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123-526: The Tiger II was the successor to the Tiger I , combining the latter's thick armour with the armour sloping used on the Panther medium tank. It was the costliest German tank to produce at the time. The tank weighed almost 70 tonnes , and was protected by 100 to 185 mm (3.9 to 7.3 in) of armour to the front. It was armed with the long barrelled (71 calibres) 8.8 cm KwK 43 anti-tank cannon. The chassis

246-637: A BergeTiger recovery vehicle. As many as three may have been built. It carried a demolition charge on a small crane on the turret in place of the main gun. It was to move up to a minefield and drop the charge, back away, and then set the charge off to clear the minefield. There is no verification of any being used in combat. Another variant was the Fahrschulpanzer VI Tiger tanks (driving school Tiger tanks). These tanks were Tigers with modified engines to run on either compressed Towngas gas (Stadtgas System) or wood gas (Holzgas System). This

369-615: A VK 45.01 (H) H1 with an 8.8 cm L/56 cannon, and a VK 45.01 (H) H2 with a 7.5 cm L/70 cannon. On 22 June 1941, Germany launched Operation Barbarossa , the invasion of the Soviet Union . The Germans encountered large numbers of Soviet T-34 medium and KV-1 heavy tanks. According to Henschel designer Erwin Aders , "There was great consternation when it was discovered that the Soviet tanks were superior to anything available to

492-466: A 16 by 18 in (410 by 460 mm) target at a range of 1,200 yards (1,100 m). Compared with the other contemporary German tank guns, the 8.8 cm KwK 36 had superior penetration to the 7.5 cm KwK 40 on the Sturmgeschütz III and Panzer IV but inferior to the 7.5 cm KwK 42 on the Panther tank under ranges of 2,500 metres. At greater ranges, the 8.8 cm KwK 36

615-601: A 38 cm (15 in) rocket launcher. A tank recovery version of the Porsche Tiger I ( Bergetiger ), and one Porsche Tiger I, was issued to the 654th Heavy Tank Destroyer Battalion, which was equipped with the Ferdinand/ Elefant . In Italy, a demolition carrier version of the Tiger I without a main gun was built by maintenance crews in an effort to find a way to clear minefields. It is often misidentified as

738-695: A Panzer IV and four times as much as a StuG III assault gun . Partly because of their high cost, only 1,347 Tiger I and 492 Tiger II tanks were produced. The closest counterpart to the Tiger from the United States was the M26 Pershing (around 200 deployed to the European Theater of Operations (ETO) during the war ) and the IS-2 from the USSR (about 3,800 built during the conflict). From

861-595: A Tiger I as another German tank of the period. When the improved Tiger II began production in January 1944, the Tiger I was soon phased out. In 1943, Japan bought several specimens of German tank designs for study. A single Tiger I was apparently purchased, along with a Panther and two Panzer IIIs, but only the Panzer IIIs were actually delivered. The undelivered Tiger was loaned to the German Wehrmacht by

984-617: A crucial role during Operation Panzerfaust , supporting Otto Skorzeny 's troops in taking the Hungarian capital of Budapest , which ensured that the country remained with the Axis until the end of the war. The 503rd then took part in the Battle of Debrecen . The 503rd remained in the Hungarian theater of operations for 166 days, during which time it accounted for at least 121 Soviet tanks, 244 anti-tank guns and artillery pieces, five aircraft and

1107-603: A design contract awarded to Henschel . Another design contract followed in 1939, given to Porsche . Both prototypes used the same turret design from Krupp . The main differences were in the hull, transmission, suspension and automotive features. The Henschel version used a conventional hull design with sloped armour resembling the layout of the Panther tank. It had a rear-mounted engine and used nine steel-tired, eighty-centimetre-diameter overlapping road wheels per side with internal springing, mounted on transverse torsion bars , in

1230-453: A fuel tank, radiator and fans) were floodable. However, this ability was found to be of limited practical value for its high cost and was removed from production lines in August 1943. As a result, only the first 495 units were fitted with this deep fording system; all later models were capable of fording water only two metres deep. The internal layout was typical of German tanks. Forward

1353-435: A gasoline-fueled engine as the prime mover ), similar to a gasoline-electric hybrid but without a storage battery; two separate drivetrains in parallel, one per side of the tank, each consisting of a hybrid drive train; gasoline engine– electric generator –electric motor–drive sprocket . This method of propulsion had been used on the rejected Tiger (P) design, which had been rebuilt as Elefant , and in some US designs and

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1476-424: A large amount of spalling from the inside of the plates, which damaged the transmission and rendered the tank inoperable. Further testing showed that the armour plate was inferior quality to earlier German tanks such as the Tiger I and Panther. Lab testing found the plates lacked molybdenum (ascribed to a loss of supply, being replaced by vanadium), resulting in low malleability. The expanded firing test states that

1599-432: A large armoured cylinder. This equipment was located on the rear decking in a position originally used for deep-wading equipment. The Sd.Kfz . 268 used FuG 7 and FuG 5 radios with a two-metre rod antenna mounted on the turret roof and a 1.4 metre rod antenna mounted on the rear deck. The Tiger II was developed late in the war and built in relatively small numbers. Orders were placed for 1,500 Tiger IIs—slightly more than

1722-457: A mid-mounted engine. The suspension was the same as on the Elefant tank destroyer. This had six road wheels per side mounted in paired bogies sprung with short longitudinal torsion bars that were integral to the wheel pair; this saved internal space and facilitated repairs. One Porsche version had a gasoline-electric drive (fundamentally identical to a Diesel-electric transmission , only using

1845-406: A similar manner to the original Henschel-designed Tiger I. To simplify maintenance, however, the wheels were only overlapping without being interleaved—the full Schachtellaufwerk rubber-rimmed road-wheel system that had been in use on nearly all German half-tracks used the interleaved design, later inherited by the Tiger I and Panther. The Porsche hull designs included a rear-mounted turret and

1968-413: A stabilised main gun, an automatic ammunition feed , a Carl Zeiss AG stereoscopic rangefinder , heated crew compartment, stowage for an additional 12 rounds, and an overpressure and air filtration system to protect against poison gas . However, these also never got beyond the proposal stage or did not enter production before the war ended. Apart from research, training, and a five-tank attachment to

