King Tiger Tank (LeGleize, Belgium)

Hello and thanks for visiting. For my FIRST content post, I’m going back to 2019, to a favorite location. Touring the area of Bastogne and the Battle of the Bulge was an unforgettable experience. Among the many, many great sites is this very rare German King Tiger Tank. It is situated outside of the “December 1944” museum. This Tiger (213) was part of the (in)famous Joachim Peiper’s 1st SS Panzer Regiment. More about him later. Accounts say that the tank dueled with American M4 Sherman Tanks and M10 Tank Destroyers. In a major stroke of luck, the gun barrel was damaged by an American shell. Please visit the museum’s site for more detail. Like how this tank was purchased from American clean up crews for a bottle of cognac after the fighting ended!

The King Tiger was not an operational success. Though it carried the phenomenal 88mm cannon, and had armor up to 185mm thick, there were issues. Too big, too slow, mechanically unreliable and built in numbers too little, too late, it could not effect the course of events.

The museum is a worthwhile stop, as are many that are within the geography of this epic battle. There are many hidden gems, small sites to see. Here is their website: http://www.december44.com/fr/histoire.htm

Which brings me to my next point….

TRAVEL TIP: Hire a private guide for an experience like no other. It is not very expensive, and worth it. Ours was amazing, a boy at the time of the battle and lifelong resident, who saw events firsthand. His father was killed in the Battle of the Bulge, and his home destroyed. Later in life he was a Belgian Army Officer. We saw the sites of the Battle, the locations of Easy Company (Band of Brothers), and things the group tours didn’t offer. He also customized the time based on my interests and knowledge level.

His recollections of the area and history could not be duplicated. He accompanied us in our car and we covered so much in our time together that it will forever be a favorite visit. More to come!