Tiger I
The Tiger I was a tank made by Nazi Germany. It was first made in 1942 by the Henschel und Sohn company. The tank was used during World War II in the North African Campaign and Operation Barbarossa. The Tiger I used a 8.8 cm KwK 36 gun. It had 100 mm (3.9 in) of armor.
| Panzerkampfwagen VI Tiger Ausf. E | |
|---|---|
.2.jpg) Tiger I in northern France, March 1944 | |
| Type | Heavy tank |
| Place of origin | Nazi Germany |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1942–1945 |
| Wars | World War II |
| Production history | |
| Designer | Erwin Aders Henschel & Son |
| Designed | 1938–1941 |
| Manufacturer | Henschel |
| Unit cost | 250,700 ℛℳ[1][a][2][b] |
| Produced | 1942–1944 |
| No. built | 1,347[c] |
| Specifications (RfRuK VK 4501H Ausf.E, Blatt: G-330) | |
| Mass | 54 tonnes (60 short tons)[4] 57 tonnes (63 short tons) (Ausf. E)[5] (Combat weight)[6] |
| Length | 6.316 m (20 ft 8.7 in) 8.45 m (27 ft 9 in) gun forward |
| Width | 3.56 m (11 ft 8 in) |
| Height | 3.00 m (9 ft 10 in) |
| Crew | 5 (commander, gunner, loader, driver, radio operator) |
| Armour | 25–120 mm (0.98–4.72 in)[7][8] |
Main armament | 1× 8.8 cm KwK 36 L/56 92 AP and HE rounds |
Secondary armament | 2× 7.92 mm MG 34 4,500 rounds 4,800 rounds (Ausf. E)[9] |
| Engine | Maybach HL230 P45 V-12 700 PS (690 hp, 515 kW) |
| Power/weight | 13 PS (9.5 kW) / tonne |
| Transmission | Maybach Olvar Typ OG 40 12 16 (8 forward and 4 reverse)[10] |
| Suspension | Torsion bar |
| Ground clearance | 0.47 m (1 ft 7 in) |
| Fuel capacity | 540 liters |
Operational range | Road: 195 km (121 mi)[5] Cross country: 110 km (68 mi)[5] |
| Maximum speed | 45.4 km/h (28.2 mph) on roads[11][d] 20–25 km/h (12–16 mph) cross country[5] |
The Tiger I has been called an outstanding design for its time.[12] It has also been called overengineered.[13] It was built using costly materials. The methods used to make it were labour-intensive. Early version of the Tiger would often have track failures and breakdowns. It also had a limited range because it used a large amount of fuel. The tank was costly to maintain but was mechanically reliable.[14] It was hard to transport. It could not move well in areas with mud, ice and snow. These conditions would often jamming the tracks solid.
The tank was given its nickname "Tiger" by Ferdinand Porsche. The Roman numeral was added after the Tiger II was being made. The original name was Panzerkampfwagen VI Ausführung H.
Today, only seven Tiger I tanks still exist. They are in museums and private collections worldwide. As of 2021[update], Tiger 131 (captured during the North Africa Campaign) at the UK's Tank Museum is the only Tiger I restored to running order.
Notes
change- ↑ Without weapons, optics, or radio. 299,800 ℛℳ combat ready.
- ↑ Firstly produced Tigers price was 800.000 ℛℳ.
- ↑ Although 1,350 is a common figure, World War II magazine reported the figure of 1,355 in their January 1994 edition (p.16). Jentz gives a revised number of 1,347, including the prototype, following investigation of the primary sources.[3]
- ↑ Sustained road speed was 40 km/h (25 mph)[5]
References
change- Bishop, Chris (2002). "1". The Encyclopedia of Weapons of World War II. London: Metrobooks. ISBN 1-58663-762-2.
- Drabkin, Artem; Sheremet, Oleg (2006). T-34 in action. Barnsley (S-Y): Pen & Sword Military. ISBN 1-84415-243-X.
- Green, Michael; Brown, James D. (2008). Tiger Tanks at War. St. Paul, MN: Zenith Press. ISBN 978-0-7603-3112-5.
- Hart, Stephen (2007). Sherman Firefly vs Tiger: Normandy 1944. Reading: Osprey Publishing. ISBN 978-1-84603-150-2.
- Jentz, Tom; Doyle, Hilary (1993). Tiger 1 Heavy Tank 1942–45. illustrated by Peter Sarson. Osprey. ISBN 978-1-85532-337-7.
- Jentz, Tom; Doyle, Hilary (1997). Germany's Tiger Tanks: Tiger I & II : Combat Tactics. Schiffer Publishing. ISBN 978-0-7643-0225-1.
- Jentz, Tom; Doyle, Hilary (2000). Germany's Tiger tanks D.W. to Tiger 1. Schiffer. ISBN 978-0-76431-038-6.
- Tucker-Jones, Anthony (2012). "Introduction". Tiger I and Tiger II. Barnsley: Pen & Sword Military. ISBN 978-1-78159-030-0.
- Zetterling, Niklas (2000). Kursk 1943: a statistical analysis. London: Frank Cass. ISBN 978-0-7146-5052-4.
- ↑ Zetterling 2000, p. 61.
- ↑ Armored Champion: The Top Tanks of World War II p. 39.
- ↑ Jentz & Doyle 1993, pp. 11–13.
- ↑ Jentz & Doyle 2000, p. 177.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 Jentz & Doyle 2000, p. 179.
- ↑ Green & Brown 2008, p. 20.
- ↑ Jentz & Doyle 1993, pp. 8, 16.
- ↑ Hart 2007, p. 17.
- ↑ Jentz & Doyle 2000, p. 182.
- ↑ Jentz & Doyle 1993, pp. 27–28.
- ↑ Jentz & Doyle 2000, p. 181.
- ↑ Bishop 2002, p. 9.
- ↑ Tucker-Jones 2012, p. 7.
- ↑ Drabkin & Sheremet 2006, p. 43.
