North Africa Color Photographs Part IV – Panzer Graveyard at Beja, Tunisia

Reference

Several interesting color photos of knocked out German tanks near Beja, Tunisia.  The area was known as “Hunt’s Gap”.  On 28FEB43 Panzers of Kampfgruppe Lang were engaged by British Churchills, one being credited with knocking out a Tiger.  Several of the German tanks maneuvered off the road where they encountered mines and soft ground, subsequently being subjected to a prolonged artillery barrage.  Over the next few days additional vehicles were lost in the same area, including at least one more Tiger, two American halftracks, and an American tank destroyer.  Both the British and the Germans reportedly set demolition charges in some of the abandoned tanks before these photographs were taken.

A general view as American G.I.s examine a Panzer IV.
A better view of the Panzer IV from the previous photograph with a track from a wrecked Tiger in the foreground.
More wreckage, the view from on top of the Panzer IV in the previous photo.
Close-up of the Tiger wreckage with the Panzer IV in the background.
Another wrecked Panzer IV, this is the one in the background of the other photos.
An engineer preparing demolition charges under a Tiger. Seems everyone got into the act of wrecking disabled Tigers.
The engineer inspecting his work. The Tiger hull has flipped over and is on fire.
View from in front of a Panzer III of sPzAbt 501
Rear of the burning Tiger.
Another view.

Part I here: https://inchhighguy.wordpress.com/2023/03/08/north-africa-color-photographs-part-i-a-war-correspondents-tour-of-tunisia/

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Published by Jeff Groves

Scale Modeling and Military History

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11 thoughts on “North Africa Color Photographs Part IV – Panzer Graveyard at Beja, Tunisia”

  1. Pingback: North Africa Color Photographs Part IV – Panzer Graveyard at Beja, Tunisia – Lest We Forget
  2. Pingback: North Africa Color Photographs Part III – More American Equipment – Inch High Guy

    1. There are photos of that area with hay mounds, there are a few in the background of some of these shots but you can’t tell that’s what they are. It is surprising, but it can’t all be sandy desert or nothing could live there.

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      2. Agreed! It was also reported that there had been rains recently, and several of the German tanks had become mired when they went off the road. You can see mud in the tracks of the Tigers which supports this. Now that would present an unexpected obstacle for a “desert” scenario!

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  5. I lived and worked in the Middle East for over 3 decades and watched the desert spring to life after it rained. It’s an amazing transformation the occours literally, overnight.

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