A 1st Company, s.Pz.Abt.501 Tiger meets its first camel. The 1st Company Tigers are easily identifiable by the way the headlights were affixed to the front of the bow plate, rather than up on the hull top corners. They were moved down there to avoid being broken off by low gun traverse.
501 Tigers in Africa
The first Tiger tanks to confront American and British troops in WW2 were those shipped to Tunisia after the Allied "Torch" Landings. These were 1st Company, schwere Panzerabteilung 501 Tigers and were some of the very early models with oversize stowage boxes and custom slotted exhaust covers.
On Nov.10, 1942 the 1st Company and is staff left Germany by rail for Reggio, Italy, and by Nov.20 were on their way to Tunisia by sea, arriving at Bizerta by Nov.23 with the first three Tigers. These first Tigers and four of their Pz.III/N's saw their first action on Dec.1/42 just east of Djedeida, destroying 9 U.S. and 2 British tanks.
The above shows the makeup and numbering system of the 501 as they were being prepared for the Tunisian Campaign. However, the complete unit would never see action together in Africa because they were thrown into action upon arrival, and by the time the last vehicles arrived, many of the earlier arrivals were already lost or out of service.
Eventually the 501 was incorporated into Pz.Regt.7 of von Armin's10th Pz.Div. in February 1943, as its IIIrd battalion. Because of this the turret numbering was changed to 711, 712, 714, 721, 722, 724, 731 and 732 for the Tigers. The accompanying Pz.IIIs were renumbered 713, 715, 723, 725, 733, 734 and 735. The 2nd Company Tigers were numbered 811, 812, 813, 821, 822, 823, 831 and 833.
Typical 1st Company turret number style for s.Pz.Abt.501.