2091-465: A technical point of view, it was better than its contemporaries. Despite the low number produced, shortages in qualified crew and the considerable fuel consumption in the face of ever shrinking resources, Tigers (including Tiger IIs) destroyed at least 10,300 enemy tanks and 11,380 anti-tank guns and artillery pieces for the loss of 1,725 Tigers (including large numbers of operational and strategic losses, i.e. abandoned, broken down, etc.). Production of

2214-499: A train. This was set against the loss of 25 Tiger IIs; ten were knocked out by Soviet troops and burned out, two were sent back to Vienna for a factory overhaul, while thirteen were blown up by their crews for various reasons, usually to prevent them from falling into enemy hands. The Tiger II was also used in significant numbers, distributed into four heavy panzer battalions, during the Ardennes Offensive (also known as

2337-487: A varying thickness of 120 to 200 mm (4.7 to 7.9 in). The Tiger had 60 mm (2.4 in) thick hull side plates and 80 mm (3.1 in) armour on the side superstructure/sponsons, while turret sides and rear were 80 mm. The top and bottom armour was 25 mm (1 in) thick; from March 1944, the turret roof was thickened to 40 mm (1.6 in). Armour plates were mostly flat, with interlocking construction. This flat construction encouraged angling

2460-410: Is essential for the successful deployment of the Tiger, he must have a good technical training and has to keep his nerve in critical situations… The engine drove the front sprockets through a drivetrain connecting to a transmission in the front portion of the lower hull; the front sprockets had to be mounted relatively low as a result. The Krupp-designed 11-tonne turret had a hydraulic motor whose pump

2583-406: Is more likely to cause damage, or if it jams into the armour and explodes there, it may produce a concentrated blast effect that will damage the vehicle by blowing off the turret. For example, the initial turret design of the Panther , Tiger II , M26 Pershing and KV-1 tanks had shot traps. The lower edge of the curved mantlet acted as a shot trap by deflecting incoming shots downwards towards

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2706-452: Is often misleadingly called the "Porsche" turret due to the misbelief that it was designed by Porsche for their Tiger II prototype; in fact it was the initial Krupp design for both prototypes. This turret had a rounded front and steeply sloped sides, with a difficult-to-manufacture curved bulge on the turret's left side to accommodate the commander's cupola. Fifty early turrets were mounted to Henschel hulls and used in action. In December 1943

2829-506: The Waffenamt-Prüfwesen 1 gave the calculated probability of perforation at range, on which various adversaries would be defeated reliably at a side angle of 30 degrees to the incoming round. The Wa Prüf report estimated that the Tiger's 88 mm gun would be capable of penetrating the differential case of an American M4 Sherman from 2,100 m (1.3 mi) and the turret front from 1,800 m (1.1 mi), but

2952-520: The 8.8 cm (3.5 in) KwK 36 gun (derived from the 8.8 cm Flak 36 , the famous "eighty-eight" feared by Allied troops). 1,347 were built between August 1942 and August 1944. After August 1944, production of the Tiger I was phased out in favour of the Tiger II . While the Tiger I has been called an outstanding design for its time, it has also been called overengineered , using expensive materials and labour-intensive production methods. In

3075-639: The Battle of Berlin at the end of the war. The 103rd SS Heavy Panzer Battalion ( s.SS Pz.Abt . 503) claimed approximately 500 kills in the period from January to April 1945 on the Eastern Front for the loss of 45 Tiger IIs (most of which were abandoned and destroyed by their own crews after mechanical breakdowns or for lack of fuel). The heavy armour and powerful long-range gun gave the Tiger II an advantage against all opposing Western Allied and Soviet tanks attempting to engage it from head on. This

3198-608: The Heer ." Weight increase to 45 tonnes and an increase in gun calibre to 8.8 cm (3.5 in) were ordered for it on 26 May 1941. The due date for the new prototypes was set for 20 April 1942, Adolf Hitler 's 53rd birthday. Unlike the Panther tank , the designs did not incorporate sloped armour . Porsche and Henschel submitted prototype designs, each making use of the Krupp-designed turret. They were demonstrated at Rastenburg in front of Hitler. The Henschel design

3321-619: The North African campaign ) at the UK's Tank Museum is the only example restored to running order. Henschel & Sohn began the development of a large tank design in January 1937 when the Waffenamt requested Henschel to develop a Durchbruchwagen ("breakthrough vehicle") in the 30–33 tonne range. Only one prototype hull was ever built, and it was never fitted with a turret. The Durchbruchwagen I's general shape and suspension resembled

3444-642: The Panzer III , while the turret resembled the early Panzer IV C turret with the short-barrelled 7.5 cm (3.0 in) L/24 cannon. Before Durchbruchwagen I was completed, a request was issued for a heavier 30-tonne class vehicle with thicker armour, the Durchbruchwagen II, which would have had 50 mm (2.0 in) of frontal armour and mounted a Panzer IV turret with a short-barrelled (24 calibres long) 7.5 cm KwK 37 gun. The overall weight would have been 36 tonnes. Only one hull

3567-558: The Panzer Lehr , the Tiger II was only issued to heavy tank battalions ( schwere Panzer-Abteilungen ) of the German Army ( Heer ), or Waffen-SS . A standard battalion ( Abteilung ) comprised 45 tanks: Units that used the Tiger II were as follows: Early Tiger IIs proved unreliable, owing principally to leaking seals and gaskets, an overburdened drive train originally intended for a lighter vehicle, and teething problems with

3690-573: The Panzer Lehr Division broke down before they could be used in combat, and were destroyed to prevent capture. Henschel worked closely with crews to solve the problems, and with the introduction of modified seals, gaskets, drive train components and a new track and sprocket wheel design, as well as improved driver training and sufficient maintenance, the Tiger II could be maintained in a satisfactory operational condition. Statistics from 15 March 1945 show reliability rates of 59 percent for

