King Tiger Restoration - Up Close with the King Tiger At the Swiss Military Museum
The King tiger restoration that is being undertaken by the Swiss Military Museum is a fascinating project.
In this episode we will take a behind the scenes tour of the project and see the work that has gone into the restoration of this King Tiger and the level of detail the team are working towards.
For more information about the King Tiger, its restoration and the Swiss Military Museum you can visit their website at:
www.festungsmuseum.ch/
If you are a fan of German armour then this episode is one you will not want to miss!
#kingtiger #ww2wayfinder #alliedassault #normandy #normandie #usarmy #britisharmy #germanarmy #armor #armour #tigertank #kingtiger #Panzer #history
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All these decades later it is still an amazing Monster.
Incredible isn’t it. That main gun still looks terrifying today!
Just as long it was,nt hunting u. To me they are absolutely amazing tank to look at and see it in motion.
As a retired mechanical and machine tool fitter I can only imagine what a magnificent thrill it must be to be involved in such an amazing project. Such an awesome piece of engineering that tank is when you think it was manufactured so long ago.
It’s quite something isn’t it! The team are doing such a great job on it.
@@WW2Wayfinderможет быть у вас команда людей с золотыми руками, но знайте, эта техника принесла столько горя Русскому народу. может не стоит показывать все это? у меня на войне погибли два деда борясь с фашисткой нечистью, для кого вы это все выкладываете? не спорю, может тогда это и были высокие технологии, но т 34 их жгли. не надо восхвалять все это!!! сейчас ваши леопарды горят на Украине, так, что не хвалитесь!
There's a similar project in Texas at this time
@@operatorphantom1459 Really? Where in Texas? Thanks.
Especially during constant bombing of all production facilities. This tank ate IS2 !
I’m of German origins and served in the U.S. Army on tanks and can really appreciate the awesomeness of the Tiger series of tanks!
They are doing a great job. Having been involved in a detailed early Panther A model restoration I know how long it can take to restore one of these tanks. An interesting feature that all the Panthers and Tigers had was the main gun spent gas evacuation system. There was a small compressor mounted on the turret basket floor which in turn pressurised an air tank/air receiver. When the main gun fired and travelled back to its rest position after recoil, the breech would automatically open to discharge the spent shell case and as soon as the spent shell case had cleared the breech mouth, compressed air from the air tank receiver would be blown up the barrel so as to prevent the shell charge propellant gases from flowing back into the turret and chocking the crew. If you look at wartime footage of a Panther or Tiger firing the main gun, you can see the spent gases wafting out of the muzzelbrake after the recoil of the barrel has finished. This is from the compressed air travelling up the inside of the barrel. The compressor was driven via a gearbox on the turret basket which in turn was driven by the engine to main gearbox propshaft.
Oh wow! I’ve seen that before on original footage but didn’t realise it was as a result of the system you mentioned! Thank you for that and always great to learn more about these machines! Thanks again and thanks for taking the time to watch 😃
@@WW2Wayfinder You’re welcome. Keep up the great work.
Absolutely brilliant engineering !
Learned again something thx
@@I7435IC Sort of. A bit overcomplicated (cliche I know). If you had compressed air starter diesels in there you'd be able to just use some of that. Alternatively there are fume extracter designs that are passive.
Amazing detailed view of the königstiger. The birdseye view from inside the cupola really gives you the idea of how massive it really was. Kudos to the restoration team for giving this giant marvel life.
Thank you! The team there are so dedicated and it’s great to see how far it’s come in such a short space of time. It’ll be great to see it finally take to the field when it’s completed. Thanks for watching!
What an amazing sight, truly an impressive piece of machinery. Looks like they are doing a fantastic job of restoring the King Tiger. Looks like a pretty impressive museum. Thanks for bringing this to us Jon. 🫡
My pleasure! I just wish I’d had more time to document the collection there as it’s fantastic! They literally have floors and floors of armour, and everything else! And that’s just in one building! Thanks for watching 😃
What a beast. My favorite tank of all time. The German war machine was cutting edge. Industrial art masterpiece! Thanks for this content
You’re most welcome. It’s a great machine and when it’ll be incredible when they have it outside running again!
