and it is with great pleasure and due to popular demand

這不是隨便一輛老舊的虎一式，而是世上唯一還能正常運作的 131 號虎一式戰車

that today we are going to look at the fantastic Tiger I.

在 1942 年到 1944 年之間，虎一式的產量僅有 1354 輛

Not only any old Tiger 1, of course, this Tiger 131

我身邊這位是伯明頓戰車博物館館長 David Willey

the only fully functioning Tiger 1 actually currently in existence in the world as we speak.

David，謝謝你的加入

Relatively few of course Tiger 1's were ever produced only 1354 between 1942 and 1944.

這輛 131 號虎一式可真是大有來歷

We are now joined by David Willey who is the curator of the tank museum here in Bovington.

它是在 1943 年初於北非被擄獲

Thank you very much for joining us David.

當時北非沙漠中的拉鋸戰已接近尾聲，希特勒了解德軍的命運岌岌可危

A bit of history about the marvelous Tiger 131.

他只得將最新的秘密武器送到突尼西亞，也就是虎式戰車

Well this particular Tiger was captured in North Africa in early 1943.

因此有部分虎一式戰車送過了地中海

It was sent out at the end of those see saw battles that had been going across the North African desert,

這輛戰車當時服役於 504 Schwere Panzer Battalion

out to Tunisia when finally Hitler realises the Germans are going to lose.

也就是 504 重型戰車營

He then reinforces the German army there with his latest secret weapon, that's the Tiger.

就在一個名為梅吉爾柏之處的山坡

So a number of them are sent across the Mediterranean.

受到英軍戰車的攻擊

This one is serving with the 504 Schwere Panzer Battalion

當時迎戰的是邱吉爾戰車

The 504th Heavy Tank Battalion.

我們知道它擊毀好幾台邱吉爾戰車，但從它毀損的程度看來可想見德軍為什麼要棄車了

It's on a hill side at a place called Medgelbab.

德軍應該要當場銷毀它，但卻沒有那麼做

British tanks are attacking it.

當初的命令就是那樣

There are Churchill tanks firing at it.

這是秘密武器，棄車時必須將它銷毀

We know it knocks out at least a couple of those Churchill tanks,

我們認為由邱吉爾戰車發射出的其中一枚砲彈擊中了砲管下方，毀損處等等大家會看到，那枚砲彈讓砲塔卡在車身上

but then we can see damage on this tank that we can now surmise why the German crew abandoned the tank.

也就是說砲彈由下打中了砲塔與車身的交會點，然後卡在那兒，讓組員無法轉動砲塔

They didn't blow it up, they should have done.

組員受傷與否我們不得而知，因為組員棄車而去，我們無法找到或追蹤到他們

That was the orders at the time.

德軍在戰爭日誌上用了「驚慌」這字眼描述他們逃離戰車的情景

It was a secret weapon, you should destroy your tank if you are going to abandon it,

這就是我們在西部戰線擄獲的第一台完整虎式戰車

But we think that one of the key rounds that was fired by a Churchill tank it goes under the barrel,

我們來看看戰損的部分

we can look at that damage in a moment, and it wedges the turret to the hull.

在防彈盾與砲管頭的部分，一發砲彈就這麼射過來，打中了下方、打中防彈盾

In other words it goes underneath the point meeting between the turret and the hull,

然後就卡在砲塔與車身之間造成戰損

jams in there so that the crew can't actually traverse the turret.

中彈當時火砲位置是正對前方，造成駕駛與副駕駛上方的車頂往下降，我手邊有當時的照片

And whether they were wounded, we just don't know

看得出來那兒受到了相當的損傷

we've never been able to find out or actually track down the actual crew, they abandoned the tank.

不過組員是否因而受了傷，我們還是不知道

The German war diary actually uses the word "panic", when they leave that tank.

另一個中彈點，應該是另一輛邱吉爾戰車上的 6 磅砲造成的，擊中了這一側的吊眼，讓裸金屬因而外露

It's the first Tiger we have captured intact on the battlefield in the west.

那兒是另一個中彈部位

So let's have a look at the damage.

