Deutsches panzer Museum Munster revisited

This Whitsuntide Sunday I revisited tha Deutsches Panzer Museum at Munster as there was a Military Modelling Exhibition taking place over the Weekend.

This is an annual Event and I have over the last few years not been able to attend due to Church Confirmation ceremonies taking place.

This year I had the Weekend free and decided to meet up with a fellow 1/6th scale modeller who belongs a German Club that were exhibiting their remoter control tanks and vehicles in scales of 1/16, 1/9, 1/6 and 1/4.

My fellow modeller Mark, alias (Rivet Counter) was exhibiting his Tiger 1 in 1/6th scale and also videoing proceedings for the Club.

The Museum was full and many were waiting at the gate when I arrived 20 minutes before opening time at 10.00am.

As I arrived inside I saw Mark and his tank moving up towards the star new attraction at the Museum, the newly restored /assembled Tiger 1.

A real beast and very imposing as you can see from the photographs that I took.

Apparently there is some mystique as to where the tank came from, but Mark informwed me that there are another two in the Pipeline!

When you look Close up and see just how big These tanks were, you can only admire the Allied Tankers and anti tank Crews who battled with them.

Here are the photographs I took of the new exhibit and Marks model in front.

Regards
Tom

 

The photographs failed first time so here goes again.



Regards
Tom

 

More photographs.



Regards
Tom

 

Excellent model and beautiful restoration of the real thing there. I wonder what made that hole in the side? Looks quite small or is it from some special kind of round?

 

Tom great pics thanks for posting

Cheers
Paul

 

Les,

I had a look in one of my Tiger books and found a few photographs showing similar damage and all recorded as antitank rounds and one specifically stated a 17pounder caused the damage.

It also could be a Bazooka round that caused the damage as these rounds only caused a small but deadly hole.

Regards
Tom

 

good day smudger jnr,yesterday.02:30pm.re:deutches panzer museum munster revisited,the restored tiger 1,is as you say a very inposing beast,and I agree the allied tankers and anti tank crews who batteled them.great photos (of you to)great post regards bernard85

 

Nice photographs.

Besides the Tiger I find the Panther equally impressive..a socalled "middle"class tank, much more (bigger/higher) than I'd expect from building and assembling 1/35 scale models.
Goes to show that the Tamiya/Dragon military figures are either too tall, or the tank models too small modelled by these manufacturers.
(Best to compare is photo's of men standing besides a Pnz IV ..see the hull deck height, and compare that to 1/35 scale Pnz IV from Tamiya/Dragon and notice the difference).

Another thing I never understand in musea is that they seem to have no qualms with putting a MG42 "deck"gun on the commander's hatch, but they always leave out a hull ball MG for the radio operator.
Now why is that ?
You can easily reproduce that small barrel.
And if it is because of police regulations that should the tank be on open public ground (for shows) that there should be no imagery of dangerous -fake- weapons so as not to scare the public (?) then why allow a tank with main gun on the road anyway ?

 

Adam,

The Tiger 1 really does look very well put together and looks very authentic in detail from what I saw of it.

The two 1/4 scale Tigers looked huge as they went around the Arena, one even firing Blank Shotgun cartridges!

Regards
Tom

 

Possibly because MG 3 (the NATO caliber post war adaptation of the MG42 that's practically identical to the WW2 weapon are easy to come by, especially for the German Army that purchased thousands of them, while the tank version of the MG 34 is pretty rare. All MGs are removed from abandoned tanks, as they would be otherwise easy to turn back into weapons, so while the MG 42 would be easy to replace the hull (and turret) MG 34 panzerlauf are not.

 

TOS,

The Panzer MG34 I believe was also modified and sometimes called the armoured Version, which makes it even rarer.

