182. [63] The 100mm BS-3 and 122mm A-19 could also penetrate the weld joints of the front hull at ranges of 500600 metres after 34 shots.[57]. There were only 10 schw. Tiger I crew making track repairs in the field. However, Soviet testing contradicted this as they found that the frontal glacis could be destroyed by firing 34 shots at the weld joints from the ranges of 500600m[57] which were found to be inferior in quality to that of previous German designs like the Tiger I or Panther. The penetrations to the right gun opening were influenced by previous 100mm projectile penetration hits or armour damage. List of military vehicles of World War II, List of World War II military vehicles of Germany, "Was the Tiger really King? Destroyed T-72B3 tank left on the Kharkiv-Belgorod border line as a warning. [20], The turrets were designed to mount the 8.8 cm KwK 43 L/71 gun. Combined with the Turmzielfernrohr 9d (German "turret telescopic sight") monocular sight by Leitz, which all but a few early Tiger IIs used, it was a very accurate and deadly weapon. Production of Tiger I began in July 1942, and the Tiger first saw service against the Red Army in September 1942 near the town of Mga (about 43 miles southeast of Leningrad), and then against the Allies in Tunisia in December later that year. As of 2020, Tiger 131 was the worlds only running Tiger 1 tank. Essentially moved into production as a prototype, the vehicle was altered throughout its run. Due to the extreme weight of the Tiger, a new twin radius type steering system was developed for the vehicle. This is further demonstrated in the yearly numbers: It is clear from these numbers that the non-combat losses increased significantly as Germany's situation deteriorated. This was followed by the ISU-152 the next year. Only a handful can be seen in museums and even fewer survive outside as monuments. It attacked the Soviet bridgehead over the Vistula River near Baranw Sandomierski. The transmission was the Maybach OLVAR OG 40 12 16 Model B, giving eight forward gears and four reverse, which drove the steering gear. In June 1941, Hitler launched Operation Barbarossa, opening up the Eastern Front in World War II a campaign to which more forces were committed than in any other theatre of war in history. [61], During August 1944, two Tiger Ausf B tanks were captured by the Soviets near Sandomierz, and were soon moved to the testing grounds at Kubinka. The thing that made this tank so feared and respected was the huge 88mm gun which could destroy a Sherman tank at ranges up to 3600 yards. Another proposal was to use hydraulic drives; Dr. Porsche's unorthodox designs gathered little favour. As many as 400 Soviet and 80 German tanks were destroyed. Moving to address this issue, an arms meeting was convened on May 26, 1941, where Henschel and Porsche were asked to submit designs for a 45 tonne heavy tank. The first five Tiger IIs delivered to the Panzer Lehr Division broke down before they could be used in combat, and were destroyed to prevent capture. [14], Development of a heavy tank design had been initiated in 1937; the initial design contract was awarded to Henschel. Building on the experience garnered on the Eastern Front, the Tiger I mounted the formidable 88 mm Kwk 36 L/56 gun. Effective in this role, some units were able to achieve kill ratios exceeding 10:1 against Allied vehicles. The Tiger 1 was without a doubt the most feared tank by the Allied forces during the Second World War. This system allowed for very precise control of powered traverse, a light touch on the pedal resulting in a minimum traverse speed of 0.1 deg/sec (360 degrees in 60 min), unlike in most other tanks of the time (e.g. Grouping information naturally results in a loss of detail and nuance. This was Fifty early turrets were mounted to Henschel hulls and used in action. At least 1,741 tanks destroyed in 1939-1940, 549 light and medium tanks destroyed in 1944-1945 and 134 combat cars. Tiger I tank under construction at Henschel plant. Another way to measure effectiveness, as the channel explains, is to examine how much of a threat the Allies considered the Tiger battalions. Marmon-Herrington Mk.I, the first of this lineage assembled in South Africa. The Tigers armour was 102mm-thick at the front such was its strength that British crews would see shells fired from their own Churchill tanks simply bounce off the Tiger. Cause Tiger I Tiger II Total; Africa; Combat: 6-6: Non-combat: 25-25: Total: 31-31: Italy; Combat . During July 1944 the 630th Tank Destroyer Battalion claimed fifty-three German tanks and fifteen self-propelled guns destroyed in exchange for seventeen Hellcats. In January 1945 the Entwicklungskommission Panzer unanimously decided that HL234 be immediately included