Tiger 141 destroyed after Beja battle

The hull of Tiger 141 is completely blown open, leaving only the floor and the torsion bar suspension. Demolition during the battle of Hunt's Gap was necessary because the Tiger was bogged down in deep mud and could not be recovered under enemy fire. The reason why this Tiger and other Panzers left the road when the going was very soft is given in Col. Lang's account; "a broad and deep minefield forced us to stop... clearing of the mines was impossible because of the (artillery) fire... the column had to be loosened up and spread out". In the background of the photo, an American vehicle travels from Beja toward Sidi N'sir.