Military history

- Chapter 7 -

Production History

The humorous instruction manual for the tank, the Tigerfibel, was somewhat unorthodox by Third Reich standards. Full of risque sketches and irreverant statements, this is one of the more conventional pages which compares the tank’s cross country capability against a road march.

While the Tiger I was justifiably feared by many of its opponents, it was also over-engineered, used expensive labour intensive materials and production methods, and was time-consuming to produce. Despite its lasting reputation the tank was actually produced in relatively small numbers. Only 1,347 were built between August 1942 and August 1944 when production ceased. Throughout its brief life the Tiger I was particularly prone to certain types of track failures and immobilisations, it was unreliable mechanically reliable and ferociously expensive to maintain and complicated to transport. Due to its wide tracks powered by interlocking and over lapping road wheels the Tiger I required that a total of eight road wheels consisting of the outer four road wheels on both of the vehicle were to be removed if it was to be transported by rail.

The other huge drawback of the Tiger was the enormous fuel consumption associated with such a heavy vehicle. The 1943 log book a captured Tiger circulated by the British M.I.10 intelligence unit which gives a fascinating insight into the fuel consumption characteristics of the Tiger I. The British report is shown later in this chapter as Contemporary Report No.4.

With the conclusion of the Tunisian campaign there was adequate time to study the battlefield results achieved by the Tiger. Captured vehicles provided a wealth of accurate technical information A far more detailed account of the Tiger in combat was reported by the US army intelligence service in their monthly update for June 1943 which refers to the vehicle, for the first time, as the “Tiger”. This US report appears at the end of this chapter as Contemporary Report No.5.

During the course of the war, the Tiger I saw combat on the three main German battlefronts. It was usually deployed in independent tank battalions, which on occasion proved to be extremely formidable. In the right hands the Tiger I could be relied upon to turn some spectacularly one sided tactical situations in favour of the hard pressed men of the Heer. At the operational level however, there were never enough Tigers to affect the outcome of a major battle. In the tactical arena the Tiger I demanded good handling by experienced crews who knew and respected the limitations of the machine. Even with the very best crews it was soon apparent that the Tiger I was by no means a miracle weapon. It was always vulnerable to regular battlefield weapons such as the British 6 pounder which could prove deadly if the Tiger I was within range as this account from the US intelligence briefing update Tactical and Technical Trends reproduced in Chapter 6 as Contemporary Report No.2 clearly demonstrates. American reports tended to favour the use of the Arabic numeral 6 as opposed to the German designated VI.

A typical risque illustration from Tigerfibel: “Like a fresh shower, the water flushes through the case and removes the heat accrued by combustion and friction, taking it to the radiators.”

THE CONTEMPORARY VIEW NO. 4

NOTE ON ENTRIES IN LOG BOOK OF PZ.KW.VI (H)

M I.10 Germany Rcd.at D.T.D Sept ’43

Pz.Kw.VI(H) TIGER Mechanical behaviour under service conditions

Entries show that 4917 litres of petrol went into the fuel tanks of this vehicle during a period in which 489km were covered. In other words the apparent petrol consumption was over 10 litres per km. Even if it is assumed that the tanks (total capacity 530 litres) were empty at the start and full at the finish, the consumption would still work out at about 9 litres per km.

These figures are higher than the petrol consumption quoted in the official German specs, viz:-

The following additional points have been noted in the log book:-

120 km - Log started

136 km - Wireless Tested

160 km - Test run by workshops company

200 km - Wireless Tested/Engine oil and air cleaner oil

343 km - New gearbox fitted

365 km - Tooth sprocket ring (offside sprocket) changed

482 km - New engine & new nearside fan drive clutch fitted

609 km - Log closes

THE CONTEMPORARY VIEW NO. 5

NEW GERMAN HEAVY TANK

In Tunisia the German Army sent into combat, apparently for the first time, its new heavy tank, the Pz. Kw. 6, which it calls the “Tiger”. The new tank’s most notable features are its 88mm gun, 4-inch frontal armour, great weight, and lack of spaced armour. Although the Pz. Kw. 6 has probably been adopted as a standard German tank, future modifications may be expected.

The “Tiger” tank, which is larger and more powerful than the Pz. Kw. 4,1 is about 20 feet long, 12 feet wide, and 9 1/2 feet high. The barrel of the 88mm gun overhangs the nose by almost 7 feet. The tank weighs 56 tons in action (or, with certain alterations, as much as 62 tons), and is reported to have a maximum speed of about 20 miles per hour. It normally has a crew of five.

The armament of the Pz. Kw. 6 consists of the 88mm tank gun (Kw. K. 36), which fires fixed ammunition similar to, or identical with, ammunition for the usual 88mm antiaircraft-antitank gun; a 7.92mm machine gun (MG 34) which is mounted coaxially on the left side of the 88mm; and a second 7.92mm machine gun (MG 34) which is hull-mounted and fires forward.

In addition, a set of three smoke-generator dischargers is carried on each side of the turret.

The turret rotates through 360 degrees, and the mounting for the gun and coaxial machine gun appears to be of the customary German type.

The suspension system, which is unusually interesting, is illustrated in figure 4. The track is made of metal. To the far right in figure 4 is the front-drive sprocket and to the far left the rear idler. There are no return rollers, since the track rides on top of the Christie-type wheels, which are rubber rimmed. It will be noted that there are eight axles, each with three wheels to a side, or each with one single and one double wheel to a side. There are thus 24 wheels - 8 single wheels and 8 double wheels on each side of the tank. The system of overlapping is similar to the suspension system used on German half-tracks.

The tank is provided with two tracks, a wide one (2 feet, 4.5 inches) and a narrow one (just under 2 feet). The wide track is the one used in battle, the narrow being for administrative marches and where manoeuvrability and economy of operation take precedence over ground pressure. The dotted line in figure 4 indicates the outer edge of the narrow track. When the narrow track is used, the eight wheels outside the dotted line can be removed.

The armour plating of the Pz. Kw. 6 has the following thicknesses and angles:

The angular (as opposed to rounded) arrangement of most of the armour is a bad design feature; reliance seems to be placed on the quality and thickness of the armour, with no effort having been made to present difficult angles of impact. In addition, none of the armour is face-hardened. The familiar German practice of increasing a tank’s frontal armour at the expense of the side armour is also apparent in the case of the Pz. Kw. 6.

Undoubtedly the Germans developed the “Tiger” tank to meet the need for a fully armoured vehicle equipped with a heavy weapon capable of dealing with a variety of targets, including hostile tanks. Although the “Tiger” can perform these duties, its weight and size make it a logistical headache. It is entirely probable that the Germans, realizing this disadvantage, are continuing to develop tanks in the 30-ton class. Further, it is interesting to note that the Pz. Kw. 6 has proved vulnerable to the British 6-pounder (57mm) antitank gun when fired at a range of about 500 yards.

A Tiger captured by Allied Forces near Tunis, 1943. It was vehicles such as this which allowed the Allies to unlock the secrets of the Tiger I.

If you find an error or have any questions, please email us at admin@erenow.org. Thank you!