in the engine design and procurement program. A journey of 60 miles could use 150 gallons of fuel. Orders were placed for 1,500 Tiger IIsslightly more than the 1,347 Tiger I tanks producedbut production was severely disrupted by Allied bombing raids. This was far beyond the range of the guns mounted on the Allied tanks, so . Hundreds of history documentaries, ad free podcasts and subscriber rewards. "World War II: Tiger I Tank." He has appeared on The History Channel as a featured expert. In May 1943, the Soviets fielded the SU-152 self-propelled gun which used in an anti-tank role proved highly effective. So was the Tiger tank great? The Armys Next 'Tank' Could Look Like Anything, Russia Dredges Up Ancient BTR-50 Vehicles, Your Privacy Choices: Opt Out of Sale/Targeted Ads. [44], The first combat use of the Tiger II was by the 1st Company of the 503rd Heavy Panzer Battalion (s.H.Pz.Abt. I don't know the total number of It had two versions, Sd.Kfz. Pioneering the overlapping and interleaved main road wheel concept for tanks, Henschel received permission from WaA on September 9, 1938, to continue development. [8] The Sd.Kfz. The thing that made this tank so feared and respected was the huge 88mm gun which could destroy a Sherman tank at ranges up to 3600 yards. The Tiger is one of the most revered tanks of the war, if not in the entirety of tank history. Tank Spotter's Guide, Bovington 2011 p. 63. The M-4 Sherman tank, in particular, helped the U.S. Army win the wareven though, in battle, German tanks destroyed them en masse. However, these also never got beyond the proposal stage or did not enter production before the war ended. [27] Only 492 units were produced: one in 1943, 379 in 1944, and 112 in 1945. A time consuming process to use, it was dropped in later models which were only capable of fording 2 meters of water. On the Western Front in 19441945, 4,477 British Commonwealth tanks were destroyed, including 2,712 M4 Sherman tanks, 656 Churchill tanks, 609 Cromwell tanks, 433 M3 Stuart light tanks, 39 Cruiser Mk VIII Challenger tanks, 26 Comet tanks, 2 M24 Chaffee light tanks.[8]. (2020, August 29). indestructable. Will China Give Lethal Support to Russia? Stackpole Books, May 14, 2014. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/world-war-ii-tiger-i-tank-2361331. Michael Wittman, another Tiger commander, had kills of 119 tanks, including great success in Normandy after D-Day. Due to slow production rates at the factories, incorporation of these modifications could take several months, meaning it took about twice as long to build a Tiger I as other German tanks. Young tank commanders had little interest in studying pages of instructions and schematic diagrams about their vehicles. This will have been asked there and answered by the people most expert in the world on the subject. The Tiger was in production for two years, from July 1942 to August 1944. "Armored Thunderbolt: The U.S. Army Sherman in World War II". If a Sherman tank crew sighted a Tiger, they radioed the position to the artillery then exited the area. All other tanks, tank destroyers or TDs were produced only in numbers of a few hundred (except Jagdpanzer 38(t) of which 1457 were produced in 1944). Despite its formiddable reputation, the Tiger had chiefly defensive qualities, predominantly supporting medium tanks by destroying enemy tanks at long-range to forge breakthroughs on the battlefield, while mainly ignoring hits from smaller Allied anti-tank guns. This was set against the loss of 25 Tiger IIs; ten were knocked out by Soviet troops and burned out, two were sent back to Vienna for a factory overhaul, while thirteen were blown up by their crews for various reasons, usually to prevent them from falling into enemy hands. Like all German tanks, the Tiger II had a petrol engine; in this case the same 700 PS (690hp, 515kW) V-12 Maybach HL 230 P30 which powered the much lighter Panther and Tiger I tanks. At this time there is only one Tiger left in running order; The Tank Museum, Bovington in the United Kingdom has Tiger 131 which is the star of many tank-shows and has been used in the 2015 movie Fury.. Work progressed as World War II began with the design morphing into the VK4501 project. Probably the most effective was just to wait until it broke down or ran out of gas. It was captured on 24 April 1943 during the North Africa Campaign, and later restored to running order by experts at the Tank Museum in Bovington, Dorset. In trials at Rastenburg, the Henschel design proved superior and was selected for production under the initial designation Panzerkampfwagen VI Ausf. Lab testing found that the armour plates lacked molybdenum (ascribed to a loss of supply, being replaced by vanadium), resulting in low