About this detail of the Tiger
Since the inside of a Tiger 1 is relatively spacious, there is a danger of crew members being rattled around during cross-country travel. The commander is probably the most vulnerable in this respect.
The initial design of the vehicle provided no handholds for the crew, but soon three handles were added to the turret roof. Vehicle #31 (the 'Aberdeen' Tiger) does not have them; vehicle #122 (at Bovington) does.
This diagram shows their positions on the turret roof, looking from below.
A handle was simply a length of 15mm steel rod.
This is the loader's handle in vehicle #122.
This diagram shows the precise position of the commander's handles, quoting the actual figures from the Krupp factory drawings for the final Tiger. These two handles stayed in the same position even when the cupola was redesigned and moved.
The loader's handle was moved slightly when the loader's periscope was added to the roof. This diagram shows its old and new position.
You can see the handles in the 'Saumur' vehicle elsewhere on this site. One of them is missing.
[1] Survey of Tiger 250122, at Bovington museum, by David Byrden
[2] Factory drawing 2AKF31861U1B11: Turmgehause (overall turret armour)