Main Image Credit: The Tank Museum
Inside issue 147, History of War will have seen the chance to win a pair of Tiger Day tickets for the Autumn 2025 show, taking place on 20 September. You and a friend will get entry to see Tiger 131 in action, one of only two of its annual appearances. Your Tiger Day tickets include a free Annual Pass – so you can visit The Tank Museum as many times as you like in a year. Scroll down to find out how to enter.
Captured by British forces during the final stages of the North Africa campaign, Tiger 131 was brought back to London where it was displayed for the public and analysed by engineers.
Here, The Tank Museum’s resident expert and YouTube star Chris Copson discusses Bovington’s biggest attraction, how it was captured and how the museum’s experts keep it rolling twice yearly.
What were the circumstances of Tiger 131’s capture in Tunisia in 1943?
For many years, the capture was attributed to 48th Royal Tank Regiment (RTR) via an account by Lieutenant Peter Gudgin. This was challenged after a veteran’s account suggested the tank may have been disabled by a round fired from a captured anti-tank gun by 2nd Battalion, The Sherwood Foresters. Recent research has, however, shown that the rounds that disabled the Tiger were British six-pounder armour-piercing rounds, suggesting that Tiger 131 had after all been knocked out by fire from the Churchills of 48th RTR. Tiger 131 had received several hits, including a round that skimmed off the underside of the gun barrel and jammed the turret ring. It’s likely that at least some of the crew were wounded and the tank was abandoned intact.
Credit: The Tank Museum
Did any of its design features surprise the Allies and/or provide tactical value?
Tiger 131 was examined in huge detail by the British School of Tank Technology. This involved gunnery trials and a complete disassembly of the tank, including sectioning of the engine and metallurgical analysis. But by the time the report came out, the Tiger I was more or less obsolete.
Were there any design features that were adapted for or inspired later tank designs?
The Tigers were game-changers in terms of combat effectiveness, but it is difficult to identify specific features that were carried through to later designs. The closest parallel is with the Soviet heavies – IS-2 especially – where analysis of captured Tiger Is prompted the design of a vehicle that could reliably take them on, especially in regard to penetrating Tiger I’s armour. Probably the most influential aspect was the combination of firepower and armour protection, factors that fed through right up to the development in the Cold War era of the Main Battle Tank. Against that, both Tigers were over-complicated, difficult to maintain and unreliable, lessons that had to be learned in future tank design.
What were the main challenges in restoring Tiger 131 to working order?
Tiger 131 came to The Tank Museum in the 1950s. In the late 1980s it was agreed that an attempt should be made to restore it to running condition. This included sourcing a replacement Maybach HL 210 engine as the original had been sectioned during evaluation and then a nut and bolt disassembly to assess the problems. The restoration involved stripping and rust-proofing the hull and the fabrication of some missing parts such as the gearbox covers. In the search for a replacement engine, three different HL 230 engines were tried but all failed. Finally, with the assistance of The Weald Foundation, an unused engine block was rebuilt and installed. Tiger 131 is now the only running example of this tank in existence.
What sort of maintenance routine does Tiger 131 undergo for its twice-yearly appearances at Tiger Day?
At least eight hours of checking and maintenance are required to prepare Tiger 131 for each hour of running. In the past, it has been found necessary to replace bearings and oil seals, and the whole tank is checked for any degree of wear. Tracks and sprockets are especially subject to wear. This, along with the inevitable failings of an 80-year-old tank, are the reasons why Tiger 131 is only run for a limited number of miles per year.