World War II Database

1.  Bill says:
14 Feb 2011 07:49:00 PM

WINTER SNOW IS GONE, BUT GENERAL MUD IS HERE

Tiger 323 crew pulling maintenance in a Russian village, Russia 1942. The Tiger is big, real big Tiger 323 is missing its side fenders. The covers for the Feifel air cleaners show up well.

2.  Bill says:
18 Dec 2014 05:51:00 PM

FORGOTTEN WARRIOR:

Another version of the Tiger was the Sturmtiger
(19)vehicles were rebuilds from damaged or older model Tigers. The turret was removed and replaced with a higher superstructure, to enclose the main weapon, a 380mm RW61 Rocket Launcher L/5.4 the ammo load was(14)rounds. Secondary armament was 100mm grenade launchers, 7.92mm MG 34 or 42 machine gun crews were armed w/MP-40s and pistols.

In the field it was a close support weapon that needed infantry and other armored vehicles to protect its flanks. Sturmtigers were assigned (Pz.Stu.Mr.Kp)Panzer Sturmmorser Kompanien. It was
planned to build(10)per month but this was never reached before wars end.
Like their Tiger tank cousins, they were heavy, slow and mechanically unreliable and needed constant maintenance most of these vehicles were abandoned due to lack of fuel and brake downs.

THE JAGD STURMTIGER: MISSING LINK

This version was never put into production the superstructure was based on the Sturmtiger, but mounted the 88mm L/71 gun, it looked like a Tiger
tank on Steroids. It would have been a monster of an anti-tank killer!

3.  Bill says:
20 Dec 2014 09:20:01 AM

CLOSE IN WEAPONS:

The Tiger had another secondary weapon besides its machine guns. Look at the file photo above the Tigers number(323)these are anti-personnel dischargers or "S" mine(Schrapnellmine)when fired, the weapon would exploded five feet above ground and shower the area with about 360 3/8th inch steel balls stopping any infantry attack,
this version was mounted on armored veicles.
The Germans also had a land-based mine called the "Bouncing Betty"

The blast effect was similar to the U.S. Claymore mine, that was used and sighted at ground level used in perimeter defense, against infantry attack itself a very gruesome anti-personnel weapon.

A GI REMEMBERS:

Did you know the US Claymore Mine M18 was named after a Scottish Medieval Sword.
In June 30,1968, serving with the 9th Infantry Division in Vietnam, I was laying concertina wire(razor wire)and setting up claymore mines for our perimeter defense.
Thinking had I been drafted, I would be going home that day. I still had two more years on my enlistment, time in the hospitals in Japan and California and another tour in Vietnam with
(I FFV)I Field Forces Vietnam in the Central Highlands..

I THANK THE EDITOR/WW2DB FOR ALLOWING ME TO LEAVE THIS COMMENT

4.  Bill says:
23 Dec 2014 05:02:13 AM

ERROR ON COMMENT #3 20 DEC. 2014

The anti-personnel weapons described on turret of Tiger 323 are not "S" mine dischargers, but are
smoke dischargers. Caught my error only after I pressed the submit key and forgot to mention the close defense weapon.

NAHVERTEIDIGUNGSWAFFE: CLOSE DEFENSE WEAPON

This weapon was used against infantry attack the
anti-personnel "S" mines were loaded and fired from within the Tigers turret, without exposing any crewmen, after discharge the weapon exploded five feet above ground showering the area with 360 3/8th steel balls stopping any ground attack. As mentioned in above comment the "S" mine was a very gruesome weapon.