SdKfz 181 Panzer VI / Tiger I

History SdKfz 181 Panzer VI / Tiger I

The Tiger heavy tank was in service with the German army in the last years of World War II. It proved to be an extremely sturdy design and an excellent fighting machine, but suffered due to the excess weight and size of the Germans and the lack of resources during the war.

With the exception of Joseph Stalin's heavy tanks used by the Soviets, few Allied tanks could match them in action. The Tiger was the first German tank to be fitted with a powerful 88mm anti-aircraft gun and artillery as its main weapon, with thick armor and good maneuverability.

Having encountered some mechanical problems during her service, she was not entirely immune to Allied doctrine, which soon evolved into a struggle against her greatest attribute, with many in turn being shot down by Allied guns. At its core, the Tigers left a short-lived wartime legacy and were limited by too many factors to realize their true battlefield potential.

The T-34 changed everything

So far, the Wehrmacht medium tanks such as the Panzer III and Panzer IV series have worked well. The Germans, however, were no strangers to the changing demands of the modern battlefield, envisioning a replacement for their Panzer IV line as early as 1937, but work was slow to progress as demands seemed to change from month to month.

This work was driven by previous encounters with British Matildas and French Char B tanks. When Hitler pledged to invade the Soviet Union through Operation Barbarossa in June 1941, he effectively locked the fate of the Third Reich for a long time - and the Germans felt the urge to encounter the new medium T-34 and heavy KV 1 series. Shock hits a Soviet tank. These were well-armed, heavily armored main battle tanks that surpassed anything the Germans could deploy.

Of particular note is the T-34's use of heavily sloping armor plates, large wheels on a wide track, and a proven 76.2mm main gun. The forward thinking of the Soviets was only appreciated after German engineers examined several captured examples.

The Germans immediately proceeded to develop the T-34 "anti-tank". The designs were provided by the faithful Daimler-Benz, MAN and Henschel, later joined by Porsche (1939). The Henschel and MAN designs continued to evolve, and the MAN design itself ended up being the great Black Panther collection. The tank has wider tracks, overlapping wheels, sloping armor protection and a powerful 75mm main gun - all learned from studying the T-34.

The Henschel and Porsche designs survived and eventually developed into the "Tiger" heavy tank.

From VK3001 to VK4501

Initially, both Henschel and Porsche were selected to provide a new fuel tank system weighing between 30 and 35 tons. Each company delivered a prototype named VK3001 (H) or VK3001 (P) ("H" for Henschel, "P" for Porsche).

No vehicle was officially selected, but further development continued and a new project called "VK4501" appeared in May 1941. The VK4501 called for a 45-ton tank with a powerful 88mm anti-aircraft gun. The 88mm (8.8cm) gun is a proven dual-purpose weapon that started out as an air defense system and has since evolved into an effective tank killer.

Krupp was contracted to supply the main gun and turret components.

Porsche and Henschel

The new tank will be inspected on April 20, 1942 as a birthday present for the Fuhrer. The Henschel prototype became the VK4501(H), while the Porsche proposal became the VK4501(P). Dr.

Ferdinand Porsche maintained a close relationship with Hitler from which his company benefited, creating a false belief in choosing Porsche Design over Henschel. Before the official order was placed, Ferdinand prepared his workshop to produce 100 Porsche tank designs. Hitler completed and reviewed the prototype as planned, and Porsche Design was seen as the most popular.

Unfortunately for Porsche, its vehicles were doomed to fail with a dynamic gas-electric powertrain due to glaring flaws during testing. In October 1942, the German authorities established a special committee known as the "Tiger Committee" to make a final judgment, choosing the Henschel design for mass production. The tank received the designation PzKpfW VI Ausf.

H (SdKfz 182) in August 1942. However, on February 27, 1944, Hitler permanently changed the name to PzKpfW Tiger Ausf. E (SdKfz 181).

Failed Porsche Design

A small number of completed Porsche VK4501(P) models (aka "Porsche Tiger") were reused as other battlefield equipment, including the "Berg-Panzer VI" rescue vehicle and the "Panzerbefelswagen" command tank. To improve reliability and logistics, some people replaced the problem engine with a Maybach model. Other Porsche chassis became the basis for the development of the Panzerjager Tiger P tank killer.

Only one "Porsche Tiger" is said to have seen direct combat action.

Tiger production

Development of the PzKpfW VI continued after a production decision was made, with changes to the original design resulting in a heavier competitor now 55 tonnes above the projected weight limit of 45 tonnes in the original specification. The extra weight forced engineers to compensate by adding an extra outer wheel on each side of the track (which increased their width) and made them unsuitable for railcar transport. So two sets of chains were released - one for combat, to encourage better weight transfer, and a narrower set to facilitate transport/marching. The latter change can be done by Tiger's crew in half an hour (on each side of the track) by removing all outboard wheels and installing narrower tracks - only then will Tiger clear the rails.

German authorities eventually accepted the weight increase, seeing the Tiger's excellent armor protection and powerful main gun strike a balance. Full-scale serial production would begin in August 1942, with the first four Tiger fighters on the market, with an expected production of twelve per month.

