TIGER 131 | The Story

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STORY
Knowing that the Allies were preparing a major push toward Tunis, the Germans launched a spoiling attack on the night of 20/21 April 1943. Four points were attacked simultaneously, including a pass on the north side of a hill called Djebel Djaffa. Two Tigers and several other tanks advanced through this pass before dawn, and were gradually driven back during the day. Tiger 131 was hit by three shots from 6-pounders from British Churchill tanks of A Squadron, 4 Troop of the 48th Royal Tank Regiment. A solid shot hit the Tiger's gun barrel and ricocheted into its turret ring, jamming its traverse, wounding the driver and front gunner and destroying the radio. A second shot hit the turret lifting lug, disabling the gun's elevation device. A third shot hit the loader's hatch, deflecting fragments into the turret. The German crew bailed out, taking their wounded with them and leaving the knocked-out but still driveable and largely intact tank behind. The tank was secured by the British as they captured Djebel Djaffa hill. Tiger 131 was the first intact Tiger tank captured by British forces.

Current Location
The captured tank was transferred to The Tank Museum by the British Ministry of Supply on 25 September 1951

 

Bov now has a rather thorough & up-to-date set of pages on 131's capture.
The story twisted a little recently - a refreshing addition to the tale:
NEW CHAPTER IN STORY OF TIGER 131: PART 1/6 - The Tiger Collection

 

This shows how good forums are at increasing knowledge and spreading it to me.. Von Poops links certainly show the degree that relatively current researchers go to explain differing views. Having been lucky to see 131 in a static display at Bovington gave me some good memories from reading these two post.. Now she is a movie star. But what struck me the most was the size differential between the tanks in close proximity. A Tiger 1 in 1943 and 2's in 44 on would certainly appear to be intimidating and that an infantryman with a PIAT would attack one shows a lot of Moxey.

Gaines

 

The 'scale' thing writ large.
Old modelling pic, but both the same scale, & served in the same war on the same side.


The layout at Bovington once allowed you to look all along from Pz.1 through most marks between up to Jagdtiger.
Bizarre.