I bet when the workers at the Henshel factory, who produced that Tiger 1, had finished her,they would never have imagined, that it would become a part of France forever
I found out about this approximately ten years ago and have photos of it somewhere in my photo archives. The other interesting German WW2 Normandy artefact, is the K98 rifle that is imbedded in an oak tree. The rifle was in an ammunition truck that took a direct artillery hit and blew up. The resulting explosion blew the K98 butt first into the oak tree. As the oak tree has grown up over the last eighty years, the rifle has gone up higher and higher. About 50% of the rifle is still sticking out of the tree today. The very end of the barrel is slightly bent. On my last visit a few years ago it had received a fresh coat of paint. Someone must be looking after it, It is in the same area as the Tiger footbridge. Keep up the good work, another great video.
I’ve seen that K98 in photos, incredible to think of those 1 in a million moments and how they’ve remained fixed in time! Glad you enjoyed this episode😃
Ce fusil est toujours en place dans cet arbre à l'entrée d'une propriété, je l'ai vu des dizaines de fois en passant vers Chambois, Moissy, Saint-Lambert sur Dives...
Seeing these relics today is a monument to Normandys history. The Vimoutiers tiger in all its glory is a testament to the townspeople who purchased it from the scrap dealer thus saving it. Great work again , Thank you.
@@WW2Wayfinder She is quite the survivor ; the Falaise gap , scrap dealers , bulldozers moving her around . Was hearing of restorations but nothing ever materialized .
@@sabii416La Mairie de Vimoutier a développé un projet de financement et de réhabilitation du Tigre I, plusieurs centaines de milliers d'euros seront nécessaires pour le restaurer, il sera déplacé et mis dans un Musée dédié à Vimoutier.
Fantastique, merci de nous avoir fait découvrir ce petit morceau d'histoire qui traverse les années et qui reste toujours là 80 ans après, quel travail acharné vous faites. Merci à vous.
@@WW2Wayfinder j'ai plus qu'aprecié, j'ai regardé votre vidéo avec des yeux d'enfant. Et quand je vois le tigre de Vimoutiers, le pauvre ils sont entrain de le laisser dépérir à nouveau.
That Tiger just sitting there is a shame it needs to be restored or put in a museum, I was able to see it and to this day I feel the same such a shame to leave it there and in that condition. Best from the USA
I believe it’s meant to be restored at some point by the locals in Vimoutiers but I’ve been hearing that for the past few years now. Clearly not a cheap process but it does seem to be getting worse each time I visit.
Thank you so much for these very informative videos. I will never get to places like Normandy, and so our presentations are that much more appreciated. I especially enjoy the little known segments. Again, Thanks so much, and I hope that you will continue sharing! Great Job!
Thank you Kevin! Hopefully it showed you some of the wonderful areas inland from the beaches and just some of the more unusual things that can still be found from the war in the Norman countryside! Thanks again for taking the time to watch!
I've never actually seen a panzer up close and personal. I had to go to Google Earth to see the Tiger I standing guard forlornly outside Vimoutiers. Very interesting to see the footage of the Tiger I side armour being used as a makeshift stream crossing in the French countryside. So much for the glory days of the Panzerwaffe.
They’re a formidable sight when stood next to one and hard to imagine the fear they stoked in the minds of Allied soldiers that went up against them! The King Tiger at La Gleize is another example of how imposing they can be but also how vulnerable they were to the weight of Allied fire.
That is really something to see because it makes you wonder who and how many people walked that footbridge since it was first laid there! Thanks for sharing.
Very interesting indeed. I love to hear stories and items that are still somewhere out there nowadays. Long story short, I'm a professional musician and multi instrumentist. I have a didgeridoo made from wood out of Normandy. There's a "flaw" in the didgeridoo, namely a black spot in the otherwise perfect grain. The builder told me that the wood belonged to a stash from his family domain and there was a fight there after D Day with quite some bullets ended up in the trees. The black spot in my instrument is actually where a bullet got trough to he tree and left a mark. Glad to have this special instrument ...
Tanks alot. Another bit of WWII history that has been almost lost to time. As always, I look forward to your investigations in regard to WWII. Another stellar job on your part.
Excellent. Had no idea about this. What a great thing. British tests on Tiger Is concluded that the Tiger I's nickel steel with its Brinell Hardness factor (265 on the front) gave it an approximate 13% greater shell resistance quality than the best allied tank steel of the same thickness and even that 80mm side plate had the equivalent effective thickness of over 90mm of what was on any allied tanks. That bridge isn't going to buckle anytime soon. Source :Germanys Tiger Tanks by Thomas L Jentz.
@@lyndoncmp5751 thank you for those figures! I’ll have to have a search for that book as it sounds very interesting! 13% greater resistance to that of Allied armour is quite something, especially given the technologies that existed at the time.
@WW2Wayfinder Yes that's another reason why the Tiger I was so expensive. High quality components. I don't believe any researchers ever found any declining quality all through Tiger I production, which ended summer 1944, unlike with other German tanks. Cheers.
My Dad made a long screwdriver from '90 ton steel' out of a salvaged German plane engine when he worked at RAE Farnborough in 1941. My brother has it now. The fact that the side armour on Tigers was vertical, not slanted was not a great idea for deflecting shells?
It’s wonderful because you get a real sense of the size of the tank by that side plate. The welds are quite beautiful. The materials back then were superior to that we have today which no doubt accounts for the weld. Thank you so much for sharing. I’ll never in my lifetime get to Normandy, sad as that is, so I really appreciate you bringing into to life…in color, 21st century…I can almost feel myself there.
The fence went up in 2018 although by that point its too little too late given everything that has been removed and the fence is easy to climb over so a token gesture at best. At least you got to see it when you could get right up next to it!!!
Thanks a lot for this video, I have been going to Normandy since 1984 and like you, have seen many places and museums there, but never heard about this bridge! Please keep going with your videos, really enjoy them!
That's an amazing relic! Just looking at the piece, if one knows anything about military history/armor they'd realize what they've stumbled upon. The Tiger 1 profiles were fairly distinct. I appreciate you not disclosing the location. Let's hope it remains as a foot bridge in such a serene setting as long as possible. It's actually perfect. Another great video, thanks!
Glad you enjoyed it! I was sceptical when I first heard of it but seeing it up close it was immediately obvious what it originated from and I was amazed to see how it just remained in use in this quite spot!
