Description
You are bidding on a VERY NICE relic example of a WW2 German Wehrmacht Steel Zughaken (Towe Hook), as ONLY used on the larger tanks, such as the Panzerkampfwagen VI E (Sd.Kfz. 181) “Tiger”, Panzerkampfwagen V (Sd.Kfz. 171) “Panther”, and others! Though I do not have any specific history, it was originally found in the area of the Kurland Pocket.
The Tiger I was a German heavy tank of World War II that began operational duty in 1942 in Africa and in the Soviet Union, usually in independent heavy tank battalions. It gave the German Army its first armoured fighting vehicle that mounted the 8.8 cm (3.5 in) KwK 36 gun (derived from the 8.8 cm Flak 36, the famous “eighty-eight” feared by Allied troops).
1,347 were built between August 1942 and August 1944. After August 1944, production of the Tiger I was phased out in favour of the Tiger II. While the Tiger I has been called an outstanding design for its time, it has also been called overengineered, using expensive materials and labour-intensive production methods. In the early period, the Tiger was prone to certain types of track failures and breakdowns. It was expensive to maintain, but generally mechanically reliable.
Today, only nine Tiger I tanks survive in museums and private collections worldwide. As of 2021, Tiger 131 (captured during the North African campaign) at the UK’s Tank Museum is the only example restored to running order.
The Panther tank, officially Panzerkampfwagen V Panther (abbreviated Pz.Kpfw. V) was a German medium tank of World War II. It was used in most European theatres of World War II from mid-1943 to the end of the war in May 1945.
The Panther was intended to counter the Soviet T-34 medium tank and to replace the Panzer III and Panzer IV. Nevertheless, it served alongside the Panzer IV and the heavier Tiger I until the end of the war. While having essentially the same Maybach V12 petrol (690 hp) engine as the Tiger I, the Panther had better gun penetration, was lighter and faster, and could traverse rough terrain better than the Tiger I. The trade-off was weaker side armour, which made it vulnerable to flanking fire, and a weaker high explosive shell. The Panther proved to be effective in open country and long-range engagements. The Panther had excellent firepower, protection and mobility, though early variants suffered from reliability issues. The Panther was far cheaper to produce than the Tiger I. Key elements of the Panther design, such as its armour, transmission, and final drive, were simplifications made to improve production rates and address raw material shortages.
The Panther was rushed into combat at the Battle of Kursk in the summer of 1943 despite numerous unresolved technical problems, leading to high losses due to mechanical failures. Most design flaws were rectified by late 1943 and early 1944, though the Allied bombing of production plants in Germany, increasing shortages of high-quality alloys for critical components, shortage of fuel and training space, and the declining quality of crews all impacted the tank’s effectiveness. Though officially classified as a medium tank, at 44.8 metric tons the Panther was closer in weight to contemporary foreign heavy tanks. The Panther’s weight caused logistical problems, such as an inability to cross certain bridges; otherwise, the tank had a very high power-to-weight ratio which made it highly mobile.
The naming of Panther production variants did not follow alphabetical order, unlike most German tanks – the initial variant, Panther “D” (Ausf. D), was followed by “A” and “G” variants.
Made of solid manganese-nickel steel, this LARGE Tank Towing Hook is in NICE relic condition! Though it does have some very slight pitting, it is one of the NICEST I have seen in a while, and is VERY solid (probably usable). No damage, breaks, or bends…however…the central locking mechanism is missing (probably from a destroyed tank). Weighing approx. 50 lbs.,I have shown the exact location in the last photos. Would make a PERFECT item for any collection or display!
