From The Tank Museum: Knocking Out A King Tiger

 These pictures, we are told, show a Tiger II knocked out in Le Plessis Grimoult, Normandy, on 7^th August 1944. The story is that a platoon from A Company, Duke of Cornwall’s Light Infantry, commanded by Major Harry Parker wandered into the place and came across two Tiger tanks,  one being resupplied with ammunition from a lorry parked alongside along with another tracked vehicle present.

A rear view of the knocked out tank with a British soldier alongside looking suitably amazed.

Being armed with nothing more deadly than a two-inch mortar, the crew, Lance Corporal Caswell and Private Taylor, lobbed a round into the back of the lorry, and the resulting explosions dislodged the turret of the German tank and set off an internal explosion. At which point the other Tiger appears to have cleared off.

The King Tiger after the explosion in Le Plessis Grimoult.

It’s a remarkable story. It must be one of the first times a Tiger II was encountered by British troops in France, and the turret and gun are said to have been taken back to Britain.

The Tiger II was a tank otherwise hardly known to the Allies at this time. It is one of the earlier models, with the Porsche style turret.

It seems like a remarkable action for in infantry platoon, and we need to thank the Regimental Museum of Cornwall for their help in compiling this story.

A message from the Tank Museum:

“Please Support Us: As a charity, we rely on public support for all our activities. Our work is funded entirely by people like you. With your support, we can continue to create content. With the right support we might be able to do it more regularly – and can be even more ambitious. Please Click on the Banner Below”

This blog first appeared at The Tank Museum’s Tiger Collection.  Check it out!