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The most feared battle tank of the Second World War has finally been stripped down and laid bare for all to see in this latest Owners' Workshop Manual from Haynes.
Published on 2 June, as tank enthusiasts prepare for Tankfest 2011 at Bovington later the same month, the Tiger Tank Manual gives a rare insight into acquiring, owning and operating one of these awesome armoured fighting vehicles.
Using the renowned manual format that has successfully given insight into an array of military hardware, Haynes is now driving attention towards armoured fighting vehicles, beginning with this invincible icon from military history.
The Foreword has been written by Peter Gudgin MC. In 1942, as a young lieutenant with 48 RTR, the Churchill tank he was commanding was knocked out by Tiger 131 in its last engagement before capture. Wounded in the action he was returned to England where he was posted to the School of Tank Technology. There, by sheer serendipity, Peter's task was to produce an examination report on Tiger 131 - the first Tiger tank to be captured intact by the Allies.
The Tiger Tank's invincibility lay in its main 8.8cm gun and heavy defensive armour. The Tiger Tank Manual concentrates on the Tank Museum's Tiger 131 - the only one of six surviving Tigers out of 1300 produced to be restored to full running order almost seventy years after it was first used in combat.
A wealth of detailed photographs and an authoritative text written by a team of experts from the Tank Museum tell the Tiger's story - from its birth, development and production in wartime, followed by full details of the recent strip-down and rebuild of '131' and its Maybach engine.
As well as offering unique personal insights into maintaining and driving the Tank Museum's Tiger 131, there are vivid personal recollections from wartime German tank crewmen that reveal what it was really like to operate this 57-ton giant under combat conditions.
Authors Mike Hayton (Museum Workshop Manager) left, and David Willey (Curator) right.
*Further images available on request*
The Authors:
David Fletcher, David Willey and Mike Hayton are on the staff of the Tank Museum at Bovington in Dorset - David Fletcher is Historian, as well as a prolific author and a world expert on tanks; David Willey is Curator; and Mike Hayton is Workshop Manager.
Darren Hayton and Stevan Vase are Tank Museum volunteers, who have been closely involved in the restoration of Tiger '131'; Mike Gibb created the SdKfz Military Vehicle Foundation; and David Schofield, a specialist in forensic science, has analysed the wartime battle damage sustained by '131'.
Titles in the Haynes Classic Aircraft Series:
Supermarine Spitfire, Hawker Hurricane, Messerschmitt Bf109, Avro Lancaster, de Havilland Tiger Moth, Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress, and North American P-51 Mustang. |
Review copies available
To request a review copy please click here to visit our online request form.
Notes to Editors:
The information on this page is supplied courtesy of Haynes Publishing, please credit accordingly if you intend to use it. For more information or to request a review copy please contact Dani Marlborough at Spirit PR on 0117 944 1415 or email haynes@spiritpublicrelations.co.uk
Haynes Publishing
Sparkford, Yeovil, Somerset BA22 7JJ
Telephone: 01963 440635 Fax: 01963 440001 E-mail: sales@haynes.co.uk
www.haynes.co.uk
Haynes Publishing is a trading style of J H
Haynes & Co Ltd.
Registered in England, Number: 1449587 Registered Office: Sparkford, Yeovil, Somerset BA22 7JJ
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