Intersting my last message this morn went into cyberspace or the toilet, take your pick ! Must be the Platonic sphere that my town sits on that everyone outside my community keeps telling me.......enough of this nonsense.

found a diary of sorts on Das Reich covering the introduction of the 14 Tigers into 8th kompanie which then became the Schwere Kompanie of the Division during Kursk. This started at the end of May when the Tigers were given the code Capital S then a two digit number.
S01 and S02 for stabkompanie
S11 S12 S13 S14 for the 1st zug
S21 S22 S23 S24 for the second kompanie
S31 S32 S33 S34 for the third kompanie.
The diary lists at least 3 different kompanie commanders as they were all killed in action. It does list some kills as a total and goes through the Mius fighting in august of 43. I'll see if I can post nd it will make itself clear in the text about the unusual losses reports, with one/two days of no operational Tigers, then 4, 6 and so on. The mechanics must have done some brilliant feats during the course of the battle and under hot harsh conditions.

E