Battle Stations: Tiger Attack (HQ with Extras)

War Documentary hosted by James Faulkner, published by History Channel broadcasted as part of HC Battle Stations series in 2001 - English narration -- DVD Extras joined to the film --

[@Boric78]

"I fired at a tank at 100 yards, but the shot just bounced off. Which was a bit disheartening." LOL. Quality British understatement at its best.

[@LaughingGravy31]

He'd probably say the loss of a leg is just a flesh wound.

[@Le-Cardinal]

...and then the Tiger fired back. This time it did not bounce....

[@teaandcoffeeM]

This was an unfortunate turn of events.

[@grahamday5419]

this a very brave man

[@gillesguillaumin6603]

Alfredo Jonstone. Yes, definitly "So Brittish".

[@kevinfrance1564]

I remember reading a quote from a German armored officer who said "One German tank was worth three American ones...but the Americans always brought four." That kinda sums up WW2 right there. Logistics win wars.

[@frankaguilera2071]

Greetings Kevin France Its hard to argue against that reality. Today, one infantryman must carry into battle his gear that probably weighs almost as much as he does. Roosevelt initiated the lend lease. Germany’s wolf packs almost succeeded in cutting off supplies to England. Britain improved radar and installed them into the fleet. This advantage reduced the sinkings within the convoys. Thus, allowing supplies to reach the front or other destinations. It is a curious proposition that logistics win wars. However, there are the large scale and multitudes of small-scale battles that must be won first. More importantly the unknown battles of deception and check mate.

[@gooner72]

Unfortunately, during WW2, Russia and the US did the "quantity over quality" thing whereas the Germans did the complete opposite........ which I prefer to be honest.

[@dutchhoke6555]

Bring lots of tanks. Who first stunned the world with that technique in WW2 ? The same guys playing victims in the video.

[@mirkodragicevic9609]

Its said for russian Red army , not for us armmy

[@jeffk464]

Once they put the 76mm gun on the sherman it could take out tigers with a hit to the front. The German 88 was spectacular, but only really gave an advantage on a wide open battlefield. That was a problem with the movie Fury, Brad Pitts tank had the 76mm and in the movie they made it so he had to get around the tiger and hit it in the back to penetrate. Of course the tiger crews knew about the 76mm and would have taken his tank out first.

[@Tark75ifty]

It is a pleasure to see and hear Otto Carius in this documentary, one of the greatest ace tankers of the 2nd World War. I have a lot of admiration for him. He was a good man, nonconformist, who did his duty as a soldier to the end, but without being a fanatic of the Nazi cause like Michael Wittman was, for example. You have to read his excellent book, "Tigers in the mud" which is a raw testimony of the war in the East in armored vehicles.

[@Coconutscott]

I'm on a tank documentary binge, this is the best one so far.

[@johnelliott7375]

The only surviving ACE , Otto Carious. Surprised that they got him interviewed 😊

[@ColinFreeman-kh9us]

He passed away already.

[@terrytowelling1807]

I work in a hospital and always ask patients of a certain age what they did in the war. I once asked a tank driver if he ever saw a tiger tank and I saw a flash of terror in his face as he told me he had, even 65 years hadn't eased the fear the British tank crews had for these monsters

[@swiggityswoogity705]

Damn Otto Carius is one lucky commander, 5 serious wounds one being in the neck. Such baddassery

[@daviddalton9214]

Hanz Get ze Flammenwerfer Yeah, it’s a real shame.

[@tyronescott8704]

Sherman was shit .our men wer in hell.tiger turn them in to toys

[@garyrunnalls7714]

I met a guy who was from Germany and his dad was good friends with Otto. He had a lil story about being a kid with a plastic German helmet on and he and his dad went to visit Otto. My friend asked Carius what was it like being in a tank? Well Otto grabbed a handful of change and threw it at his head. "That's what it's like" lol

[@oliverpetroski4205]

Otto Carius made one incredible shot. He shot down a soviet IL2 Schturmovik aircraft with his Tiger's main gun while the plane was in air.