@@Captainwilly7673 thank you! This one was certainly a bit different and a first for YT as far as I know. Just cool to see these relics are still out there waiting to be found! Thanks again for watching!
I would so love to go to Europe and visit all these sites. Most of my family are in Holland so I am planning on going. It would be the trip of a lifetime! I have an Uncle that served in the Dutch Navy I have never met. Cheers mate.👍😎🍺🇦🇺
Really enjoyed this episode Jon. Very interesting and unique how part of the tiger tank became a small bridge to cross a stream. Your quite fortunate to have visited Normandy many times over the years!
About 10 years ago I was lucky enough to go to Europe, and made a special trip to see the Vimoutiers Tiger. Got pictures of it, and even standing on it, as it was not fenced off at the time. It was awesome. One doesn't have to like the politics of that time in order to respect the engineering that sprouted from it. My father was the driver of a Sherman in the Canadian Army in Holland and none of his people ever wanted to go up against the Tiger and its 88mm High Velocity gun. Kind of ironic that there were plants growing on the top rear deck of the tank, where the grates were. Sort of a ploughshare from weapons feel.
Exactly, I like German tech but that doesn’t equate to politics. After all I can appreciate modern western technologies but not like political stances now from x y z nation. Sadly it’s become a thing to equate liking German armour for example with being a supporter of the regime which is a sad reflection on where we’re at in the world today I think.
@@nateporteractual thanks! I was really pleased to find this spot and while I know it’s ’just a bridge’ it’s still cool to see how these items from the war have been repurposed!
@@greggriffin1 thank you! I know it’s merely a bridge today but quite cool to think how it came to be there and that it now rests quietly serving a much better purpose than its original one!
I once did a self guided barnstorming tour of Normandy starting at 5:30 in the morning from my hotel. Getting to the Tiger was the last stop. By then I was mentally done after driving so much, so when I got to town I pulled up to a police car, said Le Char, and got a police escort to the tank!
Haha sounds like an epic day! Glad you were able to find the Tiger and the local police helped you out! It’s not an easy one to find without Google Maps!
Very much a case of swords into ploughshares! I’m just pleased it was saved from the scrap merchant and actually has a use rather than being hidden away in a private collection
Vielen Dank für das Aufspüren dieses sehr geschichtsträchtigen Relikts! 👍 Diese Brücke rostet auch in 100 Jahren nicht durch! Man kann wirklich nur hoffen, daß dieses Stück irgendwann nicht bei "Nacht & Nebel" verschwindet!
Interesting relic in Normandy. I wonder if any more like it are being re-purposed in some other remote spot. Thanks Jon, for your research on items that we would never see.
Thanks! It’s definitely something that couldn’t be ruled out! Ive seen Horsa Glider ramps used in a barn as supports for the roof in Normandy so I’m sure there’s lots more still to find out there!
@@ColinH1973 glad you liked this one! I wanted to go into more detail about the tank that it came from but had to be quite vague but hopefully still interesting to see how some of these relics are being used all these years on from the fighting there
That Is an amazing find. Great video but that's what I have come to expect with the type of content you have on your channel! The Tiger was and still Is one of the most Iconic weapons ever produced by any country In the history of armed conflict!
@@TheGV50 thank you! Glad you enjoyed it and definitely something a bit out of the ordinary when we think of Normandy! And I agree with you about the Tiger!
@@4nthr4x my pleasure! Was an incredible find and really pleased I was able to film there given how unique it is! Glad you enjoyed it and thank you for taking the time to watch
@@johnschofield9496 thank you! This was one of my favourite finds this time visiting Normandy, just because Tiger’s are rare at best and to find part of one being used as a bridge is even rarer! Thanks again for taking the time to watch!
Great research, thanks so much! I always look forward to your videos, which show in detail the events, although I understand why the location wasn't exactly shown.
@@alanclark4255 thank you! It was a tricky one but this was one that I really wanted to go into more detail on as I know the unit and tank involved but for the sake of preserving it I had to keep it deliberately vague. Certainly not my usual style but needs must some times! Hope it didn’t detract too much though
Homage to being made from warrior armor of the Tiger to footbridge in peace. It a page from the Scripture Micah 4:3-5. When will we ever learn. Thanks for sharing WWII history!! Much appreciations to you.
That was awesome, who would think pieces like this were parts to such deadly beasts, a simple plate of steel, a foot bridge, like a dragon which was slain death came to the one who caused death. Ironic if one thinks about it.
That's crazy...I wonder how many people have crossed that stream without even realizing...I've got a keen eye...but I'm sure I mightn't have noticed it at first glance...
Thank you! And yes it’s a tricky one as I know the history of the tank but I didn’t want to give too much away in case some idiot decided they want it for their collection. They’d be lucky to try though as it’s well dug in and not exactly light though!
That is a good question! From the research I did I wasn’t able to find out exactly but everything pointed toward the scrap merchants taking their fare share post war.
@@dnldcow very much so, and from other accounts I’ve read, the local French farmers and villagers took it all for scrap as they received little or no reparations for the damage to their properties from the French state
Ah I didn’t know that! I studied engineering but aeronautical engineering so heavy engineering isn’t my thing by trade but that is good to know! Glad you enjoyed the episode!
@@WW2Wayfinder Absolutely! I forgot to mention having not seen a fair amount of Wartime footage shown in this presentation before Jon...Your diligence is Most appreciated!.
