My first question would be why do some Jagdtigers have a bevel on the bottom of the mantlet, running the full width of the hull, when others do not? Is this just a difference between Henschel and Porsche designs, or was there some other reason?

I would gladly help you but can you explain better what you mean (must be my bad English)?

spit

OK Spit, here you go, (image snatched from the WWW). The notch/bevel in the mantlet plate, (visible in upper right hand corner), is what I'm referring to. (It seems that not all Jagdtigers had this bevel on the Mantlet bottom, or it's just not showing up clearly in other photos, I'm not really sure, but seems to be absent on some vehicles.)

ok I see what you mean. I don't think it has anything to do with Henschel and Porsche version. I looked few pictures in my pic library and all of them have it (at least I can see it on picture with average /good quality), it also depends on the angle of the view.

look here:







HTH spit

Nice photos, thanks. (I noticed that all three photos are of Henschel Jagdtigers.)

I may have determined what's what. This is a Porsche suspension Jagdtiger, and there is no bevel in lower mantlet plate. I still have no idea why it was done though, on the ones that did have it.

here you have the "ferdy", it's also there



spit

Very odd. Oh well, it's just "one of those things" I guess. (What's a "Ferdy"?) Never mind, Ferdinand Porsche, I get it.

The pic you have posted isn't it a prototype vehicle? I think the vehicle before him it's the grille 128 mm or something like this found in the german testing ground (can't remeber the name of it)

here's one from the other side

hmm

one more possibility: it' there but it's filled up with zimmerit paste the one I posted seems not to have zimm on the front mantlet plate.

Very odd. I just flipped through my photos too; all my definitive Henschel Jagdtigers have that angle while my one definitive Porsche doesn't. I have no clue why they would essentially build a shot-trap but it might have to do with fitting the frontal armor?

Unfortunately I have a 88mm Jagdtiger photo too but it's buried somewhere and I don't remember it being a fairly clear photo.

And the odd 'Grillie' prototype is the Geschutzwagen Tiger Grille21 (cm)(if I'm not mistaken), or it could be a 17 (cm) too. I don't know enough about either vehicle to say for sure though.

It looks to be an unfilled weld preparation.

You can't just butt two plates together and expect to melt down and adequately weld them together. You need to bevel the mating surface or surfaces so that there is a J, V or U-shaped groove at the joint that is filled with weld metal. The groove improves the joint strength and allows better access to make a good quality weld.

My supposition is that this bevel was perhaps filled with metal initially but the depth of fill was reduced. This would save time and critical chromium and nickel. The bevel would remain because it is necessary to give access.

KL

Hi,
Museum copies of the photos can be seen Jagdtiger that there were differences in the assembly of the fuselage at the Henscel and Porsche. And here are some examples of Bovington (Porsche) and Kubinka (Henschel)
http://svsm.org/gallery/jagdtiger02/IMGP3234

http://www.panoramio.com/photo_explorer#view=photo&position=1043&with_photo_id=1023383&order=date_desc&user=11307

cheers
Pawel

It's both, the chassis is the same, the only difference would have been the gun it was carrying at the time. The concept was for a prime mover with the ability to fire the gun in transport. Technically it would be called a Grille17 because a partially assembled 17cm was found with it. I don't know if any examples of the 21cm gun were ever found but I've seen several photos of parts of the 17cm version.

I appreciate your thought Kurt, and I suspect that may well be the case, allowing access to the gap between the interlocking plates to fill with weld material, rather than adding a fillet weld to what would have otherwise been butted plates.