PzKpfw VI Tiger Heavy Tank |
| Written by Marcia Malory | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The PzKpfw VI Tiger 1 Heavy Tank is probably the most well known of all the German tanks that were active in World War II. In fact, the Nazis built many more Panther tanks than Tiger tanks. They built about 6,000 Panther tanks, but only about 1,350 Tiger 1 tanks.
The Tiger 1 heavy tank weighed 56 tons. Its main gun was a 3.46 inch (8.8 cm) KwK36 L/56 gun which could pierce 4.33 inches (110mm) of armor from a distance of 6,561 feet (2,000 meters.) Although the Tiger had a reputation among Allied soldiers for being practically invincible, it did have some flaws. For example, its turret traverse had a very low gear, which meant that it took a long time to move the main gun so that it was bearing down on the target.
Nevertheless, the size of the King Tiger made it difficult to maneuver cross country. It also tended to be unreliable and hard to maintain. The Germans only built about 485 King Tiger heavy tanks. They were used mostly for defense when the Allies advanced into Germany.
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Production of the Pzkpfw VI Ausf E Tiger 1 heavy tank began in July 1942. This model of the Tiger tank first saw action near Leningrad in August of that year.
The PzKpfw VI Tiger 2 heavy tank, which was known as the Königstiger (King Tiger), was heavier than the Tiger 1 and had a more powerful main gun. Tiger 2 Ausf B first entered production in December 1943. It weighed over 68 tons (69,090 kg). Its main weapon wa s a long-barreled 3.46 inch (8.8cm) KwK43 L/71 gun. This gun could pierce 5.19 inches (132mm) of armor from 6.56 feet (2,000 meters) away, making it more than a match for the largest Allied tanks.