My Tiger I Relic collection

**Aldo** · 08-23-2022, 10:10 PM

Jon, that's awesome. Reconstructive archaeology on a Tiger tank!

**Carfin LEWYS** · 08-24-2022, 09:40 AM

Hello gentlemen,

Hello Jon, If you keep finding such nice parts, you will soon be able to rebuild a complete Tiger.
Bravo for these discoveries and thank you for showing them to us.

Best regards from Alsace , France.
Carfin.

**Panzer Kettenglied Sammler** · 08-24-2022, 11:12 AM

Thanks Carfin for your Alsace greetings : ) In the past I bought a couple of WW1 British tank panel parts (14 X 7 Inches AND 10 x 4 Inches) complete with rivets still fitted to them from France. More recently I found this Tiger chunk originating from Latvia and liked it for the GREAT price for the size and weight, seller didn't know it was Tiger hence the great price. The tan painted tank photos I put on here are actually from a Sturmtiger, so nice to think it could be from one of those. I hope WE ALL get some More EUREKA moments soon !!

Here's to sharing, Jon

**The Devil's Bank** · 08-24-2022, 03:15 PM

I'm still wondering how Bovington tank museum lost it's captured Sturmtiger..

That's one heavy chunk of a wonderful panzer.

**Panzer Kettenglied Sammler** · 08-24-2022, 08:28 PM

Hello The Devils bank, Yeah I know that one where they tried to get all tanks together and the Sturmtiger didn't turn up for the event !!

I just love the outrageous design of the Sturmtiger, if you looked in your binos and saw that pointed at you, you would SHOUT Sturmtiger and then RUNNNNNNNN and it would be hysteria all around you !!

Is there anything on my Relic that points to it being from THE Sturmtiger in particular ???
Could it be the stainless welding that is wide and goes a long way up on the left in the photo of the Sturmtiger and as it is on my piece AND/OR could it also be the position and small rectangular item that was held by weld just below and left of the snapped off stud on my relic compared to the item in the same position on the Tan Sturmtiger photo
OR is my relic Tiger 1 and unable to prove if it could have been Sturmtiger, which isn't a problem (just wouldn't it be nice : ) to have a chunk of the Tracked Morser)
I would appreciate your opinion : )

Vielen dank, Jon

**The Devil's Bank** · 08-25-2022, 11:43 AM

I don't think there is any way of identifying it as from a Sturmtiger.

There is no serial number and the Sturmtiger was based on "old" Tiger 1 chassis.

It could well be from a Sturmtiger, but without a actual picture, it would be impossible to prove..

Interestingly, all German documentation of this beast, refers to it as the "Sturmmörser"..

**Panzer Kettenglied Sammler** · 08-25-2022, 12:55 PM

Cheers to all, Tiger 1 will suffice, will now have to put up a shelf strong enough to display it. Anyway, who has the next relic for us all to look at : )

Happy Collecting, Jon
PS If you feel like giving away a Muzzle brake, I could give it a good home LOL

**Luftwaffe 1941** · 09-10-2022, 08:21 PM

I just wanted to say I’m extremely pleased with how this thread turned out. Some amazing artifacts have been shown. Keep em coming too, I love seeing them!

I have a few relics to show that I picked up recently. Like the majority of my Tiger I relics these were recovered from the Korsun-Cherkassy pocket. All of these are identified parts too.

The relics include-

A tooth from one of the front drive sprockets, a tooth from a track link, and a lever from the main gun seal mechanism.

This mechanism was only present on early production Tigers. It was to be used during deep fording operations. You can see the part highlighted in this German schematic.

**Luftwaffe 1941** · 09-22-2022, 10:53 PM

I recently decided to tackle the small pile of 'Mystery' Tiger parts that I’ve had sitting in my shed. The parts all came from two different wreck sites in Ukraine. After a good deal of research I was able to identify two examples. One is a bracket from the exhaust manifold, and the other is the mounting assembly for one of the road wheels.

Both parts were covered in extremely dense dirt/mud. This stubborn dirt makes for a challenging cleaning process. I’ve found the only way to remove this dirt is by lightly tapping it with a hammer, and then carefully sand it away with the use of a rotary tool. With tools of this caliber it can be very easy to damage any original paint/finish, so patience is key. After the cleaning process I then completely seal the relics in 100% pure paraffin wax. The wax does wonders for preserving relics, while keeping the original patina intact.

The first part to clean up is this exhaust manifold bracket. At first I thought it could be a part from one of the gauges the driver would look at. Closer inspection of photos of the gauges quickly told me this wasn’t the case. After looking through many photos I finally spotted the part on the engine. Given how the Tiger utilized two different engines during its production, this part could be from any of the two. The Maybach HL210 or the HL230. Only the first 250 Tigers used the HL210, so I’d learn towards this coming off of the HL230.

You can see where this part is located in the last photograph. I circled it’s location.

I’m still working on the wheel mounting assembly, as the dirt on it is putting up a good fight. Once it’s done I’ll be sure to share it.

**Luftwaffe 1941** · 09-22-2022, 11:15 PM

I almost forgot to share the new display stands I made for some of my Tiger relics. Given the heavy weight and awkward shape of these parts, I had to be a bit creative when it came to displaying them. All I did was simply make some cutouts in two wooden planks to securely hold each part. I had to glue an extra support for the armored skirt fragment though. Without the support it would fall over.

Before setting each part on display I removed any loose rust flakes, and then coated them all in paraffin wax.

The stands still need some finishing touches, but for now I think they work really great.