D.M.L. Dragon

Series – ARMOR

DRR 60107 – TIGER I

Early production w/Zimmerit Coating

sPzAbt 502 Kurland, Eastern Front 1945

1/72 Scale (aprx. L 3.6”/4.75” w/gun; W 2.125”

SRP – $18.25

Released – July 2006

REGULAR CUSTOMERS PLEASE INQUAIRE FOR AVAILABILITY OF ADDITIONAL DISCOUNT

ABOUT TIGER Tank *

Panzerkampfagen (Tank) VI Ausf (Ausführung Ger. "version") E (Sd Kfz [Sonderkraftfahrzeug] 181)

Other designation: TIGER (Tiger I after 8/1944); VK54501 (H))

Type:  Heavy tank            

Manufacturer:          Henschel, Wegmann           

In production:          July 1942 – August 1944  

Production:      1,354                     

Engine:                    Maybach HL210P45               

Speed:(km/m)   38 / 23mph                      

Range:(km/m)   140                       

Weight:(tons)        57               

Size:(m/foot)    L 8.45/28.17; W 3.7/12.33'; H 2.93/ 9.77'

Crew:                        5                 

Armament:                One 8.8 cm KwK36 L/56; Two 7.92mm MG34

Ammunition:              92 Pzgr                            4,800 Patr SmK Spgr

ARMOUR (mm/o)          Front          Side          Rear          Top/Bottom

Turret                      100/8  80/0          80/0          25/81-90

Superstructure:            100/10 80/0          25/90

Hull:                          100/24 60/0          80/8          25/90

Gun mantlet:       100-110/0              

HISTORY

In 1937 Henschel started to develop a heavy breakthrough tank which would be about 50 percent heavier than the Pz Kpfw IV, two prototype were developed DW 1 and after an order followed in 1938 DW II.

In late 1939 Waffenamt (Ordnance Department) issued an order to develop a heavy tank project VK3001.  Two major competitors for this project were Henschel (H) and Porsche (P).

Henschel utilized the same hull arrangement as on DW II.  In early 1941 after trials first VK3001 (H) were completed but in May the project was abandon in favor of heavier VK3601. 

On May 26, 1941 the order to design VK4501 was issued.  Both Henschel and Nibelungewerke (Porsche) extensively used experience and test results from their VK30001 project vehicles.

Henschel won the contract for VK4501 (H) and the most famous tank in the history was born.  It becomes known as Panzerkampfwagen VI Ausf E (Sd Kfz 181) or The Tiger Tank, after development of the Kingtiger in late 1944 the Tiger tank become Tiger I.

Krupp developed and manufactured the turret for both VK4501 (P) and the VK4501 (H).  Production started in July 1942, with 335 to be completed by the time of the 1943 summer offence, which was planned on May 12.   The original order was 285 pcs but since 50 units were halted in production at Nibelungewerke additional 50 units was ordered to compensate the loss.  Only 1,354 were built during July 1942 – August 1944.

Ninety hulls were in production at Nibelungewerke for Tiger (P)  88  were converted to heavy tank destroyer the famous Ferdinand including two that were converted in an evacuation vehicles.  Forty eight that left by the end of German 1943 summer offense returned to the factory were modified, upgraded and renamed to Elefant.

To support its 57 tons the Tiger had eight sets of interleaved road wheels with torsion bars suspension.  The dish type road wheels were replaced with new steel-tyred, rubber-cushioned type in January 1944.  For transportation a different narrow track set was used. In order to use it engineers need to be removing outer wheel row.  To transport Tiger tanks a special railroad platform was designed and used.

The hull and superstructure were welded together.  In order to allow an installation of a wide turret the superstructure extended over the tracks.  The 8.8 cm (88 mm) gun developed from dual purpose Anti-Aircraft / Anti-Tank gun was mounted in the external gun mantlet.  One MG34 machine gun was install coaxially along with the main gun and one in the front of the superstructure. On late production models a mount for a machine gun was added on the commander cupola for air defense purpose.

Original turret design had two machine-pistol ports in the rear and a cylindrical cupola with vision slits.   In December 1942 an escape hutch replaced the pistol port on the right side and since July 1943 it was equipped with newest design commander cupola with periscopes.

Maybach HL230P30 engine, which improved automotive performance, was installed since May 1943.  During the production numerous modification were made to improve tank performance.  The Ausf (Variant) E was the only version but production divided in Early, Mid and Late Production models.

