A tale of two tigers

Merv

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I have just returned from my bike trip to Poland,ended up going by myself as my usual companion had to cancel at the last minute,but i had a great trip anyway.I wanted to visit the Vimoutiers Tiger on the way out and the Royal Tiger at La Glieze on my way home,
The tiger 1 at Vimoutiers was abandoned during the battle of the Falaise after it ran out of fuel trying to get to a fuel dump and was disabled by its crew.I will post up links to info on both tanks later,It was amazing for me to see wire wrapped round the final drive on one side which could only have got there when the tank was mobile and also there was mud around the drive sprocket on the inside which i reckon was there from when this tank was in service as due to its location the weather would not get at it.Owning excavators i know how hard it is to wash track frames and track chains,u never get all the mud of.The pictures show the mud and wire
 

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some more!
 

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last ones from this tiger
 

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The second tiger is a later model and was abandoned in La Gleize in Belgium during the battle of the bulge on 24 dec 1944,The Germans were surrounded here and had to abandon all there armour due to lack of fuel and fight their way out on foot,there was seventy tanks abandoned in this small area.the Tiger 1 didnt look that big but the royal tiger is impressive in this respect,photos below and link to follow:aidan
 

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some more
 

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and the last ones
 

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Thanks for posting your photos.

Do tell us a bit more about your trip......please.

By the way more power to you for still going on your own. I don't think I could have. I would have been too lonely.:comfort I need a bit of :blagblah
 
merv,

Give me a shout if you want some company in future.

All my biking mates own jap bikes and just want to do local 50 mile blasts. Me I would rather do what you've just done.

Nick.
 
Arty b/w pic of Panther in Houffalize (without Jap bikes).
12-pantherinhouffalise.jpg


The King Tiger (with Jap bikes in the background)
16-kingtigeratlagleize.jpg


Sherman in Bastogne (with Jap bikes in the foreground)
34-bastogne.jpg


:aidan
 
Pansmiker,will post some more details of my trip when i am home again in two weeks as i work in scotland.
B4ndit,i intend to do france and belgium next year for 8_10 days,if ur up for it when the time comes no problem.
Davy ,that panther is on the list for next year along with the other two in belgium.
I stopped of at the iwm at duxford on the way home and i reckon this is the best museum ive been to,the sheer volume of exhibits is unreal and will warrant another visit with more time set aside to see all:thumb
 
Nice post,shame about your mate bailing at the last minute. Same thing happened to me went to Auschwitz this year on my own,then down to Colditz,whee i got my camera nicked:( Good trip though.:thumb:thumb
 
Nowt wrong with the TDM great bike under rated by many ,to there cost. Would have another if it was just me but a little ickle for the mrs and luggage. Cracking photo`s again tho.
As said how did you get there/ stayed , good post
Stu
 
I left Glasgow and sailed to Ireland on the Troon to Larne fast ferry ,I spent one night at home in Portglenone and set of the next morning for Rosslare in Southern Ireland to get the overnight 19 hour sailing to Cherbourg.I spent the rest of the day in Normandy and spent the night in Caen.I travelled the next day via backroads to Vimoutiers and then Chartres and the following day made it to the f1 hotel Mulhouse.Now my intentions were to be in Dresden the next evening but i arrived here at 4 oclock so decided to blow her on down to Slawkow in Poland as i was meeting my wife and daughter who flew into krakow that evening and i was on the beer at 8.30 with the missus after 1200 kms.I had arrived here without showing anyone any id or my passport since leaving Glasgow..Spent the next two days chillin out before i rode up to Lodz and the mrs got her uncle to take her and the wee lady to her house in sokoniki out side Lodz where we stayed for five days with the odd spin out on the bike to keep me occupied.Lodz was a crazy place to ride through as the is no ring road yet and u have to go through the city center with cars ,trams and trucks coming at u in all directions.
I made a daytrip to see the 380 m long train bunker at Konewka as a consilation as i didnt have the time to go to the wolfs lair bunkers in the mazury redgion .The bunker was alright if you are in the area but not worth going out of your way to see[pics below]
My trip back took me to Poznan ,Berlin and Magdeburg in Germany on the first day and then on to in Leige in Belgium where i spent the evening in the Ardennes forest visiting the second tiger
Next morning i set of for Bastoyne where i spent an hour then backroads to Calais via Dinant in Belgium..The roads in this part of Belgium were great and it really is a nice part of the world.
I stayed in Calais that night with a trip in the eurotunnel the next morning wherei had to show my passport for the first time.Stopped at the iwm at Duxford on the way to Glasgow where i arrived at 8.30 and was back at work the next morning at 7[tough day]
ps not sure if this is the norm as i only used a toll road in Poland but from Lodz to Poznan u get a ticket going onto the motorway[ self service like a car park] and u pay 80kms up the road.it then changes to paying before u go on to the motorway ,bit confusing when u turn up expecting an attendant and theres no one there.They also accept euros on the tolls:aidan
 

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more pics
 

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some more
 

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