malleability. Wheel and track maintenance on the Tiger I tank in muddy conditions (Image Credit: Bundesarchiv, Bild 101I-310-0899-15 / CC). Recorded combat performance was lower, but still over 80 percent at 1,000m, in the 60s at 1,500m and the 40s at 2,000m. Penetration of armoured plate inclined at 30 degrees was 202 and 132mm (8.0 and 5.2in) at 100m (110yd) and 2,000m (2,200yd) respectively for the Panzergranate 39/43 projectile (PzGr armour-piercing shell), and 238 and 153mm (9.4 and 6.0in) for the PzGr. It is important to note that it is not possible to use the numbers below to conclude whether the Tiger tanks deserved their reputation as being unreliable. complex to repair in the field. The Tigers 88mm-wide mobile main gun was so formidable that shells often blasted straight through enemy tanks, coming out the other side. Maintaining this fuel supply was tricky, and was susceptible to disruption by resistance fighters. It is also clear, however, that the Tiger II performed well in comparison to the Tiger I. It has the production turret and is accessible to the public. The stubborn enemy (a penal battalion) was shocked by the unyielding attacks, his rear echelons were shattered by the destruction of several transport columns and a supply train. The Tigerfibels success resulted in more unorthodox manuals emulating its style. https://www.thoughtco.com/world-war-ii-tiger-i-tank-2361331 (accessed March 1, 2023). That Tiger IIs had managed to make this same trip in the winter was indeed an impressive testimony to both their maneuverability and mobility. [32] [notes 3] [32]. UK 15,844 tanks and 1,957 armoured cars lost. [11] It was armed with the long barrelled 8.8 cm KwK 43 L/71 anti-tank cannon. Then figure out what the total cost of the trip would be.? However, it was the German Tiger tank that frequently ranked among the finest, being superior to British and American tanks for most of the war. Answer (1 of 14): There were many tactics to stop a tiger tank. For example, tanks lost due to a unit surrendering does not fit into neither a combat nor a non-combat category. . Jack Beckett has been editor of War History Online since 2012. Likewise, the Soviet kept about 3,000 tanks in the Far East through much of the war." To compete, orders for a German prototype for a new tank thus required a weight increase to 45 tonnes and an increase in gun calibre to 88mm. The initial design is often misleadingly called the "Porsche" turret due to the misbelief that it was designed by Porsche for their Tiger II prototype; in fact it was the initial Krupp design for both prototypes. But armor and lethality don't tell the whole story. According to Steven Zaloga: (1) "As of January each year, except for 1941 which is as of 22 June 1941. When it broke down, it was difficult and expensive to fix. A potential source of manipulation is that unit commanders may have wished to disguise losses due to poor decisions by the commander. The categories and groups are listed to allow those who disagree with the classifications to create their own analysis. Unlike the German Panther tank, the Tiger I did not draw inspiration from the T-34. Through the course of the war, the Tiger I claimed 9,850 kills in exchange for losses of 1,715 (this number includes tanks recovered and returned to service). World War II: Tiger I Tank. During the European Campaign, the Division had some 648 Sherman tanks completely destroyed in combat and we had another 700 knocked out, repaired and put back into operation. This included the driver and radio operator which were situated in the front, as well as loader in the hull and the commander and gunner in the turret. Though effective on the battlefield, the Tiger was badly over-engineered making it difficult to maintain and expensive to produce. The Panzerkampfwagen VI Tiger tank was a German heavy tank that served on the Eastern Front, Western Front, and in North Africa during World War II. These claims are usually not backed up by actual numbers. Why was this, and did it actually deserve its legendary status? These reports were classified and there is therefore no reason to believe that the reports were modified for propaganda reasons. Tiger. SHAEF, Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force. Though designed as a breakthrough weapon, by the time they saw combat in large numbers Tigers largely were used to anchor defensive strong points. The turret could be rotated 360 degrees at 6/second in low gear independent of engine rpm, at 19/second the same as with the Tiger I with the high speed setting and engine at 2000 rpm, and over 36/second at the maximum allowable engine speed of 3000 rpm. Actual tank combat focused on breaking through the lines of the opposing forces using superiority of force