Tiger II
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The Panzerkampfwagen VI Ausf. B was a German heavy tank of the Second World War. Although heavily armed and armoured its use was blighted by mechanical failures in action.
It was known by several names including Sonderkraftfahrzeug 182 (Sd. Kfz. 182), Tiger II, Königstiger, and by the Western Allies, nicknames including "King Tiger" (or Kingtiger) and "Royal Tiger". Königstiger was never an official designation by the Germans; in German, Königstiger is the Bengal Tiger (or Royal Bengal Tiger).
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Development
The Tiger II was partially derived from the Tiger I, and was intended to share many components with a planned Panther II, and supplied the basis for the Jagdtiger. It weighed about 68 tons, and was protected by 185 mm of frontal armor, and was armed with the 88 mm KwK 43 L/71 gun.
The comparatively very heavy armor and powerful gun made the Tiger II effective in the ambush role against most British or American tanks on the Western Front, but slightly less so on the Eastern Front due to the greater numbers of heavily armored anti-tank vehicles. Offensively it performed with less success, and its performance was a great disappointment to Hitler when it first saw action. Although developed fairly late in the war and made in relatively small numbers (about 490 total), the Tiger II still managed to contribute on a number of occasions holding off advancing forces. It ran on gasoline which, while delivering more power, became especially scarce towards the end of the war. As a result, many tanks were abandoned such as during the Battle of the Bulge. Towards the end of production, shortages of certain metals resulted in poorer quality and hence less effective armor, though to what extent this occurred and its impact is a matter of debate.
Turret Design
PanzerVI_TigerII_Porsche1.jpg
There were two very similar designs for the tank, one from Henschel and one from Porsche. However, the turrets were both made and designed by Krupp for each design. Porsche had thought they would win the contract and already made 60 vehicles, however they had lost and the main production would be of the Henschel design. Among the reasons given for this were that the Porsche design used too much copper. Porsche specified an electric-drive where the engine generated electrical power and final-drive was by electric motors rather than mechanical transmission. The first 60 of the Porsche versions were still made and saw action. They can be identified by having a curved rather then straight turret mantlet. (Some sources say there were 50, not 60)
Mechanical Maladies
The Tiger II's were sent directly from factories into combat. As a result of the abandonment of post-production testing and preliminary trials, these tanks had numerous technical issues. Notably, the steering control would break down under the stress of the vehicle's weight. In addition, not only were the engines prone to overheating and failure, but they were also considered to be extremely fuel inefficient. Henschel & Son's chief designer Erwin Adlers explained "The breakdowns can be attributed to the fact that the Tiger II had to go straight into series production without the benefit of test results." The engine and drivetrain was overburdened by the weight and would have required more testing to weed out problems, a common problem among heavy tanks that pushed the limits of powerplants and transmissions.
Overall, Tiger II was formidable tank inspite of its problems. The Tiger II's 88mm armament could destroy most Allied AFVs at a range far outside the effective-range of the enemy AFV's armament.
Production
1500 were ordered. Total production amounted to about 485-9, if prototypes are counted. Full production ran from about mid-1944 to the end of the war.
Each tank was given an individual turret number.
Other specification
- Gearbox: Maybach OLVAR EG 40 12 16 B (8 forward and 4 reverse)
- Radio: FuG 5, Befehlswagen version: FuG 8 (Sd. Kfz. 267), FuG 7 (Sd. Kfz. 268)
- Ammunition: 88 mm - 80 rounds (Porsche turret), 86 rounds (Henschel turret), 7.92mm - up to 5,850 rounds
- Gun Sight: Turmzielfernrohr 9d (TZF 9d), early on the TZF 9b
Combat History
The fates of some of the tanks.
- #102 - captured at Ogledow by Soviets; taken to Kubrinka and used for target tests.
- #104 - with sSS-PzAbt 501. Knocked out near Beauvais by Sergeant Roberts of A Squadron, 23rd Hussars. On display at Shrivenham, England.
- #213 - abandoned during Battle of the Bulge. Survived and is on display outside of the La Gleize Museum in Belgium
- #234 - captured at Ogledow. Used for spare parts for #102 and #502
- #332 - abandoned near Trois Point, captured by US Army on December 24th of 1944. Later moved to Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland. Eventually transfered to Patton Museum, Kentucky.
- #002 (#502) - captured at Ogledow by Soviets, eastern front. Survived and is on display at Kubinka Tank Musuem
External links
- Information about the Pz.Kpfw.Tiger Ausf.B "Tiger II" at Panzerworld (http://www.panzerworld.net/tigerii.html)
- Tiger II at Achtungpanzer.com (http://www.achtungpanzer.com/pz5.htm)
- tehn. Data / AFV (http://afvdb.50megs.com/germany/pz6.html#AusfB)
- La Gleize Museum's Tiger II (http://battlefieldsww2.50megs.com/la_gleize_king_tiger.htm)
| German armored fighting vehicles of World War II | |
|---|---|
| Tanks | |
| Panzer I | Panzer II | Panzer III | Panzer IV | Panther | Tiger I, II | Panzer 35(t) | Panzer 38(t) | |
| Self-propelled artillery | |
| Wespe | Hummel | Grille | Panzerwerfer | |
| Assault guns | |
| StuG III | StuG IV | StuH 42 | Brummbär | Sturmtiger | |
| Tank destroyers | |
| Panzerjäger I | Marder I , II , III | Hetzer | Jagdpanzer IV | Jagdpanther | Nashorn | Jagdtiger | Elefant | |
| Armored half-tracks | Armored cars |
| SdKfz 4 | 250 | 251 | 252 | 253 | Sdkfz 221/22/23 | Sdkfz 231/32/34/63 |
| Self propelled anti-aircraft | |
| Flakpanzer IV: Möbelwagen, Wirbelwind, Ostwind, Kugelblitz | Gepard | |
| Prototypes | |
| Maus | P-1000 Ratte | E- series | Panther II | Waffentrager | Neubaufahrzeug | |
| Proposed designs | |
| P-1500 'Monster' | Panzer VII 'Löwe' | Panzer IX | |
| German armored fighting vehicle production during World War II | |
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