The Panzerkampfwagen VI, known worldwide as the Tiger, was deployed by the Wehrmacht from late summer 1942 onwards and, despite its modest production run of only 1,350 units and the resulting limited strategic importance, is considered one of the most famous tanks in history. The development of this heavy tank can be traced back to 1937, with series production beginning in August 1942. Today, only seven surviving examples exist, scattered around the world. Due to their scarcity, the so-called Frankentiger was even assembled from wreckage parts from various production years for this purpose.

The tank parts used by Böker, however, come from a Tiger I of Heavy Panzer Battalion 502, which was destroyed in combat in the summer of 1944 in Latvia in a heavily wooded area near the town of Bauska. Based on the wreckage found at the original excavation site, it was determined that this Tiger was an early to mid-production model. An examination of the combat damage to the remains, military records, and local historical accounts revealed that this Tiger tank collided with both a Russian T-34 medium tank and an SU-76 self-propelled gun, and was also damaged by a stationary 45mm anti-tank gun. It remains unclear which of the impacts caused the most damage and sealed the Tiger's fate. However, since several 76mm fragments were embedded in the heavy armor, it is assumed that a nearby T-34 landed the decisive hits before it too was destroyed 300 meters away.

Otto Carius and Albert Kerscher, two of the most successful tank commanders of the Second World War, attempted to halt the Soviet advance on Riga with Heavy Panzer Battalion 502. The battalion decisively defeated the enemy blocking forces at Tukums, forcing it to retreat to Courland, Latvia, along with over 500,000 other soldiers of Army Group North. There, the forces were encircled by the Soviet advance. The Courland Pocket served as a bridgehead and was supplied by the German Navy via sea. It withstood six major Soviet attacks until the unconditional surrender on May 8, 1945.

Please note that one-handed knives are subject to the prohibition on carrying weapons according to §42a of the Weapons Act.