The Museum holds an impressive collection of vehicles, equipment and uniforms. One of the most unusual features of this collection is a King Tiger tank. The Tiger II with number 213 was disabled defending the Werimont Farm. After the war it was exchanged for a bottle of cognac from salvaging GIs by the local innkeeper's wife, thus saving it for posterity.
Tiger 213 was used as a platoon command tank by SS-Obersturmführer Helmut Dollinger during the final battles around La Gleize. It is unknown whether or not Dollinger started the attack on December 16 in 213, or whether he had moved to it after his original tank had dropped out. 213 was initialy the tank of section leader SS-Unterscharführer Franz Faustmann, but Dollinger was using it later at La Gleize.
213, another Tiger (221) and a PzKw IV were defending the Werimont Farm high ground on the outskirts of La Gleize. On December 21, U.S. tanks of Task Force McGeorge and Task Force Lovelady of the 3rd Armored Division attacked La Gleize.
Around noon, Dollinger in his 213 and SS-Untersturm-führer Georg Hantusch in his 221 opened fire on 15 US tanks coming from Roanne but scored no hit. The American tanks fired back and blew off the front third of Dollingers tank's gun. Hantusch's Kingtiger got also severely hit and both tank crews had to bail out.
Dollinger, suffering from a head wound, took cover in the cellar of the Werimont farm. 213 was abandoned at the Werimont Farm when Kampfgruppe Peiper withdrew from La Gleize on foot.
After the war the Americans removed all the abandoned military equipment. Madame Jenny Geenen-Dewez bought the tank in July 1945 from the American troops that where clearing the village. Price: a bottle of Cognac.
The imposing Tiger was moved into the main square of La Gleize and later restored by welding part of an original Panther barrel and muzzle brake from one of Skorzeny's disguised tanks left near Malmedy, to the remaining part of the Tiger barrel.
