Tiger II

For the aircraft also known as the Tiger II, see Northrop F-5.
Panzerkampfwagen Tiger Ausf. B
Bundesarchiv Bild 101I-721-0398-21A, Frankreich, Panzer VI (Tiger II, Königstiger)
Tiger II, France, June 1944
TypeHeavy tank
Place of originNazi Germany
Service history
In service1944–1945
WarsWorld War II
Production history
DesignerHenschel & Son (hull) / Krupp (turret)
Designed1943
ManufacturerHenschel & Son / Krupp (turret)
Unit cost321,500 ℛ︁ℳ︁ ($160,750 USD) in 1944–45[1]
Produced1944–45
No. built492[2]
Specifications
Mass68.5 tonnes (67.4 long tons; 75.5 short tons) early turret
69.8 tonnes (68.7 long tons; 76.9 short tons) production turret[3]
Length7.38 m (24 ft 3 in) hull
10.286 m (33 ft 9.0 in) with gun forward)[3]
Width3.755 m (12 ft 3.8 in)[3]
Height3.09 m (10 ft 2 in)[3]
Crew5 (commander, gunner, loader, radio operator, driver)
Armour25–185 mm (0.98–7.28 in)[3]
Main
armament
1× 8.8 cm KwK 43
Early Krupp design turret: 80 rounds[4]
Production turret: 86 rounds[4]
Secondary
armament
2× 7.92 mm MG 34 machine guns
5,850 rounds[3]
EngineV-12 Maybach HL 230 P30 petrol engine
700 PS (690 hp, 515 kW)[5]
Power/weight10 PS (7.5 kW) /tonne (9.89 hp/tonne)
TransmissionMaybach OLVAR OG 40 12 16 B (8 forward and 4 reverse)[5]
SuspensionTorsion bar
Ground clearance495 to 510 mm (19.5 to 20.1 in)[3]
Fuel capacity860 litres (190 imp gal)[3]
Operational
range
Road: 190 km (120 mi)[6][7]
Cross country: 120 km (75 mi)[6]
Maximum speed Maximum, road: 41.5 km/h (25.8 mph)[6]
Sustained, road: 38 km/h (24 mph)[6]
Cross country: 15 to 20 km/h (9.3 to 12.4 mph)[6]

The Tiger II was a German heavy tank of the Second World War. The final official German designation was Panzerkampfwagen Tiger Ausf. B,[a] often shortened to Tiger B.[9] The ordnance inventory designation was Sd.Kfz. 182.[9] (Sd.Kfz. 267 and 268 for command vehicles). It was also known informally as the Königstiger[9] (German for Bengal tiger, lit. 'King Tiger').[10][11] Contemporaneous Allied soldiers often called it the King Tiger or Royal Tiger.[citation needed]

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. It was the costliest German tank to produce at the time. 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.[12] It was armed with the long barrelled (71 calibres) 8.8 cm KwK 43 anti-tank cannon.[b] The chassis was also the basis for the Jagdtiger turretless Jagdpanzer anti-tank vehicle.[13]

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;[14] on the Eastern Front, the first unit to be outfitted with the Tiger II was the 501st Heavy Panzer Battalion.[15] Due to heavy Allied bombing, only 492 were produced.

  1. ^ Zaloga 2015 p. 39.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference Jentz96-288 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h Jentz and Doyle 1997, pp. 162–165.
  4. ^ a b Jentz, Thomas; Doyle, Hilary (1993). Kingtiger Heavy Tank 1942–45. Osprey Publishing. p. 23. ISBN 185532282X.
  5. ^ a b Jentz and Doyle 1993, p. 28 (figure D)
  6. ^ a b c d e Jentz and Doyle 1993, p. 33.
  7. ^ Panther & its variants by Walter J. Spielberger p. 276.
  8. ^ Jentz and Doyle (1997)
  9. ^ a b c Jentz and Doyle 1993, p. 16.
  10. ^ Buckley 2004, p. 119.
  11. ^ Tank Spotter's Guide, Bovington 2011 p. 63
  12. ^ Cite error: The named reference J&Darmor was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  13. ^ Schneider 1990, p. 18.
  14. ^ Jentz and Doyle 1993, p. 37.
  15. ^ Jentz and Doyle 1993, p. 40.


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