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Tiger IiThe Panzerkampfwagen VI Ausf. B has a number of names related to it including Sonderkraftfahrzeug 182 (Sd. Kfz. 182), Tiger II, Knigstiger, and among the Western Allies, nicknames including "King Tiger" and "Royal Tiger". The literal translation of Knigstiger in German when talking about an animal refers to a species of Tiger, the Bengal Tiger also known as the Royal Bengal Tiger, which is not used when refering to the armored vehicle. The tank itself was a heavy tank of World War II produced and used by Nazi Germany. The tank was partially derived from the Tiger I, and was to share many components with a planned Panther II and supplied the basis for the Jagdtiger. This armored fighting vehicle weighed about 68 tons, and was protected by a roughly 185 mm of frontal armor, and was armed with the 88 mm KwK 43 L/71. 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 higer numbers of heavily armored anti-tank vehicles. Offensively it performed with less success, and its performance was a great dissapointment to Hitler when it first saw action. Although developed fairly late in the war and made in relatively small numbers (roughly 490 total) the Knigstiger still managed to contribute on a number of occasions holding off advancing forces. Its engine ran on gasoline which, while offering more power, became especially scarce towards the end of the war, resulting in many tanks having to be abandoned, such as during the Battle of the Bulge. Towards the end of production, shortages of certain metals resulted in less effective armor, though to what extent this occurred and its impact on quality is a matter of debate. Turret Design 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 for the Henschel design. Among the reasons for this were that the Porsche design used too much copper due to having a electric rather then transmission. The first 60 of the Porsche versions were still made and saw action, notable 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. Explained Henschel & Son's chief designer Erwin Adlers, "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. Production 1500 were ordered. Total production amounted to about 485-9, depending on if prototypes are counted. Full production ran from about mid-1944 to the end of the war. By year: 3 (1943), 377 (1944), 107 (1945). The tanks were given turret numbers, here are the fates of some of the tanks. Specifications - Crew: 5 (3 in turret)
- Weight: 67 to 69 tonnes depending on source (Porsche turret), 69.4 tonnes (Henschel turret)
- Height: 3.09 m
- Length: 7.62 m (excluding gun barrel), 10.28 m (including gun barrel)
- Width: 3.76 m
- Engine: V12 Maybach HL 230 P30 (700hp)
- Gearbox: Maybach OLVAR EG 40 12 16 B (8 forward and 4 reverse)
- Speed (km/h): 35 - 38 (road), 17 (cross country)
- Range (km): 110 (road), 80 (cross country)
- Radio: FuG 5, Befehlswagen version: FuG 8 (Sd. Kfz. 267), FuG 7 (Sd. Kfz. 268)
- Armament: 88 mm KwK 43 L/71 and 1 coaxial 7.92 mm MG, 1 hull MG 7.92 mm, 1 commander's hatch MG 7.92 mm (not always installed)
- 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
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