1. Are these tank numbers above correct? Were these tanks late productions only or are there mid-production Tiger I among them too?
Does anybody know why M. Wittmann switched his tanks so often? Did they break down or became battle-damaged?

2. As you can see on certain pictures, the Tiger I turrets received 2 kinds of Zimmerit. One with the same Zimmerit width as the hull and another one with wider Zimmerit pattern on the turret sides. Why is it so? Was it a change during the production run which you can date back to a certain date or was it just put on simultaneously in one and the same factory.

3. Does anybody know how many Tiger I tanks belonged to sPzAbt 101 and what colors did the numbers of each of the companys have? Second company had red numbers for instance. What tanks were mid and late production tanks? Were mid and late ones mixed in the company? Which tanks were command Tigers?
My current research ends up with only 45 tanks total. The 3 HQ tanks (007, 008, 009) plus 3 companys (2 HQ tanks plus 3 platoons of 4 Tigers each = 14 Tigers/company x 3 = 42 tanks).

4. Based on my research, Uscha. Warmbrunn’s Tiger I tank belonged to sPzAbt 101, 2. Kompanie and has the red number 214. A tank with this number is listed in the instruction of Dragon‘s late Tiger I kit 6253. In a book I stumbled across a picture with the front of a knocked out Tiger I, that says that this is the Tiger I tank of Uscha. Warmbrunn. There’s nothing much to see in the picture, not even one road wheel or turret number to determine mid or late but by the shape of the front (where the hole for the shackles is located), I’d say it’s a mid production Tiger I. Can anybody confirm this?

5. Rye Field Model released several Tiger I kits. Sadly the late production kit comes with no interior. Does the interior of the early production Tigers differ much from the mid and late tanks? So if I’d like to build a Rye Field Tiger I late, can I used the interior kit of an early kit and in case if, what do I have to change.

Greetings and thanks a lot in advance!



GeraldOwens
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Posted: Monday, May 11, 2020 - 07:51 AM UTC
Tigers broke down constantly, and a senior officer like Wittman could commandeer any tank he liked if he had a mission that day and his own tank was deadlined. The list you have may not be comprehensive, and it's doubtful we'd ever have a complete list of all tanks he used throughout the campaign.

All Tigers came from the same factory, Henschel und Sohn in Kassel. The Zimmerit on the hull was patterned using a sheet metal comb to save time. Some Tigers received the same pattern on the turret, while others had a hand-applied pattern on the turret, using the edge of the application trowel in a breaking wave pattern (as specified in the regulations). There are no records explaining the discrepency, so rely on photos to detail a particular tank. Photos of the battalion taken when they arrived in Normandy show both rubber-tired and steel wheel types.
ahandykindaguy
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Posted: Monday, May 11, 2020 - 11:00 AM UTC
I would recommend you check with, or out David Byrden's tiger website. just about answers every question there is to ask about Der Tiger!

Tiger1.info

Byrden
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Posted: Monday, May 11, 2020 - 11:19 AM UTC

Quoted Text


Does the interior of the early production Tigers differ much from the mid and late tanks? So if I’d like to build a Rye Field Tiger I late, can I used the interior kit of an early kit and in case if, what do I have to change.




I'm tied up on a couple of Tiger projects right now, and I haven't fully explored SS.101 in the past, so I can't answer most of your questions. But I can address the question about interiors.

Rye Field designed all of their Tiger kits to take an interior. They put the interior parts on distinct sprues, which they could include or exclude from kits easily. And just a year ago, they hinted that their Tiger interior sprues would be sold as a separate set that you could combine with any of their "hollow" Tiger kits. But this product has not appeared yet. As of today you can get a Rye Field Tiger interior only from a complete Rye Field Tiger kit.

So, on the face of it, you would expect to have no problems taking Rye Field's Tiger interior from, say, their kit #5003 and putting it in their Late Tiger #5015 which is "hollow".

But there are version problems.

The Tiger's interior went through many changes during the production run, and many of these were on the inside. Here are a few of them in order of size:
Stowage boxes etc on the inside turret wall were deleted.
Stowage boxes etc on the inside turret wall were rearranged twice.
The engine type was changed.
The turret ring was changed.
The turret internal structures (crossbeam etc) were redesigned.
The turret roof fittings were altered.
The turret floor layout was changed.
The snorkel was deleted.

The turret, you will notice, got most of the changes. You could define 4 different major turret interior versions, and 2 major hull interior versions. Plus some optional parts to make minor versions.

Rye Field have, as of today, produced only two different Tiger interiors: let's call them "Early" and "Late".

Their "Early" interior is very good, though some important features are missing from it. Their "Late" is not so good. It has all the faults of the "Early" set (the missing features) plus some more omitted stuff (e.g. storage in the turret) and some version errors (an Early turret floor).