3813-508: The PzGr. 40/43 projectile between the same ranges. The Sprenggranate 43 (SpGr) high-explosive round was available for soft targets, or the Hohlgranate or Hohlgeschoss 39 (HlGr – HEAT or High-explosive anti-tank warhead ) round, which had 90 mm (3.5 in) penetration at any range, could be used as a dual-purpose munition against soft or armoured targets. Powered turret traverse

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3936-555: The Sherman Firefly tank, and self-propelled guns) firing its normal APCBC ammunition, would penetrate the turret front and driver's visor plate of the Tiger out to 1,900 yards (1,700 m). When engaging targets, Tiger crews were encouraged to angle the hull to the 10:30 or 1:30 clock position (45 degrees) relative to the target, an orientation referred to as the Mahlzeit Stellung . This would maximize

4059-503: The АР projectiles from the 100 mm BS-3 and 122 mm A-19 gun penetrated a Tiger Ausf B's turret at ranges of 1000–1500 metres. However, the firing test against the turret front was conducted after removal of the gun and mantlet, and penetrations were close to openings such as vision slits and the gun location. The penetrations to the right gun opening occurred after previous 100 mm projectile penetration hits or armour damage. The 100 mm BS-3 and 122 mm A-19 could also penetrate

4182-830: The 'Battle of the Bulge') of December 1944. At least 150 Tiger IIs were present, nearly a third of total production; most were lost over the course of the offensive. Some Tiger IIs were also present during the Soviet Vistula–Oder and East Prussian Offensives in January 1945, as well as the German Lake Balaton Offensive in Hungary in March 1945, the Battle of the Seelow Heights in April 1945, and

4305-462: The 1,347 Tiger I tanks produced—but production was heavily disrupted by Allied bombing raids. Among others, five raids between 22 September and 7 October 1944 destroyed 95 percent of the floor area of the Henschel plant. It is estimated that this caused the loss in production of 657 Tiger IIs. Only 492 units were produced: one in 1943, 379 in 1944, and 112 in 1945. Full production ran from mid-1944 to

4428-401: The 122 mm D-25T. It proved capable of passing completely through its "colleague", a Tiger Ausf B's turret at a range of 400 m. The armour of one vehicle was tested by firing at it with shells between 100 and 152 mm calibre. The welding was, despite careful workmanship, significantly worse than on similar designs. As a result, even when shells did not penetrate the armour, there was often

4551-429: The 55 cm (22 in) disc. Klaue was acknowledged in the patent application that he had improved, it can even be traced back to British designs dating to 1904. It is unclear whether Klaue's patent ring brake was used in the Tiger brake design. The clutch-and-brake system, typical for lighter vehicles, was retained only for emergencies. Normally, steering depended on a double differential , Henschel's development of

4674-633: The 8.8 cm KwK 43 L/71 gun. Combined with the Turmzielfernrohr 9d (German "turret telescopic sight") monocular sight by Leitz, which all but a few early Tiger IIs used, it was a very accurate and deadly weapon. During practice, the estimated probability of a first-round hit on a 2 m (6 ft 7 in) high, 2.5 m (8 ft 2 in) wide target was 100 percent at 1,000 m (1,100 yd), 95–97 percent at 1,500 m (1,600 yd) and 85–87 percent at 2,000 m (2,200 yd), depending on ammunition type. Recorded combat performance

4797-597: The 8.8 cm KwK 36 gun could pierce the T-34/76 frontal beam nose from 1,500 m (4,900 ft), and the front hull from 1500 m. A hit to the driver's hatch would force it to collapse inwards and break apart. According to the Wa Prüf 1 report, the Soviet T-34-85's upper glacis and turret front armour would be defeated between 100 and 1,400 m (0.062 and 0.870 mi) at a side angle of 30 deg, while

4920-542: The British Merritt-Brown system first encountered in the Churchill tank . The vehicle had an eight-speed gearbox, and the steering offered two fixed radii of turns on each gear, thus the Tiger had sixteen different radii of turn. In first gear, at a speed of a few km/h, the minimal turning radius was 3.44 m (11 ft 3 in). In neutral gear, the tracks could be turned in opposite directions, so

5043-542: The Japanese government. Many modifications were introduced during the production run to improve automotive performance, firepower and protection. Simplification of the design was implemented, along with cuts due to raw material shortages. In 1942 alone, at least six revisions were made, starting with the removal of the Vorpanzer (frontal armour shield) from the pre-production models in April. In May, mudguards bolted onto

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5166-702: The Maybach HL230 to fuel injection , would have increased the power from 700 to at least 800 PS (hp). In January 1945 the Entwicklungskommission Panzer unanimously decided that HL234 be immediately included in the engine design and procurement program. The ZF AK-7-200 gearbox was also explored as an alternative to the Maybach Olvar-B semi-automatic gearbox, but Waffenamt research and development department Wa Prüf 6 found that it offered inferior driving characteristics and so

5289-510: The Maybach Olvar-B was retained. There was also a program using the Simmering-Graz-Pauker Sla.16-cylinder diesel engine, but the war's constraint on supplies and Germany's capitulation resulted in the cancellation of this program. Krupp proposed mounting a new main weapon, the 10.5 cm KwK L/68. Wa Prüf 6 did not support this as the Heer had not accepted the cannon. Other suggested improvements included stabilised sights,

5412-596: The Meteor. The 501st Heavy Panzer Battalion ( sPzAbt 501 ) reported in May 1943: …Regarding the overheating engines, the HL 210 engine caused no troubles during the recent time. All occurring breakdowns resulted from the low quality of driver training. In several cases engine failures have to be put down to the missing remote engine thermometer. Five engines have reached more than 3,000 km without essential failures. A good driver

5535-495: The Soviet 122 mm D-25T , one of the largest calibre tank guns of the war. Soviet testing found that the frontal glacis could be destroyed only by firing 3–4 shots at the weld joints from the ranges of 500–600m. Weld joints were found to be inferior quality to the Tiger I and Panther. An R.A.C 3.d. document of February 1945 estimated that the British (76.2 mm) QF 17-pounder gun , using armour-piercing discarding sabot shot

