Jagdtiger

Panzerjäger Tiger Ausf. B
Jagdpanzer VI Jagdtiger Ausf. B
12.8cm PaK44 auf Panzerjäger Tiger[1]
Jagdtiger (S/N 305020) while displayed at the U.S. Army Ordnance Museum's former site at Aberdeen, Maryland, in 2008
TypeHeavy tank destroyer
Place of originNazi Germany
Production history
ManufacturerNibelungenwerk
(Steyr-Daimler-Puch)
Produced1944–1945
No. built70–88
Specifications
Mass71.7 tonnes (158,000 lb)
(Henschel-suspension variant)
Length10.65 m (34 ft 11 in)
including gun
Width3.6 m (11 ft 10 in)
Height2.8 m (9 ft 2 in)
Crew6 (commander, gunner, loader, assistant loader, driver, assistant driver)

Armor
  • Casemate: 250 mm (9.84 in)
  • Hull: 150 mm (5.91 in)
  • Side: 80 mm (3.15 in)
  • Rear: 80 mm (3.15 in)
Main
armament
1 × 12.8 cm Pak 44 L/55
Secondary
armament
1 × 7.92 mm MG 34 (some later-built versions equipped with a single MG 42 anti-aircraft machine gun-mount at the vehicle's rear)
EngineV-12 Maybach HL230 P30
600 hp(M) (591 hp(I), 441 kW)
Power/weight8 hp(M) (5.7 kW) / tonne
SuspensionTorsion bar
Fuel capacity860 L
Operational
range
  • Road: 120 km (75 mi)[2][3]
  • Off road: 80 km (50 mi)
Maximum speed 34 km/h (21 mph)

The Jagdtiger ("Hunting Tiger"; officially designated Panzerjäger Tiger Ausf. B[citation needed]) is a German casemate-type heavy tank destroyer (Jagdpanzer) of World War II. It was built upon the slightly lengthened chassis of a Tiger II. Its ordnance inventory designation was Sd.Kfz. 186.

The 72-tonne Jagdtiger was the heaviest armored fighting vehicle (AFV) used operationally by any nation in WWII and the heaviest combat vehicle of any type to be produced during the conflict. It was armed with a 12.8 cm Pak 44 L/55 main gun which could out-range and defeat any AFV fielded by the Allied forces.

It saw brief service in small numbers from late 1944 until the end of the war on both the Western and Eastern Front. Although 150 were ordered, only around 80 were produced. Due to an excessive weight and an underpowered drivetrain system, the Jagdtiger was plagued with mobility and mechanical problems. Three Jagdtigers survive in museums.

  1. ^ Jagdpanzer VI Jagdtiger Ausf. B Sd. Kfz. 186
  2. ^ Panther & its variants by Walter J. Spielberger p. 274.
  3. ^ Wehrtechnische Gemeinschaft des VDI in Berlin, 7 February 1945.