Tiger ausf. E : MG bipod box storage

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MG bipod box storage

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About this detail of the Tiger

For each MG in a Panzer, there was a box of parts to convert it for infantry use. Every Tiger therefore carried two of these boxes (except for Befehlstigers).

Bipod box in a Tiger turret

The standard Tiger turret had one MG34 and therefore had one of these boxes. It was stored in a metal frame, held in by a belt [2] . The frame was (at first) screwed to a pair of strong U-shaped brackets, that were in turn welded to the right-hand turret wall.

Bipod box in a Tiger turret

The frame was high up on the wall, almost at the roof, level with the back of the loader's hatch. The reason for the unusual 40mm deep brackets is that an electrical cable ran around the upper turret wall, going behind this box.

Bipod box bracket in Tiger 712

Somewhere around the 20th vehicle, the designers moved that cable elsewhere, but they left the box and its brackets alone. This is Fort Benning's Tiger "712", the 31st Tiger. It has now been painted white, its MG box is long gone, and so is the metal frame. But it still has one of the brackets [1] , arrowed here. The open loader's hatch is above it.

Bipod box in Tiger 123

Here is Tiger "123" of s.Pz.Abt.503, which has an "Initial" turret (two pistol ports). We are peering down through the loader's hatch. We can glimpse the forward end of the MG bipod box (arrowed).

At about the 56th Tiger, the turret storage was redesigned. Items were taken off the walls and put on a scaffold made of metal strips, for impact shock protection.

Turret MG box frame

The new layout can be seen in Bovington Museum's Tiger "131". The frame is screwed to the scaffold here. You can see how upper ends of the scaffold bars are welded to the roof; nothing touches the walls. Also, the box has been moved slightly toward the front of the turret.

Production of Befehlstigers began at this time. In Befehlstigers, these two vertical bars carried the loader's intercom box circuit board.

Turret MG box frame for Mids

Many items were moved (again) when the "New" turret was introduced (now called "Mid"). The scaffolding was redesigned, but the bipod box remained in much the same place. This diagram is from the Turret Manual, showing the inside right-hand wall of a Mid Tiger [5, see plate 58] . The label translates as "Box for MG accessories".

Turret floor in a Late Tiger

About October or November 1943, turret storage was simplified. The MG bipod box was moved to the turret floor. Its frame, with the belt, was now fixed to the floor as this museum photo [3] shows. It apparently remained there for the remainder of Tiger production.

When some Befehlstigers were converted to standard Tigers in November 1943, they were given a turret MG, and so this box had to be added to their turrets. But its usual place was occupied by a circuit board in these tanks, which was not stripped out. The box was therefore placed aft of it, still high up near the roof, very near to the side hatch [4] .

[1] Survey of Tiger 250031, by Stephan Vogt

[2] Survey of Tiger 250122, at Bovington museum, by David Byrden

[3] Survey of vehicle 251114, at Saumur, by Jean-Charles Breucque

[4] Survey of Tiger at Kubinka museum by Alexander Diw

[5] Tiger Turret Manual

 
 

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