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Panzerkampfwagen VI Tiger heavy |
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As far back as 1938 it has been realizedthat the PzKpfw IV tank would have tobe replaced by a more modern designsome time in the future. Various prototypeswere built by a number of Germancompanies, but none was placedin production, In 1941 an order wasplaced with Henschel for a 36-ton tankcalled the VK 3601 which was requiredto have a maximum speed of 40 km/h(25 mph), good armour protection anda powerful gun. A prototype of this tankwas built but further work was stoppedas an order was placed in May 1941 fora 45-ton tank called the VK 4501, Thiswas to be armed with a tank version ofthe dreaded 88-mm (3.46-in) AA/antitankgun, which had then become thescourge of European armies. It was requiredthat the prototype be ready fortesting on Hitler's next birthday, 20April 1942. As time was short Henschelincorporated ideas from the VK 3601and another tank called the VK3001(H). The end product was the VK4501(H), the letter suffix standing forHenschel. Porsche also went aheadwith its own design and built the VK4501(Porsche) to meet the same requirement.Both prototypes were completedin time to be demonstrated onHitler's birthday, and the Henschel designwas selected for production in August1942 under the designationPzKpfw VI Tiger Ausf E (SdKfz 181).The Tiger was in production fromAugust 1942 to August 1944, a total of1,350 vehicles being built. It was thensucceeded in production by the TigerII or King Tiger for which there is aseparate entry. In case trials provedthe VK 4501(H) a failure, a batch of 90VK 4501(P) tanks was ordered, andthese were subsequently completedas 88-mm (3.46-in) tank destroyersunder the designation Panzerjäger Tiger(P) Ferdinand (SdKfz 184). Thevehicle was named after its designer,Dr Ferdinand Porsche.There were three variants of the Ti gei, these being the Tiger commandtank (Befehlspanzer Tiger) which wasthe basic gun tank with its main armamentremoved, but fitted with a winchbut no crane, and the Sturmtiger whichhad a new superstructure fitted with a38-cm (14.96-in) Type 61 rocketlauncherwith limited traverse; only 10of the last were built.For its time the Tiger was an outstandingdesign with a powerful gunand good armour, but it was also toocomplicated and therefore difficult toproduce. One of its major drawbackswas its overlapping wheel suspensionwhich became clogged with mud andstones. On the Eastern Front this couldbe disastrous as during winter nightsthe mud froze and by the morning thetank had been immobilized, often atthe exact time the Soviets wouldattack, When the vehicle travelled onroads a 51.5-cm (20.3-in) wide trackwas fitted, while a 71,5-cm (28,1-in)wide track was used for travel acrosscountry or in combat as this gave alower ground pressure and so improvedtraction.Main armament comprised an 88-mm (3.46-in) KwK 36 gun, with a 7.92-mm (0.31-in) MG 34 machine-gun coaxialwith the main armament and asimilar weapon ball-mounted in thehull front on the right, Totals of 84rounds of 88-mm (3.46-in) and 5,850rounds of machine-gun ammunitionwere carried.The Tiger was first encountered inTunisia by the British army and fromthen on appeared on all of the Germanfronts.SpecificationPzKpfw VI Tiger Ausf ECrew: 5Weight: 55000 kg (121,250 lb)Dimensions: length (includingarmament) 8,24 m (27 ft 0 in); length(hull) 6.20 m (20 ft 4 in); width 3.73 m(12 ft 3 in); height 2.86 m (9 ft 3.25 in)SS Tigers bivouac on the BrennerPass, guarding the Italian borderwith Austria. By this time the Allieshad landed in Italy and Mussolinihad been overthrown.Powerplant: one Maybach HL 230 P 4512-cylinder petrol engine developing700hp(522kW)Performance: maximum road speed38 km/h (24 mph); maximum rangeroad 100 km (62 miles); fording 1.2m(3 ft 11 in); gradient 60 per cent;vertical obstacle 0.79 m (2 ft 7 in); trench 1.8 m (5 ft 11 in)
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