while anti-tank gun and tank destroyer units destroyed the tanks of the opponent. The Tiger II is a German heavy tank of the Second World War. [34][35] The final drive unit and the double radius steering gear were initially particularly prone to failures. European Theater of Operations, United States Army, "Survey of Allied tank casualties in World War II", "Defeating Hitler: Whitehall's Secret Report on Why Hitler Lost the War", World War II: The Definitive Encyclopedia and Document Collection, List of Soviet military units that lost their standards in World War II, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Equipment_losses_in_World_War_II&oldid=1135398335, United Kingdom: Europe 42,010 (including 30,045 fighters and 11,965 bombers), Australia, Pacific and South East Asia: 250, Around 67,429 tank and self-propelled guns, 87,329. [36][37] Henschel's chief designer, Erwin Aders, said, "The failure occurred because the Tiger II went into production without considering the test results. These claims are usually not backed up by actual numbers. 226,300 Military cars and 97,470 Military motor-cycles destroyed or captured. What Was the Atlantic Wall and When Was It Built? 30 images of Tiger 1 wrecks. [17], Henschel won the design contract, and all Tiger IIs were produced by the firm. Tigers in the Mud: The Combat Career of German Panzer Commander Otto Carius, by Otto Carious, Stackpole Books, 2003, Combat report 'Experiences with Panzerkampfwagen "Tiger" B', by s.H.Pz.Abt 506. These up-gunned T-34s were supported in the war's final year by SU-100s mounting 100 mm guns and IS-2 tanks with 122 mm guns. 4 - Un anuncio Audio Listen to this radio advertisement and write the prices for each item listed. The 8.8 cm KwK 43 gave positive results in penetration and accuracy, which were on par with the 122mm D-25T. Germany and the Soviet Union built the best tanks of World War II. Charlie Mills spoke to Dr. Mario Draper at the University of Kent. After trials, the Henschel design was considered superior and the more practical to mass produce, largely as the Porsche VK 4501 prototype design needed large quantities of copper a strategic war material that was in limited supply. Despite their stunning victory in France in 1940, the German Army quickly learned that its tanks were weaker and more vulnerable than the French S35 Souma or the British Matilda series. 623 Tiger I and 377 Tiger II. Inadequate for the tank's massive 56.9 tonne weight, it was replaced after the 250th production model with a 690 hp HL 230 P45 engine. Hearst Magazine Media, Inc. All Rights Reserved. After Germanys invasion of the Soviet Union on 22 June 1941, they were shocked to encounter Soviet T-34 medium and KV-1 heavy tanks that were far superior to anything they had available. For power, the Tiger I featured a 641 hp, 21-litre, 12-cylinder Maybach HL 210 P45 engine. Writer on Defense and Security issues, lives in San Francisco. Aberjona, 2004. p. 135. On average 11,000 small arms, 68 tanks, and 30 aircraft were lost each day. 267 and 268 for command vehicles). [39], The Schwere Heeres Panzer Abteilung 501 (s.H.Pz.Abt. Wa Prf 6 was not supportive of this as the Heer had not accepted the cannon itself. A large network of firms produced components for the Tiger, which were then transported by rail to Henschels factory in Kassel for final assembly, with a total construction time of around 14 days. Answer (1 of 14): Not as many as Fury, or Wehrmacht enthusiasts, would like you to believe. Cannons and bombs likely only destroyed very few panzers. Tiger tank constructed at the Henschel plant is loaded onto a special rail car, 1942. 20 July 1950. Christopher W. Wilbeck. They had about 400 other armored vehicles, assault guns, Stug III and things like that. On August 6, 1945, during World War II (1939-45), an American B-29 bomber dropped the world's first deployed atomic bomb over the Japanese city of Hiroshima, immediately killing 80,000 people. The Tiger was still at the prototype stage when it was quickly brought into service, and therefore changes were made throughout the production run, including a redesigned turret with a lower cupola. The fate of Tiger 124 in August 1944 is reasonably well known. The final version of the tank weighed 54 tons, had a crew of five, and was equipped with a mobile version of the famous 88-millimeter anti-tank gun. Green, Michael. National Armor & Cavalry Heritage Museum, Restoration Shop, This page was last edited on 1 March 2023, at 17:50. In the years since World War II, much mythmaking has mucked up history with various often incredible claims about the effectiveness of certain weapons. The M26 arrived in the final months of the conflict . The Tiger was also limited in range by its high fuel