[@swiggityswoogity705]

@@oliverpetroski4205 I heard about that, it wasn’t Otto, it was his Gunner … I think his name was Kramer. So long story short, they were out on a mission when this Soviet fighter plane started shooting at them, no effect obviously cause Tiger’s armor too thick and bullets merely bounced off. But the Gunner Kramer was so annoyed (I mean who wouldn’t be, imagine being in a metal box and constantly getting hit and hearing metal clanks, pings, tinks, hits etc. hurts the ears and frankly irritating) Anyways, Kramer asked Carius if he can shoot down the plane, Carius said go for it, and who would’ve seen it coming, Kramer made an amazing shot that hit one of the plane’s wings bringing it down.

[@Mr9Guns]

Huge respect to these guys sharing their stories for us to hear.

[@F.Castle93]

I just love watching these old videos. Brings me back to history class when I definitely didn’t appreciate these docs. Now I watch them on my free time and at work lol just funny how the world works. Thanks for these 🤘

[@lucasbishop8437]

I real like the fact that we actually get to hear the stories of the Germans who actually piloted these formidable tanks

[@flaviancarlos2464]

】0】⁰0]]0]

[@nebraskatpp]

I think that is vital for anyone wanting to know real facts about that tank. Same as the Japanese with their weapons, planes, carriers, subs, all of their military. They had great and some not so great weapons at the start of war against us. Their pilot training was incredible… their rifles were terrible… and so forth.

[@micusaer44341]

that was after they gain the brain of JEWISH THOUGHTS....thats why they killed all those peoples living that country....

[@micusaer44341]

jewish peoples known as the number1 talented of the entire world....but sad to say..thEy arent UNITED🥲🥲🇵🇭🇵🇭🇵🇭🇵🇭

[@kvarnerinfoTV]

Formidable :-D You mean the best on the battlefield.

[@dannybird4996]

Whittman was a hell of tank commander

[@rasmussen75]

No... nazi propaganda.... kzbin.info/www/bejne/fKi0mZKOmch8ick

[@DG-pk3fh]

I would have defeated him in tank combat I play world of tanks.

[@davemartino5997]

@@DG-pk3fh🙄

[@groppermilk]

@@DG-pk3fh 👍😂

[@geraldswain3259]

Got to admire the brit tank commander,with two of his men dead and sustaining horrific injuries, he was still full of praise for the German commanders skill and commitment!!.

[@EstebanMataVargas]

Only extremely brave men would keep fighting after knowing they are outgunned and technically outsmarted by their enemies. One cannot feel more than respect for those guys.

[@privacyadvocate6697]

simply because German tanks were better, but they didn't have the numbers, that is problem

[@stevelopez372]

Privacy Advocate Yes, they overestimated their industrial capacity and severely underestimated ours here in America. And I am thankful for that.

[@privacyadvocate6697]

ever heard of Michael Wittmann? what brit tank commander?? seriously

[@privacyadvocate6697]

@@stevelopez372 so now we see 'murica for what it is a pathetic "multi-cultural" society, where hispanics wave the flags of the nations they really support, so in other words a fucking invasion Pablo. Don't worry Trump will fix this bs for once and for all I promise u :)))))))))))))

[@princeofcupspoc9073]

The tiger program started BEFORE the invasion of Russia. It was not in response to the T-34, it was in response to the French and British tanks encountered the year before. The Panther program was more influenced by the T-34.

[@captainseyepatch3879]

You are somewhat correct. The program to make the Tiger was started in 1938 however that program wanted a 40 ton tank and FAILED. It was canceled. After the invasion of Russia they restarted the program and upped the stats to 60 tons to counter the T-34/KV-1.

[@erichvonmanstein6876]

@@captainseyepatch3879 wtf? Who told you that stupid shit

[@flakmag1004]

@@erichvonmanstein6876 official german reports you n@zi

[@CharyllGabrielCAclao]

@@erichvonmanstein6876 Porsche tiger?

[@erichvonmanstein6876]

@@flakmag1004 uh huh well since you can read didnt the "official German reports" tell you VonManstein was not a Nazi you fuking idiot.

[@nickcelmic6790]

All of those heroes and legends are now dead. I can only imagine meeting them in person and listening to their stories. Eternal glory!

[@chickenpurple6704]

Not all

[@chickenpurple6704]

I had a relative who fought as a tail gunner in the pacific. He didn't see much combat but to talk to somebody who lived then was incredible

[@johnhorse5551]

12th ss panzer division,executed pow

[@davemartino5997]

@@johnhorse5551 USA and Allies executed prisoners as well what’s your point ,

[@stoggafllik]

@@johnhorse5551 You should’ve added “shit” to your surname, since you’re full of it.