5658-605: The T-34's 85 mm gun was estimated to penetrate the front of a Tiger between 200 and 500 m (660 and 1,640 ft) at a side angle of 30 degrees to the incoming round. Soviet testing showed that the 85 mm gun could penetrate the front of a Tiger from 1,000 m (3,000 ft) with no side angle At a side impact angle of 30 degrees the 120 mm hull armour of the Soviet IS-2 model 1943 would be defeated between 100 and 300 m (330 and 980 ft) at

5781-454: The Tiger I began in August 1942 at the factory of Henschel und Sohn in Kassel , initially at a rate of 25 per month and peaking in April 1944 at 104 per month. An official document of the time stated that the first Tiger I was completed on 4 August. 1,355 had been built by August 1944, when production ceased. Deployed Tiger I's peaked at 671 on 1 July 1944. It took about twice as long to build

5904-414: The Tiger I pivoted in place. There was a steering wheel instead of either a tiller – or, as most tanks had at that time, twin braking levers – making the Tiger I's steering system easy to use, and ahead of its time. Powered turret traverse was provided by the variable speed Boehringer-Sturm L4 hydraulic motor, which was driven from the main engine by a secondary drive shaft. On early production versions of

6027-463: The Tiger I's suspension, providing a high uniform distribution of the load onto the track, at the cost of increased maintenance. Removing an inner wheel that had lost its solid rubber tire (a common occurrence) required the removal of up to nine other wheels first. During the rainy period that brought on the autumn rasputitsa mud season and onwards into the winter conditions on the Eastern front ,

6150-421: The Tiger II has proven itself in every way and is a weapon that the enemy fears. When the formation is used as a single, unified entity and is employed in accordance with proper tactics, it always brings decisive success... Notwithstanding its initial reliability problems, the Tiger II was remarkably agile for such a heavy vehicle. Contemporary German records and testing results indicate that its tactical mobility

6273-504: The Tiger II to attempt a shot at the thinner side and rear armour, giving a tactical advantage to the Tiger II in most engagements. Moreover, the main armament of the Tiger II was capable of knocking out any Allied tank frontally at ranges exceeding 2.5 kilometres (1.6 mi), well beyond the effective range of Allied tank guns. During August 1944, two Tiger Ausf B tanks were captured by the Soviets near Sandomierz , and were soon moved to

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6396-472: The Tiger II was by the 1st Company of the 503rd Heavy Panzer Battalion ( s.H.Pz.Abt . 503) during the Battle of Normandy , opposing the Canadian offensive Operation Atlantic between Troarn and Demouville on 18 July 1944. Two were lost in combat, while the company commander's tank became irrecoverably trapped after falling into a bomb crater created during Operation Goodwood . On the Eastern Front, it

6519-477: The Tiger II went into production without considering the test results." Lack of crew training could amplify this problem; drivers originally given only limited training on other tanks were often sent directly to operational units already on their way to the front. The Schwere Heeres Panzer Abteilung 501 arrived on the Eastern Front with only eight out of 45 tanks operational; these faults were mostly due to final drive failures. The first five Tiger IIs delivered to

6642-492: The Tiger hull roughly 30-45° when firing in order to increase effective thickness. The 56-calibre long 8.8 cm KwK 36 was chosen for the Tiger. A combination of a flat trajectory from the high muzzle velocity and precision from the Leitz Turmzielfernrohr TZF 9b sight (later replaced by the monocular TZF 9c) made it very accurate. In British wartime firing trials, five successive hits were scored on

6765-449: The Tiger maximum turret traverse was limited to 6 degrees per second, whilst on later versions a selectable high speed traverse gear was added. Thus, the turret could be rotated 360 degrees at up to 6 degrees per second in low gear independent of engine rpm (same as on early production versions), or up to 19 degrees per second with the high-speed setting and engine at 2,000 rpm, and at over 36 degrees per second at

6888-461: The Tiger's 88 mm gun would not penetrate the upper glacis plate at any range assuming a side angle of 30 degrees. The M4 Sherman's 75 mm gun would not penetrate the Tiger frontally at any range, and needed to be within 100 m (300 ft) to achieve a side penetration against the 80 mm upper hull superstructure. The Sherman's upgraded 76 mm gun might penetrate the Tiger's driver's front plate from 600 m (2,000 ft),

7011-463: The Tiger, almost equal to the 62 percent of the Panzer IV and better than the 48 percent of the Panther that were operational by this period. The s.H.Pz.Abt 503 noted in an after-action report during operations in Hungary, November 1944: ...The battalion went into action in two battle groups with two different divisions on two different days. Provided the assault was successful in penetrating into

7134-408: The Tiger, the tracks were 725 mm (28.5 in) wide. To meet rail-freight size restrictions , narrower 520 mm (20 in) wide 'transport' tracks ( Verladeketten ) could be installed. For Tigers equipped with rubber-tired wheels, this also required the outermost roadwheel on each axle (16 total) to be removed. The track replacement and wheel removal took 30 minutes for each side of

7257-454: The Tigers became stuck in swampy ground and had to be abandoned. Captured largely intact, it enabled the Soviets to study the design and prepare countermeasures. Shot trap A shot trap is a deficiency in an armoured vehicle 's design. It is a location where a shell that has struck but fails to penetrate may ricochet in such a manner as to hit another area of the vehicle where it

7380-568: The antitank guns until they had fired the first shot. We were often hit right away, if the antitank crew was on top of things, because we had run into a wall of antitank guns. It was then advisable to keep as cool as possible and take care of the enemy, before the second aimed shot was fired. Eager to make use of the powerful new weapon, Hitler ordered the vehicle be pressed into service months earlier than had been planned. A platoon of four Tigers went into action on 23 September 1942 near Leningrad . Operating in swampy, forested terrain, their movement

7503-819: The contract was awarded to Henschel, they were used for a new turretless, casemate -style tank destroyer ; 91 hulls were converted into the Panzerjäger Tiger (P) in early 1943. The Tiger was still at the prototype stage when it was first hurried into service, and therefore changes both large and small were made throughout the production run. A redesigned turret with a lower cupola was the most significant change. The river-fording submersion capability and an external air-filtration system were dropped to cut costs. The Tiger differed from earlier German tanks principally in its design philosophy. Its predecessors balanced mobility, armour and firepower and were sometimes outgunned by their opponents. While heavy, this tank

