Tiger 143 and crew

This Tiger bears the round logo used by s.Pz.Abt.503 in early 1943. The tank has no S-mine fittings, implying that it's part of their original batch of 20 Tigers. It has the remains of a layer of whitewash, giving it a lighter overall colour than it originally had. It appears to be in a convoy; there is a Panzer III immediately behind it.

Using the extensive collection of photos that depicts other Tigers of this batch, it is possible to identify this one although its number is not visible here. We can rule out most other Tigers for having e.g. a logo in a different place, or clips for a shovel on the glacis plate, or a different type of mantlet casting, or for never having a spare track rack on the nose plate. But the single feature that tentatively identifies this Tiger as "143" is the tracks stored in that rack; they are grouped as follows; four, then two, then three. That same grouping is visible in a photo of Tiger "143". To confirm the match, this photo was sold as part of a set that contained photos of only two other Tigers, including this photo of "143".