This unique photo captures one of the 39 Ferdinand lost by the Germans at Kursk. The Ferdinand number 112. According to the Germans, this car was blown up by mines . The Elefant (German for "elephant") was a Schwerer Panzerjäger ("heavy tank destroyer") of the German Wehrmacht used in small numbers in World War II. It was built in 1943 under the name Ferdinand, after its designer Ferdinand Porsche. In 1944, after modification of the existing vehicles, they were renamed Elefant.