Nevertheless, it's your best route to giving your Rye Field Late Tiger an interior. You can get this set only in Rye Field's kit #5010. Combine it with their Late Tiger #5015, and then you can start to worry about the missing items and the version errors.

One more thing.

You are interested in a Command Tiger (Wittman's 007). I'm sorry to say that nobody at all seems to have enough information to model the insides of a Command Tiger. We know that it had a lot of differences from standard Tigers; in fact we have a list. But we don't know what the equipment layout was.

Rye Field released one kit (Wittman's Early Tiger #5025) that supposedly modelled the Tiger "S04", which was a Command Tiger. They completely short changed us there. The kit has the standard Tiger interior! I was hoping they'd found the missing information, but they were hoping we wouldn't notice!

So there's no way you can model "007" accurately on the inside.

David
ahandykindaguy
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Posted: Monday, May 11, 2020 - 01:54 PM UTC
"I'm tied up on a couple of Tiger projects right now, and I haven't fully explored SS.101 in the past, so I can't answer most of your questions. But I can address the question about interiors.
David"
[/quote]

Well, I sit corrected, and by the man himself! I was certain David was the best source for your questions Mirco, but it looks like in this instance I was not 100 percent right...

David, please accept my apologies for my presumptive assumations! I'd buy you a beer to make it up to you, but I'm sure you're okay with not always having the answer to everyones queries. Your website is a very detailed compendium on the subject of the Tiger though, and well used by members of this forum I'm sure.

Cheers
Fitzgerald
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Posted: Monday, May 11, 2020 - 07:19 PM UTC
Hey Mirco,
for a second I thought you suggest a Tiger Normandy Built Campaign on this Side...I would join that in a second.
While I can't help with any of your questions, I can help you out with another Rye Field Interior. I love the Rye Field Kits for the outside Details but never use the inner Life.

Best,
Stephan


dhines
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Posted: Tuesday, May 12, 2020 - 03:04 AM UTC
Hi Mirco, you are embarking on a very ambitious journey. I too would also join a Tiger campaign, I recently acquired a Wittmann command Tiger 6730 by Dragon and have not built a command vehicle yet. Not sure if you are aware, but the Patrick Agte book titled Michael Wittmann and the Tiger Commanders of the Leibstandarte is an excellent source for pics, tank numbers and daily battle reports. I have had this book for many years and I have turned to it many times over the years. It is expensive but it has over 700 pics and some very nice color plates of the paint and numbering types. I hope this helps. I will follow this thread with much interest and look forward to hearing others chime in. Best regards......Dale
Johnnych01
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Posted: Tuesday, May 12, 2020 - 04:25 AM UTC
I think someone should take the plunge and do a proposal for a Tiger 1 Normandy campaign .... I would definitely be in as I have an academy mid Tiger and the Dragon smart 3 in 1 late Tiger 1 ...

Go on someone ..... Propose it !!
Hohenstaufen
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Posted: Tuesday, May 12, 2020 - 06:26 AM UTC
Mirco:

I don't claim infallibility, but I have the Patrick Agte two volume work on Wittmann and the Leibstandarte Tiger Commanders that Dale mentioned. My copies are from Stackpole Military History Series, they don't have any colour plates in, but they do have organisation tables in. I also have the Tank Museum title on the Tiger, Anderson's Tiger book and Schneider's Tigers in Normandy. I'll try to answer each question in turn:

1. I think you've got the correct numbers.
There is a lot of argument over which Tiger he used at Villers-Bocage. 222 was mooted at one stage, because this was supposed to be the mount of Kurt Sowa, who Wittmann ordered out to take over his tank. Wittmann's own Tiger, 205 was u/s at the time. However it is now generally accepted that the Villers Tiger wasn't 222 so there must have been a lot of tank swopping. It would make sense to give the running vehicles to the most experienced crews. The Dragon kit 6253, which is supposed to make the Villers tank, shows 212 on the box. 212 was the tank commanded by "Bobby" Woll, Wittmann's old gunner in the unit order of battle.
At Villers only 6 of the 2nd Kompanie tanks were usable according to Daniel Taylor's "Villers Bocage Through the Lens", and one of these was running roughly. Taylor gives these as 221 (Untersturmfuhrer Hantusch, 234 (Unterscharfuhrer Stief) which was overheating, 222 (Unterscharfuhrer Sowa), 223 (Oberscharfuhrer Brendt), 233 (Oberscharfuhrer Lotzsch) with a damaged track and 211 (Obersturmfuhrer Wessel) which had left to make contact with Panzer Lehr. Note that this doesn't include 212, but it's possible the list was compiled from the order of battle in which case it's anyone's guess which commander was mounted in which tank. The famous photo of 231 being recovered from the Villers environs further clouds the issue.
Before selecting Sowa's Tiger, Wittmann initially tried Stief's (234), but the crew explained that the engine wasn't sound so he switched to Sowa's.
With regard to mid/late production Tigers, it's hard to be specific. Note that units did not recognise these nuances between vehicles, in the case of Panthers for example, they didn't even differentiate between the various Ausfuhrung D,A and G, they were just listed as Panthers. Doing a quick flick through Abte's books, there is a mixture of "steel-wheel" and older vehicles. The impression is that the older vehicles are in the 3rd Kompanie, but 131 and 133 have the old dished wheels.

