page 2
page 2
| 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. |
| 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. |
 |
 |
|
assigned to the commander of the 3rd company |
in Paderborn-Sennelager, autumn 1944 |
| 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. |
 |
 |
|
|
Mailly-le-Camp before moving to Normandy |
| A few of the Tiger II vehicles were adapted to the role of command tanks (Befehlspanzer Tiger B). The command version was equipped with an additional mast aerial at the rear of the hull, and the loader acted as second radio operator. The ammunition stowage in the rear of the turret was reduced to make installation of the appropriate radio equipment possible. A limited traverse tank destroyer version of the Tiger II was also produced. This vehicle, the heaviest armoured fighting vehicle to go into service, was designated Jagdtiger. Only 80 vehicles were built due to shortages of components and disruption by bombing. The Jagdtiger consisted of the normal Tiger II hull with a lengthened suspension and a built-up superstructure to form a fized turret. |
| To Tiger II page III |
