Service Data:
In Service: 1942 to 1945
Production Data:
Manufacturer: Henschel
Chassis No: 250001-251357
Number built: 1,354
Technical Data:
Type:
Crew: 5 man
Length: 8.45 m
Width: 3.7 m
Height: 2.93 m
Weight: 57,000 kg
Fuel Capacity: 534 liters
Engine: 1 ×
Maybach
HL 230 P45 12 cylinder liquid cooled 60º Vee petrol
engine producing up to 700 hp at 3,000 rpm
Gearbox: 8 forward 4 reverse
Speed: 38 km/h cross country km/h
Range: road 140 km cross country km
Armament:
1 ×
8.8
cm KwK 36 L/56
2 ×
7.92
mm MG 34 machine guns or
MG
42
Ammunition:
main 92 rounds
secondary 4,500 to 5,700 rounds
Armour: 25 mm to 100 mm
Electronics: FuG 5
Operators: Heer
Variants:
12.8
cm (Sf) L/61 VK3001(H)
Bergepanzer
Tiger Ausf. E
Bergepanzer
Tiger (P)
DW I Panzer VI
DW II Panzer VI
Ferdinand
/ Elephant
Gw
Tiger für 17 cm K 72 (Sf)
Jagdtiger
Sturmtiger
Tiger I Ausf. E
Tiger II Ausf. B
VK3001(H)
Panzer VI
VK3001(P) Leopard
VK3601(H)
Panzer VI
VK4501(H)
Panzer VI
VK4501(P)
Panzer VI
Other: Panzers
Articles:
Tigerfibel manual
I
Saw Our Shells Bounce off a German Tiger
History:
Development of what finally became known as the Tiger Ausf.
E was started in a meeting with Adolf
Hitler on the 26th of May 1941. Although Medium and heavy
tanks had been under development in the Third Reich since
1937. There were no immediate plans to replace or supplement
the
Panzer III and
Panzer
IV owing to the early campaign successes. But all this
altered after the invasion of Soviet Union and the Wehrmacht
came up against the Russian T-34 and KV I tanks. Both of the
Russian tanks, out classed anything the Wehrmacht had either
in the field or in development and it was this which gave
the impulse to apply Adolf
Hitler recommendations as promptly as possible. The demand
was for a tank mounted gun, capable of penetrating the 100
mm of armour plate at 1500 m. The gun proposed for this vehicle
was
8.8
cm Flak 36. Nevertheless, the ordnance department were
in favour of smaller calibre weapons of either 6 cm or 7.5
cm provided similar armour piercing performance could be obtained
by using a smaller calibre gun the total size and consequently
the weight of the proposed vehicle could be lowered.
Although the performance of the
8.8
cm Flak 36 L/56, was well-known the smaller gun calibre
still had to be developed. The arguments in favour of the
smaller tank was so self-evident nevertheless it was decided
to issue two individual specifications one to be given to
Henschel
for a 30 to 40 ton tank designated VK 3601(H) and to be armed
with the tapered bore weapon.
The specification given to
Porsche
was for a 45 ton tank to be armed with the
8.8
cm KwK 36 L/56 and was designated VK 4501(P) separate
turrets for both designs were ordered from
Krupp.
Since there was a shortage of tungsten steel essential for
taper bore guns, Hitler
banned the use of tungsten steel, for use with weapon 0725.
Overall only seven VK 3601(H) prototype's were consequently
produced. The last of these coming out in April 1942. With
the cancellation of the weapon 0725 and to allow
Henschel
to make a tank with the necessary firepower within the allowed
time. It was decided to use the turret and gun developed by
Krupp,
under the supervision of Professor Porsche for the VK 4501(P)
and on the VK 3601(H) also. A point of interest about this
turret is that the sides and back were forged from a single
plate of armour 82 mm thick, bent round into the shape of
a horseshoe. Owing to this turret, having a ring diameter
of 185 cm against 165 cm ring diameter of the VK 3601(H)
Henschel
was required to alter their chassis so it would fit. This
was done by extending the hull above the tracks and therefore
altering the section from a rectangular form to T-shape. Because
of the chassis modifications, the heavy gun and heavier turret.
The weight of the vehicle was increased substantially, and
the designation was consequently changed to the VK 4501(H).
This new project, vehicle had the same main components such
as transmission final drive and road wheels as were developed
for the VK 3601(H). In order to reduce ground pressure of
this heavier vehicle. The track width was increased from 52
cm to 72.5 cm and an additional road wheel was added to each
torsion arm for better distribution of weight on these wider
tracks. As the VK 3601(H) had already been designed to make
use of the maximum width permitted by rail transport some
planning had to be made for reducing the overall width of
the VK 4501(H) when being transported by rail. At one time
it was intended to have two individual tracks, each side,
one which could be removed, but this idea was abandoned in
favour of standard battle and narrow transportation tracks.
During development of the VK 4501(H) two variants were finished
the VK 4501(H1) which was built with the
Krupp
turret mounting the
8.8
cm KwK 36 and the VK 4001 (H2) which was to have had a
Rheinmetall
designed turret mounting the
7.5
cm KwK 42 L/70 this second variant was never built.
