Picture of the Day

[nysä]

[VonMudra]

Also it would be hard to put all of them in the picture if they weren't next to it. 

Given the fact that they are perfectly lit up (big light source to the left) while the trees in the background are dark, I'd say this is a completely staged photo just to show off the device and crew.

This is also true.

[Matthew_Baker]

A small surprise; A Pz.Kpfw. VI Ausf. B armed with the 7.5cm KwK42 L/70 from a Panther tank... The reason for rearming this tank is not known. However, it is possible that the original gun was damaged and then replaced with the only one available at the time. This tank was probably from sSS-Pz.Abt.502, which was assigned to defend Berlin.

[Zoologic]

Hah, rather a unique situation. Did the Panther in the foreground was the gun donor?

The left track is also completely stripped out of the wheels.

[Ts4EVER]

That is not a panther gun, the kingtiger gun is just stuck in the recoiled position. This was often done to make the gun unusable when ditching a tank.

[Seth_Soldier]

[Matthew_Baker]

Yea the caption in the book might be wrong. Lots of books/ websites have it captioned that way.

But it seems more likely sabotaged after hitting a mine.

[Leopardi]

Observation post at Kollaa river, 10.12.1939


..and the view through it a couple of weeks and T-26's later

[nysä]

[Sander93]

That is not a panther gun, the kingtiger gun is just stuck in the recoiled position. This was often done to make the gun unusable when ditching a tank.

The gun seems way shorter than what it should be though, even while in the recoiled position. The 88 is about 1,5 times the length of the turret, meaning for this one half of it would have to be inside the turret (the breach hitting the turret rear).

The recoiled position of the KwK43 should look like this (note the thicker part of the barrel still partly visible):


So either that really is a KwK42 conversion (which seems kinda impossible for a field modification) or the gun breach was completely demolished somehow (and the gun pushed all the way into the turret) rather than just leaving it in the recoiled position.

[nysä]

The gun seems way shorter than what it should be though, even while in the recoiled position. The 88 is about 1,5 times the length of the turret, meaning for this one half of it would have to be inside the turret.

This Tiger Nr. 321 from sSSPzAbt.102/502 was first disabled by a mine, along with the escorting Panther. The crew fought off Soviet infantry until night fall then made their escape attempt, but the tank was finally hit by a captured panzerfaust - only one crewman, a replacement gun loader named Wolfgang Filor managed to survive to tell the story. More details can be found from Wolfgang Schneider's "Das Reich Tigers".

Basically, a fire within the fighting compartment most likely fractured the recuperator seals and releasing the "Braun Ark".

[Matthew_Baker]

I’d be interested to know the real story behind the tank if anyone has the book and can translate. I’ve heard the story of it being hit by a panzerfaust after a mine in a village outside Berlin and 1 crew member surviving.

The barrel does seem quite short, even if it’s disabled, as the breach would seem to be against the back of the turret.

But it would be one hell of a modification to put a Panther gun on the tank so that’s also a bit far fetched.

Basically, a fire within the fighting compartment most likely fractured the recuperator seals and releasing the "Braun Ark".

I think the typical way to disable the gun was to release the oil manually and fire it before abandoning it. This makes it seem like they tried to fire it while the tank was on fire which would be insane

Curious if anyone has an excerpt.

[nysä]

I think the typical way to disable the gun was to release the oil manually and fire it before abandoning it. This makes it seem like they tried to fire it while the tank was on fire which would be insane

Curious if anyone has an excerpt.

The real story? Well, that was pretty much an exact quote from the book. The tank was hit by a panzerfaust when the crew was evacuating, causing an internal fire.

Another (less detailed) action raport from "Tigers in Combat II" by Wolfgang Schneider:

"27 March 1945: Shortly after crossing the line of departure, the 1./schwere SS-PanzerAbteilung 502 is stopped by a minefield; three Tigers are immobilized.
The same thing occurs in the attack sector of the 3./schwere SS-Panzer-Abteilung 502 (SS-Obersturmführer Schienhofen), which is advancing on the right side of the main road Manchnow Kietz. One tank -Tiger 32I - is immobilized after running over a mine; it then knocks out two Soviet tanks before it is knocked out by a captured Panzerfaust."

Just as a sidenote, Tigers were more or less prone to violent self-combustions, even during the road marches and these type of fires generally led to a total loss of the vehicle.




Battle damaged IS-2 from 57th Guards Tank Brigade in the village of Rusin, Glubczyce. March 1945. According to the Soviet records, this IS-2 was hit 16 times (no total penetration) during the battle.

[Leopardi]

Captured english LMG's from the russians, 8.12.1939

That's kind of interesting since lend lease wasn't a thing in 1939.

[nysä]

That's kind of interesting since lend lease wasn't a thing in 1939.

Possibly from the Russian Civil War? The Empire ordered 10,000 BSA Lewis in .303 calibre and another 1,200 in 7.62x54mmR. Plus, another few hundred were shipped to the Whites in the Baltics by mid-1919.