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7626-409: The destruction of other tanks counted as a success. On the other hand, antitank guns counted twice as much to the experienced tanker. They were much more dangerous to us. The antitank cannon waited in ambush, well camouflaged, and magnificently set up in the terrain. Because of that, it was very difficult to identify. It was also very difficult to hit because of its low height. Usually, we didn't make out

7749-457: The driver's front plate and nose. The IS-2's 122 mm gun could penetrate the Tiger's front armour from between 1,500 and 2,500 m (0.93 and 1.55 mi), depending on the impact angle. However, according to Steven Zaloga, the IS-2 and Tiger I could each knock the other out in normal combat distances below 1,000 m. At longer ranges, the performance of each respective tank against each other

7872-402: The early period, the Tiger was prone to certain types of track failures and breakdowns. It was expensive to maintain, but generally mechanically reliable. It was difficult to transport and vulnerable to immobilisation when mud, ice, and snow froze between its overlapping and interleaved Schachtellaufwerk -pattern road wheels, often jamming them solid. The tank was given its nickname "Tiger" by

7995-400: The effective front hull armour to 180 mm and side hull to 140 mm, making the Tiger impervious to any Allied gun up to 152 mm. The Tiger's lack of slope for its armour made angling the hull by manual means simple and effective, and unlike the lighter Panzer IV and Panther tanks , the Tiger's thick side armour gave a degree of confidence of immunity from flank attacks. The tank

8118-458: The end of the war. Each Tiger II cost 321 500 Reichsmark. The vehicle was the costliest German tank to produce at the time. The Tiger II served as the basis for one production variant, the Jagdtiger casemated tank destroyer, and a proposed Grille 17/21/30/42 self-propelled mount for heavy guns which never reached production. The Maybach HL234 , an engine born from attempting to convert

8241-406: The enemy rear, the battalion would then reunite. Both groups were extraordinarily successful. From 19-23 October 1944, 120 anti-tank guns and 19 guns were destroyed. The extremely tough and steadfast enemy (penal battalions) was shaken to the core by the energetic assault and his communications to the rear thrown into total confusion by the destruction of various columns and a transport train which, in

8364-400: The extra radios and equipment, and had additional armour on the engine compartment. The Sd.Kfz . 267 was to have used FuG 8 and FuG 5 radio sets, with the most notable external changes being a two-metre-long (6.6 ft) rod antenna mounted on the turret roof and a Sternantenne D ("Star antenna D"), mounted on an insulated base (the 105 mm Antennenfuß Nr. 1 ), which was protected by

8487-525: The final analysis, forced the Russian Sixth Army from the Debrecen area. The total distance of about 250 kilometers covered during the operation was accomplished essentially without mechanical failure. The Tiger II proved itself extremely well, both in its armor and from a mechanical perspective. Vehicles which received up to twenty hits without becoming disabled were not uncommon ... In summary,

8610-442: The final drive and steering unit, both of which had been newly designed for the Tiger II. The final drive unit and the double radius steering gear were initially particularly prone to failures. The new double-link track proved to be vulnerable to sideways stresses when the tank was driving on uneven terrain, as well as causing only every other sprocket tooth to engage with the track, leading to their rapid wear and potentially damaging

8733-512: The final drive. The inspector general of panzer troops, Wolfgang Thomale , said in a briefing on November 4, 1944, "These complaints could be traced back to the new track, which, although a considerable production simplification, on the other hand entails a greater susceptibility of the Tiger." The engagement of only every second sprocket tooth was causing "sudden jerks in the final drive, which cannot withstand these blows". Henschel's chief designer, Erwin Aders , wrote, "The failure occurred because

8856-404: The hand crank; a 20° turret rotation required 40 full cranks of the handwheel, and to turn the turret a full 360° the gunner would be required to crank the handwheel 720 full revolutions. Like all German tanks, the Tiger II had a petrol engine ; in this case the same 700 PS (690 hp, 515 kW) V-12 Maybach HL 230 P30 which powered the much lighter Panther and Tiger I tanks. The Tiger II

8979-453: The hull on nine axles per side. Overlapped 800 mm (31 in) diameter road wheels with rubber cushions and steel tyres rode inside the tracks. Late production Tiger Is received the same wheels, which were one of the few interchangeable parts between the two tanks. Like the Tiger I, each tank was issued with two sets of tracks: a normal "battle track" and a narrower "transport" version used during rail movement. The transport tracks reduced

9102-509: The hull roof or into the turret ring where the shell could potentially jam the traverse mechanism. In an attempt to minimize the shot trap potential, some late production Panther G and the M26 Pershing T26E5 prototype modified the lower edge of the mantlet. The final Tiger II production turret did not feature the curved front of the early turret, instead using a flat plate sloped back 10 degrees. This military vehicle article

9225-466: The hull sides. The VK 36.01 (H) was intended to carry a 7.5 cm L/24, a 7.5 cm L/43, or a 7.5 cm L/70, or a 12.8 cm L/28 cannon in a Krupp turret that looked similar to an enlarged Panzer IV Ausf. C turret. The hull for one prototype was built, followed later by five more. The six turrets built were never fitted and were used as part of the Atlantic Wall . The VK 36.01 (H) project

9348-455: The left of the gun, and the commander behind him. There was also a folding seat on the right for the loader. The turret had a full circular floor and 157 cm (62 in) headroom. Early versions of the Tiger I's turret included two pistol ports ; however, one of these was replaced with a loader escape hatch and the other was removed from later designs. Post-war testing by the Allies found

9471-486: The maximum allowable engine speed of 3,000 rpm. The direction and speed of traverse was controlled by the gunner through foot pedals, whilst a high torque low speed (useful when on slopes) or low torque high speed final gearing could be selected via a control lever near his left arm. This system allowed for very precise control of powered traverse, a light touch on the pedal resulting in a minimum traverse speed of 0.1 deg/sec (360 degrees in 60 min), unlike in most other tanks of