I am realy looking forward to that. @@WW2Wayfinder I was at the Museum this year and saw the tanks for the first time. the tiger 2 is just huge, its armor is so thick and its cannon is so long... that realy impressed me a lot. if felt like a 12 year old again walking around the tank with my mouth open allmost all the time. if u get the tiger 2 running i will definitly be there again to see that. For everyone: The museum is definitly woth visiting it. Go visit and support it!
It's really cool to see over the past few years so many museums are restoring their old rare ww2 tanks
It’s great isn’t it. The Tank Museum in Dorset has some interesting projects on the go and the museum in Samur is hoping to have their Tiger 1 running for the Normandy anniversary apparently!
I still remember seeing and touching that Monster at Thun in 1984 ... We were given a guided tour by one of the Troopers. So happy that it will be running again. Thank you for the Video.
Oh cool! Nice that you’ve seen it before and now you can see where it’s at and the work the team have done!
You deserve the joy of standing under that turret. Each of the episodes I watch of yours especially on the Battle of the Bulge are fantastic but so respectful to the fallen. Great stuff
Thank you, it was a great day to see what they’ve accomplished with it and as an engineer by trade I really appreciate the workmanship that has gone into it so far.
King Tiger is Amazing! Imagine meeting one of these on the battlefield! Thanks for bringing us this content
Thank you for watching! It’s an incredible piece of engineering and it was great getting up close with the work the team are doing there!
Thank you for the update Please follow up in the future
So very few of the Tigers left, its amazing just to see the video. Must be the thrill of a life to be a part of it.
It was incredible to see it up close and really examine the work the team have done with it! Thanks for watching!
I believe that this is the best restoration ever of the Königtiger and I'm truly impressed with your workmanship! Please accept my congratulations for doing such great job 👍👍👍👍
It’s a wonderful job the team are doing there and when finished it will look truly outstanding! Thanks for watching 😃
I echo this. For a long time I have been lamenting that only the Tiger I was successfully restored to working condition, while every Tiger II was either half-stripped or sectioned or otherwise clearly a salvage. So I was overjoyed when I stumbled on this video and learned that a Tiger II is being restored to practically mint condition! Amazing work and effort, and I only wish there was some way I could meaningfully contribute from my corner of the world. Thank you for the excellent and informative video! The advantage of the overlapping but not interleaved suspension system of the Panther, Tiger II and late Tiger Is over the overlapping-and-interleaved one of the early Tiger Is could *really* be felt if you needed to replace one of the inner wheels. With the newer suspension, you'd have to remove at most 2 wheels; with the early Tiger I's, you may have to remove up to 8 or 9! Coupled with the fact that the early rubber-rimmed wheels quite often shed the rubber, this was a major maintenance pain in the @$$.
@@DenKHK After all, the Tiger II tank in running condition has been located in the Saumur museum for long time. Did you not know about it?
@@ukasz-zm9qc You're absolutely correct, I did see a video of it at a tank show (I think it's the one you're referring to) sometime ago but had completely forgotten about that one. Still, this project has the potential to create one "factory fresh", and lay the groundwork for making any parts needed to keep all of them running in future.
Jon very well done! There is no way in hell that I would want to be on the receiving end of that projectile! Thank you for taking the time to share that. Very much appreciated. Be safe.
Thank you 😃 It’s quite incredible isn’t when you see the size of the projectile and think of how fast it would be travelling! While the tank itself had lots of faults on the battlefield one thing the Germans got right was that main gun!
Amazing work so far. I hope I am still alive to see it back together and running in all its glory. The King Tiger is the most monstrously beautiful tank to ever grace a battlefield in my humble opinion. I have actually climbed up on the Tiger 1 , King Tiger and Jadgtiger 128MM at Aberdeen Proving Grounds Army base and tank museum. They are now restoring the Tiger 1 and will , one at a time, restore all 3 to Running condition. They moved them to the Patton tank museum for restoration.
It's incredible isn't it! Hopefully the museum have it up nad running within the next couple of years!
Profesjonalna opowieść👍
Great video!!!👍
Thank you!
The war started with tankettes and ended with these beasts, great video, thanks!
It’s an incredible period of development isn’t it! Thanks for watching.
