About this detail of the Tiger
The first Tigers were essentially prototypes rushed into production. The designers overlooked the crew's need to store personal effects and vehicle parts. But early in the Tiger's production run, the problem was solved by the addition of a large stowage bin.
The bin was fixed to the rear of the turret. In shape it matched the curvature of the armour. This diagram shows the bin from above. At the left, you can see that the width of the bin was limited by the escape hatch; it ends about 20mm from the hatch opening. The sides of the bin were angled at 15 degrees to the lengthwise axis. It is possible that this angle was derived from the pistol port. At the right of the diagram, you can see that the side of the bin is parallel to the port's field of fire.
The view from the right-hand side shows how the bin related to the escape hatch.
The view from the left-hand side shows how the bin related to the pistol port.
The vertical limits of the bin were set by the engine air vent below, and the commander's line of sight above. This diagram shows a profile of the bin and the turret rear. A box-shaped notch was made in the bin to expose the turret's rear lifting lug.
There was a lid at each side. The bin was held by two metal strips welded to the top of the turret armour, and two L-shaped strips welded near the bottom. This diagram shows the dimensions of the doors and the supports.
[1] Survey of Tiger 250122, at Bovington museum, by David Byrden
[2] Survey of Tiger 250122, at Bovington, by Hilary Louis Doyle