Phil Loder headed to The Tank Museum to see its dramatic re-enactment of the capture of Tiger 131
The Tank Museum’s Tiger Day Autumn was the last big arena event of both their centenary year and the year that included the 80th anniversary of the capture of Tiger 131.
For the spring Tiger Day, the Dorsetbased museum team had recreated the action in Tunisia in 1943 that led to the first intact Tiger tank falling into the hands of the Western Allies, and in September they were ready to fight the battle again.
The morning opened with a display focusing on wheeled vehicles, including a Hotchkiss M201 Jeep, Morris Light Reconnaissance Car, Daimler Dingo, Daimler Armoured Car and an NSU Kettenkrad. The arena was then given over to tracked vehicle rides in one of the museum’s Cold War M548 troop carriers and, over the next two hours, excited visitors queued for their turn to climb on board.
Lunchtime offered two chats in the arena, the first about the German Pak 38 anti-tank gun, and the second looking at the Spanishbuilt Panzer I Ausf B replica, which has been a guest at The Tank Museum for the past few months. Tiger Day was the last event at the museum featuring the vehicle before it returned to Spain.
N…
