Today we will talk about one interesting technical feature of the German Tiger tanks. If you start looking at photographs of these formidable heavy tanks on the Internet, then sooner or later you will definitely stumble upon models with some small "banks" attached to the back on the sides. Moreover, pipes run from these cans to the engine and turret of the combat vehicle. They are clearly visible if you look at such a "Tiger" from above. What kind of system is this?
The German Tiger tank was one of the most formidable vehicles of the Second World War. However, as is often the case, the colossus stood on feet of clay. The Tigers had their own serious drawbacks, many of which at different stages of the war turned out to be frankly destructive. A striking example of this situation was the moment with the tank's air filters. The mysterious "cans" at the rear of the car in the photo are the primary air filtration system called "Feifel". It was created by Henschel engineers before the start of the African campaign.
The standard air filtration system of the "Tiger" was located directly above the engine compartment and, if necessary, could be closed by a special grille with a movable cap. The engine compartment of the "Tiger" was relatively sealed, and the air was taken in by a filter from the external environment without a special pipe. In general, the system was good as long as the tank remained in favorable European conditions.
Already the first tests of "Tigers" in harsh conditions have shown that a regular filter cannot cope with air purification in an environment with high dust levels. Thus, the combat vehicle simply could not have fought in the desert for a long time and at some point it simply got up and was staked. Actually, for this reason, it was decided to install another air filtration system.
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Interesting fact: the external primary air filtration system was the weak point of all German armored vehicles. The British who fought in Africa were well aware of this. It is curious that the first "Tiger" was captured as a trophy by British soldiers just after this very "Feifel" was put out of action.
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External filters were as simple as possible in design. They had two cameras. One was used for air intake - the other for its return. The inlet and outlet openings were located at the bottom of the Feifel. The double air purification system was launched by the crew using a separate function. It is also worth noting that during the African campaign, external air filters in one form or another appeared on all Wehrmacht tanks.
Continuing the topic, you can read about why was the German self-propelled gun equipped with such obscenely short barrel.
A source: https://novate.ru/blogs/010520/54351/