Panzer Tiger II No. 213 La Gleize

This Tiger II number 213 owned by Obersturmfuhrer Dollinger is one of the vehicles left behind by Peiper's 1st SS Panzer Regiment in 1944 when it had to withdraw from Gleize.

Instead of playing a defensive role, the type was used there as a breakthrough tank. The Kampfgruppe Peipers had to leave about six tanks behind . The Americans dueled the Tiger II (turret number 213) with their M4 Shermans and M10 tank destroyers during the siege of La Gleize and managed to accidentally blast the gun's barrel in half.

Tiger 213s, Tiger 221s and a Panzer IV tank defended the Werimont farm near Gleize. On December 21, 1944 , American tanks from Task Force McGeorge and Task Force Lovelady of the 3rd Armored Division attacked the Gleize.

Around noon , Dollinger in Panzer 213 and Georg Hantusch in Panzer 221 opened fire on 15 American tanks coming from the direction of Roanne, but were unable to knock out any of them. The Americans returned fire, damaging Dollinger's tank gun. Hantusch's tank was also badly damaged and both crews had to leave the tanks. Dollinger had been wounded in the head and was taking cover in the basement of the Werimont farm as Kampfgruppe Peiper withdrew from the Gleize.

With the battle lost , Peiper left 135 armored vehicles near the Gleize , including Obersturmfuhrer Dollinger's Tiger 213, which now stands in front of the museum.

Tiger II '213' was abandoned in a meadow behind the Wérimont farm at the end of the Battle of the Bulge. In 1945 the wrecks of the Germans were rendered unusable by American engineers and collected. In July 1945, King Tiger '213' was recovered by three Sherman recovery tanks . During the towing, the tank moved , making so much noise that Madame Jenny Geenen came out. He traded it for a bottle of cognac . The depot now has a place for the December 1944 Museum, located in the old vicarage of the town of La Gleize.

At the end of 1951, the Tiger II was towed 50 meters to its current location with another Sherman recovery tank. In 1971 the tank was painted in the grey-blue color of the 1940 German tanks . During all this time, the Tiger II had only a three -quarter barrel. This was restored in 1972 and the tank was sandblasted and painted. This act was then repeated twice more until 1993 .

Over the years more and more of the tank has been restored , such as hatches, fenders and undercarriage. The interior has also been completely renovated. In 1996 it was decided to place the deposit on a new surface. The tank was sandblasted and painted again this year. Thanks to many volunteers, the Tiger II has been preserved and is a unique military relic from the Battle of the Bulge.

Willem Vandenameele