Tiger ausf. E : Loader's hatch

Technical information on the Tiger and related tanks

 

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Loader's hatch

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Hatch plunger on 131

The loader's hatch on the Tiger could be locked open, in the vertical position, by this plunger under the turret roof.

Hatch arm

Hatch arm

The plunger engaged with a hole in an arm that was welded to the hatch. This photo, and this diagram extracted from the manual, show that the arm is deliberately bent.

Hatch arm reinforcement

Hatch arm reinforcement

There is a reinforcement at the end of the arm. The diagram makes it clear that it's just a semi-circular piece of metal.

Tiger "131" has its original plunger, but its hatch arm was lost. The restorers created a replacement arm that does not exactly resemble the original.

Modern hatch arm 131

The new arm is not bent like the original. As a result, it does not line up with the plunger. The restorers solved this problem by putting a long cylinder at the end.

Modern hatch arm 131

The result is an eye-catching and incorrect feature on top of Tiger "131".

 
 

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