FEATURES:
Panzerwrecks Tiger
II
Russian
Maus
at
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Joyride
Wrecks in Three
Revisited
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Newsreels
Meppen
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Welcome back to Panzerwrecks. While laying out this issue, Lee had the idea to revisit PW1. What started as a small feature quickly became a contest between the two of us as to who could add the most new material. Lee won. Actually, we all did, because the images are superb and show detail- such as the camouflage on the Panthers and the periscope in the Beobachtungspanzerwagen III - we didn't know existed . We hope you'll enjoy this look back. If successful, we'll do it again in the future.
Many of the images in this book were taken by servicemen using basi equipment; they are included for their interest and historical value, nol necessarily their photographic quality.
We also looked Eastward. We found some ghostly images of Panzers on a grainy Russian newsreel that we present here more for the overall sense of desolation they convey rather than any particular detail they provide . Heavy armor also reappears in a comprehensive walkaround of a Tiger II and a stroll through some Maus remains at Meppen.
For the use of their photos we would like to thank: Howard Simon, Alan Bond 0yvind Leonsen, Ron Petrovich , Kate McColl , Stanley Jedynak and Denis Toom ey, US National Archives (NARA), US Military Academy (USMA), Polish Institute and Sikorski Museum (PISM) , Vojensky Historicky Ustav (VHU), Library and Archives Of Canada (LAC), The Tank Museum (TIM), Military Photo Archive of Bulgaria (MPAB), Associated Press (AP), Muzeum Narodowe w Poznaniu (MNP).
Interspersed are as many new photos as we could fit and as much new information as we could find . If you're looking for something interesting, it might just be here in Panzerwrecks 5. W. Auerbach, Monroe. July 2007
We would also like to thank the following: Hans Weber, Martin Block, Timm Haasler. Tom Jentz, Hilary Doyle, Marek Solar, Barry Crook, Kamen Nevenkin, Matthi as Radu, Jeff Plowman, George Bradford, Oliver Nephuth, Werner Geier, Chris Bradley, David Fletcher and Susan Strange.
©2007 Lee Archer and Will iam Auerbach. Created by Lee Archer and printed by 1010 Printing (UK) Ltd in China. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form 0 1 by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording or any information slorage anc! relrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers .
Top of page: Signal Corps technicians at Astoria Signal Corps Photographic Training Center, operal miniature tanks. The turrets are demountable so that small charges of powder can be discharged, addirrc I realism to training films in which these models are used. 15 August 1944. US Army
Published by: William Auerbach. Panzerwrecks . P.O . Box 2332 Monroe, New York 10949-2332 USA .
[email protected] Lee Archer. PO. Box 164 Heathfield, Sussex TN21 8WA UK.
[email protected] "itiese two Panthers, photographed by Aubrey , McColl , appear on pages 2-5 of Panzerwrecks 1 where we stated that Cpl. - Tucker knocked them out ._with a PlAT. In fact, hF! knocked them out using phosphorous grenudes. The Panther on page 6 of Panzerwrecks 1 was not tank '434 ', but a ' third vehicle. Tank '434 ' in th e foreground was commanoed by Lt, Drobnik and '424' irl the background I) y Obit. Hinz. Th e Panthers appedr to have extra armOUl on the turret roofs in addition to th at on the engine deck. K.McCoil via J.Plowman
This Panther of I.lPz.Rgt.26 was shown on pages 10 and 11 of Panzerwrecks 1. Here, soldiers of the Polish 3rd Carpathian Division pose with the wreck on 17 May 1945. On page 3 the vehicle has been photographed a month later by the Polish 2nd Corps photographer J. Kondracki. Without soldiers climbing on it we can see a stenciled inscription between the driver's and radio operator's hatches which reads : "taken by 6 Gurkha Rifles 14/20th Kings Hussars". The clear view of the turret top and its extra armour shows it to have a hand painted camouflage pattern. 1x MNP, 1x PISM
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Pages 5-6: We showed two of these Panzerdraisine on page 16 of Panzerwrecks 1. Information with the photographs gives two locations: Munich and Oachau . The photograph on page 5 portrays the car on the extreme left showing some interesting details such as the tie downs at the bottom of the side armour and the
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coupling . The photograph on this page was taken by Howard L. Simon of the US 119th AAA Battalion. The turret on the car on the right is the only one with side visors. 1 x W.Auerbach, 1x H.Simon
"'"""""" 1111. linage, taken .,by Sgt. T/4 William Toomey of 't he 3rd 1'111.11 Company, 3rd Us Infa,ntry Division shows the entire 'HI - with four cars. We can only assume that the front car .Kpfw.III Ausf.N turret as the others have. Note the ifferences in the colouring of the cars. D.Toomey
