By Henry Kelsall
Its thick armor and powerful 88 mm gun meant it could take on pretty much anything that Britain, America and the Soviet Union had.
In the earlier years of the Second World War, Germany’s technological and military might kept it well ahead of the opposition. It had aircraft such as the Messerschmitt Bf 109, and of course had perfected its tactics when out on the battlefield. What it also had was a lot of highly developed, well armored and powerful tanks that could take on pretty much anything the Allied forces could throw at them. Then in 1942, the German’s introduced a tank that would strike fear and terror into the minds of many an Allied solider and tanksmen.
The tank was officially called the Panzerkampfwagen VI Tiger Ausf. E. It is better known to us though as the Tiger I. The Tiger tank was first seen in 1942 in Africa and the Soviet Union, and it was one of the most fearsome tanks ever built. Its thick armor and powerful 88 mm gun meant it could take on pretty much anything that Britain, America and the Soviet Union had. There were some issues surrounding it, such as its low production output and its complexity, but despite those problems, the Tiger I was able to instill fear into Allied ground forces like no other vehicle ever built.
The Development Of The Tiger I
The origin of the Tiger I can be traced back to early 1937, with attempts by Henschel & Sohn to create a large tank for the German Army’s Weapons Agency, the Waffenamt. However, the real need for the Tiger I came around 1941. When Germany encountered the large numbers of Soviet T-34s and KV-1s in Operation Barbarossa, they were utterly stunned by the potent nature of these tanks. The development of a new heavy tank was rapidly accelerated, and it ultimately led to the Tiger I after a few prototypes.
Porsche and Henschel competed for the contract, with the latter company winning out. What they created was a leviathan of a tank. The fearsome 88 mm flak gun would be the primary armament, and at it’s maximum the Tiger I’s armor would be as strong as 120 mm. It was powered by the 690 hp Maybach HL230 P45 V12 engine, with a maximum speed of 28 mph on the roads, and around 16 cross-country. Overall, the Tiger I weighed in at around 57 tonnes at its combat weight. A light tank, this was most certainly not.
The Tiger I’s Fearsome Reputation
Ironically, the first known operational usage by Tigers, four of them at Leningrad in 1942, was quite underwhelming. All four were knocked out after being deployed on swampy terrain. But, the German’s soon developed their tactics with the tank, and used the heavy armor of the Tiger to its advantage. It was that armor that made the Tiger so terrifying, as Allied forces, particularly the British in North Africa, found that it was almost impenetrable, apart from around the back of the tank where the engine was. Of course, you had to somehow get around the back of the tank!
Certain stories about Tiger tanks helped cement the “Tigerphobia” experienced by Allied forces, Michael Wittman is undoubtedly the greatest Tiger tank commander ever. In one particular action in Normandy on June 13th 1944, Wittmann and his Tiger crew were able to destroy around 14 tanks and 15 personnel carriers, plus two anti-tank guns, within a period of around 15 minutes. This was a truly staggering achievement, and perhaps highlighted just how effective the Tiger I could be if used effectively by its commanders. But it wasn’t all easy going for the Tiger.
The Issues That The Tiger I Faced
One issue with the Tiger I was, due to its large tracks, it was a nightmare to transport. The tracks had to be changed for rail transport before its bigger, combat tracks were refitted when it arrived at the front. Reliability, as with a lot of German tanks, also hurt the Tiger I. This was mainly due to issues with the engine and transmission. The interleaved wheels were a nightmare if mud and ice got into them, and repairs to other wheels could take quite a while. And ultimately, the advent of tanks like the Sherman Firefly and the Churchill, plus better anti-tank guns, meant the Tiger would no longer be “invincible”. But the biggest issue, by far, was that only 1,347 Tiger I’s were ever built. Ally this with the fact that tanks such as the Sherman were so numerous, and that the Allies developed tactics to beat the Tiger I, the tank soon found itself facing stiff competition.