[@FiresprayXL]

This will forever be my favorite tank!

[@hughsavage2136]

Thank you. That was an excellent and exceptional presentation on the wonderful Tiger. Really enjoyed 😉 it!

[@NorceCodine]

That "eye surgery" with a magnet to remove the steel particles tells you what combat medics are made of, the best of the best.

[@tedkier3264]

thank you for posting this brother. i have the Otto Carius action figure. wow. now to see him.

[@richardgrant2961]

Thanks Niklas for this great historical film.

[@RayRay-mj6pn]

My opa worked on Tigers in WW2. My youngest loves Tiger tanks. I tell her that her Grandfather worked on them. Despite loss by Germans she will remember her grandfathers role in WW2.

[@ApriliaRacer14]

Ray Ray And my Opa was a Wehrmacht sniper. The war really devastated the family. Tough times they were. Tschüß

[@GanjaClaus]

Basically this explains why you have to click on a german cross to exit KZbin full screen view..

[@matmac888]

I thought the same thing

[@ElForastero10287]

You good them right

[@StopFear]

Ganja Claus haha, this is spot on!

[@DawnOfTheDead991]

or hit the esc key

[@EndofUSA]

Ganja Claus.... ha ha ha ha ha!! LOL!!!!

[@Arckitekt]

They built 1,347 Tigers...against 49,000 Sherman and 84,000 T-34

[@danielphillip6058]

Ouija1210 he was a idoit for telling the 4th panzer army to stop they most likely would have captured Moscow had they not been ordered to stop and wait three months for the tiger to arrive, three months, that was more than enough time for russia to mass produce more tanks and train them

[@danielphillip6058]

Ouija1210 yes but he might have gotten Stalin to gave russia surrender if he had captured Moscow

[@danielphillip6058]

Have stupid auto correct

[@LaughingGravy31]

They didn't just build 1,300 Tigers. They also built 48,000 other tank and assault gun types including over 6,000 Panthers and over 8,000 Panzer IVs.

[@LaughingGravy31]

BRYAN351 They didn't really. The Tigers knocked out around 10,000 enemy tanks at a kill ratio of 10:1. And the Tiger battalions took up way less resources and personnel than a panzer division.

[@TopThrillDan]

Very good image quality, thanks for uploading. :D

[@terraflow__bryanburdo4547]

Extraordinary interviews and production.

[@Rammstein0963]

"I fired at him twice, which as before bounced off, then he fired once...which did NOT bounce off", just funny how he says it sorta glibly.

[@ianmangham4570]

Calm as fk when under fire, a real professional soldier 🇬🇧😎

[@andrewmontgomery5621]

A tank that truly lives up to her big cat namesake and one of my favourite tanks along with the Panther.

[@anthonyiocca5683]

I agree, Panthers were less prone to breaking down (kaput). The main gun on the Panther was just as deadly against all other armor. The 88mm could have been installed on Panthers if so desired. The Panthers would of prolonged the war if more were built instead of wasting resources on Tigers…

[@turbo1234ist]

I had A German friend for 10 years that drove a Tiger 1 in the 501 Panzer Corp. He was an amazing man.

[@richiesquest3283]

The tiger makes the sherman look like a toy.

[@paulbantick8266]

Yeah! and one Sherman did for 3 Tigers in minutes. Including Wittmann's, contrary to that very inaccurate Canadian documentary that came out some years ago and based on a flawed chapter in Brian. A Ried's book, 'NO HOLDING BACK'

[@TheOneG36]

jup, sure is but 50.000 crappy shermans are still better then 50-100 Tigers (since 1944) there was at no time more then that amount of tigers in shape to battle, in fact since the tigers where build the army lost more tanks then they got built EVERY DAY for example in 44 the produced 20300 Tanks and lost 20500.....

[@NaYawkr]

Der Sherman ver excellent training aids for der Tiger Tank Gunners.

[@sam_ldn8262]

@@paulbantick8266 yeah! and Tiger's still had a massive kill death ratio with 1300 tigers produced and 12000 knocked out, not to mention alot of Tigers were abandoned or captured. not even destroyed! maybe keep your American pride and accept that this tank did outmatch Shermans, even 76mm or Firefly. One sherman did 3 tigers in minutes? What about a Königstiger that destroyed 148+ tanks during the Battle of Berlin, oh and yes that tank was abandoned, not destroyed either. "Quantity has it's own quality"

[@paulbantick8266]

@@sam_ldn8262 Panzerfanboi Eh! The Tiger was still a busted flush in all its guises no matter how you dress it up. The MkVI was frequently knocked out. It was the King Tiger that was mainly abandoned. I'm not a Yank and you should calm down and wind yer' neck in...Child!

