German heavy/medium armour

The last Ferdinand produced at a factory in Nibelungenwerk, May 8, 1943.
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Austrian St. Valentine is a small farming village whose population did not exceed 2,000 inhabitants by the beginning of the war. It was here that the Nibelungenwerk factory was located, which created almost 5,000 German tanks and self-propelled guns.

Today, the former Nibelungenwerk and the associated grounds belong to the Canadian automotive supplier Magna International. The agricultural machinery manufacturer CNH Global has its European headquarters in St. Valentin and uses three former Nibelungenwerk halls for the production of tractor cabins. The former Nibelungenwerk's entrance building and canteen are still in use, and the hall located to the east is used by Magna International for the production of vehicle components. Testing of tractors, occurs where the deadly Ferdinand (among others) once experienced.
 
Gunner said:
I don't know German and I'm not even going to try and translate all the writing but I am curious as to what it all says. :unsure:
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The three texts had been written as short poems (rhymes).
They are difficult to translate to a different language, as all poems, in my opinion.
I will give it a try (from up to down):

1.
the pope did hold graciously his hands above you,
then the Tiger transformed into a bull.

2.
It has been great,
this is the last,
now we are driving back home,
and celebrate feasts (parties)

3.
now the Ni Werk (Nibelungenwerk) time has come,
but we will prevail,
then it will get much more (a lot) to ask and stare,
get finished with the ape soon!


I think, that the writer could have meant Hitler with the word pope, but I am not sure. Maybe someone knows?
 
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Friedrich said:
The three texts had been written as short poems (rhymes).
They are difficult to translate to a different language, as all poems, in my opinion.
I will give it a try (from up to down):

1.
the pope did hold graciously his hands above you,
then the Tiger transformed into a bull.

2.
It has been great,
this is the last,
now we are driving back home,
and celebrate feasts (parties)

3.
now the Ni Werk (Nibelungenwerk) time has come,
but we will prevail,
then it will get much more (much more) to ask and stare,
get finished with the ape soon!


I think, that the writer could have meant Hitler with the word pope, but I am not sure. Maybe someone knows?
Click to expand...

I thought of translating as well ... but hard to do ... have little concept for local idiom and contexts for small town Austria of the period.
 
Rico said:
I thought of translating as well ... but hard to do ... have little concept for local idiom and contexts for small town Austria of the period.
Click to expand...
To be honest the translation I had written is not very well. The problem is to translate idioms and their context into a different language.
I think especially the third short poem is not well translated.

Maybe you may want to give translating it a try?
 
It had 131 on the side when captured, just not as nicely painted and visible as the tank is today.

Also, something I noticed on Pinterest a few years back and now I always look for it -- the front outer roadwheel has been removed. I see that so often in Tiger photos that it can't just be from battle damage, it has to be the crew deliberately removing that one roadwheel, presumably because it caused problems.

131.jpg
 
Good eye on the 131 (y)

As far as the front outer wheel goes I know this was discussed before but can't remember what the result was.

I did some Google searching and found this at Bovington website.

"This photo sums up the downside of the Tiger’s interleaved road wheels. The layout was a compromise between keeping the ground pressure of the 56 ton vehicle manageable and ensuring the tank wasn’t too long to effectively steer.
The layout worked well, but in thick mud or snow this could be the result. If the wheels got too badly clogged up the tank could even end up immobilized. Removing the mud, especially if it had frozen, was a tough job."

oGhZCAW.png


Find out more about Tiger wheels

tankmuseum.org

Tiger Wheels - The Tank Museum

One of the most distinctive features of Tigers are the overlapping road wheels. This post describes the development of the various Tiger wheels.
tankmuseum.org tankmuseum.org

And the restoration of Tiger 131:

Tiger Blog Archives - The Tank Museum

tankmuseum.org tankmuseum.org
 
jobu88 said:
It had 131 on the side when captured, just not as nicely painted and visible as the tank is today.

Also, something I noticed on Pinterest a few years back and now I always look for it -- the front outer roadwheel has been removed. I see that so often in Tiger photos that it can't just be from battle damage, it has to be the crew deliberately removing that one roadwheel, presumably because it caused problems.
Click to expand...
Could it be related to chain tension ?

Tiger Maintenance Manual.jpg
Chain tension is extremely important!
The chain runs forward at double the speed at the top, i.e. at 45 km/hour at 90 km/hour. If you don't tension the chain properly, it will bang off the drive wheel like an 18-tonne train engine hitting it from a height of 4 m when you brake and steer. Roll it 4 fingers wide over the first roller. When tensioning, watch the stops and don't overtighten them,
Otherwise the motor will come out.
 

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