The First Tiger Tank Captured By The Allies In WWII
To catch a tiger by its toe
The German Tiger tank was one of the most feared weapons of war to take to the field during World War II. The tank was specifically designed to outclass anything that the Allies could bring to bear during the early years of the war. The heavy tank was unveiled to Adolf Hitler in 1942. In the winter of 1943, the first production models rolled off of the assembly lines, and the tanks were immediately shipped to Tunisia, where the Germans hoped that the new tank would be able to turn the tide against Britain’s numerous yet inferior tanks.
The Tiger I was armed with an 88mm cannon, which was twice the size of the Churchill I’s 40mm cannon. The Tiger was also equipped with 120mm armor which could easily deflect shells being fired from 40mm guns. The Tiger was supposed to be a war-winning design, and it was also supposed to be kept secret.
Unfortunately for Germany, it didn’t take long for their new secret weapon to be seized by the Allies.
Tiger 131, one of the first Tiger tanks to be deployed in the field, reached the battlefields of Tunisia on April 16th, 1943. Within four days, the tank was put into action when the Germans launched a night attack to delay an Allied assault on the key city of Tunis.
