The terrifying Tiger B 321 in Munster

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Last year, I kicked off the first article of the 2024-2025 season with the Tiger E from the Panzermuseum in Munster. This time, for the start of the new season, I'm focusing on the beautiful Tiger B on display in the same museum.

Presentation of the Tiger ‘121’

The “121” was manufactured at the Henschel und Sohn factory in Kassel in July 1944. Its chassis number is 280 101 and its turret number is 280 110. It therefore has an advantage over the Tiger in Saumur in that its turret is original.

Invasionsfront ! 

On July 15, 1944, training on the Tiger B began for the panzermänner of the 1. Kompanie of the SS Panzer Battalion 101 in Sennelager/Paderborn. In order to become thoroughly familiar with their future tank, the crew members were even sent to the factory in Kassel to work on the assembly of the Tigers. However, they were not novices, as the commanders had previously fought on Tiger E tanks.

The shiny new Tigers were delivered to the 1st Company between July 28 and August 1, 1944.

SS-Untersharführer Fritz Zahner, commander of the 2. Zug of the 1. Kompanie (second section of the first company), took command of Tiger “121.”

At the end of July, Normandy was ablaze, Caen had fallen, and new reinforcements had to be sent before it was too late. On August 5, the company was loaded onto a train and, after a long and arduous journey, arrived north of Paris on August 18.

The first contact with the enemy took place on August 25 near Gisors in the Eure department.

Tiger "123", 1./schwere SS-Panzer-Abteilung 101

After the fighting in the Vexin region, the next step was to cross the Seine. American troops advanced inexorably, preceded by Republic P-47 Thunderbolts and North American P-51 Mustangs from the XIX Tactical Air Command. The aim was to prevent the Germans from establishing a line of resistance behind the river, and it worked. The German troops retreated eastwards, towards Belgium or Germany; logistics were no longer keeping up, there was a shortage of everything, especially petrol. The 12th SS Panzer Division ‘Hitlerjugend’, despite its remarkable resistance on the front, was routed and had to reorganise at Fourmies, in the Hirson sector (Aisne), and receive a new batch of Panthers. Kurt Meyer recounts :

‘We are taking the same roads on which we drove so fast westward in 1940. Our column looks miserable. “Convoys” drive through the night. One intact vehicle has to tow several others.’

Although there was no solid front line in the region, resistance was nevertheless being organised by the retreating units. 

The Tiger managed to cross the Seine. At the end of August, it passed through Marle, Thiernu and then Vervins. On 1 September, American aerial reconnaissance reported the presence of three heavy tanks south-west of La Capelle. These tanks fired on the US columns. Were they Panthers from the 116. Panzer Division retreating towards the village, or were they Tigers ? Panzer Division retreating towards the village, or Tigers?

In any case, the ‘121’ was only a few hundred metres from La Capelle when the engine spluttered ‘die benzineuhr ist auf nul’ – there was no more fuel in the tanks and refuelling was impossible. The crew members, resigned to their fate, are forced to abandon the tank, but first they must scuttle it, as there is no question of leaving it intact in the hands of the enemy. The gun breech was damaged, as was the engine. Now they had to leave, and quickly, because the first elements of the 3rd Armoured Division ‘Sparhead’ would soon arrive. The damaged ‘121’ remained by the side of the road. The war was over for it.

The crew of the ‘121’ certainly got into a vehicle; there was no question of continuing on foot, as it was too dangerous. Vervins, previously occupied by elements of the 12th SS Panzer Division ‘Hitlerjugend’, and La Capelle fell into American hands on 1 September.

In two weeks of fighting, the 1st Company lost 13 Tiger B tanks, only one of which made it back to Germany. 

It’s all very well to say that the Tiger was abandoned at La Capelle, but you still need to be able to locate the village on a map, especially if you don’t live in the Aisne. The red dot marks La Capelle, which shows us that the Belgian border isn’t that far away

Some books state that the ‘121’ was abandoned on 5 September. However, the Americans took Vervins on the morning of 1 September and La Capelle in the evening. It is therefore inconceivable that the ‘121’ arrived on the outskirts of the village four days later. Moreover, the date of the scuttling of the ‘121’ is approximate: 30, 31 August or 1 September ?

The Tiger ‘121’ was immobilised on the outskirts of the village of La Capelle between 30 August and 1 September 1944

Abandoned, the Tiger was found along the Nationale 2 road, where it was forcibly removed by American machinery. The tank was then tipped over into the field below and ended up on its turret! It remained in this position for many months. 

The Tiger tank has been knocked over at the side of the road. A few of the tank’s shells can be seen at the American soldier’s feet

On 16 December 1944, the British REME (Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers) took on the task of putting the Tiger back on its tracks, a difficult task given the weight of the beast. Two days later, it was loaded onto a lorry trailer and taken to Amiens, then Le Havre, where it was handed over to the Americans. 

Zahner's Tiger ‘121’ leaves La Capelle for the USA

The latter would also recover Tiger B ‘332’ later on, at the end of the Battle of the Bulge. Our ‘121’ was loaded onto a cargo ship and sent to the Aberdeen Proving Ground in Maryland.