2.Gerald has answered this.

3. At full strength, SS sPz Abt 101 had 45 Tigers (3 command vehicles, 12 in each of the tank companies, plus 2 in each company HQ).(Abte)

4.Sorry, I'd need to see the picture. According to Abte, Warmbrunn's Tiger was 214 though.

5. I can't comment on the Ryefield Tigers. As David says, there is no interior of a Befehlstiger to my knowledge. The Tank Museum book on the Tiger, based largely on their famous Tunisian Tiger, 131, states that Befehlstiger had additional Fu 7 & 8 radios in the turret, supplementing the Fu 5 in the hull. Presumably, as in the Befehlpanther, these were mounted in place of the co-axial machine gun and tended to by the loader. FYI, 205, as a company commanders tank rather than battalion was not a Befehlstiger.
Byrden
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Posted: Tuesday, May 12, 2020 - 08:07 AM UTC

Quoted Text

The Tank Museum book on the Tiger, based largely on their famous Tunisian Tiger, 131, states that Befehlstiger had additional Fu 7 & 8 radios in the turret, supplementing the Fu 5 in the hull.



They say that?

Our most detailed description of the Befehlstiger comes from the book "DW to Tiger1" by Doyle and Jentz.

They put the Fu5 in the turret and one other radio, Fu7 or Fu8, in the hull. Photographs of antenna placement support this.

The book has a whole list of other differences.

David
Hohenstaufen
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Posted: Tuesday, May 12, 2020 - 08:27 AM UTC
Oops! Sorry, David is quite right, I got that the wrong way round. Must have been looking at the pretty picture of the Fu5 in the normal tank while I was typing! They actually DO say Fu5 in turret, Fu 7 OR 8 in the hull.
Khouli
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Posted: Wednesday, May 13, 2020 - 05:53 PM UTC
I'm absolutely sure I watched one of those 'Time Team' type programmes, where they dig up archaeological sites of interest and it was about unearthing Wittman's Tiger.

Using historical records, including photographs and contemporary accounts, they found the remains of a Tiger in the exact same position they theorized Wittman's tank would have been when it was destroyed.

It was 007.
Byrden
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Posted: Wednesday, May 13, 2020 - 06:26 PM UTC

Quoted Text

Using historical records, including photographs and contemporary accounts, they found the remains of a Tiger in the exact same position they theorized Wittman's tank would have been when it was destroyed.

It was 007.



How did they show you that it was "007" ?
Come to think of it, how did they show you that it was a Tiger 1 ?

David
varanusk
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ARMORAMA
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Posted: Wednesday, May 13, 2020 - 08:50 PM UTC

Quoted Text

I think someone should take the plunge and do a proposal for a Tiger 1 Normandy campaign .... I would definitely be in as I have an academy mid Tiger and the Dragon smart 3 in 1 late Tiger 1 ...

Go on someone ..... Propose it !!



OK, another one that would join to a Tiger I Normandy campaign!
Khouli
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Posted: Wednesday, May 13, 2020 - 10:25 PM UTC

Quoted Text


Quoted Text

Using historical records, including photographs and contemporary accounts, they found the remains of a Tiger in the exact same position they theorized Wittman's tank would have been when it was destroyed.

It was 007.



How did they show you that it was "007" ?
Come to think of it, how did they show you that it was a Tiger 1 ?

David



The big parts where in a nearby farmer's barn. It was a Tiger I and the markings were still visible. He explained where he recovered the bits from and there were also artifacts at that site still buried.

The programme drew the conclusion that it had been Wittman's tank.
alanmac
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Posted: Wednesday, May 13, 2020 - 10:26 PM UTC

Quoted Text

I'm absolutely sure I watched one of those 'Time Team' type programmes, where they dig up archaeological sites of interest and it was about unearthing Wittman's Tiger.

Using historical records, including photographs and contemporary accounts, they found the remains of a Tiger in the exact same position they theorized Wittman's tank would have been when it was destroyed.

It was 007.



When you say remains, what do you mean exactly?

I seem to remember reading an article on some remains of the Tiger collected by the farmer whose land it was on. There was some photographs. He had a collection of bits, in a barn, nothing large like a hull or turret. It also said Wittmann's widow had visited him and his collection after the war.