The Ausralian Armor Museum has had a number of workshop videos on their restoration projects. Many started as blown to pieces hulks...
That’s a museum I would love to visit! The work those guys are doing there is amazing.
Because they probably don't want anybody to see how they cut corners with the restorations!!!
Thats true.But They havn't King 🐯.
@@martinkukumberg1908 and probably never will as these don't exactly grow on trees any more, if ever....but there's i e one unrestored King Tiger in Belgium standing outside as a monument for the battles there during WWII since decades ago that could actually be replaced by a replica and no one would probably mind, very, very pitty letting a rare original like this be destroyed by weather elements just for show!!! P.S. There goes a rumour there's at least one submerged King Tiger in one of germany's rivers (forgot the name), but no one knows if that's true or not....
I can imagine it is the small things like the fan on this project that cause a lot of headache. Awsome work!
The chap I spoke to said it took a long to get right as the blades are so intricate and such odd shapes! It’s definitely a testimony to the team that they got it right!
11:22 interesting! This is also how we got the Puma, but in reverse. There was a plan for a 50mm gunned Pzii but the project was cancelled. But they already built the turrets. So instead of scrapping them, they mounted them on an existing armoured car chassis, and voila we have the 50mm pak puma !
Outstanding video and presentation.
Thank you!
Well done. Thank you for bringing us along on the amazing journey that King Tiger has had.
My pleasure! It was very cool being able to see the work they’ve done on it and very kind of the museum to allow me to film there with such unrestricted access! They’ve also got such a vast collection it would take a few episodes to cover it all!
That turret ventilation fan is actually pretty important, because you get cordite fumes from the breech of the main gun when it opens after firing to reload.
Very much so! I can’t imagine how thick the air would get after the first couple of rounds in the turret! Thanks for watching.
German guns removed fuse's automatically right after shooting end of the barrel before opening the Lock and throw out the shell..it was semiautomatic gun.
Re Cordite ... Germany did Not use Cordite. England did.
Great presentation! Great presenter! Great voice!
Thank you!
When I tell people that there is only krupp turrets, that the same foundry made all the konigstiger turrets, they call me stupid. Its really refreshing to hear another source talk about it. I prefer the early and production labels.
Thank you! I too prefer the early turret. It had such an iconic look to it! Thanks for watching.
Great restoration 👍
OP great documentary! A real deep-dive into the innards of the mighty King.
Thank you! Hopefully I’ll be able to return when it’s up and running so we can all see it being put through its paces!
Fantastic, detailed video. 👍👍
Thanks for watching 😃
You so accessible, and low-key I assumed you are an average Joe like me- But, you are a serious historian!! You’re very impressive👍
As an ex factory maintenance fitter i was well used to having to fabicate new parts or get the tool room to machine new stuff but this is next level, lots of skills on show looking at this from sheet metal work to machining, and that ventilation fan is a mini work of art, whoever made that should be proud. Easy to forget the heritage of this thing and what it stood for but lumps of metal dont have ideology its the people creating them. The sheer size and power of these things is mind blowing seeing one of these from the turret of a Sherman must have been terrifying knowing what that L71 could do (and probably still pose a serious problem for a lot of modern armour) As a model maker this is a brilliant reference, great video.
This will definitely be the best running KT in the world
I agree! I think it’ll be better than when it came off the production line!
@@WW2Wayfinder that's for sure, as most of the parts will be brand new with new technology
Brilliant informative video, it's so good to see these legendary machines being restored.
Thank you! And I agree completely, it’s great to think these vehicles will be around for the next generation to see and appreciate!
Tiger II: The Legends Never Die ❤💪🏽🇩🇪🐯👑
Great video. When finished there will one of a few operational King Tigers.
I believe the only other is in Samur in France (unless someone has one hidden well away from the public eye!) so it would be amazing to see them together at an event!
Thanks for the detailed look @ the King Tiger. Congratulations on reaching 100K Subs!
Thank you! Glad you enjoyed the episode! The work the team have done is amazing and it’ll be great to see it taking to the field again! And quite the shock to hit 100k today! Definitely a great feeling but I won’t be resting on my laurels. Lots of Battle of the Bulge content to come from next week onwards!