@@WW2Wayfinder glad you did ...IF I saw it I would have to have a piece of it for my collection ...who has a piece of a war torn tiger besides russian back country men I bet its not rare in Russia but in America stop it thanks for you time keep posting vids
This was very interesting and concise for a short video. In fact I felt like there was a tension in the conciseness, like I was a teenager out at night with a friend on a mission to steal another friend's hub caps as a joke, only to see that a police car had slowed down to see something and maybe the something was us still carrying the hubcaps! Are you sure you were allowed to be there at the Tiger Hull Bridge? Of particular interest to me was the line of small L shaped weld beads which at one point held weldments on the sides. The little square bits of iron with a threaded hole in the center which allowed the row of fenders (or wings) to be bolted onto the side of the Tiger. I watched another video tonight about a Panzerkampfwagen Tiger Ausf.B (Sd.Kfz.182) which had been disabled by falling into a deep shell crater during the Falaise Pocket slaughter, sold to an scrap iron monger who tried to break it up with explosives because the tank was in the shell crater in the middle of an important road, the crater being wider than the road itself. That failed although it did to damage to the hull interior. So, the Tiger was left in the crater, which was filled with dirt and then the road was paved. According to the narrator, whoever owns the Tiger, whether it is an individual or association or the small town, has already started restoring the turret but the hull and suspension are too heavy for their equipment to move it. However, due to the suspicion that there are live explosive ordnance still in the hull and that the explosion made by the scrap iron monger might have dislodged the 88mm shells leaving them in and unsafe position, no attempt has been made to try to move the hull. And the turret may be in pieces. The people there know what shape it is in but I do not, only having seen a photo of one of the sides of the turret. At any rate, Dr. Mark Felton did a video a while back about Tigers which may still be intact in France and I think Germany. One is of course the Panzerkampfwagen Tiger Ausf.B (Sd.Kfz.182) which the video ( czcams.com/video/wlxSgUOmQpw/video.html ) is concerned with, another having either fallen into a river (I don't think it is the Seine) falling from a bridge or barge. At any rate, it is in the river which flows through a city. And the last one is at the bottom of a lake. But back to the one in the video I watched tonight, hearing this confuses me somewhat because Dr. Felton said in his video that although the town is interested in restoring it to working order the town has been stifled for several years because France passed a law which says something to the effect that only government museums may retrieve tanks from under the ground or under water and restore them. Basically the town wants to restore the tank to become a tourist draw and the French government wants it for the museum at Saumur for basically the purpose of drawing tourists. The video linked above noters that there is already a running Tiger Ausf.B in the museum. Also the narrator notes that the one which the town wants to restore was recently insured by some unnamed individual or organization for the amount of 2,000,000 Euros. So, the Vimoutiers Sd.Kfz.181 PzKpfw VI Tiger Ausf. E is not the only Tiger that stands intact in France and Northwest Europe. From what I have read, when the Tiger E came out it did not have a Sd.Kfz. followed by numbers as its designation. It was simply called The Tiger. When the second Tiger was introduced there had to be numbers added due to keeping the ordnance officers informed of what parts and equipment were needed for which vehicle. Basically the "Sd.Kfz." means "special purpose vehicle. This designation came out early in the newly reformed Wehrmacht and it referred to what kind of armored tracked or armored half tracked or non armored tracked vehicle they were. For instance, the maultiers based on wheeled trucks made by Ford or Opel had to have a number to tell the difference. When the Tiger came out, the name alone was used but when the second came out, they had to have numbers. So there was the number Sd.Kfz. 181 and the Sd.Kfz. 182. That is why some people, apparently the scale model community, started using just the name and the last number and what do you know, we come out with Tiger 1 and Tiger 2. But during the war and for a long time after the beasts were called Tiger E and Tiger B. Apparently since the letter B comes before the letter E, that confused modelers into thinking that the B was the boxy Tiger and the E was the sloped armor vehicle. so the wartime designations were dropped just about everywhere, from model companies to museums. However, museums know or should know that the wartime designation is the correct one, the correctness determined by the contemporary war time designation. Boring but I don't mind getting educated and using the contemporary rather than the current destinations. And this is sadly a parallel situation to one particular airplane used by the Luftwaffe, the fighter known as the ME 109. It was in either the late 90s or early years of our new millennium. Called the ME109 by the designer who later owned the company that built that plane, some American over 55 years after the war read that at early after it was designed by Willie Messerschmitt it was manufactured by a company with the designation Bf on its planes, even though Willie was a part owner, the 109 was given the designation BF. But before the war, Willie took full ownership of the company, and forming his own out of the old, the designation became ME from then on. Sadly, the communications department at Messerschmitt often used the designation BF in their publications including on plaques inside the plane itself, while at the same time often using ME for the same plane in their publications and on plaques. So someone 55 years later went on a campaign to start calling it the BF109. Some museum people (no they aren't all perfect experts) started calling it the BF109 and now, every company that makes models of the airplane boldly call it the BF. But take note, when this controversy started and made its way into flight publications, Willie was still alive. So one publication took the opportunity to write to Mr. Willie and ask him which designation was right. Willie got the letter and rather than taking out us own pen and paper he wrote a simple statement on the letter he had just received. In big letters he wrote "It is the ME109." and mailed it back to the magazine. I think that should have been the end of that controversy but some people can't admit they are wrong and other people have heard the wrong designation most of all of their lives and both continue uu to use the designation BF. It is still on the boxes of every model company model plane of the ME109. But recently I saw a video about the how much better the Fock Wolfe 190 was than the ME109 and the fellow from the Imperial War Musems who stood beside a Me109 and talked about its great points and its deficiencies refused to call it the BF109 even though some of his other coworkers who were also interviewed were calling it the BF109 15 years after Willie stated emphatically that it was named the BF 109. But the fellow we are talking about also did not call it the ME109, he simply referred to it as the 109. Maybe the chief director for the aeronautical branch of the Imperial MuseumS had loved building model "BF"s as a kid or as an adult, had told him never to call it an ME109 so he knew the truth but needed his job to pay his mortgage and car note while at the same time just could not ruin his sense of telling the truth and so he simply called it the 109. Maybe his boss and co workers would not notice that he left out the BF. Well, sorry, this is the end of my long rant. Hope you enjoyed it more than I did.
Ive a few small pieces of Tiger tank armour. The weldlines show quality work if you compare them to the same type of weldlines in WW2 Soviet tanks. Quality over quantity but we all know how that ended up.
Years ago my father took us round the tank museum at Bovingdon. As an engineer he too was impressed at the finish on a Tiger compared to the T34; clearly a lot of man hours went into angle grinding down the welds on the former - that's why they only made a tiny number.
That is so cool to see! I wonder how it ever got there. Was it blown apart or cut up with a torch? Or maybe even a combination of the two? Great bit of history!
The tank it originated from was damaged during an engagement with British Armour and then abandoned by its crew. However after that quote how it ended up where it remains today wasn’t something I was able to discover so can only guess a local or two decided they needed a bridge and they just happened to have a Tiger on hand they could cut up for that purpose!
