Tiger Tank

Book excerpt: The German Tiger I was the most feared battle tank of the Second World War. Its invincibility lay in its main 8.8cm gun and heavy defensive armour. Tiger Tank gives a rare insight into acquiring, owning and operating one of these awesome fighting machines, using the UK’s Tank Museum’s Tiger 131 – the only Tiger I in the world that has been restored to full running order. In addition to offering unique insights into maintenance and driving the Tiger, the book includes vivid personal recollections from wartime German tank crewmen and reveals what it was like to operate this 57-ton giant in combat. It was written by a team of experts from the Tank Museum who were closely involved with the strip-down and rebuild of the Tiger I. David Fletcher is a historian, a prolific author and a world expert on tanks. David Willey is a curator, and Mike Hayton is workshop manager. Other members of the writing team include volunteers Darren Hayton and Steven Vase, Mike Gibb of the SdKfz Military Vehicle Foundation and David Schofield, a specialist in forensic science.