戰車四周還有其他受損部位，像這一處很可能是由榴彈上高爆性彈藥爆炸造成的，而車尾則有更多戰損

You can see here on the mantlet and the beginning of the barrel

所以當時戰車周圍發生過砲彈爆炸的情況，才會出現這類戰損

the damage as a round has been coming in its clipped underneath,

據我們所知，方形的裝填手艙口，不是戰車長艙口喔，也受到損壞

clipped the mantlet there and actually then, wedged between the turret and the hull.

我們有戰車中彈時艙口受損的第一手照片

At the time the gun was facing forward

之後艙口就換新了

and it actually depressed the roof above the driver and the co driver,

再提一次，組員是否在作戰中受傷，我們不得而知

and we've got photographs of the time, it shows a fair bit of damage went on there.

不無論管那些組員當初的遭遇是如何

Again whether that wounded the crew we just don't know.

德軍的戰爭日誌上使用了「驚慌」的字眼來敘述

You can also see where another, we think 6 pounder round

131 號虎式戰車組員驚慌地拋下戰車而逃

from one the Churchill guns that's firing,

隔天，駕駛邱吉爾戰車的第 48 皇家戰車團就在山坡上遭到攻擊

has clipped off the side of the lifting eye here and it has exposed the bare metal.

因而損兵折將

So another round has gone there. has clipped off the side of the lifting eye here and it has exposed the bare metal.

他們後來回到戰場，發現這輛的戰車被棄置在現場

So another round has gone there.

他們繞過去並仔細端詳

And around on the vehicle as well you can also see other bits of damage

然後把卡住的彈殼敲了下來

which we assume this is probably from shrapnel

才知道這是第一輛被擄獲的虎式戰車

so exploding high explosive rounds and there is more damage on the rear.

軍方在原地拍下照片與影片紀錄後，將戰車帶回修復

So obviously shell fire is going off around the vehicle at the time as well,

它到了突尼斯，邱吉爾前來

so we can see that sort of damage.

他在突尼斯看到虎一式

We know that the loaders hatch, not the commanders hatch,

英王也看過

the loaders hatch, the square hatch was actually damaged as well.

軍方將它展示出來

We've got photographs when it was first hit that was broken.

接著它被帶到英國的切特西接受各種實驗性分析作業

Subsequently that was replaced.

這輛戰車從頭到尾都被詳細檢查

So again whether the crew were damaged in that action again we just don't know.

戰車經過拆解

But whatever happened the crew abandoned the tank.

丈量

Again the German war diary it says, they use the word in the war diary, "panic".

記錄

The crew of Tiger 131 panicked and abandoned the tank.

接著整理出大量報告

And the following day the 48th Royal Tank Regiment,

然後再組裝回去

who have these Churchill tanks, they've been attacking up the hill.

還開了砲

They've had losses, they are back on the battlefield and they find this tank sitting there, abandoned.

進行過無數研究後，直到戰後的 1951 年，才把它轉交給戰車博物館

And they go across it, they have a look at it.

看得出它在這裡一直是很受歡迎的展示品

They knock out the wedged in shell.

到了 90 年代末期，我們開始一項讓它重新動起來的計畫

We realise we have got the first captured Tiger tank

直到現在我們還會不定期把它開出去，讓人們在特殊的活動場合中，可欣賞到它馳騁於場地上的模樣

And its photographed and filmed in situ before it is then recovered back.

It goes to Tunis, where Churchill comes out.

He sees it in Tunis.

The king sees it.

It's put on show.

It's then taken back to Britain, where it is taken to a place called Chertsey where they do all the experimental analysis.

They have a really good look at it there.

They take it apart. They measure it. They record it.

They make a massive report on it.

Put it back together again. They fire the gun.

They do all sorts of things and it is only until 1951, well after the war,

that it is then handed over to the tank museum

And it has been here, obviously, a very popular exhibit for many many years.

And at the end of the 1990's we started a programme to get it back into running order.

And now every now and again, we take it out, special events, special occasion,

we let people know we are going to run it and we drive it around our track.