Another photo by Lt. Aikman also taken at Tostes, near Elbeuf on August 30, 1944, this time showing a SdKfz 4/1. Quoting the RAF Bombing Analysis Unit report concerning the wooded area between Tostes and Lery: 'there was a big collection of vehicles here from August 20 onwards but various attacks on August 22 and 23 did little damage. Less than 100 abandoned vehicles were in this area'.  
      A small number considering that the most important crossing-point on the Seine was the pontoon bridge at Le Bas de Poses, 18km upstream from Elbeuf, which is believed to have transported up to 16.000 vehicles and 100.000 men safely across between August 19-24.

Abandoned SdKfz 4/1

According to the schewe Panzerjager-Abteilung 654 war diary, this Tiger, code '223' was reported abandoned near Tostes, 5 km east of Elbeuf, on the 24th August, 1944. This photo was taken on August 30 by Lieutenant Aikman, a Canadian photographer.

Abandoned Tiger

This strange vehicle was the Porsche response to a German army requeriment for a towing and transport special lorry. 

The radschlepper ost (wheeled tractor for the East) was to be capable to operate in the worst mud and snow conditions, for that purpose the doktor Porsche choosed a design with all steel spiked roadwheels with large diameter which teorically helped to achieve grip in soft ground but probably gave a very hard ( and noisy) ride over pavement.
The vehicle weight was 7000kg, had all wheel drive and it was capable to carry his own weight or tow about 5 tons, maximum speed in soft terrain was just 15 km/h, the weak 4 cilinders engine with just 90 hp probably didnt help much.

200 Typ 175 were ordered in 1942 but the order was reduced to merely 50 made by Skoda in 1943 after  the failure to fullfill the requirements.

