The legendary German Tiger I has a reputation as a machine feared by the Allies,

combining lethal firepower and excellent armour.

The need to replace the Panzer IV goes back to 1938,

when several prototypes were built.

In 1941 an order was placed with Henschel for the VK 36.01

with a specification of good armour protection, a powerful gun

and a maximum speed at 40 km/h or 25 mph

The tank had to be larger and an order was placed in May 1941

for a 45-ton tank called the VK 4501

It was armed with an 8.8 cm gun

The deadline for the prototype would be on Hitler's next birthday (April 20th 1942),

forcing several elements of the design to be rushed

Once completed it would be named the VK 4501 (H)

The H standing for Henschel

In competition, Porsche had created its own design:

the VK 4501 (P), to the same requirements

With both designs meeting the deadline of Hitler's birthday

the Henschel design was selected for production

Designated as the Panzerkampfwagen Tiger Ausf. E

but eventually the final design will use a mixture of the partsfrom previous prototypes by Henschel and Porsche

The Krupp turret and gun would stay the same

The crew of the Tiger tank numbered five,

including the commander, gunner, loader (who sat in the turret)

and the driver and radio operator in the hull

The armor was very thick, from 25 to 120 mm

offering excellent protection

For traveling on cross-country or preparing for combat, wider tracks were fitted improving traction

On 1943 the 55-ton tank was powered by a V12 Maybach HL230 P45 gasoline engine

providing 690 horsepower or 515 kilowatts

This was quite underpowered and the tank had a top speed of 38 km/h or 24 mph

One over engineering problem with the tank was the overlapping wheel suspension

which became clogged with mud

and on the Eastern Front this was especially dangerous,

as the mud froze completely immobilizing the tank

The armament of the Tiger I was its deadly 88 mm KwK 36 gun

capable of penetrating american M4 Sherman armor

and two MG34 or MG42 machine guns:

one coaxial in the mantlet and the other in a ball turret within the hull

Smoke discharge canisters were also positioned on both sides of the turret

The Tiger I first appeared in Tunisia (North Africa) in late 1942

their appearance shocking the British forces

They were used on all fronts, including Italy, Normandy and the Eastern Front

It was only until mid-1944 that the Allies could produce tanks

that could have effectively engaged the Tiger tank

such as the British Sherman Firefly and the Russian T-34/85

Only 1.350 Tiger I were built with production between August 1942 and August 1944

Other rare variants include the Befehlspanzer Tiger, which was a command tank

and the Sturm Tiger, which featured a large self-propelled mortar

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