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 First Tiger I tank captured near Tunis The Panzerkampfwagen VI Ausf. H/E Tiger I (also called Mark VI-H/E, Panzer VI-H/E, Pzkw VI-H/E, SdKfz 181-H/E, or Sonderkraftfahrzeug 181-H/E) was a German tank of World War II.
This armoured fighting vehicle was first used in late-1942. It weighed 55-57 tons and was the heaviest German production tank at the time. It had a crew of five, and was armed with an 88 mm cannon (the KwK 36). The Tiger I was in use until the German surrender and was given its nickname by Ferdinand Porsche. This design eventually resulted in the PzKpfw VI Königstiger, known as the Tiger II or King Tiger.
Design
The Tiger was possibly the most sophisticated and best engineered tank of its time. The internal layout was typical of German tanks, with the hull divided into four parts: two front compartments for the driver and the radio-operator, a central fighting compartment, and the rear engine compartment. The tank had front armor up to 100 mm thick, with 80 mm on the sides and back of hull and turret; to simplify production, flat sections were used where possible, with interlocking and welding rather than bolted joints. Although quite sufficiently armored for 1942, for its elevated weight the tank was rather poorly protected.
Typical of the larger German tanks, the turret had a full circular floor rotating with it. This was surrounded by fixed floor panels forming a continuous level floor for the fighting compartment. All the panels could be lifted to reveal storage boxes.
It was the first German tank to have triple interleaving road wheels, which improved load distribution. The steel and rubber wheels were mounted on sixteen independent torsion bar axles, which gave a relatively soft and stable ride for such a large vehicle. The complex system had a number of drawbacks; one was that the wheels could become packed with mud or snow that could then freeze. The Soviets discovered this and on occasion timed their attacks in the early morning, when the Tigers were more likely to be immobilized.
This tank also featured a hydraulically-controlled pre-selector gearbox and a semiautomatic transmission. The weight of the tank also meant a new steering system; instead of the clutch-and-brake designs of lighter vehicles, a variation on the British Merritt-Brown system was used. The initial engine was a 590 hp 21 litre Maybach petrol design, which was found to be rather underpowered; this was soon upgraded to a 24 litre model.
The original design could submerge to 4.0 m and remain there for 2.5 hours. This required extensive preparation, including locking the turret, sealing all openings, and disengaging the fans so that water rather than air could cool the engine. This capability, being expensive, was abandoned after the first 495 tanks had been produced, and other means were used to get the vehicles across rivers.
Design History
Henschel began development of the Tiger in spring of 1937. After various sidetracks Henschel and three other companies (Porsche, MAN and Daimler-Benz) submitted designs in 1941 for a 35 ton tank with a 75 mm main gun. The emergence of the Russian T-34 rendered these design obsolete; according to Henschel designer Erwin Adlers "There was great consternation when it was discovered that the Soviet tanks were superior to anything available to the Wehrmacht". An immediate weight increase to 45 tons and an increase in gun calibre to 88 mm was ordered. The due date for new prototypes was set for April 20, 1942, Adolf Hitler's birthday. With the limited design time the existing lighter designs were used as the basis for the new tank. Unlike the Panther tank, the design did not incorporate any of the innovations of the T-34: the deflection benefits of sloping armor were absent. Porsche and Henschel submitted prototype designs and they were compared at Rastenburg before Hitler. The Henschel design was accepted but was fitted with the turret from the Porsche design. Production began in August 1942 of the Panzerkampfwagen VI Ausf E. At the same time ninety of the Porsche version were also ordered, which were not used; the chassis were converted into the Panzerjäger Tiger, also known as Elefant or Ferdinand.
Production History
Production of the Mark VI began in August 1942 and 1,355 (1) such tanks were built by August 1944, at which point production ceased. Production started at a rate of 25 per month and peaked in April 1944 at 104 per month. Strength peaked at 671 on 1 July, 1944. Generally speaking, it took about twice as long to build a PzKpfw VI, in comparison to the other German tanks of the period. When the improved Tiger II Ausf B began production in January 1944, the Tiger I was soon phased out.
Combat History
It is often stated that Tigers were capable of destroying a T-34 or Churchill IV at ranges up to 1300 m. In the case of the T-34 sloping armor not only increases the line of sight (horizontal) thickness of armor but also causes a deflection effect of around 50%. So in theory the about 45 mm front armor of the T-34 gives it a protection equivalent of about 140 mm, making it immune to the Tigers 88 mm gun - that is, if the latter isn't using the tungsten core APCR-round, that became rare later in the war.
However this was often offset by the nasty tendency of the brittle Russian armor to collapse when hit by a large "overmatching" round. Conversely, these opposing tank types were unable to penetrate the armor of the Tiger I if firing from a range greater than 500 m. Of perhaps some controversy is the argument that a Tiger I was capable of destroying a M4 Sherman at ranges in excess of 3500 m; however, the first Shermans were not capable of penetrating the Tiger Is' frontal armor, even at point blank range.
Despite these qualities the first uses of the Tiger were unimpressive. Under pressure from Hitler the tank was put into action months earlier than planned and many early models proved to be mechanically fragile. In its first action on September 23, 1942 near Leningrad, in unsuitable marshy terrain, Russian anti-tank gunners found it no threat. It demonstrated the disadvantages of very large tanks in speed, maneuverability and radius of action. One particular weakness was a slow turret traverse due to its great weight.
However the problems were fixed in a very short time and the Tiger became the most feared tank in World War II. An accepted Allied tactic was to engage the Tiger in groups, one attracting the attention of the Tiger crew while the others attacked the sides or rear of the vehicle.
The Tiger is strongly associated with the name of Michael Wittmann who was the most successful tank commander of World War II.
The Captured Tiger of 1943
In May 1943, a Tiger (turret number 131) of the Afrika Korps was captured and sent to England for inspection. However, the western Allies did little to prepare for combat against the German tank despite their assessment that the Tiger was superior to their own tanks. It is believed this decision was based on the doctrine of the United States Army, which did not place emphasis on tank vs. tank combat.
On the 25th of September 1951 the captured tank was officially handed over to the Tank Museum in Bovington, England, by the British Ministry of Supply. In June 1990 preperations were made for restoring the Tiger to running order. In December of 2003, Tiger 131 returned to the museum with a fully operational engine after extensive restoration by the Army Base Repair Organisation.
The Russian Response
In response to the Mark VI, Russia modified the T-34 by upgrading to an 85mm gun. They also mounted 122mm and 152mm howitzers on the KV-1, which resulted in the SU-122 and SU-152 assault guns. Eventually the Russians would produce a fully new tank design, the IS-2 with a 122mm gun.
Notes
- i -- Although 1,350 is a common figure, World War II magazine reported the figure of 1,355 in their January 1994 edition (p.16). Jentz gives in his Die deutsche Panzertruppe (1999), the result of the most detailed investigation of the primary sources ever undertaken, a revised number of 1,347, including the prototype.
- ii -- Among other variants of the Tiger, a "compact self-propelled mortar, today commonly known as Sturmtiger, was built.
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