History of the Tiger I

When it was introduced, the Tiger was the most powerful tank in the world. The 88mm gun was extremely powerful and the heavy armour made it almost impervious to attack. Even though its fearsomeness was to grow to almost mythical proportions, its combat debut was less than impressive.

The first 4 Tigers to see combat were sent to the Leningrad area in August of 1942. Unfortunately they were deployed single file over swampy terrain and in their first day of combat all four were knocked out, although their armour was not penetrated. Three were later recovered. In spite of this bad start, Tiger tactics were soon learned and other units were quickly trained and equipped with the Tiger.

The influence of the Tiger on Allied morale, known as Tigerphobia, was so powerful that British General Montgomery banned all reports mentioning it's prowess in battle. Perhaps the Tiger's greatest fame was gained in a single action in Normandy where the famous commander SS Obersturmführer Michael Wittman destroyed an entire column of 25 tanks, 14 half-tracks and 14 bren-gun carriers in a few short minutes with one Tiger. Due to Allied air superiority, the Tigers in Normandy and France were employed mainly in a static defensive role. This conserved fuel as the Tiger normally consumed huge amounts of petrol. It also kept the mechanical breakdowns to a minimum.

The Tiger's two greatest strengths were its main gun and its heavy armour. The 88mm KwK 36 L/56 main gun was the most powerful anti-tank gun then in use by any army, capable of penetrating 112 mm of armour at 1400 meters. The Tiger I had the best quality armour of any German tank. The rolled homogeneous nickel-steel plate had the best homogeneous armour hardness level of any WW II tank, meaning it was stronger and less brittle. It was used in great thicknesses on the Tiger, resulting in great weight but extreme protection. The combination of this massive armour and powerful gun made for an almost unbeatable tank. Enemy crews often watched helplessly as their shots bounced off the Tiger and their own vehicles were quickly destroyed...often from great distances. The Tiger I was very maneuverable for its weight and size, and it was only 2km/h slower than the Panzer III and Panzer IV.

Today there are only a handful of surviving Tiger I's, the most famous being the still running Tiger 131 of the Bovington Tank Museum in England.