The FReeper Foxhole's TreadHead Tuesday - PanzerKampfwagen VIB - King Tiger - Mar. 16th, 2004

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[SAMWolf]

Lord,

Keep our Troops forever in Your care

Give them victory over the enemy...

Grant them a safe and swift return...

Bless those who mourn the lost.
.

FReepers from the Foxhole join in prayer
for all those serving their country at this time.

...................................................................................... ...........................................

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PanzerKampfwagen VIB
King Tiger

The Tiger II was also known as "Tiger Ausf. B" or "Königstiger" (King Tiger) and was the last major tank design to see service during the war. The original Tiger design was finalised before the Russian T-34 was encountered so it lacked the excellent ballistic shape which was a feature of the Panther. The Tiger II went into production late in 1943 and was first engaged in action on the Russian front in August 1944 and was later encountered by the Allies in France in August of that year. It was born of a demand from the Waffenamt (Army Weapons Office) in August 1942 for a redesigned Tiger tank incorporating thicker armor, sloped plates to deflect shots as on the Panther and T-34, and armed with the 88mm L/71 gun, which should be capable of dealing with any new tank development that the Russians could possibly produce.


Tiger II with Porsche turret

Both Porsche and Henschel were asked to submit designs to these specifications. The Porsche design (VK 4502P) had alternative layouts with the turret either well forward or at the back of the hull. It was to mount the longer L/71 KwK 43 gun as in the Elefant tank destroyer. At first the Porsche model was considered for production and the construction of turrets by Wegmann of Kassel for this vehicle began, but due to the shortage of copper required for the parts in the electrical transmission this tank project was cancelled. The Waffenamt also rejected the electric drive as unreliable and too sophisticated for service conditions.


Adding camouflage colours

The second design from Henschel (VK 4503H) was powered conventionally like their Tiger I and was accepted. The project was put in hand as a top priority effort and the first prototype was delivered in November 1943. By that time the Panther II had been designed, and under the new rationalisation policy it was decided that as many parts of the Panther II as possible had to be incorporated to standardise design features between the two vehicles. Production of the Tiger Ausf. "B" began in December 1943 on the Henschel production line, parallel to that which was building the Tiger Ausf. E. The first production models began to reach the Army late in February 1944.


Tiger II of the "Feldherrnhalle" Panzergrenadier Division (1945)

Henschel remained the sole builders of the Tiger II during its whole production life. By September 1944 Tiger Ausf. E production ceased completely in favour of the new vehicle. Production was scheduled to reach a rate of approximately 145 per month, but disruption by enemy bombing and shortage of materials reduced the best ever monthly output to 84 in August 1944. By the end of the war 487 Tiger IIs had been produced. The first 50 Tiger IIs to be completed were fitted with the spare turrets originally intended for the Porsche Tiger. This turret had a curved front mantlet and a bulged commander's cupola on the left side. The remaining vehicles had a Henschel-designed turret, having thicker armour and eliminating the re-entrant angle under the mantlet.


The protective effect of the sloped lines

The Tiger II was derived from the Tiger Ausf. E and both tanks had many features in common. At the same time it bore a much closer resemblance to the late model Panther. Common fittings included cupolas, engines, engine covers and road wheels. Compared with the other vehicles the Tiger II had thicker armor and was dimensionally larger. It incorporated various features which experience had shown were desirable; notably the front glacis plate, which was now sloped as on the Panther and T-34 tanks instead of squarely vertical as on the original Tiger. The armor protection, particularly that carried on the front of the vehicle, was the thickest to be employed on a tank that was due for large scale production. The front plate was 150mm set at a 40o angle, the turret face 180mm thick, and the side and tail plates, including the turret wall, were 80mm thick. Frontal attack of this tank, by any weapon available to the Allies, was out of question.


After completing the camouflage, the crew fit the armored mudguards.

The extremely wide tracks gave the Tiger II good cross-country performance despite its excessive weight. The Tiger II incorporated all the good points of the Panther tank and armed with a new main armament, the 88mm KwK 43 L/71 which was almost 21ft long. This gun represented the largest calibre length to be employed operationally by the Germans in a tank mounting during the war. There was a small, conical Saukopf (pig's head) mantlet, and a well-sloped turret and sloped morticed armor plates making up the hull. The tanks were often covered with Zimmerit to prevent the attachments of magnetic mines.