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OPflofllte page: 13 April 1945, and T/4 Blau of 163 Signal Photo Company, attached This page: The Panzerbeobachtungswagen III, on a rebuilt Au sLG Cl18ssis. sl-,own 'I ~) th Infantry Division shows us the other side of the tank workshop shown on on page 21 of Panzerwrecks 1. With the spare track links missing Irom 1/10 lower 1'''' 1'' II) of Panzerwrecks 1. The turret of the Pz.Kpfw.1I1 has a flange at the base hull front, we can see that Zimmerit was never appli ed to Iho 8 1"00 l"lol"lind th em. LAC Ii 111111 11 111(1 that it had once been fitted to a Tauchpanzer. US Army 1" II1I1
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Panzerbeobachtungswagen III was equipped with a TSR 1, as shown in Panzerwrecks 1. In addition to this, a TBF 2 observation periscope was fitted on a mounting that allowed elevation and traverse. The periscope came out through a hole in the turret roof protected by an armoured cover. This is shown closed and
open in the two photos on the left. The mount is shown in the main photo, with the elevation handle just visible on the right of the assembly. Also visible - on the extreme left is the mounting for the MG34 in the front face of the turret. Apart from two MP38s, this was its only weaponry. 3x LAC
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On page 28 of Panzerwrecks 1 we published two images of this Tiger II from s.H.Pz. Abt.507. This is the tank as pictured on 12 April 1945 in the position that US forces found it on the D6rgerstrasse . The image has been published before, but seldom has it been seen full frame . US Army
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Raymond Hurley, 165th Signal Photo Company points out th e hoi projectile that knocked out the Tiger. It is unlikely that the TigRr was kn position that it was found, as the D6rgerstrasse has only onp. traffic lanc . More likely is that it was moved there by the Werkstatt Kompanie of s. H.Pz. Abt. S07, who had a workshop there. An 8.8cm round leans against the turret. US Army
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A companion view to those in Panzerwrecks 1 taken outside the Kaiserhof Hotel, some 50 metres from its original position. In the book Krieg in der Heimat, Uwe Saft claims that the Tiger knocked out six US tanks south of the nearby ,~",,,,,,.,,,,,,,,.,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,;, '..-,.•,, ....;;: ~ village of Ohrde. Note that the upper forward set of track hangers on the turret side are missing. NARA . 1
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11II 1 I 11I 111I 1I 1;.ge pattern on the turret sides and the flattened central mudguard 11111 1111111' ,1 0 bethe Tiger II shown on page 29 of Panzerwrecks 1, but photographed 11 111 11 111111 ()n as the tracks have been removed, probably to reduce the rolling r ,I III! I )dore it was pushed off of the road, As with many wrecks that have
been left a while, it has been plundered by locals and soldiers alike, Considering it was one of the last Tigers that Henschel assembled, it has the earlier 15mm thick rather than the 40mm thick loader's hatch,
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On page 34 of Panzerwrecks 1 we pictured this Jagdtiger of 2.1s.Pz.Jg.Abt.653 and stated in the caption that it had been part of Kampfgruppe Gbggerle. Subsequently we have learned that it was in fact part of Kampfgruppe Braun . Careful inspection reveals some interesting details such as the tactical number '234' painted around the middle set of track hangers on the superstructure side and the lack of superstructure roof, this explains why the Gis appear to be peering into the vehicle. One GI has clambered in and is standing on the breech, while a tanker shows other Gis the extreme thickness of the armour on the front of the fighting compartment. US .Ar
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1 l'"flI O: Th e Jagdtiger was allegedly disabled by a US tank shooting it in the
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is this the hole that the round left in the mudguard? The vehicle has I away from the railway tracks and would eventually be demolished by I llI v • ·l lqineers . The demolition charge left by the German crew has unseated 111 111 til l I )( I plate over the driver's and radio operator's stations. Inset: Another I. hi VI.·w ( " Ihe beast by Stanley Jedynak, Company C, 753rd Tank Battalion . 1x 0.Leonsen, 1x S.Jedynak via C.Bradley II
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II Nixon, Sgt. T.Mc Cutcheon and Trooper I· I Ii ,; Irn ynka (in the driver's seat) of the 11 th 11111I1111 :d Regiment, Ontario Tanks drive the I ill ll ll, 111 VC about. The caption states that II I iJIII I, had been abandoned by the Germans 111 1 I" ;\ lack of gasoline. Both photos were 1
