A Bergepanzer Tiger (P) being used to repair a Panzerkampfwagen V Panther on the Eastern Front (1943-1944). The Bergetiger was the name the Allied forces gave to a German World War II armored tracked vehicle based on the Tiger I chassis. The vehicle was first "found" abandoned on a roadside in Italy with terminal engine problems. The main gun had been removed, and a boom & winch assembly had been fitted to the turret. No other Tiger tanks modified in this manner were ever recovered. At the time the vehicle was found it was assumed the vehicle was intended as a tank recovery vehicle. Germans used the "berge" prefix to denote recovery vehicle versions of tanks, such as the "Bergepanther" and "Bergepanzer". Thus the allies dubbed the vehicle they had found the "Bergetiger". No official German name for this vehicle has ever been located. The Bergetiger's role as a recovery vehicle has been disputed ever since its discovery. The evidence often cited against it being a recovery vehicle is that its crane was not designed to tow the weight of a tank, nor was it equipped with any other common recovery equipment. A popular alternate theory is that the vehicle was field-modified (possibly after suffering damage to the main gun) as either a mine-clearing vehicle, or to drop explosives to clear battlefield obstacles.
Source:
"Combat Tanks" magazine, Nr.111
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bergetiger
This is definitely NOT a "Bergetiger"! The vehicle on the left is a schweren Zgkw 18t Sd.Kfz.9/1, a heavy crane based upon the 18 ton halftrack.
ReplyDeleteThe Bergetiger was a tank--this is very clearly a halftrack in the photo.