Early production models had such features as schnorkel tube that allowed the tank wade to a depth of 13ft and the “Feifel” air cleaner system.  Anti-personal small mine launchers located at a turret both front corner.  These features were abandoned.  Zimmerit Paste coating (protection against anti-tank magnetic mines) was applied at the factory for all late production models.  The coating also was applied at tank repair shops, therefore early and mid production units also could be seen on pictures with a Zimmerit coating.  The order was to cover vertical surface of a tank but not a turret, track guards or tracks, however it was widely ignored and practically on every picture that shows a tank with Zimmerit coating you will see a turret covered with it.

Eighty-four of Tiger tanks were issued as “Pz Bef Wg mit 8.8cm KwK L/56” – command observation tank, which was equipped with additional radio set.  In order to accommodate it ammunition stowage was reduced to 66 rounds for the 8.8cm and 4,050 Patr for machine-guns.  A few were field converted to evacuation and special purpose vehicles.  Three Tigers were sold to Hungary in July 1944.  One Tiger tank was sold to the Imperial Japanese Army, but was never delivered to Japan.  Eventually it was lease to Germans.   Interestly it was sold at a few times of its price.  In August – December 1944 eighteen Tiger tanks, which were returned from the front with turret damage were converted to Sturmmorser Tiger (Sturmtiger) – Assault rocket mortar, which fired 38cm rocket-assisted ammunition (originally design as an anti-submarine weapon).  All were issued to Sturmmorser Companies 1001, 1002 and 1003.

The first unit equipped with Tiger tanks was the 1st Platoon of the 502nd schwere (company), Panzerabteilung /PzAbt (heavy tank battalion detachment).  It was rushed to the Leningrad area in August 1942.  It was a total disaster; tanks were used in a terrain kind absolutely unsuitable for heavy tanks.  The Russians captured one of the new Tiger tanks, which was on display at the Gorky park in Moscow during the famous exhibition of captured German weapons and later send to Kybinka (famous Russian tank test ground).

All Tiger tanks were issued to army and SS as heavy tank battalion detachments and were transferred as needed.

Every crewmember was selected from experienced tankers only, than the entire crew will pass through very extensive theory and practice course before its deployment to the front.  During the 1943 Summer offensive in the Kursk area (The Battle of The Kursk / Operation Citadel) Germans used a mass use of the Tiger tanks.  In wide-open Russian fields environment it was at its best, destroying Russian tanks at will.  During the largest tank battle in history – The Battle of Prokhorovka Russians managed destroy numbers of Tiger Tanks while point blank shooting.  Russian also manage destroy numerous of Tiger tanks by air attack.  Attacks by legendary IL-2 - “Styrmovik” (assault plane) inflicted very heavy losses on German Tank Division during The Battle of Kursk.

The Tiger tank was in service until the end of the war and had taken a very heavy toll of enemy armour and personal on all fronts.  Most allied tanks could managed a Tiger tank only if they had a chance to approach it to a close distance and use Tiger weakness in order to knock it from side or back.   It also was a great psychological weapon that raised German troops moral and inflicted a significant damage on Allied forces.  The greatest tank ace Michael Wittmann scored most of his victories on both East and West Fronts while serving with a Tiger tank company. 

Heavily armed and armored the 57 tons tank, surprisingly, could negotiate obstacles very well in other hand low power to weight ratio allowed relatively low speed especially on a soft ground and poor maneuverability. Another weakness was low speed of turret rotation.  Tank required constant maintenance that could be made by highly trained personal only.  Many regular procedures could be made at specialized facility only that required tanks evacuation from the front area.  It had very high fuel consumption that became a tremendous problem for Germans by the end of the war; many were abandoned just because of a fuel shortage.  The tank was very expensive in production and maintenance and required significant time to built one.

TIGER BATALION

It was decided that units equipped with new heavy Tiger tanks will be organized in the schwere Panzer-Kompanien (heavy tank companies), which will be organized as three Zuege (platoons) each.  Each platoon consisted of three Tiger.  Latter it was decided to expend the organization and to include 10 Pz.Kpfw. III (which was standard German originally designed for tank on tank battle) to compose one schwere Panzer-Kompanie.

The first three schwere Panzer-Abteilung (battalion) send into the field were 501, 502,503, experimented with different combination of Pz. III and Tiger within their companies.  

After first combat reports it was decided to drop all Pz. III tanks from the organization and straightened Tiger companies to 14 per company and 45 tanks per battalion with some Sd.Kfz.250 added to a battalion headquarters company (Abteilung-Stabscompanie) for performing scouting, reconnaissance, running messages and other tasks.  Though some commanders argued to save some Pz. III within the organization for performing duties unsuitable for heavy Tigers the organization remain without change for the rest of the war.

