German Heavy Tanks

Armour: 80mm sloped at 55°.

Weight: 43 tons.

Armament: 75mm KwK 42 L/70 gun (79 rounds) and 2 x 7.92mm Mg.

Speed: 46kmh (28mph) on road and 24kmh (15mph) cross-country.

Range: 200km (125 miles) on road and 85km (54 miles) cross-country.

Crew: 5, commander, gunner, radio operator, loader and driver.

When German forces first encountered the KV-1 and T-34 tanks, it was decided to design a new, more powerful medium tank, which could be quickly put into production. After extensive design and testing production of the new vehicle, the PzKfw V Panther, began in December 1942.
The Panther's technical design incorporated many features of the T-34/76, such as wide tracks for better traction and improved cross-country performance, a powerful engine, a long barrelled 75mm gun and sloping armour. Despite this the Panther was larger, heavier and different in many technical aspects. In addition the vehicle featured large overlapping road wheels and a state of the art suspension system that enabled it to traverse rough terrain at high speed. The turret was rotated by a hydraulic power traverse, which took its power from the gearbox and was operated by the gunner using a foot lever. If the engine was off the turret could be traversed by hand.
In November 1942, a small pre-production series of 20 tanks was ordered. These 20 vehicles were designated PzKfw V Panther Ausf A and were technically different from later Ausf A production models. All were lightly armoured, with only 60mm of frontal armour and armed with the early version of the 75mm KwK 42 L/70 gun. In February 1943, 20 Ausf A tanks were re-designated Ausf D1. These Ausf D1 models were exclusively used as test vehicles and later for training.
In December 1942, a new and improved model, designated Ausf D, was ready. The vehicle was fitted with an improved version of the 75mm KwK 42 L/70 gun. The turret was rotated by a hydraulic power traverse, which took its power from the gearbox and was operated by the gunner using a foot lever. If the engine was off the turret could be traversed by hand. The Panther's weak spot was its side armor, which ranged from 40mm to 50mm, depending on the variant.
The Panther first saw action during operation Citadel but suffered badly from a variety of technical problems including gearbox, transmission and suspension failure, and more seriously engine fires and by the middle of August only 43 of the Ausf D1 vehicles were in service.
The next batch of vehicles, the Ausf D2, were powered by a more powerful HL 230 P30 engine, which became the standard power plant for all later models of the Panther. The vehicles also featured a cast commander's cupola instead of the early drum-type and armoured skirts, which were standard on all later Panthers.
The next variant, the Ausf A, was introduced in August 1943. It featured a redesigned turret, a mounting bracket for an AA MG34 on the cupola and a ball-mounted MG34 in the frontal plate. Modifications had also been made to rectify the technical problems suffered with the gearbox, transmission and suspension.
In March 1944, the final variant, the Ausf G was introduced. The Panther Ausf G became the most numerous model and had many new features. These included a new design for the top hull hatches, removal of the driver's visor in the front plate and upper hull sides closer to the vertical. Later variants had a rotating periscope for the driver, a new exhaust arrangement, a new mantlet design to eliminate the shot trap and a new engine deck layout with a raised fan cover. Perhaps the most distinctive feature of the Ausf G was the tapered one-piece upper hull side plate. The Panther remained in production until the end of the war and was a formidable weapon.

Armour: 110mm

Weight: 57 tons.

Armament: 88mm KwK 36 L/56 gun (92 rounds) and 2 x 7.92mm Mg.

Speed: 38kmh (23mph) on road and 15kmh (10mph) cross-country.

Range: 96km (60 miles) on road and 64km (40 miles) cross-country.

Crew: 5, commander, gunner, radio operator, loader and driver.

The PzKfw VI Ausf E Tiger entered production in July 1942, after extensive design and testing. The vehicle featured a superstructure, which was welded to the hull, whereas previous PzKfw models hulls were bolted. The turret was rotated by a hydraulic power traverse, which took its power from the gearbox and was operated by the gunner using a foot lever. If the engine was off the turret could be traversed by hand. The turret boasted 110mm of armour on the mantlet, with the rest of the turret being formed of a rolled plate of armour 80mm thick. The hull was similarly endowed, with the front sections were made up of armour 100mm thick, with 80mm on the sides and rear. Despite the fact that the Tiger's armour was not sloped, that thickness of armour provided enormous protection for the vehicle and its crew. The 88mm KwK 36 L/56 gun was a derivative of the highly successful 88mm Flak gun and could penetrate up to 110mm of armour at 2000m. The vehicle featured a unique torsion bar suspension using interleaved road wheels and traction was provided by the two front sprocket wheels, each of which turned a set of massive solid steel tracks. The drive train arrangement made the Tiger fairly manoeuvrable considering its size and weight.
The vehicle suffered with several early mechanical problems. The overlapping road wheels often clogged with mud and this caused the tracks to ride up and either come off or jam on the sprocket wheel. It also suffered from having a limited internal fuel capacity and extremely high consumption rate, which limited its range considerably. It was a difficult vehicle to maintain in the field, with the engine and running gear needing constant attention. It was also an expensive and complicated vehicle to manufacture. In May 1943, the engine was replaced by the more powerful HL 230 P 45 engine which improved the vehicles off road performance. From September 1943, all production vehicles were coated with Zimmerit anti-magnetic paste. In March 1944 all steel road wheels were fitted and this allowed for the outer road wheels to be removed, improving the vehicles running performance and ease of maintenance. The first 500 production vehicles were equipped with a snorkelling device allowing them to travel underwater up to a depth of 4-5m. However, all later models were provided with wading equipment, which only allowed them to travel underwater to a depth of 1.3m. Production of the Tiger was halted in August 1944, in favour of the King Tiger, but the vehicle remained in service until the end of the war.

