Hi all,

I am looking at building this Tiger 1 and need to know when it was produced. I am having a hard time determining which version of turret, placement of tools...etc. I have several reference books but with the photos I have found of that tank am still a bit confused.

Does anyone know when it would have been made?


Bart

If this is the tank you are referring to, then it's a "Late Production" Tiger I. Say September 1944 onward to the end?

G

That one's a hybrid. It has a pistol port.

David

@ David

Hybrid ?? like a fehrmann

The "Fehrmann" Tigers were not hybrids. They were simply old tanks with their tracks and wheels replaced. Since this is simple maintenance it doesn't count as hybridisation.

Tiger "300" has a turret and a body from two different times. That makes it a hybrid.

David

Hi David. I'll take the bait. What is the definition of a "hybrid"? Dennis Oliver's latest book on Tigers in 1945 has a section on Fehrmann Tigers and states that F01 was clearly a hybrid, having an early turret, a mid production hull, and steel wheels. I know you have had some reservations about Mr Olivers books, and am interested to hear your comments. Please note that I have the greatest respect for your views and your knowledge, and this is not an attempt to hijack this thread as unfortunately has happened elsewhere.

According to Tom Jentz and Hilary Doyle's New Vanguard book this is one of the earliest late tiger I's with steel wheels and rear travel lock carried over from the mid-production batch. This is not a hybrid tank.

Man, now I feel bad. I just wanted to know what was meant by a hybrid tiger. I did not know I was hi jacking the topic

My apologies to anyone I offended

Jeff

The steel wheels are presumably the tank's original wheels, because it has no clips for a shovel on the glacis, implying that the hull was made no earlier than January 1944.



The turret has the plug pistol port, and was therefore built no later than October 1943.
If its armour had been made in October and then delayed in the factory for weeks, this hole would have been plugged.

David

I wonder how he identified the "mid production hull"? I see no features at all to put the hull in the mid period.

Of course, the very first mid hulls were identical to the very last early hulls. They had two headlights, as F01 has.

But they didn't have bolts beside the hull MG. The hull of F01 is definitely Early, matching its turret. Therefore, not a hybrid.

David