The Vimoutiers Tiger tank soon restored
The Tiger tank of Vimoutiers in 2013
August 4, 2016: The Vimoutiers Tiger tank will soon be restored
Source: France Bleu Normandie
Author: Philippe Thomas
For forty years, the German tank from Vimoutiers has been on display on the roadside. Eaten away by rust, an association wants to restore it. To do this, they had to note the chassis number of the armored vehicle to determine its origin and precise date of manufacture.
The operation is delicate. No one has entered the tank for years. Bruno Galopin is a certified restorer of public monuments. Only he can open the hatch. The armored vehicle has been listed as a historic monument since December 2, 1975. “It’s still dangerous, there are bits of protruding scrap metal inside,” he says. A grinder, then a crowbar, are needed to remove it.
Inside, a chassis number. Essential for knowing the number of the German unit to which it belonged. “We’re still hesitating between three battalions. There were three Tiger battalions engaged in Normandy. I hope we’ll finally be able to say it’s the 101st, the 102nd, or the 503rd,” explains Frédéric Normand, a guide at the Montormel Memorial and a keen expert on World War II.
Once this information is gathered, identifying the missing parts will be easier. And restoration can begin, “so that it can be rebuilt exactly as it was,” enthuses Frédéric Normand. The original parts no longer exist, and part of the engine is missing. The tank’s interior is almost empty.
Seven Tiger Tanks Worldwide
For this association, restoring this tank to its original condition is of particular importance. “It’s a technical and historical witness to what happened during various operations, including the Battle of Normandy in 1944,” says Olivier Robert, president of the association for the restoration of the tank. It must be said that there are only seven Tiger tanks left in the world, two of which are in France. The other is located at the Armored Vehicle Museum in Saumur, Maine-et-Loire.
The History of the Vimoutiers Tiger tank
Thirteen days after the Allied landings, the Germans entered the Gacé coast, a short distance from Vimoutiers. “It was heading to Roiville to resupply and ran out of fuel,” says Olivier Robert. “It was abandoned by its crew and scuttled […] to prevent it from being used by the opposing armies,” he adds. It was abandoned in a ditch for a long time before being displayed on the side of the road.
2016 news of the Normandy landing beaches