9594-471: The maximum allowable engine speed of 3,000 rpm. The direction and speed of traverse was controlled by the gunner through foot pedals, the speed of traverse corresponding to the level of depression the gunner applied to the foot pedal. This system allowed for very precise control of powered traverse, a light touch on the pedal resulting in a minimum traverse speed of 0.1 degrees per second (360 degrees in 60 minutes), unlike in most other tanks of

9717-571: The ministry for armament and ammunition by 7 August 1941, and the Roman numeral was added after the Tiger II entered production. It was classified with ordnance inventory designation Sd.Kfz. 182 . The tank was later re-designated as Panzerkampfwagen VI Ausführung E (abbreviated as Pz.Kpfw. VI Ausf. E ) in March 1943, with ordnance inventory designation Sd.Kfz. 181 . Today, only nine Tiger I tanks survive in museums and private collections worldwide. As of 2021 , Tiger 131 (captured during

9840-407: The more common "production" turret, sometimes erroneously called the "Henschel" turret, was simplified with a significantly thicker flat face (which eliminated the shot trap caused by the curved face of the earlier turret), and less-steeply sloped sides, which avoided the need for a bulge for the commander's cupola, and added additional room for ammunition storage. The turrets were designed to mount

9963-592: The new modifications could take several months. The humorous and somewhat racy crew manual, the Tigerfibel , was the first of its kind for the German Army and its success resulted in more unorthodox manuals that attempted to emulate its style. Among other variants of the Tiger, a heavily armoured casemate self-propelled rocket projector, today commonly known as the Sturmtiger , was built, which mounted

10086-527: The nose from 400 m (1,300 ft) and the turret front from 700 m (2,300 ft). The M3 90 mm cannon used as a towed anti-aircraft and anti-tank gun, and later mounted in the M36 tank destroyer and finally the late-war M26 Pershing , could penetrate the Tiger's front plate at a range of 1,000 m using standard ammunition, and from beyond 2,000 m (6,600 ft) when using HVAP. Soviet ground trial testing conducted in May 1943 determined that

10209-482: The overall width of the load and could be used to drive the tank short distances on firm ground. The crew were expected to change to normal battle tracks as soon as the tank was unloaded. Ground pressure was 0.76 kg/cm (10.8 psi). The command variant of the Tiger II was designated Panzerbefehlswagen Tiger Ausf. B . It had two versions, Sd.Kfz . 267 and Sd.Kfz . 268. These had reduced ammunition capacity (only 63 rounds of 8.8 cm ammunition) to provide room for

10332-459: The power output to 521 kW (699 hp). The engine was in V-form, with two cylinder banks set at 60 degrees. An inertia starter was mounted on its right side, driven via chain gears through a port in the rear wall. The engine could be lifted out through a hatch on the rear hull roof. In comparison to other V12 and various vee-form gasoline engines used for tanks, the eventual HL 230 engine

10455-454: The roadwheels of a Schachtellaufwerk -equipped vehicle could also become packed with mud or snow that could then freeze. Presumably, German engineers, based on the experience of the half-tracks, felt that the improvement in off-road performance, track and wheel life, mobility with wheels missing or damaged, plus additional protection from enemy fire was worth the maintenance difficulties of a complex system vulnerable to mud and ice. This approach

10578-462: The side of the pre-production run were added, while removable mudguards saw full incorporation in September. Smoke discharge canisters, three on each side of the turret, were added in August 1942. In later years, similar changes and updates were added, such as the addition of Zimmerit (a non-magnetic anti-mine coating), in late 1943. Due to slow production rates at the factories, incorporation of

10701-403: The side surfaces. Four prototype hulls were completed for testing. Two of these were later modified to build the " Sturer Emil " (12.8 cm (5.0 in) Selbstfahrlafette L/61) self-propelled anti-tank gun. The VK 36.01 (H) was intended to weigh 40 tonnes, with 100 mm (3.9 in) of armour on front surfaces, 80 mm (3.1 in) on turret sides and 60 mm (2.4 in) on

10824-435: The tank held an engine compartment flanked by two separate rear compartments each containing a fuel tank and radiator. The Germans had not developed an adequate diesel engine, so a petrol (gasoline) powerplant had to be used instead. The original engine used was a 21.35 L (1,303 in ) 12-cylinder Maybach HL210 P45 developing 485 kW (650 hp) at 3,000 rpm and a top speed of 38 km/h (24 mph). It

10947-403: The tank to be uncomfortable and spartan. For example, the gunner suffered from clumsy controls and a cramped area. This was in contrast to German crews who found them to be spacious and comfortable. A substantial problem with the Tiger was that its production required considerable resources in terms of manpower and material, which led to it being expensive: the Tiger I cost over twice as much as

11070-432: The tank. However, in service, Tigers were frequently transported by rail with their combat tracks fitted, as long as the train crew knew there were no narrow tunnels or other obstructions on the route that would prevent an oversized load from passing, despite this practice being strictly forbidden. The Tiger tank's combat weight of 56 tons was often too heavy for small bridges which had 35 ton weight limits, so it

11193-489: The testing grounds at Kubinka . During the transfer, the two tanks suffered from mechanical breakdowns. The cooling system was insufficient for the excessively hot weather, causing overheated engines and gearbox failure. The right suspension of one of the tanks had to be completely replaced, and its full functionality could not be re-established. The tank broke down again every 10–15 km. The 8.8 cm KwK 43 gave positive results in penetration and accuracy, which were on par with

11316-408: The time (e.g. US M4 Sherman or Soviet T-34 medium tanks) this allowed for fine laying of the gun without the gunner needing to use his traverse handwheel. If power was lost, such as when the tank ran out of fuel, the turret could be slowly traversed by hand, assisted by the loader who had an additional wheel, which could manually rotate the turret at a rate of one-half a degree per each revolution of

11439-481: The time (e.g., the US M4 Sherman or Soviet T-34) this allowed for fine laying of the gun without the gunner needing to use his traverse handwheel. The suspension used sixteen torsion bars , with eight suspension arms per side. To save space, the swing arms were leading on one side and trailing on the other side; this is called an H suspension setup. There were three road wheels (one of them double, closest to

