Armortek King TIGER, The Tank Museum

The Tank Museum
The Armortek King Tiger has been extensively researched with special reference to The King Tiger 104 (pictured above) owned by the world famous Tank Museum, Bovington www.tankmuseum.org This King Tiger (Sd Kfz 182 Tiger II) was captured after a tank battle in Northern France in August 1944. This rare German tank (only 487 units ever manufactured) - a veteran from the Normandy campaign of World War Two – following evaluation by the MOD this Tiger II like many other of the vehicles was gifted to The Tank Museum in order to display them publicly. The King Tiger was one of the largest Tanks to see action with the German Army in World War Two. It was introduced in 1944 and first saw action against British and American troops in Normandy. Mounting the massive 88mm gun, and heavily armoured, it was a formidable opponent that stuck fear into the Allied troops that faced it. However, because less than 500 were produced and it lacked mechanical reliability, its impact was minimal. "Unlike the other Tiger II on display at The Tank Museum, which never saw action, this one has quite an interesting story behind it." said Tank Museum spokesman Nik Wyness. "This particular tank (Fgst Nr 280093) was issued to SS Panzer Battalion 101 in the summer of 1944 and served with 1 Kompanie. On 29 August 1944 it was commanded by Obersharfuhrer Franz, and was in action with British Sherman tanks to the west of Magny-en-Vexin. It suffered some track damage in this encounter but later left the road for a beet field to shell a farmhouse. At some point the driver made a violent swing and damaged the final drive. The crew bailed out, set off charges in an attempt to destroy the tank before capture, and flee. Two of the crew were subsequently killed by French Resistance Fighters. "Next upon the scene is a Sherman tank of A Squadron, 23rd Hussars, 11th Armoured Division and, on the principle of rather being safe than sorry its commander, Sergeant Roberts puts a couple of rounds through the right side of the German tank to finish it off."		The Tank remained in the field for some months, before it was taken back to Britain for evaluation by the Ministry of Defence, arriving in January 1945. Nik said; "This King Tiger actually belongs to The Tank Museum but it has been held by the Defence Academy since then, where it has been used for teaching purposes. We hope that we are able to keep hold of this historically important vehicle, as it would be of great benefit to put in on permanent public display." Armortek are delighted to have the support of The Tank Museum and by purchasing this Armortek kit, you will not only become the proud owner of this superb model, but you will also be contributing towards the future of tank preservation as a donation of £150.00 will be made by Armortek to the Tank Museum for every model sold. Visit The Tank Museum website >

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