Tiger Tracks
The superstructure sides hung over the wide track systems. The tracks were designed deliberately wider than previous German tank incarnations for improved traction and weight displacement. Such a design measure allowed a heavy vehicle to cross over softer terrains with some relative ease by spreading out the weight. This is not to say that the Tiger was impervious to getting stuck in mud and snow but this design element certainly helped her avoid it on occasion. Tigers were fitted with an overlapping road wheel arrangement similar to that as found on the Panther. The elevated drive sprocket was held at the front of the hull with the track idler at the rear, near the engine. In terms of mobility, the Tiger actually fared quite well given its heavy tank classification. The torsion bar suspension system - a German tank staple - also attributed to the Tiger's above average mobility.
Major Hull Compartments
The engine compartment roof at the rear was slotted for cooling needs and vertical exhaust systems were installed along the rear hull facing which itself was slightly angled inwards towards its bottom edge. The engine was covered over in a slightly-sloped (8-degrees) plate measuring in at 82mm in thickness. Crew accommodations amounted to five personnel that included the driver, radio operator, tank commander, gunner and loader. The driver maintained a position in the front left of the hull while the radio operator was to his right. The transmission system cover divided this forward compartment to space the two crewmembers apart. Each member was afforded his own access hatch along the forward top of the hull roof. The driver viewed the outside world through a vision block directly forward while the radio operator manned a 7.92mm MG34 bow-mounted machine gun with integrated sighting equipment.
The Krupp Turret
The turret featured a squared-off front face mounting a heavy armored gun mantlet. The sides of the turret were curved, first tapering out to its widest point and them curving back towards the vehicle's centerline. The rear facing of the turret was very rounded with no slope (unlike the Panther's heavily-angled design). The main gun - the 88mm (8cm) KwK 36 - was fitted to the front turret facing at center and protruded some distance over the forward hull (barrel overhang). The barrel tapered from the gun base to the barrel muzzle in three distinctly visible sections and was capped by a double-baffled muzzle break to help contend with recoil. The tank commander, gunner and loader all made their home in the traversing powered turret. The gunner was set in a left-front placement with the commander immediately behind him in a raised position. The loader was set to the right and the turret was effectively divided into two equal halves by the large gun breech system. The commander maintained a circular access hatch above his head for entry-exit while the loader was afforded his own rectangular access hatch. Early Tigers fielded a drum-type cupola with vision slots while later production forms were fitted with the cast-steel cupola similar to that of the Panther and complete with vision periscopes. The gunner utilized the commander's hatch for entry-exit and also manned a 7.92mm MG34 coaxial machine gun fitting. About 5,850 rounds of 7.92mm ammunition were carried aboard to feed the two (sometimes three) MG34 general purpose machine guns. Three smoke grenade dischargers were set along each forward turret side for a total of six smoke grenades. These could prove useful in laying down screens for an effective advance or retreat. Armor protection for the single-piece turret was 100mm along the front face with 200mm being reached near the gun base (this was the point at which the turret sides connected by weld. Elsewhere, the turret was manufactured to be 82mm in thickness though the roof measured in at just 26mm. The turret was powered by hydraulic means that were tied directly to the tank's engine. Just as in the Panther tank, the gunner of the Tiger utilized a manually-operated traverse method to fine-tune his aim before firing. The firing action required the tank to come to a complete stop for no gun stabilization systems were featured on German tanks during the war. This manual traverse function also doubled as an emergency backup should hydraulic power fail the crew. Two pistol ports appeared at the rear of the turret though, from February 1943 onwards, only one was retained. An escape hatch was later added to the rear right side of the turret that could also serve as a protected communications port when the commander needed to address infantry units.
Tiger Tank Ammunition
Ammunition for the main gun was similar in respects to that as available on the original anti-aircraft 88mm Flak gun. The major difference between the two guns was the electrically-primed nature of each projectile (as opposed to percussion-primed). Tiger tank ammunition also operated from a different semi-automatic breechblock. Up to 92 projectiles of 88mm ammunition could be carried aboard a typical Tiger though it was not uncommon for crews to be issued with over 100 rounds. Projectile "flavors" included the 23lb Panzergranate 39 AP (Armor Piercing) round for use against enemy tanks and the 32lb Sprenggranate HE (High-Explosive) round for use against infantry and fortifications. Each projectile was issued as a single piece component containing the charge and warhead. The main gun could engage targets nearing 2,200 yards and still achieve excellent penetration values, often engaging enemy tanks before they themselves could get within range to fire. The 16lb Panzergranate 40 series shell was another AP projectile available but these were differentiated by their use of a tungsten core for improved penetration. The 29lb Garante 39 HL was another HE option available to Tiger crews and featured a shaped-charge warhead.
The Tiger Tank in Action
Just as in the Panther series, Hitler's personal interest (and subsequent meddling) ensured that the Tiger series would be born into a world before it was fully ironed out in trials. Hitler's insistence was always on getting the most powerful weapon systems to the frontline in the shortest amount of time possible. This guaranteed short evaluation times that were generally held to help weed out mechanical deficiencies in a given design. The Tiger series, as such, was not immune to Hitler's desire to field them into play before they were properly dressed for battle. Additionally, German infrastructure was severely curtailed by the Allied ground and air campaigns so logistical support throughout the war was gradually grounded down making access to spares and fuel near-impossible in some cases. What stores were not destroyed by a bombing campaign were eventually overrun by advancing ground forces.