Regards
Tom

 

TOS,

Just found some photographs posted on this Website of a Panzer mantel MG34.

http://www.wehrmacht-awards.com/forums/showthread.php?t=670519

Regards
Tom

 

Beautiful pictures, fist time I've seen so many details of the weapon, was a bit surprised in seeing the "swivel" trigger that allowed for single or continuous fire was retained on the "panzer" version of the weapon, easy to distinguish as the barrel cover had a lot less holes, unlikely the tank mounted MG34 had many occasions to fire single shots unless the Germans also resorted to "reconnaisance by fire" which is something I've never heard as their ammo resupply was not guaranteed given the poor logistics.

 

Adam,

I was looking at the second Website that you linked, the Wehrmacht Awards site.

They Show a photograph insde a Workshop showing two Tiger I's in a state of renovation.

The one to the rear has an AT shot in exactly the same place as the renovated Tiger now at Munster.

I conclude that the Odds are too high for it not to be the same tank.

I also looked at the photographs I took of the turret and conclude that it is an earlier turret and probably pre 1944 as on closer inspection of a photograph of the gun mantel it Shows a second binocular gunsighting hole which appears to have been plugged.

I have read that Factories used up old supplies and modified them on or before assembly and this may well be the case here.

The circular Turret escape hatch appears to have three bolts Holding the hinge Piece and the later Versions had a shortened Version using only two bolts.

The history is widely debated on the link that you provided, so we may never really know the provinent of theis particular Tiger.

However the renovation work Looks really good and is a credit to the Renovation Team.

Photo of the Mantel with what I believe is a second plugged hole.



Regards
Tom

 

I assume that Munster, Lower Saxony, and few miles East of Soltau, not the city of Munster in N Rhine Westphalia? The former being the home of the Panzertruppen Schule (training both Pzs and PzGrs) and perhaps still the home of 9 PzLehr Bde.

 

Correct.
Hans-Krüger-strasse 33
29633 Munster

http://www.panzermuseum-munster.de/home.html

Regards
Tom

 

Ahrnem

I should think that the main reason for the Germans not to include an m/g for the wireless operator is that just probably he would be too busy to fire it at anyone as he just happens to be involved in the "A" set - "B" set - intercom and the Infantry phone on the back of his tank - oh and of course loading the main gun with either HE or APBC and the 303 ammo for the gunners besa - as well as having enough 303 ammo for the co-driver's besa - he had NO time to stand and stare and wonder why that German Tiger was getting bigger and what that red thing was doing coming at your Tank.....it was a busy time now and again...mostly now

Cheers

 

Tom,

Did the British tankers in Italy use (WP) White Phosperous Shells other than for smoke screens?

I have not read much about this being used, other than by the US Tankers in France and Germany.

Apparently whilst reading a book it was advocated that when the American Tank managed to get the first shot in and there was no Penetration, the second shot was to be WP.

This caused the white acrid smoke to enable enough time for other tanks to outflank, or to withdraw under the cover of the smoke.

It added that there were instances of WP smoke being ingested inside the enemy tank by the Ventilation System, causing some young and perhaps under trained crews to abandon the tank.

The book is Armored Thunderbolt, by Steven Zaloga.

Regards
Tom

 

TCS
We only used the 2 inch built in smoke mortar used by the w/op - many theories have been advanced by - mainly American experts - on how to destroy Tanks - I have just demolished one theory of how to bounce a shot into the belly of Tank by some expert sitting on some California beach drinking too much firewater to bother about their theories - Rommel had the best idea - let the Tanks run after his onto the 88mm guns then wipe them out......this sadly was the main British Tactic in the desert under Lumsden who was trying to replicate the "Charge of the light Brigade " of Balaclava days - with similar consequences.....even Monty could;t get rid of him until Medenine when we then came up with the British
blitzkreig which worked at El Hamma - Tunis and the Swan to Brussels.....three Armoured Divs with Infantry - Artillery and the Cab rank air support....it was progressive - the three AD at El Alamein failed owing to Lumsden - the 1st AD at El Hamma - 6th and 7th AD;s at Tunis and the 7th-11th and guards at the Swan .....the Title and spelling of your book gives the game away

Cheers