Description
This is one of the first 20 Tigers issued to s.Pz.Abt.503. Unlike many of the group, it had a turret side hatch and extended hull front edges, therefore we would call it an "early" Tiger despite its Pz.3 turret bin. It was distinguished by having a "flat" mantlet that acquired an impressive battle scar at the telescope holes. This Tiger is famous for being abandoned by the Germans at the entrance to Palais Rohan.
It is not obvious that the Tiger with black-filled digits "222" is the same one that had white digits "213". But we can deduce that by comparing it to all 20 Tigers of the battalion's first batch. Tigers I and II were Befehlstigers. Tigers "121", "141", "211", "231", and "241" were photographed with damage that was not present later on "222". Tigers "101", "111", "113", "123", "131", "133", "143" had a "thick" mantlet. Tigers "201" and "243" had the slanted front hull edges. Tiger "223" had no turret side hatch. Tiger "233" has its Balkenkreuz just slightly in the wrong position.
The two remaining possible identities for this Tiger are "213" and "221". Tiger "221" had a Balkenkreuz located higher than the marking on "222", which is not a conclusive mismatch but is a negative. Tiger "213", on the other hand, has some positive matches with "222": it lost its rear mudflap; its left-side Balkenkreuz is precisely in the right place; it has "extended" front hull edges; it has a "flat" mantlet; and its crew have the very unusual habit of linking the tow cables to the front shackles. Although none of these are conclusive matches, "213" is much more like "222" than the only other candidate.
Photos
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