| This view of the Port side of the King Tiger gives a good view of the large track skirts. Also visible are the gun cleaning rods ( stowed between the heavy duty hawsers) and the ubiquitous spade. This shot also gives a good idea of the large size of the porsche turret.Of note on the turret is the pronounced bulge of the commanders cupola, an identifying feature not found on the Henschel type, and the rounded nose , again not found on the Henschel version ( this shot clearly demonstrates the dangerous deflective qualities of this turret if struck on the lower leading edge ). Note the extra tracks mounted on the turret for added protection, this was a common practice on both models and lugs were actually fitted to facilitate this as standard. On the commanders cupola itself you can see a mounted anti aircraft machine gun. This came about from hard earned lessons in Normandy , the western allies providing lethal ground support with thier p51s, Thunderbolts, Typhoons and Tempest fighter-bombers. This terrifying bombardment from the air was a shock to the Panzerwaffe compared to the relative ease of movement on the Eastern Front, where Russian tactical airpower was not as massive as that employed in the west. As a result, tanks in the western theater quickly sprouted mounts similar to the one seen here ( compare this to the panzer IVJ). |
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