Tiger production

The Tiger was produced from August 1942 to August 1944, with 1,350 final deliveries. The Tiger's intricate design ensured that it would never be mass-produced - at least enough to turn the tide of the war in Berlin's favor.

Between the more than 1,000 Tiger prototypes, minor changes in design are inevitable, as each factory makes necessary or temporary changes to accommodate German needs or shortages of certain components.

Tiger Maybach engine

The first 250 Tigers were fitted with a Maybach HL 210 P30 engine with 650 hp. After the 250th prototype, Tiger switched to a Maybach HL 230 P45 series that increased power to 700 hp. These Maybach engines were retrofitted from existing (and proven) aircraft engines and proved suitable for installation in the German Army's medium and heavy tanks. The HL 230 P45 has the same engine as the Panther.

On-road range is close to 85 miles, while off-road range drops excessively to 40 miles if the Commander is lucky. Germany reports that the Tiger can only run for 2.5 hours before it needs to be refueled. As a result, many Tiger tanks were killed in battle simply because their crews ran out of fuel.

As such, these were abandoned and blown up to prevent capture by the enemy.

Autonomous propulsion was nearly impossible due to the limitations of the Maybach engine, so was transported to the front by rail vehicle where possible, although this event required a lot of preparation to make it possible. Therefore, routes using Tiger tanks were pre-planned down to the smallest detail to account for impassable bridges or narrow European roads.

The Tiger's top speed is also rated at 24 mph, making them noticeably slow to keep up with the nimble, nimble front end.

Tiger production changes

After the 391st Tiger, a new turret was introduced with a redesigned Commander's cupola, which was similar to the Panther series cupolas. A barrel clip was added and an escape hatch was cut out of the rear of the turret.

In June 1943, a mount for an anti-aircraft MG34 machine gun was mounted on a slightly modified cupola to improve defense, and in August only a searchlight was installed in the upper part of the fuselage. After the 800th Tiger was built, production switched to road wheels with steel rims, eliminating the factory rubber tire wheels.

The last 54 or so Tiger tanks were heavily rebuilt due to the deterioration of the German war situation - damaged hulls were regularly salvaged and reused, and new turrets (at least 22 new turrets) were built to fill the ranks of the dead.

Tiger Tank Variants

The earlier Tiger production series became the PzKpfW VI Ausf. H, which was equipped with a tropical system above the engine to facilitate activity in hotter desert climates such as North Africa. In addition, this tiger form has the ability to wade in deep water. PzKpfW IV Ausf. E became the Tiger standard after February 1944, abolishing Ausf.

H additive. In true German fashion, the hull of the Tiger tank was used for other needs of the German Army. This included its own Armored Recovery Vehicle (ARV), as the Tiger tank itself weighed more than any available recovery tractor in service at the time - a dedicated Tiger tank was designed to tow other Tiger tanks. The "Tiger Command Tank" with additional communications equipment exists as a command tank.

The Assault Tiger uses a Tiger chassis with a 380mm naval rocket launcher main gun to completely destroy the standing structure.

Tiger's design proved to be very traditional at the time. Interestingly, its appearance is dominated by straight armor plates on all major fairings, in contrast to the sloping armor of the Panther series. The hull has a flat-sided superstructure with a short, sloping glacis panel. Glacis plates are forged to a thickness of 61mm and sloped 80 degrees for ballistic protection. The panels run to the bottom of the front superstructure panels (which are only inclined at 10 degrees) and extend down to create a sloping underside of the fuselage.

The bottom of the front fuselage is 102 mm thick and inclined 24 degrees. The front panel cladding of the superstructure is 102mm thick, while the front and rear quadrants of the underside of the fuselage and roof are only 26mm thick. The transverse hull armor is 80 mm thick and has no slope.

Tiger Tracks

The sides of the superstructure are suspended from wide rails. The tracks are intentionally wider than previous German tank designs to improve traction and weight transfer. This design measure allows heavy vehicles to traverse softer terrain with relative ease by distributing weight.

That's not to say the tiger doesn't get bogged down in mud and snow, but this design element does help her avoid it occasionally. Tigers have a similar overlapping wheel arrangement to the Panther. A raised drive sprocket is held at the front of the hull, while a chain idler is located at the rear near the engine.

In terms of mobility, the Tiger actually does quite well as it is classified as a heavy tank. The torsion bar suspension - a staple of German tanks - is also credited to the Tiger's above-average maneuverability.

Major Hull Compartments

The engine bay at the stern is slotted in the top for cooling, and the vertical exhaust system is mounted on the rear fuselage fairing, which itself slopes slightly inward toward the bottom edge. The engine is covered with an 82mm thick plate that is slightly sloped (8 degrees). The crew quarters consisted of five personnel, including the driver, radio operator, tank commander, gunner and loader. The driver maintains a forward position on the left side of the fuselage, while the radio operator is on its right.

The transfer system cover divides the forward compartment, separating the two crew members. Each member was granted its own access hatch on the front top of the fuselage.

The driver sees the outside world directly through the vision module, while the radio operator operates a 7.92mm MG34 machine gun with integrated aiming equipment on the nose.