TIGER TANK VERSUS T34 FULL

Tiger tank constructed at the Henschel plant is loaded onto a special rail car, 1942. Any other battlefield machine produced in such limited numbers would be quickly forgotten, but the Tiger’s impressive combat performance was worth it. Only 1,347 Tiger 1’s were built – after this, Henschel built 490 Tiger II’s until the war’s end.

The Tiger was in production for two years, from July 1942 to August 1944. The design was simplified to aid production – partly also as a result of raw material shortages.Ī large network of firms produced components for the Tiger, which were then transported by rail to Henschel’s factory in Kassel for final assembly, with a total construction time of around 14 days. The Tiger was still at the prototype stage when it was quickly brought into service, and therefore changes were made throughout the production run, including a redesigned turret with a lower cupola.ĭue to slow production rates at the factories, incorporation of these modifications could take several months, meaning it took about twice as long to build a Tiger I as other German tanks. 1,837 Tiger I and Tiger II tanks were built in total Porsche was responsible for the name ‘Tiger’ĭespite Henschel’s design being chosen, Ferdinand Porsche did give the tank its nickname, ‘Tiger’, with the Roman numeral added after the Tiger II entered production. Production of Tiger I began in July 1942, and the Tiger first saw service against the Red Army in September 1942 near the town of Mga (about 43 miles southeast of Leningrad), and then against the Allies in Tunisia in December later that year. But why did Germany invade the Soviet Union? What did Stalin and Hitler think of each other? And how did the invasion impact on Germany’s eventual defeat? Charlie Mills spoke to Dr. In June 1941, Hitler launched Operation Barbarossa, opening up the Eastern Front in World War II – a campaign to which more forces were committed than in any other theatre of war in history.

After trials, the Henschel design was considered superior and the more practical to mass produce, largely as the Porsche VK 4501 prototype design needed large quantities of copper – a strategic war material that was in limited supply. Unlike the Panther tank, the designs did not incorporate sloped armour. To compete, orders for a German prototype for a new tank thus required a weight increase to 45 tonnes and an increase in gun calibre to 88mm.īoth the Henschel and Porsche companies displayed designs to Hitler at his base in Rastenburg for him to inspect. The first Tiger tank prototype was scheduled to be ready for Hitler’s birthday on 20 April 1942Īfter Germany’s invasion of the Soviet Union on 22 June 1941, they were shocked to encounter Soviet T-34 medium and KV-1 heavy tanks that were far superior to anything they had available. Why was this, and did it actually deserve its legendary status? 1. However, it was the German Tiger tank that frequently ranked among the finest, being superior to British and American tanks for most of the war. Notable tanks of the time included the German Panzer tanks, the famous Soviet T-34 tank (that proved so highly effective at the Battle of Kursk) and the US M4 Sherman tank.

TIGER TANK VERSUS T34 FULL

Despite initial progress, the full effectiveness of the tank as a weapon was not fully realised until the inter-war years, and by the onset of World War Two, the tank had become a far more efficient and deadly weapon.

The tank was first used as a battlefield weapon on 15 September 1916 at Flers-Courcelette (part of the Battle of the Somme), ushering in a new era of mechanised warfare.

Tiger tank versus t34