Tiger 712 heads south

This is Tiger "712", which ended up in American museums after the war (spending time also in the UK and Germany). In this photograph, the Tiger is part of a convoy of tanks, including Tigers and Panzer III. They are from the former Heavy Tank Battalion 501, but now they are in the 10 Panzer division. We know this because a newsreel film was made at the same time and place, showing Tiger "714" in the same convoy. That Tiger was renumbered from "841" to "714" only after Operation Ochsenkopf.

We can identify this Tiger as "712" by the fragment of a "2" digit visible on its turret, by its wide, folding mudflaps that were installed on just a few of the 20 Tigers in the battalion, and by damage to its side skirts that we can match up to other photos.

The location of this photo can also be deduced. We know that a number of these Tigers drove 400km south to Maknassy, 17 to 19 March 1943, to participate in a battle. Scanning their likely routes, we find that the hills in the background of the photo (made visible here with contrast enhancement) match a range of hills in the east of Tunisia. Our modern viewpoint is on a major north-south route that existed in 1943. Furthermore, we are on a straight stretch that is aligned exactly like the straight road in the photo.

Comparing the newsreel film to the photo, we can say that the photographer was on top of this well when he photographed Tiger "712", which explains his elevated view of the tank. And the film does indeed show a man standing on the structure.

This fragment of a mid-century map includes the entire straight stretch of road that the photograph was taken on.

A tiny blue circle represents a well or source of water. This well is the only well on the west side of the road for that whole stretch. Therefore it's the well from which the photograph was taken.

The well no longer exists, but the stream bed that it tapped into is still present and discernible in satellite photos even when dry. Furthermore, a culvert has now been built so that the water can pass beneath the road. Assuming that the well was immediately adjacent to the stream, we can place the photograph at 36° 3'52.55"N 10°24'2.36"E, give or take 20 meters. And, given that we are near the beginning of the Tigers' journey, and the shadows in this photo prove that it's evening, we can conclude that this photo was taken on 17 March.

Twelve Tigers went on this mission to fight American tanks at Maknassy. Tiger "712" now has damage to its turret, including the loss of a smoke launcher array, that likely occurred in that battle because the smoke launchers are not missing from the photo.