Houffalize Panther from 116 PzDiv will be completely overhauled

[roger_m]

So I contacted the responsible of the vehicle restoration center of Bastogne today.
The Panther is only getting its outside done. The village of Houffalize is paying the costs because it's "their" tank. It will depend on the available money how far it will be restored. After restauration it will be put on display again in Houffalize. Unfortunately there is no intention to make it drive again because that work would take years and costs hundreds of thousands €

We will have to be happy with that... No idea about the camo sheme they will apply.

Hi, The restoration has started already? Has it been moved to Bastogne already?

[nox]

Thursday, panther was always at Houffalize.

[roger_m]

If they are planning a cosmetic restoration the following photos will be of interest for the restoring team I guess.

The photos and parts below came originally from the Wolvens collection in Belgium. As a young boy Mr Wolvens used to spend his holidays in Houffalize (his mother was originary from there) and his passion then was taking pictures and souvenirs from all possible military remains & wreckages left in the area after the war. The enclosed photos are of bad quality because taken with an old defective Kodak camera he got, but still a very interesting document.

Soon after the war, the Panther 111, which was lying upside-down, was overturned probably to recover the bodies of the crew, but was left dumped on the shore, being largely used as “playground” by the local children. Until being pulled out of the water in around 1948, the tank was intensely « souvenired » by the locals (including him, see below). We can see in the photos that the tank carried a crudely applied « 111 » white numeral on the left side only. On the rear a « 1 » and a vertical white bar on the hatch. (?)













Details including Zimmerit application:









This is the radio rack and headlight from this very Panther « 111 », taken by Mr Wolvens in around 1947 (he passed away about two years ago and his collection was recently sold and dispersed), both items now in my collection. The headlamp is the very lamp visible on the pictures and -I believe- the only known part of this tank today displaying its original wartime camo scheme. Note that the camo paint was applied while the blackout cover was in place. It is the usual late-war 2-tone camo scheme, green and very dark red (maroon?) over late Dunkelgelb base.













I hope this will help (whoever concerned) to do an accurate restoration. I think they have now all the information needed to do a great job.

Regards,

R.

[Jen]

Hi Roger,

thank you for posting these wonderfull images (including the original lamp and dadio-rack)

Regards
Jen

[Dufleuve]

Wow,

A almost complete and identified Panther radio rack. Nice item !!!
Funny is the two bottom radios insides have been removed, leaving the housing in place.

Cheers

[ILVEROMILITE]

FAntastic wonderfull images

[Svenpanzer]

Very nice!
I love the photo's and the connection to the real items.

You should post the radio rack in the communications section, if I can recall some members want to make a replica, but can't find an original example to measure the details.

best regards Sven

[nickotje]

Pic of the turret 10 years ago when I visited it.

[nickotje]

They do a great job over there. The vehicles coming out there are real Jewels.

There are some nice German tanks in the collection like a Panzer IV, StuG III,... They still are to be restored.

I've visited once the former Kapellen Depot in the North of Antwerp. Amazing stuff! All moved to Bastogne in 2010 (from Kapellen, Vissenaken, Brussels,..)

I have faith in it they will do a great job again with this nice beast.

Don't know if it will be put in place again.

Will you keep informed

I even have some pics of the Kapellen depot (sorry to be off-topic of the Panther)

[nickotje]

[nickotje]

Some kind of Hetzer??

[kammo man]

Great original pieces.
You can even see the brown stripe in he B&W picture.
What happens NEXT ?????


RE paint and change the number bak to the original.

[Nightwish]

No, it is a german HS30.

Some kind of Hetzer??

[URL=http://s65.photobucket.com/user/nickotje/media/09072011263.jpg.html]

[Willi Z.]

Thanks for sharing the era photos of this Panther. I saw it last 5 years ago.

[JanC]

The Panther will be lifted from its spot on may 2 or 3. The overhaul will take 1.5 year.