About this detail of the Tiger
The first handful of Tigers were issued to s.Pz.Abt 502 with no pioneer tools, but the unit soon added tools to at least some of their tanks. Several of the nine Tigers in this unit got a 15-ton jack and a support block for it. The block was stored on the left rear hull wall, beside the track toolbox.
The block was stored in four small corner stops welded to the hull. There was also a strap running over the top of the block. This is an example of the empty holder with its strap missing. The block was 380mm square.
Back in Germany, a more comprehensive tool layout was created for the Tigers belonging to s.Pz.Abt. 501 [1, see 3.4.1.4] . Their jack block was placed on the hull roof, beside the radio operator's hatch. This became its standard position on subsequent Tigers.
By October 1943 the headlight was moved to the center of the front plate [1, see 3.4.1.21] , and its electric lead was brought up through the hull roof as shown here. The jack block had to be moved slightly to make room for this.
[1] DW to Tiger 1