Incredible, love to see this and other resto projects like it everywhere. Can't wait to see this beauty running under her own power once again!
It’s amazing to see isn’t it! The dedication from the team is second to none! Thanks for watching.
Great report. Thank you for the understated, hype-free presentation. You let the story be the center piece and not an over dramatic presenter.
Thank you. The King Tiger is far more interesting than I’ll ever be and ultimately that’s the important part! Thanks again for watching.
A good family friend was a Tiger 1 driver during WW2…how awesome!!!
Oh wow! I bet he had some interesting stories. Do you know what Panzer Battalion he served with by any chance?
@@WW2Wayfinder I wish I did. Sadly he passed away about 5 years ago, he was a really nice man. I do know that he was captured by the Americans and worked as a mechanic in their Motor Pool. If I do find out more I will certainly post up here. At one point he showed me a few pics of him in uniform, which was really cool.
As expected, this was yet another great episode. This even looks like a King Tiger kit
Thank you! Definitely the ultimate model kit! Reminds me I’ve got a 1/35 scale one I need to finish on my work bench!
@@WW2Wayfinder only one!??
Thankyou for a great in depth and logical presentation. I am not a tank buff, despite having the deepest admiration for tank crews on all sides. I am just an engineering nerd and home fabricator. I restore old motorcycles of the 40's to 50's, so the word 'restoration' caught my attention. I ended up watching until the end. Well done. I'll be back for more.
Thank you! I’m always in awe of the skill of people like yourself who can take a wreck or a very old vehicle and bring it back to life! The work the team are doing there is of such a high standard it’s a joy to see it. Thank you for watching and hope you enjoy the rest of the channel 😃
Amazing!!! First time i hear of the history of this tank👍👍👍
Glad you know of it now! Their website is well worth a look (link is in the description) and their collection is huge! Thanks for watching 😃
@@WW2Wayfinder thx🙏🙏🙏
It's a good thing to preserve these vehicles. When I was at the Canadian War Museum in Ottawa, I was amazed with the German Engineering. With one finger in the barrel of a 37 mm cannon. I was able to rotate the turret. The security guard freaked. Hitler's armored limousine is there as well. Also a Panther.
Oh wow!!! I’ve not heard of that museum but I’ll check it out and I bet the face on the guard was priceless when you did that!🤣 And absolutely agreed about the preservation of these vehicles!
Absolutely wonderful. So many are grateful for your efforts! Thank you!!!❤❤❤
Glad you enjoyed it!
100k subs! Congratulations!
Thank you! Very humbling to reach that milestone today!😀
Brilliant mate! I was lucky to get a go in the one at the German Tank Museum, absolutely monstrous things!
Thanks mate! I need to visit that museum as their collection looks amazing!
@@WW2Wayfinder it’s absolutely fantastic, definitely a place I’d get to again!
Excellent.Thanks. Had frgotten about this restoration. In the 2013 National Geo Megastructures it was in afew more pieces.
Thank you! Cool that you’ve been able to see the progress on it! Thank you for watching 😀
Great job... 😊👍 Very good presented video contribution, congrats. The editing and camera are also very good.
Thank you!
Cracking review, bringing something new for tank enthusiasts. Your easy, well informed style is refreshing. Well done
Thank you! Hopefully it highlights the great work the team are doing there. Thanks for watching 😀
Браво реконструкторам 💫⚒️👍
Absolutely! Thanks for watching!
GREAT looking WWII tank! It never had a penetration of frontal armor and an impressive kill to loss ratio
If the Swiss are restoring this you know when they're done it will be in Better shape and of greater precision and accuracy than when it was originally built!!! 🤠👍
Absolutely! It"ll probably be in a better condition than when it left the factory all those years ago!
Thank you! I cant wait until its done. This is my favorite tank!
Thanks very much for the update , will be an interesting / incredible piece of history to marvel at , when finished , can't wait to hear it running !!! 💪😎
You’re most welcome! It’s always incredible to stand next to these machines and this one especially knowing it’ll run eventually. I just hope it can head back to see it being used! Thanks again for watching 😃
Ty I’m from Canada 🇨🇦, I love the king tiger tank since I was boy over 47 years ago.