11562-480: The track's centre) on each arm, in a so-called Schachtellaufwerk overlapping and interleaved arrangement, similar to that pioneered on German half-tracked military vehicles of the pre-World War II era, with the Tiger I being the first all-tracked German AFV built in quantity to use such a road wheel arrangement. The wheels had a diameter of 800 mm (31 in) in the Schachtellaufwerk arrangement for

11685-476: The turret, reducing capacity to 68. Up to fourteen Tiger IIs of the 501st were destroyed or captured in the area between 11 and 14 August to ambushes and flank attacks by both Soviet T-34-85 and IS-2 tanks, and ISU-122 assault guns in inconvenient sandy terrain. The capture of three operational Tiger IIs allowed the Soviets to conduct tests at Kubinka and to evaluate its strengths and weaknesses On 15 October 1944, Tiger IIs of 503rd Heavy Panzer Battalion played

11808-495: The weld joints of the front hull at ranges of 500–600 metres after 3–4 shots. The only working example is displayed at the Musée des Blindés , Saumur , France. It has the production turret and is accessible to the public. This tank belonged to the 1st Company, 101st SS Heavy Panzer Battalion . It was believed to have been abandoned by its crew on 23 August 1944, due to engine problems, at Brueil-en-Vexin , near Mantes-la-Jolie . It

11931-618: Was accepted, mainly because the Porsche VK 4501 (P) prototype design used a troubled petrol-electric transmission system which needed large quantities of copper for the manufacture of its electrical drivetrain components, a strategic war material of which Germany had limited supplies with acceptable electrical properties for such uses. Production of the Panzerkampfwagen VI Ausf. H began in August 1942. Expecting an order for his tank, Porsche built 100 chassis. After

12054-471: Was already standard on German half-tracks such as the Sd. Kfz. 7 . The VK 30.01 (H) was intended to mount a low-velocity 7.5 cm L/24 infantry support gun, a 7.5 cm L/40 dual-purpose anti-tank gun, or a 10.5 cm (4.1 in) L/28 field gun in a Krupp turret. Overall weight was to be 33 tonnes. The armour was designed to be 50 mm (2.0 in) on frontal surfaces and 30 mm (1.2 in) on

12177-471: Was also immune to Soviet anti-tank rifle fire to the sides and rear. Its large calibre 8.8 cm provided superior fragmentation and high explosive content over the 7.5 cm KwK 42 gun. Therefore, comparing the Tiger with the Panther, for supporting the infantry and destroying fortifications, the Tiger offered superior firepower. The destruction of an antitank gun was often accepted as nothing special by lay people and soldiers from other branches. Only

12300-771: Was also the basis for the Jagdtiger turretless Jagdpanzer anti-tank vehicle. The Tiger II was issued to heavy tank battalions of the Army and the Waffen-SS . It was first used in combat by 503rd Heavy Panzer Battalion during the Allied invasion of Normandy on 11 July 1944; on the Eastern Front , the first unit to be outfitted with the Tiger II was the 501st Heavy Panzer Battalion . Due to heavy Allied bombing, only 492 were produced. Development started in 1937 with

12423-404: Was an open crew compartment, with the driver and radio-operator seated at the front on either side of the gearbox. Behind them the turret floor was surrounded by panels forming a continuous level surface. This helped the loader to retrieve the ammunition, which was mostly stowed above the tracks. Three men were seated in the turret; the loader to the right of the gun facing to the rear, the gunner to

12546-438: Was as good as or better than most German or Allied tanks. Lt Col H.A. Shields of the 66th Armored Regiment reported in 1945: Wherever we have seen Tiger or Panther tanks, they have not demonstrated any inferior maneuverability. Near Puttendorf several Royal Tiger tanks were encountered. These Royal Tigers were able to negotiate very soft ground and their tracks did not sink in soft ground as did our own. The first combat use of

12669-637: Was built, and no turret was fitted. Further development of the Durchbruchwagen was dropped in 1938 in favour of the larger and better-armoured VK 30.01 (H) and VK 36.01 (H) designs. Both the Durchbruchwagen I and II prototype hulls were used as test vehicles until 1941. The VK 30.01 (H) medium tank and the VK 36.01 (H) heavy tank designs pioneered the use of the complex Schachtellaufwerk track suspension system of torsion bar -sprung, overlapped and interleaved main road wheels for tank use. This concept

12792-418: Was carried on, in various forms, to the Panther and the non-interleaved wheel design for the Tiger II . Eventually, a new 80 cm diameter 'steel' wheel design with an internally sprung steel-rim tire was substituted. As these new wheels could carry more weight, the outermost wheel on each suspension arm was removed. The same wheels would also be used on the Tiger II. To support the considerable weight of

12915-421: Was dependent on the crew and the combat situation. The British Churchill Mk IV was vulnerable to the Tiger from the front at between 1,100 and 1,700 m (3,600 and 5,600 ft) at a 30 degrees side angle, its strongest point being the nose and its weakest the turret. According to an STT document dated April 1944, it was estimated that the British 76.2 mm 17-pounder (used as an anti-tank gun, on

13038-414: Was designed to ford bodies of water up to 5 m (15 ft) deep. This required unusual mechanisms for ventilation and cooling when underwater. At least 30 minutes of set-up time was required, with the turret and gun being locked in the forward position, and a large snorkel tube raised at the rear. An inflatable doughnut-shaped ring sealed the turret ring. The two rear compartments (each containing

13161-807: Was discontinued in early 1942 in favour of the VK 45.01 project. Combat experience against the French SOMUA S35 cavalry tank and Char B1 heavy tank, and the British Matilda II infantry tanks during the Battle of France in June 1940 showed that the German Army needed better armed and armoured tanks. On 26 May 1941, Henschel and Ferdinand Porsche were asked to submit designs for a 45-tonne heavy tank, to be ready by June 1942. Porsche worked on an updated version of their VK 30.01 (P) Leopard tank prototype while Henschel worked on an improved VK 36.01 (H) tank. Henschel built two prototypes:

