This King Tiger has an unusual colour scheme that has been dubbed the octopus scheme although its really just a variation of the ambush style schemes that German tanks were briefly painted with in late 44. By 1945 when this tank was made, a green base with either dark yellow or red brown paint applied over that was the normal scheme.
There is also an unusually detailed story to go with the scheme: In the last days of the war a group of around 50 tank crewmen, from Pz Abt 510 or maybe 511, arrived at the Henschel factory. There they picked up the last eight King Tigers to be produced and drove them to the nearby town of Kassel to help defend it against the advancing American army. The next day south of Kassel they destroyed at least nine Shermans before retreating.
This tank was then assigned the job of covering the autobahn and set itself in a commanding ambush position near a bridge that crossed the road. However a disaffected local warned the approaching American tanks and they were able to outflank the Tiger and knock it out from behind. It is possible the crew had already abandoned the tank before it was destroyed as photos show the gun is in its full recoil position. Emptying the recoil cylinders was a common way of disabling a tank before abandoning it.
If you want to read more on this scheme there are photos, profiles and other info in this
Octopus scheme forum thread