Fortuantely it's ina very isolated spot so it should be safe from vandals and it's buried into the ground on either end so any effort to remove it would be significant and attract attetion!
I dream to go to Normandy my dad was there daring WW2 and he never talked about it but his brother did and he told me my dads story and I so want to see the areas and the beaches but don’t know if I’ll every will
I hope you’re able to. It’s such a wonderful and welcoming place and I’m always more than happy to provide travel advice or places to see so if you do plan a trip and need any help just let me know!
If you come here, maybe you may be disappointed. Almost nothing is left from this era. Except in museums. For instance, It's been decades that the landing beaches are normal recreation beaches for locals and tourists.
Can yo do one of the attack at Cagny in normandy by the guards armoured division. Me and my bro took my father back there in the 70's and he showed us a farm yard that they had attacked across the railway lines. He told us all about the fighting there but we know little about how this attack was in the grand scheme of things.
@@WW2Wayfinder I read it in a guide book a few years ago but don't remember any more details other than the book author had been in the town and heard the tank engine and then it came round the corner with workers checking lights or phone wires.
@@WW2Wayfinder Can’t a friends of the Tiger Facebook page by started ?,It needs a shelter over the top as well it can’t be left out there to disintegrate
I bet when the workers at the Henshel factory, who produced that Tiger 1, had finished her,they would never have imagined, that it would become a part of France forever
Good point! Even more so as a common footbridge!
Definitely a good example of swords into ploughshares!
Yeah, as if the slave labour gave it a thought, nah M8 sorry just saying the truth 👍🎋
@@BrianMarcus-nz7csthey wouldn't have all been slave labour if any at all
@@TheFergie9 ok 👍
@kardondo yes but they didn't make tank engines did they
I found out about this approximately ten years ago and have photos of it somewhere in my photo archives.
The other interesting German WW2 Normandy artefact, is the K98 rifle that is imbedded in an oak tree.
The rifle was in an ammunition truck that took a direct artillery hit and blew up. The resulting explosion blew the K98 butt first into the oak tree. As the oak tree has grown up over the last eighty years, the rifle has gone up higher and higher.
About 50% of the rifle is still sticking out of the tree today. The very end of the barrel is slightly bent.
On my last visit a few years ago it had received a fresh coat of paint. Someone must be looking after it,
It is in the same area as the Tiger footbridge.
Keep up the good work, another great video.
Fascinating and Thank you for sharing!
I’ve seen that K98 in photos, incredible to think of those 1 in a million moments and how they’ve remained fixed in time!
Glad you enjoyed this episode😃
@@brutter602 Banging must have been very frightening, my imagination hurts 🐦
Ce fusil est toujours en place dans cet arbre à l'entrée d'une propriété, je l'ai vu des dizaines de fois en passant vers Chambois, Moissy, Saint-Lambert sur Dives...
Also in this general area sits the last metre or so section of a tiger barrel. Used as a garden ornament front of a beautiful old French house.
Seeing these relics today is a monument to Normandys history. The Vimoutiers tiger in all its glory is a testament to the townspeople who purchased it from the scrap dealer thus saving it. Great work again , Thank you.
@@sabii416 absolutely!!! We are so lucky they had the foresight to save the Tiger in Vimoutiers!
@@WW2Wayfinder She is quite the survivor ; the Falaise gap , scrap dealers , bulldozers moving her around . Was hearing of restorations but nothing ever materialized .
Can't imagine the fear a foot soldier endured upon seeing that weapon of war!
@@sabii416La Mairie de Vimoutier a développé un projet de financement et de réhabilitation du Tigre I, plusieurs centaines de milliers d'euros seront nécessaires pour le restaurer, il sera déplacé et mis dans un Musée dédié à Vimoutier.
that is the coolest thing I've seen all week
@@32shumble it’s awesome isn’t it! And I love how when the locals put it in they didn’t bother to take any of the sharp edges off it at all!
Fantastique, merci de nous avoir fait découvrir ce petit morceau d'histoire qui traverse les années et qui reste toujours là 80 ans après, quel travail acharné vous faites.
Merci à vous.
merci! Je suis heureux que vous ayez apprécié l'épisode et c'était une excellente occasion de visiter les lieux et de le voir de près !
@@WW2Wayfinder j'ai plus qu'aprecié, j'ai regardé votre vidéo avec des yeux d'enfant.
Et quand je vois le tigre de Vimoutiers, le pauvre ils sont entrain de le laisser dépérir à nouveau.
@@richardmoiret1804 Non, il faut le metre dans un musée😮💨
That Tiger just sitting there is a shame it needs to be restored or put in a museum, I was able to see it and to this day I feel the same such a shame to leave it there and in that condition. Best from the USA
I believe it’s meant to be restored at some point by the locals in Vimoutiers but I’ve been hearing that for the past few years now. Clearly not a cheap process but it does seem to be getting worse each time I visit.
This tank deserves to be restored.
That tiger sitting there is a shame.
Thank you so much for these very informative videos. I will never get to places like Normandy, and so our presentations are that much more appreciated. I especially enjoy the little known segments. Again, Thanks so much, and I hope that you will continue sharing! Great Job!
Thank you Kevin! Hopefully it showed you some of the wonderful areas inland from the beaches and just some of the more unusual things that can still be found from the war in the Norman countryside! Thanks again for taking the time to watch!
I've never actually seen a panzer up close and personal. I had to go to Google Earth to see the Tiger I standing guard forlornly outside Vimoutiers. Very interesting to see the footage of the Tiger I side armour being used as a makeshift stream crossing in the French countryside. So much for the glory days of the Panzerwaffe.
They’re a formidable sight when stood next to one and hard to imagine the fear they stoked in the minds of Allied soldiers that went up against them! The King Tiger at La Gleize is another example of how imposing they can be but also how vulnerable they were to the weight of Allied fire.
That is really something to see because it makes you wonder who and how many people walked that footbridge since it was first laid there! Thanks for sharing.
@@donl1846 definitely! And how many know what it originated from too!!
Very interesting indeed. I love to hear stories and items that are still somewhere out there nowadays. Long story short, I'm a professional musician and multi instrumentist. I have a didgeridoo made from wood out of Normandy. There's a "flaw" in the didgeridoo, namely a black spot in the otherwise perfect grain. The builder told me that the wood belonged to a stash from his family domain and there was a fight there after D Day with quite some bullets ended up in the trees. The black spot in my instrument is actually where a bullet got trough to he tree and left a mark. Glad to have this special instrument ...
