Hold That Tiger!

The TV series Hogan’s Heroes was a sitcom that centered around the Allied prisoners of Stalag 13, a German PoW camp during the Second World War. The series is full of antics and mischief, and one would not generally think about finding historical inaccuracies in such a series, as the series isn’t attempting to be historically accurate. That is, unless you’re me.

In the second episode of Hogan’s Heroes, titled “Hold That Tiger,” details the gang’s plan to steal one of the new German Tiger tanks for intelligence purposes. When I heard that, I expected to see something like an M60 Patton, or maybe even a M4A1 Sherman, painted gray and with German markings. That couldn’t have been further from the truth.

At first glance, it should be quite clear that the “Tiger” tank is not at all a Tiger, or even a tank! The vehicle used is a modified M7 Priest, an American self-propelled artillery gun (SPAG).

The "Tiger" from Hogan's Heroes.

An actual Tiger I (Panzer VI).