The first two independed army units (Heerestruppen) were Kompanie 501 and 502 that were incorporated into sPzAbt 501 and than two more sPzAbt 502 and 503 with two companies each.   Some short live ideas were to create sPzK for Panzer Regiment Grobdeutschland and three SS-Panzer-Regiments and assignment of several of sPzAbt within existing Panzer Regiments however all were converted to pure units consisted of three companies with 14 Tiger and 3 Tiger for the Abteilung-Stab.

During the war eleven sPzAbt were created for the Army (Heer) numbered from 501 through 510 and III.Abteilung/Panzer-Regiment Grobdeutschland and three for the SS that were numbered 101 through 103 in October 1943, (these were renamed to 501-503 in late 1944).

Other units that had Tigers were three Panzer-Kompnien (FKL) and Panzer-Abteilung (FKL) 301 that were converted to Tigers as control vehicles deploying radio-controlled explosive charge carriers (Sd.Kfz.301).  By the end of the war Germans created few Tiger groups as a stopgap measures.

Each and every Tiger crew was formed from experienced tankers only.  A crew will pass extensive theory and practice curse before sent to a combat.

Germans created complicated report system that allowed them constant tactics development.   There were four authorized formation for a Tiger platoon, five for a Tiger company.

Each battalion has its own marking, however they were used on many fronts and attached to a variety of units therefore camouflage paint and numeration system constantly changed to reflect current needs and commanders preferences.  However the most common numeration system consisted of three-digit number with the first one representing a company number, second for a platoon and the last tank number ithin a platoon.

Schwere Panzer Abteilung 502 - sPzAbt. 502.  The battalion insignia was a “Mammut” (mammoth)

On 23 July 1942, Hitler had ordered the first company of Tigers to be formed quickly and sent to the front at Leningrad. The first unit to receive Henschel-Tigers was the 1. Kompanie of schwere Panzer Abteilung 502, four arriving on August 19 and 20. These Tigers, accompanied by four PzKpfw III Ausf N, arrived at the front and went into combat on 29 August 1942. Two of the four Tigers were still operational at the end of the day and the other two were recovered and repaired.
On 21 September 1942, the Tigers and PzKpfw IIIs were sent into action again, with the loss of one Tiger and two PzKpfw IIIs. This action resulted in the first Tiger that was permanently lost. Having become hopelessly mired, the Tiger was subsequently filled with explosives and destroyed on 25 November 1942.

The rest of the company arrived at the front on 25 November 1942 with five Tigers, nine PzKpfw IIIs (50mm KwK L/60), and five PzKpfw III Ausf N. Seven more Tigers arrived at the front in February 1943 to replace losses. Ordered to upgrade to the new organization, the 1.Kompanie received seven more Tigers in June 1943, to fill their complement of 14 Tigers.

Having been outfitted in December with nine Tigers and ten PzKpfw III Ausf N, the 2.Kompanie was attached to the sPzAbt 503 and on 10 February 1943, the 2.Kompanie of the 502^nd was renamed 3.Kompanie/sPzAbt 503 and became a permanent part of the 503^rd.
On 1 April 1943, a new 2.Kompanie and a 3.Kompanie were formed for the 502nd and to fill these two companies and the Stab (headquarters), 31 Tigers were shipped from the ordnance depot between 19 and 26 May 1943. The 1.Kompanie was joined by the Stab at the front, 1. and 2.Kompanien in early July 1943, bringing the unit strength to 45 Tigers. They received 32 replacements in January, and a further 20 in February 1944, bringing the total strength of the sPzAbt 502 up to 71 Tigers on 29 February 1944, although only 24 were operational.

The 502nd was renamed as schwere Panzer Abteilung 511 on 5 January 1945. The last 13 Tiger IIs produced by Henschel were picked up directly from the factory on 31 March 1945, by the crews of the 3.Kompanie/Tiger Abt. 510 and 3.Kompanie/Tiger Abt. 511. On 31 March, they reported that each company possessed eight Tiger IIs. Of these 12 were brand new productions from Henschel along with three older Tiger IIs from the Waffenamt at Senneläger and one older Tiger II from the Waffenamt at Northeim. On 1 April 1945, they engaged in combat with seven Tigers per company in Kassel, reporting that three further Tiger IIs had been lost due to bomb damage. The battalion continued the struggle on the Eastern Front until the end of the War.