Tanks alot. Another bit of WWII history that has been almost lost to time. As always, I look forward to your investigations in regard to WWII. Another stellar job on your part.
Haha thank you!!! Glad you enjoyed this one. Before I filmed it I was sceptical if what I’d heard was true so to be able to see it was a real thrill!
Excellent. Had no idea about this. What a great thing.
British tests on Tiger Is concluded that the Tiger I's nickel steel with its Brinell Hardness factor (265 on the front) gave it an approximate 13% greater shell resistance quality than the best allied tank steel of the same thickness and even that 80mm side plate had the equivalent effective thickness of over 90mm of what was on any allied tanks. That bridge isn't going to buckle anytime soon.
Source :Germanys Tiger Tanks by Thomas L Jentz.
@@lyndoncmp5751 thank you for those figures! I’ll have to have a search for that book as it sounds very interesting!
13% greater resistance to that of Allied armour is quite something, especially given the technologies that existed at the time.
@WW2Wayfinder
Yes that's another reason why the Tiger I was so expensive. High quality components. I don't believe any researchers ever found any declining quality all through Tiger I production, which ended summer 1944, unlike with other German tanks.
Cheers.
My Dad made a long screwdriver from '90 ton steel' out of a salvaged German plane engine when he worked at RAE Farnborough in 1941. My brother has it now. The fact that the side armour on Tigers was vertical, not slanted was not a great idea for deflecting shells?
It’s wonderful because you get a real sense of the size of the tank by that side plate.
The welds are quite beautiful.
The materials back then were superior to that we have today which no doubt accounts for the weld.
Thank you so much for sharing. I’ll never in my lifetime get to Normandy, sad as that is, so I really appreciate you bringing into to life…in color, 21st century…I can almost feel myself there.
Glad you enjoyed it and even 80 years on as you say with the welds you can see the quality of the German engineering in them!
Love to see the pieces of Tiger 007 which a local has in his attic.
Frau Wittmann broke down in tears when she saw it after the war.
Absolutely fascinating! Great find! Something used for destruction being used for something useful.
@@TimZidaroff thanks! A true example of swords into ploughshares!
We stumbled on the Tank 20 years ago there was no fence so had a good look at the thickness of the steel and the welds are still shining amazing Tank
The fence went up in 2018 although by that point its too little too late given everything that has been removed and the fence is easy to climb over so a token gesture at best. At least you got to see it when you could get right up next to it!!!
Very nice find indeed , great to see it wasn't melted down and survived the smelter !
Thank you and I agree! It’s rough and ready but great to know it survives and serves a useful purpose!
Thanks a lot for this video, I have been going to Normandy since 1984 and like you, have seen many places and museums there, but never heard about this bridge! Please keep going with your videos, really enjoy them!
That's an amazing relic! Just looking at the piece, if one knows anything about military history/armor they'd realize what they've stumbled upon. The Tiger 1 profiles were fairly distinct. I appreciate you not disclosing the location. Let's hope it remains as a foot bridge in such a serene setting as long as possible. It's actually perfect. Another great video, thanks!
Glad you enjoyed it! I was sceptical when I first heard of it but seeing it up close it was immediately obvious what it originated from and I was amazed to see how it just remained in use in this quite spot!
@@WW2Wayfinder Let's hope it remains where it is. Cheers!
@@Jmp64-ns8zl 100%!
A peaceful purpose from a war machine, serving the local community. A nice bit of innocuous history. Cheers to you WW2W.
@@FeckArseIndustries very much so and in a stunning part of Normandy too! Glad you enjoyed it!
Another fantastic video from WW2 Wayfinder! Always look forward to finding a new release on your CZcams channel! 💯
@@Captainwilly7673 thank you! This one was certainly a bit different and a first for YT as far as I know. Just cool to see these relics are still out there waiting to be found! Thanks again for watching!
I would so love to go to Europe and visit all these sites. Most of my family are in Holland so I am planning on going. It would be the trip of a lifetime! I have an Uncle that served in the Dutch Navy I have never met. Cheers mate.👍😎🍺🇦🇺
Great video Jon! Thank you.
@@cameron3815 thanks mate. Certainly not something you find every day!
Wow. Incredible and unbelievable this piece has survived in all this time - providing sensible and practical use to locals.
It’s amazing isn’t it! And that it just remains, without any fanfare or special treatment I think it’s quite cool.
Really enjoyed this episode Jon. Very interesting and unique how part of the tiger tank became a small bridge to cross a stream. Your quite fortunate to have visited Normandy many times over the years!
About 10 years ago I was lucky enough to go to Europe, and made a special trip to see the Vimoutiers Tiger. Got pictures of it, and even standing on it, as it was not fenced off at the time. It was awesome. One doesn't have to like the politics of that time in order to respect the engineering that sprouted from it. My father was the driver of a Sherman in the Canadian Army in Holland and none of his people ever wanted to go up against the Tiger and its 88mm High Velocity gun. Kind of ironic that there were plants growing on the top rear deck of the tank, where the grates were. Sort of a ploughshare from weapons feel.
Exactly, I like German tech but that doesn’t equate to politics. After all I can appreciate modern western technologies but not like political stances now from x y z nation. Sadly it’s become a thing to equate liking German armour for example with being a supporter of the regime which is a sad reflection on where we’re at in the world today I think.
Great mini-doco! Its always enjoyable to see what you'll come up with next brother, and this episode is no exception🔥
@@nateporteractual thanks! I was really pleased to find this spot and while I know it’s ’just a bridge’ it’s still cool to see how these items from the war have been repurposed!
@@WW2Wayfinder absolutely.! Thats a real interesting subject in itself and not one that many folks besides yourself have gone into in any depth.
Always enjoy your great content we will never miss one, thank you
@@greggriffin1 thank you! I know it’s merely a bridge today but quite cool to think how it came to be there and that it now rests quietly serving a much better purpose than its original one!
I once did a self guided barnstorming tour of Normandy starting at 5:30 in the morning from my hotel. Getting to the Tiger was the last stop. By then I was mentally done after driving so much, so when I got to town I pulled up to a police car, said Le Char, and got a police escort to the tank!