13284-440: Was due to shortages in fuel supply. They used a mixture of turreted and turretless hulls. They were used to train Tiger tank crews, and were not used in combat. Hitler's order, dated 27 February 1944, abolished the designation Panzerkampfwagen VI and ratified Panzerkampfwagen Tiger Ausf. E, which was the official designation until the end of the war. For common use it was frequently shortened to Tiger . A report prepared by

13407-478: Was especially true on the Western Front where, until the arrival of the few M26 Pershings in 1945 and the few M4A3E2 Sherman "Jumbo" assault tanks with additional armour that were scattered around Europe after D-Day, as well as a few late Churchill models, neither the British nor US forces brought heavy tanks into service. A Wa Prüf 1 report estimated that the Tiger II's frontal aspect was impervious to

13530-594: Was first used on 12 August 1944 by the 501st Heavy Panzer Battalion ( s.H.Pz.Abt . 501) resisting the Lvov–Sandomierz Offensive . It attacked the Soviet bridgehead over the Vistula River near Baranów Sandomierski . On the road to Oględów , three Tiger IIs were destroyed in an ambush by a few T-34-85s . Because these German tanks suffered ammunition explosions, which caused many crew fatalities, main gun rounds were no longer allowed to be stowed within

13653-540: Was found to be underpowered for the vehicle from the 251st Tiger onwards. It was replaced by the upgraded HL 230 P45, a 23.095 L (1,409 in ) engine developing 521 kW (699 hp) at 3,000 rpm. The main difference between these engines was that the original Maybach HL 210 used an aluminium engine block while the Maybach HL 230 used a cast-iron engine block. The cast-iron block allowed for larger cylinders (and thus, greater displacement) which increased

13776-410: Was largely confined to roads and tracks, making defence against them far easier. Many of these early models were plagued by problems with the transmission, which had difficulty handling the great weight of the vehicle if pushed too hard. It took time for drivers to learn how to avoid overtaxing the engine and transmission, and many broke down. The most significant event from this engagement was that one of

13899-470: Was lower, but still over 80 percent at 1,000 m, in the 60s at 1,500 m and the 40s at 2,000 m. Penetration of armoured plate inclined at 30 degrees was 202 and 132 mm (8.0 and 5.2 in) at 100 m (110 yd) and 2,000 m (2,200 yd) respectively for the Panzergranate 39/43 projectile (PzGr – armour-piercing shell ), and 238 and 153 mm (9.4 and 6.0 in) for

14022-648: Was nearly 4 L (240 in ) smaller in displacement than the Allied British Rolls-Royce Meteor V12 AFV power plant, itself adapted from the RR Merlin but de-rated to 448 kW (601 hp) power output; and the American Ford-designed precursor V12 to its Ford GAA V-8 AFV engine of 18 litre displacement, which in its original V12 form would have had the same 27 L (1,600 in ) displacement as

14145-554: Was never used by the French Army. Other survivors include: Informational notes Citations Bibliography Tiger I The Tiger I ( German: [ˈtiːɡɐ] ) was a German heavy tank of World War II that began operational duty in 1942 in Africa and in the Soviet Union , usually in independent heavy tank battalions . It gave the German Army its first armoured fighting vehicle that mounted

14268-496: Was not slower than the best of its opponents. Although the general design and layout were broadly similar to the Panzer IV medium tank, the Tiger weighed more than twice as much. This was due to its substantially thicker armour, the larger main gun , greater volume of fuel and ammunition storage, larger engine, and a more solidly built transmission and suspension. The Tiger I had frontal hull armour 100 mm (3.9 in) thick, frontal turret of 100 mm and gun mantlet with

14391-521: Was powered by mechanical drive from the engine. A full rotation took about a minute. Another new feature was the Maybach-Olvar hydraulically controlled semi-automatic pre-selector gearbox . The extreme weight of the tank also required a new steering system. Germany's Argus Motoren , where Hermann Klaue had invented a ring brake in 1940, supplied them for the Arado Ar 96 and also supplied

14514-437: Was provided by the variable speed Boehringer-Sturm L4S hydraulic motor, which was driven from the main engine by a secondary drive shaft. A high and a low speed setting was available to the gunner via a lever on his right. The turret could be rotated 360 degrees at 6º/second in low gear independent of engine rpm, at 19º/second – the same as with the Tiger I – with the high speed setting and engine at 2000 rpm, and over 36º/second at

14637-532: Was put into production in the French World War I era Saint-Chamond tank and post-World War I Char 2C . The Porsche suspension components were later used on a few of the later Jagdtiger tank destroyers. Another proposal was to use hydraulic drives; Dr. Porsche's unorthodox designs gathered little favour. Henschel won the design contract, and all Tiger IIs were produced by the firm. Two turret designs were used in production vehicles. The initial design

14760-457: Was salvaged by the French Army in September 1944 and then stored in a factory in Satory before being transferred to the museum in 1975. It was believed to have had turret number 123, but Colonel Michel Aubry, the founder of the museum, decided to put 233 on the turret in honour of the Tiger II that destroyed his Sherman tank at the end of the war. Unlike other captured German vehicles, this Tiger II

14883-469: Was superior in penetration and accuracy. British trials found the gun took from 6 to 16 seconds to reload varying on turret position and consequently which storage bin was being used. The ammunition for the Tiger had electrically fired primers. Four types of ammunition were available but not all were fully available; the PzGr 40 shell used tungsten, which was in short supply as the war progressed. The rear of

15006-476: Was theoretically capable of penetrating the front of the Tiger II's turret and nose (lower front hull) at 1,100 and 1,200 yd (1,000 and 1,100 m) respectively although, given the lack of a stated angle, this was presumably at the ideal 90 degrees and in combat the Tiger II was never penetrated frontally by the QF 17-Pounder. As a result of its thick frontal armour, flanking manoeuvres were most often used against

15129-525: Was under-powered, like many other heavy tanks of World War II, and consumed a lot of fuel, which was in short supply for the Germans. The transmission was the Maybach OLVAR OG 40 12 16 Model B, giving eight forward gears and four reverse, which drove the steering gear. This was the Henschel L 801, a double radius design which proved susceptible to failure. Transverse torsion bar suspension supported

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