consumption. Was the German Tiger Tank Really That Great? In the case of the 501st these were Panzer III N tanks and in the case of the 504th they were Panzer III Ms. Many crews had a mere fortnight to familiarise themselves with the Tiger before using it in combat. From June 6, 1944 through May 15, 1945 for US tank and tank destroyer losses in the European Theater of Operations, United States Army (Western Front): around 7,000 (including 4,2954,399 M4 tanks, 178 M4 (105mm howitzer), 1,507 M3 Stuart tanks and 909919 tank destroyers, of which 540 M10 tank destroyers, 217 M18 Hellcat and 152 M36 tank destroyers). Ground pressure was 0.76kg/cm2 (10.8 psi). RAC Directorate of the War Office listed AFV losses as an estimated. This was the Henschel L 801, a double radius design which proved susceptible to failure. Prior to the invasion of the Soviet Union during World War II, the German armed forces were not aware of two newly developed Soviet tanks, the T-34 and the KV. In early 1944, they began production of the T-34-85 which possessed an 85 mm gun capable of dealing with the Tiger's armor. The authors paid a visit to the Tiger II (Fgst.Nr. German tanks boasted better armor protection and more firepower. But how effective were these weapons really? One of the iconic tanks of the conflict, over 1,300 Tiger Is were built. This makes the capture of Tiger 131 as significant as it was enigmatic. Tiger II tanks in France. Production and losses of tanks > Soviet and German production and losses of tanks on the Russian Front from 1941 to 1945 and could the Red Army have won. All contents copyright Christian Ankerstjerne 2001-2023, unless otherwise stated. According to certain sources the Allies in Europe lost about 140,000 tanks and 20,000 were due to mechanical break . 159,144 Anti-tank guns and Artillery destroyed or captured. The design was simplified to aid production partly also as a result of raw material shortages. The M1917, the United States' first mass-produced tank, was based on the French Renault. In July 1944 the Germans had over 1,500 tanks in Normandy and several hundred in other theatres such as Italy and the Balkans. What did Stalin and Hitler think of each other? Extremely time-consuming to build, only 25 rolled off the production line in the first month. 501) arrived on the Eastern Front with only eight out of 45 tanks operational; these faults were mostly due to final drive failures. The ZF AK-7-200 gearbox was also explored as an alternative to the Maybach Olvar-B semi-automatic gearbox, but Waffenamt research and development department Wa Prf 6 found that it offered inferior driving characteristics and so the Maybach Olvar-B was retained. The 503rd remained in the Hungarian theater of operations for 166 days, during which time it accounted for at least 121 Soviet tanks, 244 anti-tank guns and artillery pieces, five aircraft and a train. . Within the crew compartment was space for five. Another design contract followed in 1939, and was given to Porsche. German crews had been thorough in carrying out their orders to completely destroy abandoned Tigers in order to prevent them falling into enemy hands. By clicking Accept All Cookies, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. Osprey Publishing page 175-176. (Image Credit: Bundesarchiv, Bild 146-1972-064-61 / CC). Soviet claims according to Grigori F. Krivosheev: 42,700 tanks, tank destroyers, self-propelled guns and assault guns, 379,400 guns and mortars and 75,700 combat aircraft. But it wasnt until the middle of 1944 that the British and Americans were able to field a tank with a gun capable of penetrating the Tigers armour and these were only available in small numbers until the last few months of the war. Careful analysis of Allied records could no doubt shed further light on some of these losses. During the same period, the Luftwaffe claimed to have destroyed 1847 tanks and SPGs. The Combat History . Mounting the 88 mm KwK 36 L/56 gun and thick armor, the Tiger proved formidable in combat and forced the Allies to alter their armor tactics and develop new weapons to counter it. The Tiger was shrouded in secrecy only the German army knew how it worked, and on Hitlers orders, disabled Tiger tanks had to be destroyed on the spot to prevent the Allies from gaining intelligence about them. Built with combat performance in mind, although superior on the battlefield, the Tigers complex design and a lack of thought to repairing individual components made it tricky and expensive for mechanics to maintain. Nazi Germany's Tiger is arguably the most famous tank of World War II. Powered turret traverse was provided by the variable speed Boehringer-Sturm L4S hydraulic motor, which was driven from the main engine by a secondary drive shaft.