Vimoutiers Tiger tank, German tank in Vimoutiers, France

The Vimoutiers Tiger tank is a late-production Panzerkampfwagen VI Tiger Ausf. E on a concrete slab beside the D979 towards Gacé. It measures 8.45 m long, 3.73 m wide and 3 m high, with an 88 mm gun and overlapping road wheels. Its paint is a tan, green and brown scheme with white outlines, applied by a volunteer and not matching the original camouflage.

This tank was abandoned by German forces in August 1944 during the Battle of Normandy when fuel supplies ran short. After coming under Allied control, it remained in the region where it now stands as a historical monument.

The tank was saved from the scrapyard in 1975 when locals bought it for 6,000 francs after a former 2nd Armoured Division soldier, Michel Dufresne, saw dealers cutting it up and alerted the historian Eddy Florentin. It became a local landmark during the 30 years it lay in the ditch, and the commune still owns it, with restoration delegated to the association CATIVEN.

The monument is accessible year-round in an easy-to-reach location with parking available right next to it. The setting allows visitors to view the vehicle from multiple angles without obstruction.

The tank's chassis number, 251184, was only identified in March 2024 by expert M. Stein during restoration studies; it was built in June 1944 and delivered as tank 234 of the 2nd Company, 503rd Heavy Panzer Battalion. Gunther Polzin, its loader, had said since 1996 that this was his Tiger.