The ‘121’ on its bed of stones in Aberdeen. The Zimmerit coating is starting to wear away, but note the insignia of SS-Panzer-Abteilung 101 on the front glacis, as well as the Balkenkreuz painted on the side of the hull – most likely by the Americans, as it was originally on the turret. In the inset, still at Aberdeen, the same ‘121’ next to a Panther. The photo was taken some time later, as the front left mudguard is missing.

 

Back in Germany

In the early 1960s, West Germany attempted to recover some of its historical artefacts. Norway offered the U-995 submarine and the United States offered the Tiger B, but they kept the ‘332’. A few months later, the British handed over a Jagdpanther, followed by a Panther, and so on.

Our Tiger was loaded onto a cargo ship in the United States and shipped to the port of Bremerhaven, Germany, in December 1960. 

December 1960. The Tiger B is back in Germany; it is about to be loaded onto a train

However, the tank requires some repairs, particularly to the hull, running gear and turret, which is being restored by Rheinmetall. The engine is no longer in its compartment, so it is no longer in running order, as it was not in 1944.

In the 1960s, there was no question of putting the Tiger in a museum, as there was no museum yet. The armoured vehicles currently on display in the museum were scattered across several barracks. In the 1970s, the Tiger B was lined up with other armoured vehicles along a path in a barracks, the Kampftruppenschule 2, between the trees. The old tank occasionally attended ceremonies attended by veterans, which were held in front of the colossus. Civilians, in increasing numbers, also wanted to see these steel monsters. They could, but only at restricted times, because after all, they were still on military premises. 

During the 1970s, the Tiger, which had been refitted with a muzzle brake, was displayed along a path within Kampftruppenschule 2. The tank had been stripped of its Zimmerit coating.

On 22 September 1983, the Panzermuseum was officially inaugurated, but it was much smaller than the museum we know today. Our Tiger found its place there, well sheltered and preserved, and 8,000 visitors came to see it in its first year.

Today, the veterans are gone, and it is now the younger generations, both German and foreign, who come to pay homage to the nearly 70-tonne colossus.

The Tiger is no longer numbered ‘121’ but ‘321’, a number it shares with the Plastiger Ausf. E on display a few metres away.

The Tiger ‘321’ in 1982 with its ‘Ambush’ paint scheme; the road wheels were painted in the same colour at the time, which is no longer the case today.

 

And now at the museum...but in ‘321’

 

The Munster Museum has a beautiful collection of German armoured vehicles in its halls. The section devoted to the Second World War is impressive, at least for the German side. I was thrilled to see a real Hetzer, and not yet another modified G13. What can I say about this magnificent Panther or this curious PlasTiger, which is technically flawless? We walk around these monsters of steel (or fibre), taking a thousand photos, including of this superb armoured car from the 1920s, which reminds me of the years of struggle of the NSDAP or, more recently, an episode of the series Babylon Berlin (Charlotte Ritter!!). But enough chatter, let's make way for the Tiger B ! 

Everything about a Tiger B is impressive, especially the long gun, which would have looked right at home on the plains of Ukraine or Russia.

A closer look at the front glacis: the tank has been repainted since 1982, but it is still missing the famous Zimmerit.

The number ‘321’, representing the 3rd Company, appears alongside the insignia of SS Panzer Battalion 101

The front mudguards and side skirts have been rebuilt, and that’s just fine

From February 1944 onwards, the Tigers were fitted with exhaust pipes that curved at the end. This design helped to dissipate the heat they generated back towards the engine.

 

To take some of the weight off the tank, wooden blocks have been placed under the chassis. This helps to protect the torsion bars.

In the 1980s, the number ‘321’ was next to the Balkenkreuz, but that was before the Tiger was repainted. Note the thick rear hatch, which is no longer circular like that of the Tiger E.

 

The Tiger is well equipped; we can see its tow rope, the small box at the rear, and also the thickness of the side panel that protects the fuel tanks located behind it

 

The Tiger B’s turret no longer features the lifting lugs seen on the Tiger E, but instead has track link brackets – an improvement introduced during production in June 1944

The Tiger B had a short service life but remains a key figure in both the Battle of the Ardennes and the Battle of Berlin

 

Where can you see another Tiger B ?

In France, we are very lucky because there is no need to cross the Channel or the Rhine to see a Tiger Ausf B, as there is one at the Armoured Museum in Saumur. The history of the tank is well known, but it should be noted that, unlike the one in Munster, the ‘300’ was reconstructed using two tanks. Despite this, it has one huge advantage over its German counterpart: it runs on its Maybach engine.

The Tiger B ‘300’ on display at the Saumur

Another Tiger B is available to view in Belgium, free of charge, but it is in poorer condition. Click here for the link. 

Like many tanks on outdoor display, the Tiger has had its fittings removed to prevent theft. Like the Tiger at Vimoutiers, the tank appears to be sagging on its suspension, and the track is slack

 

You can read

 

"Chronik der Lehrsammlung de Panzertruppen und der Heeresaufklärungstruppe am Ausbildungszentrum Munster"

"Tiger !"Editions Heimdal

"Tiger I und II" Horst Scheibert

"Waffen Arsenal n°127" Horst Scheibert

"King Tiger" Tom Jentz, Hilary Doyle, Peter Sarson

Site internet de l'Aisne