Armour: 150mm.

Weight: 68 tons.

Armament: 88mm KwK 43 L71 gun (80 rounds) and 2 x 7.92mm Mg.

Speed: 35kmh (22mph) on road and 17kmh (10mph) cross-country.

Range: 110km (68 miles) on the road and 80km (50 miles) cross-country.

Crew: 5, commander, gunner, loader, driver and radio operator/bow gunner.

Planning for the Tiger II started as early as May 1941, and by the autumn of 1942, designers started work on a new heavy tank that would eventually replace the Tiger I. The new Tiger was to be armed with a long 88mm gun and have 150mm frontal armor. The front and side plates were to be sloped and interlocked, resulting in a design similar to the PzKfw V Panther.
Once again, Henschel and Porsche were ordered to develop the new vehicle. Both designs shared the same chassis and hull and were extremely similar, with the only difference being the location of the turret and some mechanical components.
The Henschel's design shared many components of the Panther in order to standardize tank production. Tiger II production began in January 1944 and ended in March 1945, with only 489 production vehicles being built.
The first King Tigers, produced from January to September 1944, were coated with Zimmerit anti-magnetic mine paste. Some vehicles produced before June, were also fitted with deep fording equipment, but this was mainly for testing purposes. Overall, during production, numerous modifications were made to the vehicles, including the replacement of gaskets and seals, type of tracks used, installation of sockets and the installation of additional track links. None of the modifications significantly changed the appearance or performance of the tank.
The first 50 King Tigers produced were equipped with turrets designed by Krupp for Porsche. Later models were equipped with turrets designed by Henschel. Both turrets were mounted in the centre of the tank. Porsche's turret mounted a one-piece 88mm KwK 43 L71 tank gun, while Henschel's turret mounted a two-piece 88mm gun. The Tiger II fitted with a Porsche turret carried 80 rounds of ammunition, while the production version with the Henschel turret carried 86 rounds.
The Porsche turret had a curved mantlet and the commander's cupola was offset to the left. The curved mantlet created a shot trap below the mantlet, and in December 1943, Henschel was ordered to design a new turret, which featured a flush cupola, instead of a bulged one and a saukopf mantlet. The turret incorporated a powered traverse, with a hydraulic turret drive powered by the vehicles engine. It could be also traversed by hand, using a hand wheel operated by the gunner.
The Tiger II was powered by the same 12 cylinder Maybach engine that was used in the Panther. It also featured a new steering mechanism designed by Henschel, which allowed the tank to turn on the spot. The vehicles suspension was an improved version of that used on the Tiger I. Its overlapping road wheel arrangement solved the problem encountered in the interleaved arrangement used on the Tiger I, which caused mud, ice and rocks to jam the track mechanism and immobilize the tank. However the overlapping arrangement reduced the life of the tank tracks due to the increased pressure.
The Tiger II suffered from a lack of mobility because of its low power to weight ratio. Maximum speed on the road was 35-38km/h (22-24 mph) and cross-country was 17km/h (10mph). Fuel consumption was a serious problem, since the vehicle consumed 500l per 100km. The Tiger carried 860 liters (227 gallons) of fuel in 7 tanks, giving it a maximum range of 110-120km (68-75 miles) on the road and 80km (50 miles) cross-country.
A five-man crew, composed of commander, gunner, loader, driver and radio operator/bow gunner, operated the King Tiger.
From November 1944, 20 Tiger II's were converted by Wegmann to command tanks, Befehlswagen Tiger II Ausf B and were equipped with additional radio equipment. The first command tanks entered service in February 1945. Both variants carried 63 rounds of ammunition.
King Tigers were issued to schwere Panzer Abteilungen (heavy tank battalions) of both the Wehrmacht and Waffen SS. The majority went to Wehrmacht units, while some 150 were assigned to the Waffen SS. The first Tiger II tanks entered service as early as February 1944, first seeing action in May 1944.