History, technical details and pictures

History of the Panzer VI Tiger I

The design study of the Panzerkampfwagen (PzKpfw) VI Tiger I started in 1937 and in 1942 it started to be produced. The two companies who were responsible for its construction were Porsche and Henschel.

It is a very heavy tank (over 50 tons) capable of crossing all kinds of obstacles and replace the aging PzKpfw II and III that have not been very bright against the French and British tank in 1940.

Armed with the fearsome 88 mm gun that is no other than the excellent Flak 36 88 mm gun mounted on a turret, the Tiger I tank has a large shield (between 8 and 10 cm depending on the armor slots) protecting the vast majority of anti-tank weapons and ensuring its invulnerability against front fires.

The PzKpfw IV tank (on March 5, 1943, it received the name Tiger I) conducts its first combat situation operation on the Russian front during the battle of Leningrad in August 1942.

Now the undisputed master of the Europe battlefields, the Tiger combined good protection, mobility and an incomparable fire power. It largely dominated the American Sherman tanks.

But its main shortcoming was that it was difficult to produce as many Tiger tanks the German troops were needed. In Normandy the divisions were equipped with Panzer Tiger tanks to launch counter offensives, but these tanks were too few to really embarrass the Allies. Still, actions such as those conducted by Michael Wittman on PzKpfw IV Tiger I mark the superiority of this tank, considered as being one of the best armored vehicles of the Second World War.

Panzer VI Tiger I sheet

Country creator/user: Germany
Name: PzKpfw VI Tigre I

Rate of fire: 8,45 m
Width: 3,7 m
Height: 2,93 m
Weigth: 57 000 kg
Maximum speed: 38 km/h
Range: 140 km

Main gun: one 88 mm KwK 36 L/56 gun (which is the 88 mm Flak 36 on a turret)
Secondary armament: three MG 34 or MG 42 machineguns

Engine: Maybach HL 230, 694 hp
Consumption: 487 L for 100 km.

Crew: 5 (1 tank commander, 1 pilote, 1 co-pilote and gunner, 1 radio operator and loader)

Front shield: 100 mm
Rear shield: 80 mm