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Tiger
I
The Panzerkampfwagen VI Ausf. H/E Tiger I (Mark VI-H/E,
Panzer VI-H/E, Pzkw VI-H/E, SdKfz 181-H/E,
Sonderkraftfahrzeug 181-H/E, Tiger 1, Tiger I) was a
German tank of World War II.
This combat vehicle was first used in late-1942. It was
the heaviest German production tank to date at 55-57
tons. It had a crew of five, and was armed with an 88mm
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 Pzkw VI
K�nigstiger, 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, dividing the hull 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
100mm thick, with 80 mm on the turret, to simplify
production flat sections were used where possible with
interlocking andwelding rather than bolted joins.
It was the first German tank to have triple interleaving
road wheels, which improved load distribution. The steel
and rubber wheels were mounted on eight independent
torsion bar axles, which gave a relatviely soft and
stable ride for such a large vehicle. The complex system
had a number of drawbacks, a major one was that the
wheels could become packed with mud or snow which could
then freeze. The Russians discovered this and on occasion
timed their attacks to early morning to maximise the
possibly that the Tigers would be immobilised.
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, rather than 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, found
to be rather underpowered this was soon upgraded to a 24
litre model.
The original design could submerge to 4.0m and remain
there for 2.5 hours, however, this being an expensive
feature, it was abandoned after the first 495 tanks had
been produced.
Design History
Development of the Tiger had begun in Spring 1937 by
Henschel. 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. Porsche and Henscel submitted
prototype designs and they were compared at Rastenburg
before Hitler. The Herschel design was accepted and
production began in August 1942 of the Panzerkampfwagen
VI Ausf E. At the same time ninety of the Porsche version
were also ordered, not used the chassis' were converted
into the Panzerjager Tiger.
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
producted ceased. Production started at a rate of 25 per
month and peaked in April 1944 at 104 per month.
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 perhaps uncontroversial that Mark VIs were capable
of destroying a T-34 or Churchill IV at ranges up to
1300m. Conversely, these opposing tank types were unable
to penetrate the armor of the Mark VI if firing from a
range greater than 500m. Of perhaps some controversy is
the argument that a Mark VI was capable of destroying a
M4 Sherman at ranges in excess of 3500m, however,
Shermans were not capable of penetrating the Mark VIs
fore and side armor, even at pointblank 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 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, manoevrability and radius of
action. One particular weakness was a slow turret
traverse due to its great weight, an accepted Allied
tactic was to engage the Tiger in groups, one attracting
the attnetion of the Tiger crew while the others attacked
the sides or rear of the vehicle.
In May 1943, a Tiger 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.
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 self-propelled guns. Eventually the Russians
would produce fully new tank designs, the JS-I (100mm)
and the JS-II (122mm).
Quotes
British Tank Commander Andrew Wilson -- "All you saw
in your imagination was the muzzle of an 88 behind each
leaf."
German Tank Commander Oberst Franz B�ke -- "The
Tiger was the best tank and was particularly successful
in heavy fighting."
Text is available
under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License
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