A rare color photo, taken in March-April 1944, showing a Panzerkampfwagen VI Tiger from schwere Panzer-Abteilung 508 undergoing repairs in the Workshop Company's (Werkstattkompanie) position in front of the buildings of the former "Arco" bomb factory near the Forte Tiburtino, Rome (Italy). The camouflage finish and crosses are just visible on the Tiger. The exhaust boxes and cover plates have been removed. The cover plates are lying on the ground to the right of the tank. This color slide is one of a series of color images of the Werkstattkompanie taken by Hans Becker. In the mid-1970s Becker's son loaned the slides to a model maker, who displayed them in the booklet "Modell Magazin - Foto Archiv". Since then the photos have appeared regularly in publications about the Tiger. Unfortunately the slides have not been returned to the son!
Source :
Book "Als Panzermann in Afrika und Italien 1942-45: Panzer Regiment 8 und schwere Panzer-Abt. 508" by Axel Urbanke and Hans Becker
This is an unusual Tiger. It was built as a "Command" version with extra radios, but while still at the factory it was converted to the normal type, due to shortages after a bombing raid.
ReplyDeleteEven more unusual, indeed unique, it was this specific Tiger that got converted into a "demolition charge layer" by the battalion's workshop.