Hi everybody,

We all know this famous picture of Michael Wittmann:

http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Wittmann#mediaviewer/Archivo:Bundesarchiv_Bild_101I-299-1802-08%2C_Nordfrankreich%2C_Michael_Wittmann_auf_Panzer_VI_%28Tiger_I%29.jpg

but I don't which Tiger (of the many Wittmann used) was that, anybody knows?

Also, I've noticed that AFV club Michael Wittmann Special includes decals with red numbers for Tiger 205, but I've seen a picture of that Tiger and the number is plain white (not red), in this url you can see the picture:

link

Am I wrong or AFV club's decals are not correct?

It's a Bundesarchiv photo and says it's from May of that year. It's most likely 205 as that was his Tiger at the time of the photo. There's really no way to know for sure, but Tiger 205 is probably the best option here. No idea what to tell you about the decals though. The red could be obscured in the photo?

-Conor

The number "205" in that photo really does appear to be white, perhaps toned down with dust or some light coloured overpaint. The fact that the "0" was made with a stencil reinforces this, because earlier that year all of the 3.co Tigers were given stencilled white numbers, but they were later overpainted as solid colour.

The Tiger in the posed photo has steel wheels, monocular gunsight, 40mm roof and a forged loader's hatch. We don't have enough photos of the battalion to track it down, but we can rule out some Tigers on that basis.

And on the basis of the camouflage paint, it's not "205".

David

The people at TIIF.DE think that it's "213" but they can't be sure.

David

You mean 231? Or Wittmann also had a "213"?

There's no solid reason to suppose that it's his own Tiger. When a press photographer wants to pose a shot, he picks the Tiger that's in the best light.

David