Haha sounds like an epic day! Glad you were able to find the Tiger and the local police helped you out! It’s not an easy one to find without Google Maps!
@@WW2Wayfinder Yes! Wouldn’t have found Wittman’s last battlefield without it.
Amazing, a piece of war being used for a peaceful purpose. Thank you, for bringing this to light. It was interesting and informative!
Very much a case of swords into ploughshares! I’m just pleased it was saved from the scrap merchant and actually has a use rather than being hidden away in a private collection
Vielen Dank für das Aufspüren dieses sehr geschichtsträchtigen Relikts! 👍 Diese Brücke rostet auch in 100 Jahren nicht durch!
Man kann wirklich nur hoffen, daß dieses Stück irgendwann nicht bei "Nacht & Nebel" verschwindet!
danke! Ich freue mich, dass dir die Folge gefallen hat, und ich stimme zu. Ich denke, diese Brücke wird uns alle problemlos überdauern!!!
That is so crazy but yet so awesome! Thanks for sharing this. Stay safe.
Thanks Mike! Was amazing to see it even if I was a little dubious when I first heard about it!
very informative . i thoroughly enjoyed this video thank you keep them coming.
Glad you liked it and hopefully a little different from the usual Normandy stuff here on CZcams!
@@WW2Wayfinder oh yeah definitely different than other Normandy videos
In my area ( battle of aachen) , there are still marston mats used as water drains, field fences and such.
Oh wow! Amazing what is still in use from all those years ago.
I’ve not spent enough time around Aachen and the west wall.
Interesting relic in Normandy. I wonder if any more like it are being re-purposed in some other remote spot. Thanks Jon, for your research on items that we would never see.
Thanks! It’s definitely something that couldn’t be ruled out! Ive seen Horsa Glider ramps used in a barn as supports for the roof in Normandy so I’m sure there’s lots more still to find out there!
That is so cool 👍🏻
A Tiger tank now serving the French,80 years on.
You definitely beat Mark Felton to this one!
@@TI4438 thanks!
Excellent and very interesting piece, in both senses of the word! Thank you for this and please keep them coming.
@@ColinH1973 glad you liked this one! I wanted to go into more detail about the tank that it came from but had to be quite vague but hopefully still interesting to see how some of these relics are being used all these years on from the fighting there
That Is an amazing find. Great video but that's what I have come to expect with the type of content you have on your channel! The Tiger was and still Is one of the most Iconic weapons ever produced by any country In the history of armed conflict!
@@TheGV50 thank you! Glad you enjoyed it and definitely something a bit out of the ordinary when we think of Normandy!
And I agree with you about the Tiger!
Brilliant Bridge amazing
It’s incredible isn’t it! And nice to know it’s been left on its former battlefield to serve a useful purpose!
That was definitely the most interesting thing I've seen so far today. strangely beautiful and stuff.
Glad you enjoyed it! I know it’s only a bridge by the history behind it and how it just quietly sits there I think is fascinating!
What an amazing find. Thank you for showing it
@@4nthr4x my pleasure! Was an incredible find and really pleased I was able to film there given how unique it is! Glad you enjoyed it and thank you for taking the time to watch
As always a very good production and quite interesting. Great work.
Thank you! Certainly not your average bridge! Glad you enjoyed it and thanks for taking the time to watch!
You really do some awesome videos. Thankyou
@@Explorer214urban that’s very kind of you to say so! I genuinely appreciate it!
What a remarkable find ! Good Job !!!
@@johnschofield9496 thank you! This was one of my favourite finds this time visiting Normandy, just because Tiger’s are rare at best and to find part of one being used as a bridge is even rarer! Thanks again for taking the time to watch!
Great research, thanks so much! I always look forward to your videos, which show in detail the events, although I understand why the location wasn't exactly shown.
@@alanclark4255 thank you! It was a tricky one but this was one that I really wanted to go into more detail on as I know the unit and tank involved but for the sake of preserving it I had to keep it deliberately vague. Certainly not my usual style but needs must some times! Hope it didn’t detract too much though
Bonkers! I gather there are some bridges still in use that are made out of parts from the Mulberry harbours.
@@moobaz8675 it won’t surprise given how much was repurposed. There’s a couple of Bailey Bridges around Carentan still in use from the Summer of ‘44!
Thank you.
@@joemabry9643 you’re most welcome!
Excellent as always
Thank you! Hopefully something a little different, and unique!
That's really amazin. Thanks for sharing!
My pleasure! Glad you enjoyed it! It’s incredible that even 80 years on relics from the fighting there are still in use!
Homage to being made from warrior armor of the Tiger to footbridge in peace. It a page from the Scripture Micah 4:3-5. When will we ever learn. Thanks for sharing WWII history!! Much appreciations to you.
Fascinating find!
It's incredible isn't it how it just remains there as time passes by. Also nice that it's not in a tourist spot.
excellent as always...need i say more?...great content
@@kevgoeswandering8488 thanks! Just something a little different but quite unique to that part of the world!
That was awesome, who would think pieces like this were parts to such deadly beasts, a simple plate of steel, a foot bridge, like a dragon which was slain death came to the one who caused death. Ironic if one thinks about it.
This was very cool.
Amazing.
Thank you! Cheers!
Iv seen it for myself 2 yrs ago, great piece of history...
@@thenoworriesnomad nice! It’s a fantastic area isn’t it!
@@WW2Wayfinder yep it sure is…
Crazy cool!!!!!
Thanks!!
amazing, thanks for sharing
You’re most welcome, thanks for taking the time to watch!
Cheers enjoyed that one 👍
@@allanburt5250 glad you liked it! Only a short one but something that I don’t believe has been seen on CZcams before!
@WW2Wayfinder I can't say I have seen before either. Keep them coming please, thanks for sharing
fascinating , thanks for the video.
Glad you enjoyed it! Definitely something you won’t find anywhere else!
That's crazy...I wonder how many people have crossed that stream without even realizing...I've got a keen eye...but I'm sure I mightn't have noticed it at first glance...
I was thinking the same thing while I was there. How many people use it day to day without knowing what it used to be part of!
You are very fortunate
Incredible 🤯👏
Very cool! Yeah, best not to tell. If I owned that I wouldn’t want it taken!
Thank you! And yes it’s a tricky one as I know the history of the tank but I didn’t want to give too much away in case some idiot decided they want it for their collection. They’d be lucky to try though as it’s well dug in and not exactly light though!