EDIT. It might have been this video, at 21.35 you see the landowner showing bits.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mCNz7OC8YIs
dhines
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Posted: Wednesday, May 13, 2020 - 10:57 PM UTC
Back in the early 80s a dedicated team of researchers located the remains of Wittman and his crew, they were positively identified by dogtags and other personal items. These remains were found close by the known spot where a Tiger was knocked out.The team found civilians who had buried Wittman and his crew after the battle was over. There was a very extensive documentary titled The Black Baron on Battlefield Mysteries by Norm Christie. The show also tracked down a French collector who had some remains of Wittmans Tiger 007 including part of the turret floor that can be seen missing in the famous pic of 007 after its destruction.The documentary is very well researched and it more or less proved that Wittmans tank was knocked out by the Canadian Armored Regiment the Sherbrooke Fusiliers who were on Wittmans flank and could have taken a much closer shot then Joe Ekins British Firefly who was on the opposite flank and much farther away. Ekins Firefly did knock out 3 other Tigers in Wittmans platoon. This documentary is one of my favourite shows on Michael Wittman and I recommend it to anyone interested in this subject. Best regards......Dale
Byrden
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Posted: Wednesday, May 13, 2020 - 11:06 PM UTC
OK, the video shows "Late Tiger" parts, but I don't see any markings that make them "007".

David
alanmac
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Posted: Wednesday, May 13, 2020 - 11:15 PM UTC

Quoted Text

OK, the video shows "Late Tiger" parts, but I don't see any markings that make them "007".

David



Are you saying you don't believe these parts are from his Tiger?
Why would a farmer want to collect bits of metal other than finding them in his field. I'm sure he wouldn't pay good money for them as a collector would, unless he was himself a collector and showed an interest. I think certainly the turret floor section is a good fit, given you can see it missing in the wreckage photos.
Khouli
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Posted: Wednesday, May 13, 2020 - 11:47 PM UTC

Quoted Text

Back in the early 80s a dedicated team of researchers located the remains of Wittman and his crew, they were positively identified by dogtags and other personal items. These remains were found close by the known spot where a Tiger was knocked out.The team found civilians who had buried Wittman and his crew after the battle was over. There was a very extensive documentary titled The Black Baron on Battlefield Mysteries by Norm Christie. The show also tracked down a French collector who had some remains of Wittmans Tiger 007 including part of the turret floor that can be seen missing in the famous pic of 007 after its destruction.The documentary is very well researched and it more or less proved that Wittmans tank was knocked out by the Canadian Armored Regiment the Sherbrooke Fusiliers who were on Wittmans flank and could have taken a much closer shot then Joe Ekins British Firefly who was on the opposite flank and much farther away. Ekins Firefly did knock out 3 other Tigers in Wittmans platoon. This documentary is one of my favourite shows on Michael Wittman and I recommend it to anyone interested in this subject. Best regards......Dale



Yes, that's the programme. If I remember correctly, the evidence that 007 was Wittman's tank at the time of his death was hugely compelling.
dhines
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Posted: Wednesday, May 13, 2020 - 11:47 PM UTC
David, the investigation is compelling that the tank was 007 based on the civilians account of burying crew remains from a known Tiger 1 knocked out. Researchers found the war grave due to accounts from the actual civilians who told them where to look. When the remains were found,they were positively identified by the German government as being those of Wittman and his crew.They based their conclusions on evidence of driver Hein Reimers identity disc and other artifacts of the known crew of 007.
Byrden
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Posted: Thursday, May 14, 2020 - 12:34 AM UTC

Quoted Text


Quoted Text

OK, the video shows "Late Tiger" parts, but I don't see any markings that make them "007".

David



Are you saying you don't believe these parts are from his Tiger?
Why would a farmer want to collect bits of metal other than finding them in his field. I'm sure he wouldn't pay good money for them as a collector would, unless he was himself a collector and showed an interest. I think certainly the turret floor section is a good fit, given you can see it missing in the wreckage photos.



I said exactly what I wanted to say; there was nothing further to say, no need for you to interpret my words differently to what they are.

What I see in the video, and in a photo that I found, are Tiger parts. Some of them are from a Late Tiger, others could be from almost any Tiger. Nothing that I saw had an obvious link to 007.
I understand that multiple Tigers were knocked out in that same field. In that case the farmer had the opportunity to collect from any and all of them.

David

Byrden
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Posted: Thursday, May 14, 2020 - 12:36 AM UTC

Quoted Text

David, the investigation is compelling that the tank was 007



I accept that, but I repeat, these parts could be from almost any Tiger.

David
Hohenstaufen
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Posted: Thursday, May 14, 2020 - 12:58 AM UTC
Anyway, non of this helps with the actual internal layout of a Befehlstiger, which is the main issue.
Byrden
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Posted: Thursday, May 14, 2020 - 01:14 AM UTC
I wouldn't even assume that Befehlstigers had only one single layout.

David
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