Once in practice, a key mechanical deficiency shown through in the final drive component. Where fuel became a factor, German infantry learned to count on their Tigers for support but only up to a point - they would inevitably be called away due to a lack of fuel. German crews were specifically instructed to engage only when within the operational range of their vehicles and special care was further exercised to minimize the running of engines and gears so as to not force them into repair prematurely. These orders showcased the understanding by German authorities of their excellent Tigers as irreplaceable battlefield pieces while also understanding the limitations of their fine machine.
As with Panther crews, Tiger crews were instructed from the beginning to utilized the thick frontal armor of their mounts when in combat. Stories from early outings revealed that the Tiger was relatively impervious to much that was available to Red Army personnel including anti-tank guns, anti-tank grenades and anti-material rifles. In one German after-action report, a Tiger was said to have been hit over 200 times by 14.5mm caliber ammunition and recorded at least 14 direct hits from a 52mm anti-tank gun with a further 11 hits from the potent Soviet 76.2mm gun. Remarkably, this particular Tiger tank survived the six hour-long battle to fight another day.
On Hitler's direct order, Tiger tanks were first fielded in combat on August 29th, 1942 against the Soviets along the Eastern Front and saw their first action on September 16th near Leningrad. Four Tigers were thrown into the fray and all four survived to fight another day. However, this debut proved something of a disappointment for all suffered from mechanical issues. In actions on September 21st, the Tiger legacy took another hit as these same four tanks were either lost to Soviet anti-tank weapons or became grounded in soft terrain. As in the Panther, the tough Soviet winter weighed heavily on the overlapping wheel systems of the Tiger which tended to collect mud and snow, only to freeze overnight and then require the use of tools or blowtorches to set free.
The Soviet Army was keen on finding out more of the new German heavy tank and attempts were always made to capture intact systems. Similarly, the capture of the T-34 by the Germans led directly to the design of the Panther series. As such, the Soviets returned the favor on January 16th, 1943 when a sample Tiger was collected. Soviet engineers subsequently looked over the German tank and were quick to note its heavy armor protection to which all current anti-tank guns were more or less rendered ineffective now. This forced the hand of the Soviets into begin design and development of mobile tank-killing systems that specifically dealt with these new German armor threats. For the Red Army, this gave rise to various "SU" self-propelled guns mounting evermore powerful armament to contend with the Tiger threat. Additionally, the late-war "IS" series - or "Joseph Stalin" heavy tanks - became a primary threat to Tiger crews by the end of the war and was produced in the thousands as a highly-effective counter.
Tiger tank production numbers were never fully realized and, by the end of the war, Tiger crews were almost always outnumbered on the battlefield. However, the Tiger and its 88mm gun - coupled with superior training and excellent German optics - allowed it to strike at oncoming enemy tank formations before the enemy was within range with their own guns. Tiger tank crews became acutely aware of this advantage and utilized it when possible. German forces on retreat made good use of hidden Tigers as assault systems lying in ambush. Unsuspecting Soviet lead tanks fell to these well-hidden, tactical maneuvers and proved the Tiger the most lethal of opponents. These Tigers could then relocate to a more rearward position and repeat the action without allowing the Soviet T-34s a chance to respond.
British crews first encountered the Tiger in Tunisia to which then they could be found everywhere the German Army was fighting. American tank crews soon developed a respect for their new adversary when compared to the Panzer IVs they were use to facing. Direct armor-piercing gunfire from their M4 Shermans did little to penetrate the thick frontal regions of the Tiger at a distance of under 800 yards. Crews reported firing as many as 30 rounds of different types while seeing their shells comically ricochet off the hulls and turrets of Tigers. Ultimately, multiple Shermans were required to take down a single Tiger and this usually from any angle other than the front. A few Shermans could act as unfortunate bait while the flanks were secured by more Shermans. As the American tank was available in tens of thousands, the loss of a few Shermans to a single Tiger was logistically acceptable.
If the Tiger held any weakness it was in those planned ambushes from anti-tank elements. Like the Panthers before them, Tigers fielded inherently weaker side and rear armor facings and anti-tank crews were always keen on taking whatever advantage they held to heart. A British gunnery crew utilizing a 57mm (6-pounder) anti-tank gun opened fire on a collection of Tigers with AP rounds from 680 yards out. Once inside of 600 yards, the first shell finally penetrated one of the enemy tanks which was further followed by three more than ultimately put one of these Tigers out of commission.
Like the British and Americans, the Soviets soon learned to deal with Tigers by whatever means available. This included coordinated hits even when using HE rounds from 45mm, 57mm or 76mm guns to dislodge or break key operating components on the track assembly. Though still technically "in the fight", a disabled Tiger tank became nothing more than a stationary gun emplacement which could then be overrun by infantry or engaged by anti-tank guns in time. Anti-tank mines and anti-tank grenades were also used to good effect though the latter required infantry to come up rather close to the Tiger sides/rear. Not only housing the engine, these rear areas housed flammable fuel and explosive ammunition stores - both capable of igniting - and were thinly protected when compared to the rest of the Tiger layout.
The Tiger line was eventually evolved with the appearance of the newer and heavier "Tiger II" series fielding even more armor and improved firepower thanks to a longer-barreled 88mm main gun. These went on to be known as the "King Tiger" or "Royal Tiger" to the Allies and were produced in only a few hundred examples. The end of the war effectively killed other attempts by the Germans to field any successful "super-heavy" tank against the Allies.
To the Americans and British, the Tiger was known simply as the "Mark VI" and technically recognized as the "PzKpfW VI".
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