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Plan view of mid-production turret
This is a diagram scanned from a book called Tiger Turret Manual. No, I don't know where you can buy the book, but it's got 76 diagrams, many of them cutaways, all of them highly detailed and accurate. It describes the turret with both early and mid variations. Sadly, there is no comparable manual for the hull.
This diagram, taken from the Turret Manual, is an overall view of most things in the center level of the turret. The diagram was apparently drawn shortly after the major turret redesign, since the plug-type pistol port is still used.
The center line of the turret goes precisely through the center line of the gun in all versions, a fact that is not understood by many books. The gunner's telescope is cut away, and the traverse lock is not drawn, nor any equipment stowage. The gun looks exactly the same as that in early Tigers, except that on the gun housing up near the mantlet a few levers associated with the waterproofing system have been omitted.
The traverse mechanism at the left side is again similar to that in early Tigers but not identical. The difference is that on top of the main traverse gearbox (labelled "Turmschenkwerk") there is a new, odd-shaped housing from which leads a long rod that drives the turret position indicator in the cupola. In the early Tiger, this indicator was driven from a small gearbox down on the turret ring. There is also a rod leading forward from this housing, driving the gunner's "clock" position indicator. The early Tiger had a similar indicator but its drive rod went to the bottom of the gearbox rather than the top.
On the right of the commanders' seat you can see the gun balance mechanism. Interestingly, the old-style commander's seat was drawn, but I believe that a new Tiger II-style seat would have been used in this turret.
The gunner's seat and his pedals (partly visible below the seat) are the same as on the early Tiger. His traverse handwheel is the same; the elevation handwheel is not drawn. The gearbox on the turret floor, and the drive shaft leading up from it, are unchanged. The gunner's seat is attached to a Brucke (bridge) that runs under the gun all the way across the turret. This tube is changed significantly from the one in the early turret, but the differences cannot be seen from above.
Sources
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Copyright © David Byrden 1998-2007 except where indicated.
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