They’re an amazing piece of engineering aren’t they?! Like you I’ve been a fan for many years and I know they had mechanical issues but I still really rate them!
This video was AWESOME my friend, war is terrible but the weapons and gear that has come from. It is incredible !! THANK you Frank from montana USA. PS. Wish I had one of those tanks to use deer hunting !!!!!! LOL.
You’re most welcome! Thank you for watching. If you had one for deer hunting you’d definitely be able to take them out, from well over a mile!😂
Amazing restoration! This one looks like it's fresh off the factory floor ready for action.
It’s incredible isn’t it! The level of detail the team are working to is fantastic to see! Thank you for watching!
The Swiss have a reputation for doing things right to a degree few others can achieve. That tradition is evident on the work they have done. Perhaps someday we will see this Tiger running along side the French Armor Museum's Tiger. What a sight that would be.
It would be amazing wouldn’t it if both could be on the field at the same time!
This was an awesome presentation to see a tiger II so very up close. Absolutely tremendous restoration project!
It’s amazing isn’t it. The teams work is first class and hopefully it won’t be much longer before it’s up and running again! Thanks for watching.
Holy Bajongers! that is a huge bit of kit. What a fantastic restoration. Thanks for sharing this ;)
No worries. It’s a great project and I hope as it nears completion it gets a lot more press as it’s going to incredible to see it on the field again.
Brilliant commentary. Fantastic piece of work. Thanks.
Thank you! Glad you enjoyed it 😃
Amazing job! Good luck!
Thank you very informative and what a massive tank.
My pleasure! And every time I’ve been next to a Tiger or King Tiger I’m always amazed at the sheer size of them! Thanks for watching 😃
THANK YOU for this fantastic video!!! I am anxious to see this restoration project reach its completion.
You’re most welcome! It’ll be amazing to see it up and running again.
Great video! What a great example Of German war history. Looks like they’re doing a great job of restoring it.
Thank you!
Thank you for preserving this important part of our world history!!
You’re welcome! The team are doing a fabulous job and if you have time the website they have details the post war history of the tank which is well worth a read (link is in the description)
Great details, what a amazing machine, thank you!
Glad you enjoyed it! It’s such an impressive machine and the team doing the work on it are definitely at the top of their game!
Ive seen the Tiger with the Early Krupp turret. It was a beauty
Agreed, definitley the better looking version of the King Tiger!
Really interesting video - What a great restoration project - Many thanks to the Tiger team for their efforts on bringing this beast back to life.
Thank you! The team are so dedicated to the job and it was great to speak with them about it. It’ll be a great tribute to them when it’s finally up and running again!
Imagine driving a Sherman and that monster pops out in front of you!
It must have been terrifying. I have total respect for tankers in WW2 because no matter how good your armour and gun was, someone always had a better one!
It would be one of those “Oh shit” ! moments.
wow! wish we had one . great detailed video. thanks.
It’s definitely a prized possession! I think only King Tiger 332 is in the US. The sectionalised one. It’s defiantly a shame more weren’t preserved at the end of the war although I understand why they weren’t. Thanks for watching!
@@WW2Wayfinder People were sick of war, the same as WW-I. The result was more war.
Outstanding presentation! I learned a lot. Thank you.
Thank you! Hopefully it show cases the excellent work the team are doing!
Great video, great presentation, great info. Thank you!!!
You’re most welcome, thank you for taking the time to watch 😃
Amazing report. Thank you !
You’re most welcome! Glad you enjoyed it
I’ve learned a few things from this video! A big thank you!
Great stuff! Glad you enjoyed it and thank you for watching!
Ihr müsst das Museum besuchen. Es ist einfach super! Man kann den Tiger sehen, wie er restauriert wird. Hier werden auch Fahrzeuge aus der halle geholt und man hat die möglichkeit mitzufahren. Eines der besten Museen die kenne. Den Besuch mit dem Festungsmuseum verbinden und der Tag ist Top.
It’s a great museum isn’t it! I couldn’t believe the amount of kit they had in there!
Thanks very interesting and learned so much. It's such a nice shape to look at and the workmanship is a credit can't wait for more.
