I have some questions on what some of the parts for the Dragon Ferdinand/Elefant is for.
1 On the back just to the left of the air intake or exhaust is part# B-22 is this a brake or marker light?
2 On the other side of the air intake/ exhaust is part# B18 is this the wooden block for the jack?
3 The last one is on the back side of the fighting compartment, top right corner part# A-15 any clue on it’s purpose?
- Correct. It’s the Bosch(?) tailight with the cover down to expose the lights themselves.
- Correct. It’s the wooden block for the jack.
- Speculation/WAG on my part: It’s an antenna mount…I think. When I saw it in photos and up close and personal on the Aberdeen specimen (well, what’s left of the vhicele anyway) I noticed that it wasn’t much more than bent sheet metal. Hence, my assumption/speculation that it’s more antenna mount than anything else. It probably wouldn’t support much more than an antenna anyway. That’s speculation though, and I’m curious to know what it is myself.
I want to add another part to the list part# B-21 mounts on the left side fender as you look at the vehicle looks like a cleaning rod, but it is not long enough to to all the way through the gun barrel. It is too thick to be a “tanker’s” or pry bar. Any guesses?
There is an antenna mount on the deck to the outside of the radio operator’s /MG hatch, so if the Elefant at Aberdeen and the kit were a command vehicle with a second radio that could make sense. Does anyone know where the vehicle from Aberdeen was captured at? Does it have any markings on it maybe I could look at my history of the 653rd as see if it was a command vehicle.
The Aberdeen Elefant was captured in Italy, 1944. It was number 102 of the 653d.
Here is what I have found.
The long round object on the fender near the tool box is the antenna holder.
and the bracket at the rear of the fighting compartment is for a second radio antenna, So the Aberdeen vehicle was a command vehicle at one time.