By the middle of 1941,
Henschel
had made preparations for production of 60 vehicles, and even
before a prototype was finished they had increased their preparations
to cover a further 1,300. The first prototype's the VK 4501(H)
and the VK 4501(P) went through their first competitive tests
at Rastenburg in front of Adolf
Hitler. On his birthday, the 20th of April 1942. The results
of these and following trials were supposed to have shown
that the
Henschel
vehicle was better therefore production orders were placed
for it. The
Porsche
vehicle, known within the company as the Tiger now falls by
the wayside as a battle tank, but the 90 chassis that were
already made up were put into use for the Panzerjäger
(Elephant) and results of the various trials implemented on
the two VK 4501(P) vehicles when compared showed very little
difference.
Actual production of the Panzerkampfwagen 4501 (H) started
in August 1942 at a rate of 12 units per month on Adolf
Hitler orders production was to be improved so that by
November 1942 the rate had increased to 25 units per month
this increase continued and the maximum monthly output of
hundred and four was obtained in April 1944. Production was
stopped in August 1944 after a total of 1,355 had been built,
including prototypes. Chassis numbers of production vehicles
run from 250001 to 251350 in chronological sequence. The designation
Panzerkampfwagen VI was changed through Hitler
decree on the 27th of February 1944 the official designation
from then on became Panzerkampfwagen Tiger Ausf. E which had
as a matter of fact, had appeared on official documents before
this.
Because of the size and weight of these vehicles. It was anticipated
that difficulties would arise when crossing rivers by normal
methods. Not many bridges were officially capable of carrying
their weight. In the original specifications, and also in
the early production models there was a requirement for equipment
to enable them to submerge up depths of roughly 4 m and cross
on the bed of the river there's no evidence to prove that
this feature was ever used combat situations, tank crews being
very cautious to go underwater. When one thinks that all hatches
open outwards, and that an engine failure would trap the crew
without any fresh air being circulated and their fears were
understandable. After 495 vehicles had been built with submerging
equipment it was decided to discontinue fitting the equipment.
In any case not all of the already produced had it fitted
anyway. For submersion. All hatches ventilators, vision ports
gun mantlet could be sealed comparatively easily a pneumatic
tube was inflated to steal the turret ring and a telescopic
snorkel pipe was raised from the rear engine compartment.
This pipe supplied fresh air which first went through the
crew compartment and then the engine. The temperature reduction
of the engine, whilst submerged was achieved by flooding.
These fan compartments were positioned on both sides of the
engine compartment and sealed off after being disconnected.
Clapper valves were fitted to the exhaust and backpressure
from the engine was relied on to keep the water out.
When it was first introduced the Tiger Ausf. E was the most
powerful tank anywhere in the world. The craftsmanship was
of a extremely high standard but the transmission and steering
were extremely elaborate requiring many hours to produce.
With eight forward ratios in the gearbox, which was fully
automatic, which made the Tiger Ausf. E very light to control.
While first-class crew were still available. It made the Tiger
an extremely effective battle tank. Because later in the war
the standard of training dropped, and so mechanical failure
rate increased. The main drawbacks apart from that difficulties
in transportation were short range of action due to fuel consumption,
and the slow turret traverse whilst the turret traverse was
normally hydraulic. Just in case this became inoperative hand
traverse wheels were provided for both the Commander and Gunner.
Whilst the original idea was for an offensive tank. Their
lack of mobility, and the changing conditions of war led them
to being used as a defensive weapon. In this role they proved
to be an extremely formidable weapon being completely impervious
to the British six pounder, and the American 7.5 cm, Russian
7.6 cm. Although at close range the British six pounder could
effect a side penetration but not until the arrival of high
velocity ammunition for the British six pounder with, and
the American 7.6 cm and the introduction of the Russian 10
cm and 12.2 cm guns. However, the Tigers frontal armour was
considered shock resistant.
The earliest variant of the Tiger didn't have an escape hatch
in the right-hand rear wall of the turret but had a second
pistol port. Similar to that fitted on the opposite side of
all other variants. These early models, which appeared first
in Russia, weren't fitted with air pre-cleaners, which became
necessary, during the Russian summer, and in North Africa.
There were five mine dischargers located on the turret, these
were for close fighting if infantry support was lacking. These
fired a projected a canister, a short distance into the air,
which then exploded, scattering a lethal shower of ball bearings.
The next minor modifications seems to have been the fitting
of a forward facing periscope on the turret roof for the gun
loader.
The next modification was to the turret, which was the drum
type cupola with vision slots being replaced by one with seven
periscopes as fitted also to the
Tiger
II Ausf. B. The gun loader's periscope was continued,
but the extractor fan was moved to the centre of the turrets
top and its place taken by the Nahverteidigungswaffe an internally
loaded smoke bomb anti-personnel mine discharger. From the
beginning of 1944 the air pre-cleaners mounted on the rear
of the vehicle were discontinued altogether.
The final variant had hardened steel tyred wheels were fitted
which could carry a much greater capacity,
the fitting of steel wheels also had another benefit in which
it did not allow a buildup of ice, which in the past had caused
many wheels to freeze up, and in so doing broke the tracks.
Also on the final variant the outside wheels were discontinued
altogether.
Gallery:
Heer Comments
Sources:
German Military Vehicles.
ISBN-10: 087349783X
Armoured Fighting Vehicles of Germany World War II.
ISBN-10: 0214203077
Encyclopedia of German Tanks of World Two.
ISBN-10: 1854095188
For a complete list of
sources