Thank you! Agreed it’s a beautiful design and the work the team are doing is second to none! Thanks again for watching 😄
Keep up the good work men ,thanks
What a monster. Thank you so much for this video clip explaining the details of the Tiger 2. It is so massive and even with its flaws, I'm sure it was able to overcome the Allied armor very easily, especially from the front. I hope they do get this tank running.
Thanks for watching. It's quite the feat of engineering to bring it back to life and it would be amazing to see it up and running this year or next.
This comment from a veteran who served in a Mark IV , Panther and King Tiger. Ironically, the crew never felt secure inside of one, possibly because of the internal space. He thought the Panther was the best of the three.
Oh that’s interesting! Maybe the Panthers agility played a part in that I wonder?
Enjoy all of your videos, glad to see the steady increase in your subscriptions.
Thank you! Hitting 100k today has been amazing! Thanks for watching 😃
The Swiss are doing a great job and the restoration looks fantastic thus far. I gather they want to return it to ‘working’ condition (which seems great) but - Will the original engine and transmission system be used? If so, I wonder how reliable the beast will be. Bovington have huge resources devoted to their Tiger 1 and it breaks down quite a lot. Don’t get me wrong- I’d love to see King Tiger running at Tankfest.
That’s right it’ll be a runner when it’s complete. I’m not sure with the engine/transmission etc how much will be original and how much will be newly made but hopefully it’ll run well as it will be amazing to have another big cat up and running. I’m still yet to get to the Tank Museum when 131 is out in the paddock, hoping I can rectify that in 2024! Thanks for watching 😃
My favorate tank. Its so cool to see these being restored hopfully it will be able to drive around soon.
Thanks for sharing the incredible story of restoring this awesome piece of military history. In looking at the details of its construction, armament and frontal armor, it's no wonder this machine struck such fear on the battlefield. Looking forward to more videos as the restoration continues.
Thank you! It really is a beast, and very impressive to see up close. I hope to go back when its up and running to see it take to the field!
Great video - thank you very much!!!
You’re most welcome. Thanks for watching 😄
Superb video mate. The work those guys are doing in restoring it is amazing. What a beast of a tank
Thanks mate. It’s incredible isn’t it! Now we just need to see it take to the field!
A very impressive video Thank You. Really enjoyed the tour and it was nice listening to someone who knows what he is talking about.Liked n' Subscribed. Cheers
Thank you! Glad you enjoyed it, the King Tiger really is an impressive beast! And welcome to the channel too!
Fantastic "tour", what a beast, many thanks.
It’s incredible isn’t it! Thanks for watching😃
A Metal Machine!!
Great presentation, great restoration in progress. Every thing about this vid is great !Thanking you Robbbert from Melbourne Australia.
Thank you Robert, glad you enjoyed it! The team at the museum are doing a great job and it’ll be amazing to see it up and running again!
What a fantastic video about such an amazing tank. The King Tiger is such a formidable panzer. I'm glad they didn't but if the Germans had installed a better engine from the start of production, then I'm sure it would have performed much better on the battlefield. Thank you for this brilliant video! 😊
Glad you enjoyed it and absolutely agree about the engine!
Motor,převodovka a podvozek.Tyto agregáty nebyly dobré.
Thank you for making this video! Since recently obtaining a link of track from a Tiger 2, I've been very eager to learn more about this amazing tank! I found this video to be highly informative!
You’re most welcome, thanks for watching!
Great tour of a great tank! Thanks!
You’re most welcome!
8:41 im pretty sure the part described as “part of the floor” was the slip-ring assembly. The way of transferring electrical power from the hull into the turret.
Красивая машина, в которой каждый миллиметр прекрасен. Создатель дизайна этого монстра просто гений.
The algorithm actually gave me something that I fully dug here. Great video and the technology/engineering of the Tiger tank is scary when you think that roughly 20 years earlier tanks were the huge, slow and pretty much “point it in a direction and let it go until it breaks down”. The restoration crew are Swiss…that tank will look and function … possibly better than it performed after original production rollout.
Thanks for watching! The team in the museum are amazing and there dedication to getting it right is commendable and as you say it’ll be better than when it first came off the production line!
Having one of those in WW2 was like having a M1 on the battle fields in WW2 .
Awesome beast
Great video and information..keep them coming!!
Thank you!
Definitely hope to see more like this.