[@elrjames7799]

Many thanks to the 'up-loader' for showing this valuable item of an exemplary series.

[@keen8549]

37:53 it's Kurt Knispel, the Ultimate Panzer Ace of all tank aces.

[@jeffreymonceaux5926]

Thanks for updating!!!!!0

[@EduOliva1]

Excelente documentário!

[@unitedbrony5907]

who else sang along when they played the panzerlied

[@jduff59]

Ob's sturmt oder schneit.....

[@CrucisJon]

L ~~ O ~~ U ~~ D ~~ E ~~ R

[@ianmangham4570]

Yah yah, das is gut Ha ha ha 😎

[@mrt7152]

When History still made good documentaries!

[@KWKBOX]

Cool doc. Great commentary!

[@panzertracks]

Thanks for sharing, great film.

[@erikhertzer8434]

A Tiger tank was hit 220 times...and was able to be repaired and put back to nto action...amazing!

[@philiprice7875]

thing that got me i heard that they only built 1500 tigers and even now still has a fearsome rep as a side note they only built 1501 U-Boats

[@partygrove5321]

@@philiprice7875 One U boat cost as much as 1000 Tigers. It's a lot harder to build a sub than a surface ship and way way harder than a tank.

[@billwilson3609]

That one was scrapped at the rear repair depot after all reusable parts were removed.

[@christophersmith5691]

24.42 the 9th and 10th SS Pz div's were directed to Normandy from the Eastern front, but did not have heavy tank companies in their roster. The Tigers were present, but in independent heavy tank battalions, as befitted strategic units. Maybe the II SS Pz Corps, the HQ of these divisions, had one of these. By this time the Tiger I was being gradually replaced by the King Tiger

[@americanpatriot2422]

Outstanding video!

[@user-zf8et8wf9d]

Amazing, how Atwater describes Guderian as father of armored doctine whereas Guderians own son rightly and correctly attributes much of his fathers work to Fuller who was actually the pioneer of armored warfare and whose work predates Guderians by a good decade!

[@tundraotto]

Brave men all. Not many like them anymore.....

[@Extrasailor]

I immagine how difficult was to control a Tiger or any other tank in WW1 and II. I cannot imagine how would've been if I would've been a tank commander those days. I just don't know if I could rise to the task..

[@captainseyepatch3879]

@@Extrasailor Something I think people often forget. There where more (HIgh percentage) Of draft dodgers in WW2 then in Vietnam. The greatest generation myth is just marketing.

[@ultimo36]

i beg to differ. it's more a case of todays fighting men aren't as celebrated or given as much recognition in my opinion

[@Frankincensedjb123]

tundraotto yes there is

[@alcoholfree6381]

27:00 Some amazing discussions of tank battles. The talk about the exploits of the German tank Commander Michael Whitman was mind boggling with 47 tank kills with 256 Allied soldiers killed. They actually had British tankers interviewed who had survived having their tanks hit by Whitman. Normandy was an awesome battle where the Allie’s prevailed. Great video!

[@asullivan4047]

Interesting and informative. Excellent photography job making it easier for viewers to better understand what the orator was describing. Historians did a very good job presenting actual facts from fiction. Class A research project!!! Orator presented the documentary very well. Special thanks to the allied/axis tank personnel guest speakers. Whom added more authentic information regarding their combat operations thru actual combat experiences. Rough combat operations on both sides. Fortunately the German tanks ran out of fuel/were bombed by the allied air force. Ending the German siege of Bastogne/& final axis offensive.saving 1000's of allied forces.

[@dudditz]

Cool ive always been fascinated when grandpa told stories about the war

[@SilentRazor1uk]

Sun Tsu and many other military men have said roughly speaking; Respecting your enemy gives you less suprise when they do something new/unforseen and/or develop a new tactic or weapon (system). Ignoring what they the enemy can (and cannot) do well, can lead to a defeat in some manner; such as during a skirmish, during a vital battle (in hindsight),, and being blind to hints of what they might be planning, doing or going.

