Tiger II
The Tiger II was a German heavy tank of the Second World War. The final official German designation was Panzerkampfwagen Tiger Ausf. B, often shortened to Tiger B. The ordnance inventory designation was Sd.Kfz. 182. (Sd.Kfz. 267 and 268 for command vehicles). It was also known informally as the Königstiger (German for Bengal tiger and also, literally, "King Tiger"). Contemporaneous Allied soldiers usually called it the King Tiger or Royal Tiger.
| Panzerkampfwagen Tiger Ausf. B | |
|---|---|
Tiger II, France, June 1944 | |
| Type | Heavy tank |
| Place of origin | Nazi Germany |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1944–1945 |
| Wars | World War II |
| Production history | |
| Designer | Henschel & Son / Krupp (turret) |
| Designed | 1943 |
| Manufacturer | Henschel & Son / Krupp (turret) |
| Unit cost | 321,500 ℛ︁ℳ︁ ($160,750 USD) in 1944–45 |
| Produced | 1944–45 |
| No. built | 492 |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 68.5 tonnes (67.4 long tons; 75.5 short tons) early turret 69.8 tonnes (68.7 long tons; 76.9 short tons) production turret |
| Length | 7.38 m (24 ft 3 in) hull 10.286 m (33 ft 9.0 in) with gun forward) |
| Width | 3.755 m (12 ft 3.8 in) |
| Height | 3.09 m (10 ft 2 in) |
| Crew | 5 (commander, gunner, loader, radio operator, driver) |
| Armour | 25–185 mm (0.98–7.28 in) |
Main armament | 1× 8.8 cm KwK 43 Early Krupp design turret: 80 rounds Production turret: 86 rounds |
Secondary armament | 2× 7.92 mm MG 34 machine guns 5,850 rounds |
| Engine | V-12 Maybach HL 230 P30 petrol engine 700 PS (690 hp, 515 kW) |
| Power/weight | 10 PS (7.5 kW) /tonne (9.89 hp/tonne) |
| Transmission | Maybach OLVAR OG 40 12 16 B (8 forward and 4 reverse) |
| Suspension | Torsion bar |
| Ground clearance | 495 to 510 mm (19.5 to 20.1 in) |
| Fuel capacity | 860 litres (190 imp gal) |
Operational range | Road: 190 km (120 mi) Cross country: 120 km (75 mi) |
| Maximum speed | Maximum, road: 41.5 km/h (25.8 mph) Sustained, road: 38 km/h (24 mph) Cross country: 15 to 20 km/h (9.3 to 12.4 mph) |
The Tiger II was the successor to the Tiger I, combining the latter's thick armour with the armour sloping used on the Panther medium tank. The tank weighed almost 70 tonnes, and was protected by 100 to 185 mm (3.9 to 7.3 in) of armour to the front. It was armed with the long barrelled (71 calibres) 8.8 cm KwK 43 anti-tank cannon. The chassis was also the basis for the Jagdtiger turretless Jagdpanzer anti-tank vehicle.
The Tiger II was issued to heavy tank battalions of the Army and the Waffen-SS. It was first used in combat by 503rd Heavy Panzer Battalion during the Allied invasion of Normandy on 11 July 1944; on the Eastern Front, the first unit to be outfitted with the Tiger II was the 501st Heavy Panzer Battalion, which by 1 September 1944 listed 25 Tiger IIs operational.