I’ve been trying to determine the production of early/initial Tiger l’s that were equipped with the two small stowage bins - one either side of the turret. A few battalions - 501, 502, and Das Reich, had some from late 1942, and early 1943, but what production month did they come from? Obviously the earliest date in 1942, but which month? Also there were some with Pz lll, or Pz lV, turret bins. I would guess Pz lll because they were usually paired with Tigers as escorts in the early heavy tank battalions - but you never know! I believe there were some with both the small bins as well as the other bin on the rear.
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This might be of interest tiger1.info - Dragon-side-bins
Turret Side bins seem to have been a custom modification not a production item.
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I believe only the earliest few Tigers used by 502 s.PA had the Panzer III/IV turret bins. I don’t recall coming across any photos of a 501 s.PA Tiger with that style of stowage bin. And I looked at every photo I could find of their tanks while doing research for a build several years back. Tigers im Focus was an outstanding resource at that time, but now is a member only access site.
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So they could be from any production month up to, and including, Jan. 1943? But only in Abt’s 501, 502, and Das Reich? The only way to be sure is to model from a published photo as reference and hope the caption is correct!
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I’ve never said anything remotely close to that.
You’ll need an authority on the subject like @DByrden David Byrden to help establish specifics.
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Germany’s Tiger Tanks, D.W. to Tiger I, Jentz and Doyle, page 78.
I believe the twin storage bins are unique to Tiger “100” of s.Pz.Abt. 502.
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I’m curious about where that information came from.
Only a single Tiger had two side bins, Tiger “100” of s.Pz.Abt.502. They were replacements for its original bin for some reason.
About 50 Tigers were shipped new from the factory with Pz.III turret bins. As stated in the above quote from “Germany’s Tiger Tanks”, some units replaced them with larger bins.
The book does not have information about the first large Tiger turret bin. It was too wide for the turret and had side supports. The standard bin with tapered sides came later.
David
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You will have to look closely to notice the question marks (?) in my post. They mean I was asking a QUESTION. NOT claiming you said something you didn’t. 
How many Tigers had this cut-back bin, as #321 of Abt. 503?
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You will have to read closely to notice I was answering your question and invoking DB to help you get the best accurate answer.
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This type of storage bin is unique to s.Pz.Abt.503. Photos of early Tigers of the unit show numerous examples of this style.
No idea of the actual number that had this style. The bottom photo shows 242 with the Pz. III bin, hard to tell on 200 but the tactical numbers are crooked.
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Thanks for the kind info. 
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