[@BattleManiac7]

Huh, I never thought there was a lot of room in the Tiger. I mean, yeah it's a BIG box but I always imagined that only more modern designs took crew comfort into account. Had two friends whose family served on tanks fighting in the Commonwealth forces, the Comet and Sherman Firefly. One found the Comet quite small on the inside, he was the driver and hated getting in and out of it. The other was a Firefly TC and was a big guy for a tanker of the time, loved the big 17-pounder's punch but the amount of room it took up in the turret? Not so much.

[@echohunter4199]

I’m just an old and retired US Army Infantry Senior NCO, I started out as an 11H (Anti-Armor Infantry) and killing tanks requires a lot of homework to learn each vehicles strengths and weaknesses, there are a couple vehicles we killed as quick as possible since they can slaughter us if they spotted us; the Russian ZSU-23-4, that beast was a lawn mower from hell on ground mode! A lot of our battle doctrine is formed from experiences we learned in WWII and mainly in Europe, the Germans knew how to maximize their forces to preserve the core of their elements and flex to any direction when the situation deemed crucial. We folded in their “defense in depth” retrograde action where we trade land for time but like the Germans, our enemy will pay dearly for every meter we surrender. Our combined success depended on the individual Soldier, the crew of each anti-armor team (3-4 men) had to be well trained and have a strong sense of self discipline and self motivation, the driver knows he has to apply fresh vegetation cut from trees and bushes each day that will effectively blend with terrain we’re operating in and make sure it doesn’t obscure his line of vision or the missile launcher optics. The security man deploys each time we stop and gets clear of the vehicle so he can hear the forest better, his role is as critical as the gunner, he must warn us of enemy movement to our flanks before we’re enveloped. A good driver will drive the vehicle into vegetation that’s just high enough to obscure the vehicle but not the launcher optics so all the enemy would see is a very small launcher which you can’t detect unless you’re 20 meters away, we engaged at 4,000 meters. Tank killing is a true art and just recently, the US Army announced they’re bringing back the MOS 11H to be prepared for…..any potential enemy that has hordes of tanks which is just two countries. (2 1/2 if you count North Korea, lol) If we ever had to fight Germany in the future, that would be a war I wouldn’t feel confident of ending quickly, the German people seem to be able to quickly become excellent warriors, it’s like they have a light switch somewhere that can be turned on. Their engineers are even tougher, they can design some incredible weapons, the Russians still use a lot of German weapon and aircraft developments they gained after WWII! Thankfully, I highly doubt that’ll ever come to pass.

[@josipturcec2531]

See Ukraine noow!!.. Thanks and??.

[@echohunter4199]

@@josipturcec2531 ukraine is no better than the Iraqi army so draw whatever conclusion you’d like. Russia hasn’t engaged yet, you’ll damn well know when they invade/attack.

[@josipturcec2531]

Like 1994. I am Croat..Waaaar Serbija??. Thats the same..Strong 5 against 1..But after?? Like now in Ukraine??. Rusian are nothing..Ist the sameeee,,samee "story..Stupid Rusian and Serbian( POLITIEK,,) Not people in general

[@8gomerpyle22]

I have a friend who moved to the US from Germany in the 80s and he told me that Germany is full of a bunch of p#*ssies now and they will never fight another war unless you physically cross their border and they are for Ed to fight.

[@echohunter4199]

@@8gomerpyle22 Lol. Native Germans have an above average IQ (110) and this allows for a smaller force to be highly effective than a zillion Eastern Europeans, Asians and everyone else that’s not Western European. If just a million Germans decided to pick up a weapon and fight that’s less than 1% of the population, even half a million would be enough to deter any invaders. The men I knew in Germany and the Netherlands aren’t anything near the kind your pal hung out with. I just know from my own observations and experience in wars that Germany has sharp teeth but doesn’t show it, every Infantryman knows about the Germans and not to screw with them. But thrill and amaze me by losing 75 pounds and lacing up a pair of boots and have your own experience to draw from, but be advised the average IQ of the Infantryman is 125 so dummies need not apply. Intelligent men despise a job that has them doing the same task day in, day out, it’s like prison to us, especially assembly line jobs, lol.

[@TheYeti308]

Thank You. ! Nicely Done Danke.

