Durden - Leopards Guide The Tiger I Tank

A Tiger I somewhere in Sicily, 1943, with replacement treads mounted on the glacis to bolster the armor (as well as serving as replacement treads); Useful against high tech armor piercing rounds deployed later in the war by the Allies (though even those had a hard time piercing the front glacis). The commander and the loader are standing out of their respective hatches, probably to help guide the large tank through narrow Italian streets. The barrel is shrouded to keep dust from clogging the breech of the 88 mm cannon; or from drifting further into the fighting compartment. Dust and mud were a constant threat to the Tigers mechanicals in every theater of the war as they only worsened the Tigers infamous unreliability in the field, though it was undeserved in some respects.

Official Name: Panzerkampfwagen Tiger Ausf. E

Unofficial Name: Tiger

Type of Vehicle: German Heavy Tank

Service Years: 1942-1945

A colorized photo of a Tiger I moving at full speed in France during the Allied Normandy Invasion. As the war progressed, Tigers would not risk being in an open field in the Western front during the daylight due to constant Allied air patrols. It was such a threat that the roof armor was upgraded in later Tiger models to counter the armor piercing shells used in Allied fighters automatic cannons (as well as the stupendous amount of heavy artillery fire that the Russians could rain down on the Eastern Front in addition to attacks from a fully rebuilt Red Air Force). This angle aptly shows the massive muzzle brake on the 88 mm Kwk cannon; necessary to control the recoil of the high velocity rounds. This photo also shows how extensive the camouflage paint was applied all over the Tiger to help conceal it. Camouflage paint was largely a German skill in the beginning of the war as other nations resorted to just color matching their hull paint to the surrounding environment without attempting to break-up the outline; though this differed greatly in the field with crews from all sides attaching foliage as ad-hoc camouflage.

Designer: Henschel and Sons (Porsche for limited run prototype hulls that were adapted into Tiger variants)

Manufacturer : Henschel and various subcontractors

Cost per Unit: 1,280,000 US Dollars ( in 2013 FY $)

Units Produced: 1347; including Porsche prototypes

Weight: 63 tons

Ground Pressure; Combat: 15 psi with combat tracks

Ground Pressure; Travel: 20 psi with travel tracks

Length with Barrel Backward: 20 ft 8.7 in (for transport)

Length with Barrel Forward: 27 ft 9 in

Width: 12 ft 2 (wider if crews attached bolt-on armor)

Track width: 2.36 ft with combat tracks

Height: 9 ft 10 in (not counting aerials)

Front and review view of the final Tiger I power-plant, the Maybach HL230 P45 V-12; a masterpiece of engineering even by modern standards. Though it could generate 700 horsepower at relatively low RPMs, it overheated easily and required powerful air cleaners to prolong its operational life. A victim of its own success, the Tiger was used as a tow vehicle because of its powerful engine, further straining the engine in the field and causing official orders forbidding the use of Tigers to tow anything least they breakdown... these were often ignored. Though the engine was maintenance intensive, it was coveted by the Allies and Soviets for reverse engineering.

Armor : 120-25mm rolled homogeneous nickel-steel

Hull front: 100mm (3.94in) @ 24

Hull side (upper): 80mm (3.15in) @ 0

Hull side (lower): 60mm (2.36in) @ 0

Hull rear: 80mm (3.15in) @ 8

Hull top: 25mm (0.98in) @ 90

Hull bottom: 25mm (0.98in) @ 90

Turret front: 100mm (3.94in) @ 8