@@WW2Wayfinder you did great! I also liked how you straight up told us….we don’t need to invade the owners privacy-it’s enough to respect 🫡 him/her!
What a inventive way to use what they had at the time, now the question is what did they use the rest of the tank for?
That is a good question! From the research I did I wasn’t able to find out exactly but everything pointed toward the scrap merchants taking their fare share post war.
@@WW2Wayfinder Not surprising considering they stripped everything they could to get what was in short supply.
@@dnldcow very much so, and from other accounts I’ve read, the local French farmers and villagers took it all for scrap as they received little or no reparations for the damage to their properties from the French state
That's amazing, and cool. The shiny weld bead is the result of the Germans using stainless steel filler rod. Great regional history! Love,,,DUBS.
Ah I didn’t know that! I studied engineering but aeronautical engineering so heavy engineering isn’t my thing by trade but that is good to know! Glad you enjoyed the episode!
Fascinating and Thank you for sharing!
@@whisthpo glad you enjoyed it! Definitely not something you see everyday!!!
@@WW2Wayfinder Absolutely! I forgot to mention having not seen a fair amount of Wartime footage shown in this presentation before Jon...Your diligence is Most appreciated!.
You’re most welcome! Glad I was able to show you something new!
Thanks
Thank yous o much for the support Colin! That’s very very kind of you and I really appreciate it!
Great video
Thank you so much! Certainly something a little different but worth the attention given how rare and unique it is!
Very cool
Thank you!
What a great piece of recycling.
@@Jones-xx2gc absolutely!
Fantastic!!!
Many thanks!
What a great idea glad it didn't get scrapped ,be interesting to find out what chassis number it came from.
Exactly! It’s nice to know that there are still elements of the battle there that have been preserved and that it’s serving a genuine purpose.
Thx very much 👍🥲👍
You're most welcome!!
Bit like the Tiger gun barrel that’s holding up a broken beam in a French farmer’s barn. Saw it on a tv programme once.
I know the one you mean! There’s also a Panther barrel in a French Garden that I’ve seen a couple of times.
I think that was on combat dealers, one of Bruce,s contacts has it propping up a roof section.
Much respect for sharing but not revealing the location good on you friend❤
No worries! I think it's safe where it is but felt it best to keep it vague!
@@WW2Wayfinder glad you did ...IF I saw it I would have to have a piece of it for my collection ...who has a piece of a war torn tiger besides russian back country men I bet its not rare in Russia but in America stop it thanks for you time keep posting vids
Incredible
Thank you!
This was very interesting and concise for a short video. In fact I felt like there was a tension in the conciseness, like I was a teenager out at night with a friend on a mission to steal another friend's hub caps as a joke, only to see that a police car had slowed down to see something and maybe the something was us still carrying the hubcaps! Are you sure you were allowed to be there at the Tiger Hull Bridge? Of particular interest to me was the line of small L shaped weld beads which at one point held weldments on the sides. The little square bits of iron with a threaded hole in the center which allowed the row of fenders (or wings) to be bolted onto the side of the Tiger.
I watched another video tonight about a Panzerkampfwagen Tiger Ausf.B (Sd.Kfz.182) which had been disabled by falling into a deep shell crater during the Falaise Pocket slaughter, sold to an scrap iron monger who tried to break it up with explosives because the tank was in the shell crater in the middle of an important road, the crater being wider than the road itself. That failed although it did to damage to the hull interior. So, the Tiger was left in the crater, which was filled with dirt and then the road was paved. According to the narrator, whoever owns the Tiger, whether it is an individual or association or the small town, has already started restoring the turret but the hull and suspension are too heavy for their equipment to move it. However, due to the suspicion that there are live explosive ordnance still in the hull and that the explosion made by the scrap iron monger might have dislodged the 88mm shells leaving them in and unsafe position, no attempt has been made to try to move the hull. And the turret may be in pieces. The people there know what shape it is in but I do not, only having seen a photo of one of the sides of the turret. At any rate, Dr. Mark Felton did a video a while back about Tigers which may still be intact in France and I think Germany. One is of course the Panzerkampfwagen Tiger Ausf.B (Sd.Kfz.182) which the video
( czcams.com/video/wlxSgUOmQpw/video.html ) is concerned with, another having either fallen into a river (I don't think it is the Seine) falling from a bridge or barge. At any rate, it is in the river which flows through a city. And the last one is at the bottom of a lake. But back to the one in the video I watched tonight, hearing this confuses me somewhat because Dr. Felton said in his video that although the town is interested in restoring it to working order the town has been stifled for several years because France passed a law which says something to the effect that only government museums may retrieve tanks from under the ground or under water and restore them. Basically the town wants to restore the tank to become a tourist draw and the French government wants it for the museum at Saumur for basically the purpose of drawing tourists. The video linked above noters that there is already a running Tiger Ausf.B in the museum. Also the narrator notes that the one which the town wants to restore was recently insured by some unnamed individual or organization for the amount of 2,000,000 Euros. So, the Vimoutiers Sd.Kfz.181 PzKpfw VI Tiger Ausf. E is not the only Tiger that stands intact in France and Northwest Europe.
