Finding Tiger 831

This Tiger was immobilised by a mine in Kharkiv. It was abandoned when the Germans hurriedly retreated from the city the next day, 12 February 1943. They recaptured Kharkiv weeks later, and apparently they found Tiger 831 still sitting in the street.

The Tiger shows evidence of pilfering and has graffiti. It was clean and white when it was left here, but now it seems that rain has taken the whitewash off its left side. It's not clear who detached the cupola and the engine hatch, which are lying on the ground; the Germans may be taking usable parts from the wreck. The tracks, highly valued as spares, are already gone.

The location of the wreck was deduced from this reconnaissance photo, taken in 1941. The small house at extreme left of the photo is marked [3] here. The larger building behind it still exists at the time of writing (2017).