A battalion of Tiger IIs drawn up for inspection in Paderborn-Sennelager, autumn 1944

Internally the vehicle followed the usual German layout with front sprocket drive and crew positions as for the Panther. The big turret had several interesting features; it lacked the usual basket and was built out very wide over an immense 73inch diameter turret ring. To assist in loading the big ammunition rounds carried, 22 rounds were mounted in the rear turret bulge, thus giving the loader a minimum handling movement. Power traverse was as for the Panther and Tiger.


Tiger of sPzAbt. 'Fernherrnhalle' in Budapest, spring 1945

Suspension was by torsion bars and it followed the same type of arrangement as in the Tiger Ausf. E. However, the wheels were overlapped rather than interleaved as on the Tiger. This change was adapted to simplify the maintenance problems which had been inherent with interleaved road wheels. Similarly, the tendency for the wheels to freeze solid with packed snow was obviated to some extent. Steel-tyred resiliently sprung wheels (which featured a layer of rubber between two steel tyres) were standard on the Tiger II as on the late models Tiger Ausf. E and Panthers.


The early-style turret.............The Serien-Turm (series turret).

[SAMWolf]

How much do the politicians listen to the people in Poland? The Majority is pretty much ignored bu ours.

[PsyOp]

As I recall, the Ruskies lost a few of their own tanks to Comrade Spot as well.

[Iris7]

There is a PzKw VII at the Patton Museum at Fort Knox, with the turret and some side armor cut away (Boo! Hiss!).

The following is a report of an engagement with Schwere Panzer forces in 1944 by a Russian commander of JS-2s:

REPORT ABOUT OPERATIONS OF THE 71ST INDEPENDENT GUARDS HEAVY TANK REGIMENT FROM 14 JULY TO 31 AUGUST 1944

In the morning of 13 August 1944, the Regiment, in cooperation with 289th Infantry Regiment of 97th Infantry Division began an advance towards Oglendov. The enemy tanks, which were on the outskirts, blocked the infantry attack. At that moment, the tank platoon of Guards Senior Lieutenant Klimenkov was advancing from his previously prepared position and opened fire on the enemy tanks. As a result, after a short engagement, Klimenkov destroyed one tank and damaged another (these were the first King Tiger's to be destroyed) and the infantry entered Ogledov without facing any serious resistance.

Simultaneously, from the height 272.1, seven King Tigers attacked our positions. Concealed in the bushes to the east of Mokree, the tank of Guards Senior Lieutenant Udalov let the enemy approach within 700-800 metres and then opened fire on the leading tank. After several accurate shots, one tank was destroyed and another one damaged. When the enemy started to retreat, Udalov drove his tank along the forest road towards the enemy and, from the edge of the forest, opened fire again. Leaving one more tank on fire, the enemy retreated.

Soon, the King Tigers attacked again. This time they were advancing towards Ponik, where the Guards Lieutenant Beliakov's was in laying in ambush. He opened fire from the distance of 1000 metres. By the third round, he had set fire to one tank and forced others to retreat.

During the day the tankers, in co-operation with artillery, repulsed 7 armored attacks and inflicted heavy human and technical losses on the enemy.

Enemy losses from 14 July to 31 August 1944
Burnt out:
Tiger - 4,
King Tiger - 4,
Panther - 3,
Ferdinand self-propelled gun - 1,
128mm self-propelled gun - 1,
Armored cars - 3.

Damaged:
Tiger - 1,
King Tiger - 2,
Panther - 3.

Guns destroyed of different calibres: 23,
Machine-guns destroyed: 22,
Soldiers and officers killed: 600.

Regimental losses:
JS-122’s destroyed - 3.
JS-122’s damaged - 7. (Three were repaired by the Regiment and four were sent for rebuilding by the Repair Center.)

Killed In Action:
Officers - 3, These included the Regimental Commander Guards Lieutenant-Colonel Judin,
sergeants and solders - 10.

Wounded:
Officers - 8,
Sergeants and privates - 36.

The experience showed that the tanks could have an effective range of 70-100 kilometres per day, with an average speed on roads of 20-25 km/h and 10-15 km/h across country. A maximum range is about 125-150 kilometres. In total, the tanks covered about 1100 kilometres, therefore tank engines worked for 250-270 moto-hours while guaranteed 150 moto-hours.