From what I have read, when the Tiger E came out it did not have a Sd.Kfz. followed by numbers as its designation. It was simply called The Tiger. When the second Tiger was introduced there had to be numbers added due to keeping the ordnance officers informed of what parts and equipment were needed for which vehicle. Basically the "Sd.Kfz." means "special purpose vehicle. This designation came out early in the newly reformed Wehrmacht and it referred to what kind of armored tracked or armored half tracked or non armored tracked vehicle they were. For instance, the maultiers based on wheeled trucks made by Ford or Opel had to have a number to tell the difference. When the Tiger came out, the name alone was used but when the second came out, they had to have numbers. So there was the number Sd.Kfz. 181 and the Sd.Kfz. 182. That is why some people, apparently the scale model community, started using just the name and the last number and what do you know, we come out with Tiger 1 and Tiger 2. But during the war and for a long time after the beasts were called Tiger E and Tiger B. Apparently since the letter B comes before the letter E, that confused modelers into thinking that the B was the boxy Tiger and the E was the sloped armor vehicle. so the wartime designations were dropped just about everywhere, from model companies to museums. However, museums know or should know that the wartime designation is the correct one, the correctness determined by the contemporary war time designation. Boring but I don't mind getting educated and using the contemporary rather than the current destinations. And this is sadly a parallel situation to one particular airplane used by the Luftwaffe, the fighter known as the ME 109. It was in either the late 90s or early years of our new millennium. Called the ME109 by the designer who later owned the company that built that plane, some American over 55 years after the war read that at early after it was designed by Willie Messerschmitt it was manufactured by a company with the designation Bf on its planes, even though Willie was a part owner, the 109 was given the designation BF. But before the war, Willie took full ownership of the company, and forming his own out of the old, the designation became ME from then on. Sadly, the communications department at Messerschmitt often used the designation BF in their publications including on plaques inside the plane itself, while at the same time often using ME for the same plane in their publications and on plaques. So someone 55 years later went on a campaign to start calling it the BF109. Some museum people (no they aren't all perfect experts) started calling it the BF109 and now, every company that makes models of the airplane boldly call it the BF. But take note, when this controversy started and made its way into flight publications, Willie was still alive. So one publication took the opportunity to write to Mr. Willie and ask him which designation was right. Willie got the letter and rather than taking out us own pen and paper he wrote a simple statement on the letter he had just received. In big letters he wrote "It is the ME109." and mailed it back to the magazine. I think that should have been the end of that controversy but some people can't admit they are wrong and other people have heard the wrong designation most of all of their lives and both continue uu to use the designation BF. It is still on the boxes of every model company model plane of the ME109. But recently I saw a video about the how much better the Fock Wolfe 190 was than the ME109 and the fellow from the Imperial War Musems who stood beside a Me109 and talked about its great points and its deficiencies refused to call it the BF109 even though some of his other coworkers who were also interviewed were calling it the BF109 15 years after Willie stated emphatically that it was named the BF 109. But the fellow we are talking about also did not call it the ME109, he simply referred to it as the 109. Maybe the chief director for the aeronautical branch of the Imperial MuseumS had loved building model "BF"s as a kid or as an adult, had told him never to call it an ME109 so he knew the truth but needed his job to pay his mortgage and car note while at the same time just could not ruin his sense of telling the truth and so he simply called it the 109. Maybe his boss and co workers would not notice that he left out the BF. Well, sorry, this is the end of my long rant. Hope you enjoyed it more than I did.
20 years visiting Normandy huh? I had only four damn days in my only visit.
I got lucky and lived near the south coast of England for a while so was only a 3 hour ferry crossing at one point so had to make the most of it!
T(h)ank you for sharing. What a great battle relic with a useful peacetime purpose.
haha you're most welcome! Definitely something you don't see every day!
A very fitting place for it to be.
Agreed!
Fantastic 😮
Thank you!
TY 🙏🙏
@@eric-wb7gj my pleasure!
Ive a few small pieces of Tiger tank armour. The weldlines show quality work if you compare them to the same type of weldlines in WW2 Soviet tanks. Quality over quantity but we all know how that ended up.
@@Roller_Ghoster sounds like a great collection! And I agree on the quality, the engineering that went into them!
Years ago my father took us round the tank museum at Bovingdon. As an engineer he too was impressed at the finish on a Tiger compared to the T34; clearly a lot of man hours went into angle grinding down the welds on the former - that's why they only made a tiny number.
That is so cool to see! I wonder how it ever got there. Was it blown apart or cut up with a torch? Or maybe even a combination of the two? Great bit of history!
The tank it originated from was damaged during an engagement with British Armour and then abandoned by its crew. However after that quote how it ended up where it remains today wasn’t something I was able to discover so can only guess a local or two decided they needed a bridge and they just happened to have a Tiger on hand they could cut up for that purpose!
I hope it stays there for a long time, unmolested, not being stolen, and the kids with their spray paint cans never find out where.
Fortuantely it's ina very isolated spot so it should be safe from vandals and it's buried into the ground on either end so any effort to remove it would be significant and attract attetion!
Is that bridge common knowledge? I'm surprised it hasn't been 'collected'.
To a degree yes but it’s so isolated and not to mention very, very heavy. It would take some serious machinery to even attempt to move it, thankfully!
Very interesting, i Like it
@@christianb8735 thank you! Glad you enjoyed it!
Amazing!!!
@@417jumps3 thank you!
@@WW2Wayfinder ALWAYS!!! I’m always anticipating new content from you and your channel!! Thanks for that!!!
I KNOW WHERE THAT IS!
😉
Awsome!!👍
@@tommytaylor4458 thank you!!
I dream to go to Normandy my dad was there daring WW2 and he never talked about it but his brother did and he told me my dads story and I so want to see the areas and the beaches but don’t know if I’ll every will
I hope you’re able to. It’s such a wonderful and welcoming place and I’m always more than happy to provide travel advice or places to see so if you do plan a trip and need any help just let me know!
If you come here, maybe you may be disappointed. Almost nothing is left from this era. Except in museums. For instance, It's been decades that the landing beaches are normal recreation beaches for locals and tourists.
Can yo do one of the attack at Cagny in normandy by the guards armoured division. Me and my bro took my father back there in the 70's and he showed us a farm yard that they had attacked across the railway lines. He told us all about the fighting there but we know little about how this attack was in the grand scheme of things.
@@stevekay5486 I can certainly look at it for a future episode!
Which French town has a Tiger chassis with a platform on top for fixing street lights?
I’ve not heard of that before but I’ll look in to it as it sounds intriguing!
@@WW2Wayfinder I read it in a guide book a few years ago but don't remember any more details other than the book author had been in the town and heard the tank engine and then it came round the corner with workers checking lights or phone wires.
That needs removing to somewhere safe, a tank renovation
I wish they would lower the gun on the tiger so it doesn’t funnel water into the hull
Agreed! It needs so much care and attention not to mention money to try and preserve it.
@@WW2Wayfinder Can’t a friends of the Tiger Facebook page by started ?,It needs a shelter over the top as well it can’t be left out there to disintegrate
Excellentt
Thank you! Glad you enjoyed the episode!
Should repaint it
For the past three years I’ve been told it’s meant to be undergoing a restoration programme but so far nothing has happened sadly!
Brilliant stuff it was useful in wartime and now useful in peacetime that's what I call recycling ♻
Very much so!