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 it was blighted by mechanical failures in action. It was also known as Sonderkraftfahrzeug 182 (Sd. Kfz. 182), or informally Tiger II, Königstiger or King Tiger in German and by the British as Royal Tiger.

1 Development
2 Turret design
3 Mechanical problems
4 Production
5 Other specification
6 Combat history
7 Surviving vehicles
8 External links

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Development

The Tiger II, or Königstiger (King Tiger), was more derived from the Panther than the Tiger, contrary to what it's name suggests. The design followed the same concept as the Tiger I, but was intended to be even more formidable. The Tiger II chassis supplied the basis for the Jagdtiger turretless tank destroyer. The Tiger II weighed about 68 tons, was protected by 185 mm of frontal armor, and was armed with the 88 mm KwK 43 L/71 gun. This was the most powerful gun carried by any WW2 tank.

The very heavy armor and powerful, long-range gun gave the Tiger II the advantage against virtually all opposing tanks. This was especially true on the Western Front, where the British and US forces had almost no heavy tanks with which to oppose it. In a defensive position it was difficult to destroy. Offensively it performed with less success, and its performance was a great disappointment to Hitler when it first saw action.

The Tiger II was developed late in the war and made in relatively small numbers (about 560 total). Like all German tanks, it had a gasoline engine. However, this same engine powered the much lighter Panther and Tiger I tanks. The Tiger II was under-powered, like many heavy tanks of WW2, and consumed a lot of fuel.

The US "Super Pershing" T-26 was developed in response to the Tiger I and Tiger II. The Tiger II was widely photographed due to its large size and propaganda value.

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Turret design

Image: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 manufactured 60 vehicles, although some sources state that only 50 were produced. Nonetheless, the Porsche design was beaten by Henschel. Among the reasons given for this were that the Porsche design used too much copper, but another reason is that it had a distinctive curved turret face. There was a shot trap located right under the mantelet, and if a shell hit there, it could jam the turret or if the round was powerful enough, it could possibly blow off the entire turret. Porsche specified a drivetrain whereby the engine generated electrical power and final drive was by electric motors rather than mechanical transmission. Although none of the Porsche versions were produced, approximately 60 turrets were fitted to the standard hull and saw action. The Porsche version of the tanks can be identified by the curved turret face, and a somewhat narrower turret with a bulge on the left side to accommodate the commander's cupola.

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Mechanical problems

With the Third Reich hard pressed, the Tiger IIs were sent directly from the factories into combat. As a result of the abandonment of post-production testing and preliminary trials, the tanks had numerous technical issues. Notably, the steering control would often 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. This can be attributed to the fact that it used the 700hp Maybach engine of the far smaller Panther tank. The engine had to constantly run at full power just to get the tank moving. Henschel & Son's chief designer Erwin Adlers explained the "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, the Tiger II was a formidable tank in spite of its problems. The Tiger II's 88 mm armament could destroy most Allied AFVs at a range far outside the effective range of the enemy AFV's armament.

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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.

1943: 3
1944: 377
1945: 107

Each tank was given an individual turret number.

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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

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Combat history

The first use of the Tiger II in combat was in Normandy on 18 July 1944 with the "schwere Panzer Abteilung 503". It was first used on the Eastern Front on 12 August 1944 with "schwere Panzer Abteilung 501" in the fighting at the Soviets' Baranov bridgehead over the Vistula River. Later it was present at, among others, the Ardennes Offensive, the Soviet offensive into Poland and East Prussia in January 1945, the German offensives in Hungary in 1945, fighting to the east of Berlin at the Seelowe Heights in April 1945 and finally within the city of Berlin itself at the very end of the war.

The fates of some of the tanks.

#102 - captured at Ogledow by Soviets; taken to Kubrinka and used for target tests.
#104 - with SS-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 Ponts, captured by US Army on December 24th of 1944. Later moved to Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland. Eventually transferred to Patton Museum, Kentucky.
#002 (#502) - captured at Ogledow by Soviets, eastern front. Survived and is on display at Kubinka Tank Museum

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Surviving vehicles

Bovington Tank Museum, Dorset, England. Tiger II (Porsche turret) displayed in interior location accessible to public on payment of entrance fee to museum. This was the second prototype Tiger II made and did not see active service.
Kubinka Tank Museum, Russia. Tiger II (production turret), possibly a command version. The museum is open to the public with restrictions. Foreign visitors must request permission to visit 3 weeks in advance.
December 44 museum, La Gleize, Belgium. Restored Tiger II (production turret) in open air location accessible to public on payment of entrance fee to museum. Hull number 280273, built in October 1944. Turret number 213 from SS s.PzAbt. 501. This tank was abandoned in La Gleize on 24th December 1944.
Defence Academy of the United Kingdom, Shrivenham England. Tiger II (production turret) in military collection not normally accessible to the public. This vehicle was from SS s.PzAbt. 501 with turret number 104. It was knocked out near Beauvais.
Munster Panzer Museum, Germany. Tiger II (production turret) displayed in interior location accessible to public on payment of entrance fee to museum. Hull number 280101. Turret number 121 from SS s.PzAbt. 101.
Musée des Blindés, Saumur, France. Only surviving Tiger II in running order (production turret). Displayed in interior location accessible to public on payment of entrance fee to museum.
Patton Museum of Cavalry and Armor, Fort Knox, United States. Tiger II (production turret). Hull number 280243, built in September 1944. Turret number 332 from SS s.PzAbt. 501. Abandoned in Dec. 1944 near Bourgoument.
Thun Tank Museum, Switzerland. Tiger II (production turret) displayed in open air location accessible to public on payment of entrance fee to museum. This tank was given to Switzerland by France after the war. Hull number 280215 from s.PzAbt. 506.

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External links

Template:Commons

Information about the Pz.Kpfw.Tiger Ausf.B "Tiger II" at Panzerworld
Tiger II Ausf. B at Achtung Panzer!
tehn. Data / AFV
La Gleize Museum's Tiger II
Tiger Tank Footage - Watch footage of Tiger Tanks in action

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