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Did you know there might be a new Tiger II in running order soon?

*A Tiger II that might become operable again*
*(Photo: Military and Fortress Museum Full-Reuenthal)*

The Tiger II (Tiger II), also known as the King Tiger, was Nazi Germany's last, most spectacular attempt to turn the tide of war on the ground with superior technology. 492 of these hulking monstrosities were built, but only eight of them are still in existence. Of those eight, only one is currently in running condition, at the Musée des Blindés armor museum in Saumur, France. With so few specimens remaining, it is no small news that a second Tiger II might be restored to running order in the near future. The tank in question is at the Military and Fortress Museum in Full-Reuenthal in Switzerland, and its past is cloaked in mystery. The speculation begins with a photograph taken on an unknown date by an unnamed French soldier, depicting a Tiger II with a damage barrel end in the West Austrian town of Bregenz, not far from the Swiss border. The photo is believed to show the tank that's currently in Switzerland. Bregenz is not far from a testing site that used to be operated by Maybach, the company that made engines for both the the Tiger (Tiger I) and the Tiger II.

*The photo depicting the Tiger II that’s assumed to be the same one as the one in the Swiss museum*
*(Photo: Military and Fortress Museum Full-Reuenthal)*

The next certain step in the story is that the Military Technology Department of the Swiss armed forces received a Tiger II in 1957, possibly from the French. The tank had a ruptured barrel that looks identical to the one on the old photo (and which might have been caused by its crew to prevent its capture and use by the Allied), showed no other sign of combat-related damage, and had modifications that implied it might have been used for testing. On the other hand, some sources claim the tank served with Germany's 506th Heavy Tank Battalion, and participated in the battle of Arnhem during Operation Market Garden (Operation Market Garden), and the Battle of the Bulge. (Hidden Stories of the Battle of the Bulge) The tank was given to the museum on permanent loan in 2006, but the lack of finances prevented any sort of large-scale restoration project. It's been reported over the last year or so, however, that the restoration is approaching its final stages, and that the vehicle will be driveable and have a functioning turret.
Join us on our Battle of the Bulge Anniversary Tour to see a Tiger II on display!

*Restoration work at the museum*
*(Photo: Military and Fortress Museum Full-Reuenthal)*

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