About this detail of the Tiger
The Tiger 1's large-caliber gun posed a minor hazard to the tank commander. When a spent case was ejected from the breech, there could be a little propellant material remaining in it. As this burnt away, it could momentarily blast hot gas and smoke towards the commander.
Early in the production run, steps were taken to address this problem. A metal shield was installed in all new turrets from #179, and was added as a retrofit to many existing Tigers [2] .
The shield was fitted to vehicle #250122 which is in Bovington Museum. Here is a photograph of it. Unfortunately it has been bent out of shape, probably by the British who studied the captured vehicle. It is sheet metal with two supporting ribs bolted to it; here, they are broken loose. The black paint is original.
The roof beam had a large hole in this area (to avoid the cupola bolts). In order to cover the hole, the designers spot-welded a rectangle of sheet metal on the other side. This photo shows it, and also one of the bolts for the main shield.
[1] Survey of Tiger 250122, at Bovington museum, by David Byrden
[2] DW to Tiger 1