The actual speed across country on the battlefield reaches 8-12 km/h [This "actual speed" refers to Average Combat Speed - Valera Potapov]. The guns could fire 2-3 rounds a minute. During an offensive, the number of rounds carried for a main armament is sufficient for the one day's combat. [I would like to emphasize this phrase for tank buffs who're talking about insufficient ammo capacity for JS-2 - Valera Potapov]

In general, the conditions for fire and observation from a tank are satisfactory.

In practice, the 9T-17 telescopic sight was found to be uncomfortable for the gunner when shooting and observing, because it did not permit 360 traverse through the turret roof. It could also not be used because of difficulties relating to adjustment and inability to keep track of the target.

The existing cast armour could be penetrated by 88 mm round from a distance of 800-1000 metres, because of bad quality of our armor (e.g. insufficient thickness, bubbles). [This is accurate translation, though insufficient thickness does not equal "bad quality" - Valera Potapov]

Conclusions:
1. The main armament of the JS-122 remains the most powerful of all existing types of tanks. The 122 mm round has great armor-piercing capability and this makes these tanks the best solution against other heavy enemy tanks.

2. The large quantity of smoke from the gun when fired reveals the tank’s position.

3. The experience of defensive combat in the bridgehead, revealed that enemy tanks avoid areas defended by JS-122's. As a result, this situation often results in a change of the attack's direction, looking for the less well defended areas.



71st Independent Guards Heavy Tank Regiment Commander
Guards Lieutenant-Colonel
Shapar'.

---

Russian sources say German armor showed brittle fracture starting in 1944. I have seen photos of major cracks in Tiger VI armor running from impact craters made by Russian solid shot, and these photos were from Kursk.

The Russians used non-explosive instead of explosive armor piercing rounds because of the German deployment of spaced armor starting with PzKw III (amazing).

[Professional Engineer]

Heh heh heh. Cool link. George W.

[SAMWolf]

Yeah, after all a tank is a tank is a tank to a dog.

[snippy_about_it]

Secondly, the overwhelming majority of the Polish people wants Poland to postpone her entering the EU "as we are not prepared to enter it on May 1".

I certainly hope Poland not only postpones it but changes it's mind altogether and stays out of the EU. Good luck to you Matt.

[snippy_about_it]

Thanks PE. Did you start your new job?

[Professional Engineer]

I start next monday. Boss had a closed door meeting with a guy this afternoon. My guess is he was interviewing a possible replacement.

I've got shortitis something fierce, and I'm trying not to let it get in the way.

[SAMWolf]

Thanks for the eyewitness account Iris7.

The Last Battle,
Berlin, 30th April 1945
David Pentland
Unterscharfurher Karl-Heinz Turk of the Schwere SS Panzerabteilung 503, in one of the units few remaining Kingtigers, defends the Potsdammer Platz along with elements of the Munchberg Division against the rapidly encroaching Soviet forces.

Tiger at the Gate
Berlin, 30 April 1945
David Pentland

A Tiger I and Pak 40 anti-tank gun of the "Munchburg" Division, field a final defense of the capital in front of the Brandenburg Gate under a shattered remains of the famous Linden trees. The under strength division had just been formed the previous month from a mixture of ad hoc units and various marks of tank. Despite this, it put up a spirited fight until it's final destruction in early May 1945.

[SAMWolf]

Good one PE.

[snippy_about_it]

LOL. Yep I bet time moves real slow this week.

[PsyOp]

Too bad PETA wasn't around then. They could have sent a sternly worded letter to Uncle Joe like they did with Arafat when he resorted to suicide donkey's!

[Professional Engineer]

LOL It does. On the bright side, Msdrby called earlier, our tax refund came today. It was $600 larger than expected, since we missed a child deduction somewhere.

[snippy_about_it]

That is good news, especially when the government lets you know about it!

[SAMWolf]

Stalin would have known what to do with PETA members ;-)

[PsyOp]

Yep. A few months in a Gulag would cure them of that stupidity. Rats? Raw? Sure! ;-]

[SAMWolf]

The last thing they'd have time to worry about is "Animal Rights"

[SAMWolf]

[SAMWolf]

BOO!!