Tiger I
The Tiger I (German: [ˈtiːɡɐ] ⓘ) was a German heavy tank of World War II that began operational duty in 1942 in Africa and in the Soviet Union, usually in independent heavy tank battalions. It gave the German Army its first armoured fighting vehicle that mounted the 8.8 cm KwK 36 gun (derived from the 8.8 cm Flak 36, the famous "eighty-eight" feared by Allied troops). 1,347 were built between August 1942 and August 1944. After August 1944, production of the Tiger I was phased out in favour of the Tiger II.
| Panzerkampfwagen VI Tiger Ausf. E | |
|---|---|
Tiger I in northern France, March 1944 | |
| Type | Heavy tank |
| Place of origin | Nazi Germany |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1942–1945 |
| Used by | See Operators |
| Wars | World War II |
| Production history | |
| Designer | Erwin Aders Henschel & Son |
| Designed | 1938–1941 |
| Manufacturer | Henschel |
| Unit cost | 250,700 ℛ︁ℳ︁ |
| Produced | 1942–1944 |
| No. built | 1,347 |
| Specifications (RfRuK VK 4501H Ausf.E, Blatt: G-330) | |
| Mass | 54 tonnes (60 short tons) 57 tonnes (63 short tons) (Ausf. E) (Combat weight) |
| 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) |
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) |
| Engine | Maybach HL230 P45 V-12 petrol engine 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) |
| Suspension | Torsion bar |
| Ground clearance | 0.47 m (1 ft 7 in) |
| Fuel capacity | 540 liters |
Operational range | Road: 195 km (121 mi) Cross country: 110 km (68 mi) |
| Maximum speed | 45.4 km/h (28.2 mph) on roads 20–25 km/h (12–16 mph) cross country |
While the Tiger I has been called an outstanding design for its time, it has also been called overengineered, using expensive materials and labour-intensive production methods. In the early period, the Tiger was prone to certain types of track failures and breakdowns. It was expensive to maintain, but generally mechanically reliable. It was difficult to transport and vulnerable to immobilisation when mud, ice, and snow froze between its overlapping and interleaved Schachtellaufwerk-pattern road wheels, often jamming them solid. This was a problem on the Eastern Front in the muddy rasputitsa season and during periods of extreme cold.
The tank was given its nickname "Tiger" by Ferdinand Porsche, and the Roman numeral was added after the Tiger II entered production. The initial designation was Panzerkampfwagen VI Ausführung H (literally "armoured combat vehicle VI version H", abbreviated PzKpfw VI Ausf. H) where 'H' denoted Henschel as the designer/manufacturer. It was classified with ordnance inventory designation Sd.Kfz. 182. The tank was later re-designated as PzKpfw VI Ausf. E in March 1943, with ordnance inventory designation Sd.Kfz. 181.
Today, only nine Tiger I tanks survive in museums and private collections worldwide. As of 2021, Tiger 131 (captured during the North Africa Campaign) at the UK's Tank Museum is the only example restored to running order.