Panzer III of 18th Panzer-Division, Yefremov/Russia, winter 1941/42.

Panzer III, winter 1941/42

Tiger I thrown upside-down in the course of a heavy bombing attack in Normandy, June 1944.  I recall seeing a postwar interview in which a commander of a Tiger II platoon explained that panzer formations were sometimes attacked by high-level heavy bombers when concealed in woods and undergrowth in Normandy during the "Overlord" campaign.  Accuracy was not a feature of such localised carpet bombing.  However, even a near miss from an aerial bomb could result in the vehicle being turned over or on its side or, in any event, severe injury to the crew through spalling.  A direct hit on the upper deck, even of a Tiger, would most likely destroy the vehicle.  The interviewee, who went through this experience on the receiving end, described it as "absolutely terrifying".  Where I am, we are getting used to the flip side of the "Celtic Tiger".  Think I prefer that ... Best regards, JR.

The flip side of the Tiger ...

An Sd.Kfz-250 half-track in front of German tank units, as they prepare for an attack, on July 21, 1941, somewhere along the Russian warfront, during the German invasion of the Soviet Union. 