German tank PzKpfw VI Tiger 131 COBI 2556 - World War II

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Did you know that:

• tank No. 131 was captured in April 1943 by the British army fully mobile and minimally damaged?
• before the Tiger crew left the machine, did two British Churchill tanks hit, which were destroyed without seeing the enemy?
• Lieutenant Peter Gudgin, the commander of one of the affected Churchill, later testified that they were hit by a Tiger bullet in the frontal armor, flew through the space of the tank to finally bite into the engine, where it caused a fire?
• Churchill's crew left the affected tank with virtually no injuries?
• at first the British thought that the German crew left so much in panic during the battles for the Tunisian hill Djebel Djaffa?
• the real reason was an inconspicuous hit by a 57 mm millimeter projectile from another Churchill tank, which hit the barrel of the Tiger's cannon and then bounced exactly into the crown of the tower, thus blocking it?
• on the tank displayed in the museum is this intervention still visible?
• Tiger was hit a total of three times, when the radio was destroyed during the second hit and the crew was slightly injured?
• the captured tank was searched by the secret service on the direct orders of British Prime Minister Winston Churchill?
• this machine was first exhibited in Tunis and then in 1951 transported to the Bovington Tank Museum. where is it exhibited in a fully functional condition to this day?
• Tiger 131 appeared in several war films such as Fury from 2014?

Technical parameters:

• type heavy tank
• dimensions: length 8.45 m (with main), width 3.7 m, height 3.0 m
• weight 57,000 kg
• armor up to 120 mm
• main weapon cannon KwK 36L / 56 caliber 88 mm
• secondary weapon 2 x machine gun caliber 7.92 mm
• power unit petrol engine maybach HL230 P45 with an output of 690 hp
• top speed 38.6 km / h
• crew of 5 people