[@ex59neo53]

All I know about the Tiger ,is that even if it was a big box with a big gun ,it was used by the best tank crews the germans got ,and honestly ,there is a good reason why the 88 mm gun is still considered as one of the best gun ever . I do think Panther is the best tank of WWII ,but it was not the most feared of that era :)

[@billcallahan9303]

bob bobo this the same Bob Bobo from Clarksdale, MS?

[@Tritium5678]

23:50 Panzer ace SS-Hauptsturmführer Michael Wittmann in his Tiger Tank....

[@anchorbait6662]

I love the magnet sound effects

[@BruceWayne_87]

Like the Rubiks cube the Tiger tank is probably one of the most fascinating object in human history.. You will fall in love when see you one! Man they better call it the 8th wonder of the world!

[@ampersandman757]

this really calms me down when I'm having a bad trip for some reason

[@randall7829]

Tanks are coo mkay

[@roumenpopov622]

Using a replica Tiger based on a T-34 chassis is kinda ... ironic :)

[@ITsIMP0RT4NT]

I love the look of the "Prince" Tiger. The thing looks so bad ass!

[@wade998]

I remember seeing this one the History channel around 2002.

[@Wuei108]

If this thing was approaching you it could really ruin your day. - Wenn dieses Teil auf dich zu kam war dein Tag gelaufen.

[@MrMiles2012]

The guy at 49:00 is a true war hero..."Blown out of the top!" and calls British armor 'soft'. It was, as they were so damn cheap!... Cannon fodder is cheaper. '

[@kidjackson8019]

Very informative.

[@scotttyson8661]

I respect how the brave British tanker gives good words about Mr.Wittman

[@AFT_05G]

Say whatever you want about these machines,but they had best K/D of any tank during the war.Though it was due to their well trained/experienced crews and their operation style,not because they were indestructible(though they definitely massively outgunned anything they faced during 1942-1943 to be fair) which is a city legend.Well,their legacy will not be forgotten.

[@Christian-gw5hq]

T-iger 34? What a horrid fake model...

[@JCfromDC2]

close enough for movies, tho'. T-34 chassis, been using them in films since "Kelly's Heroes"

[@mindseye1404]

ya they all suck....the only one in existence is in England....there is a guy that makes replicas but slightly smaller....Hollywood has to use a lot of tricks to make em look real...they used the real one from bovington in movie fury...very cool

[@mindseye1404]

ya they all suck....the only one in existence is in England....there is a guy that makes replicas but slightly smaller....Hollywood has to use a lot of tricks to make em look real...they used the real one from bovington in movie fury...very cool

[@JCfromDC2]

Most of the ones I've seen in movies since the 70s all look like they us a T-34 tractor chassis with a "made up" upper shell, turret and all. Not a bad job really, considering, but most of us who know these things know the turret is way too far forward to be the real thing

[@chazt8604]

A Russian company did make a pretty accurate replica Tiger I from scratch for the film White Tiger (visually at least and running), in the end though the directors went for a poor dress job on an old Soviet era tank.

[@panzertracks]

thanks for sharing.

[@kentchristian8930]

I'm always a big fan of German made war machines despite it's flaws! In any video games, I always deploy the mighty Tiger Tank and with decent artillery and Panzergrenadier support nothing can stop this steel juggernaut! Hats off to the brave Hussars who man these machines!

[@peter-mv5gk]

yeah yeah...an other company of heroes gamer hahahaha (;

[@erictownsend4236]

This video was about WAR! Hundreds of thousands of people were KILLED! And You compare it to a video game? Sick!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You would not be able to play a video game if the Germans won! One of the most disrespectful comments I have ever read!

[@dannybird4996]

@@peter-mv5gkso you got nothing ? 😂

[@peter-mv5gk]

@@dannybird4996 what you mean? :D

[@alexmerkulov553]

​@@peter-mv5gkза 3 дня)😂😂😂

[@rashadlewis899]

The tiger was not the first tank to use power stearing on their Panzer mark 6. It was the French that introduced that breakthrough in their early WW2 model takes like the B1 or the H 35.

[@morrighanwermarn-arnburg7333]

The Panzer VI, aka Tiger II, aka Königstiger (King Tiger). Only 492 units were produced: one in 1943, 379 in 1944, and 112 in 1945, some suffered mechanical failures, some ran out of gas and were destroyed by their own crews before abandoning them, however not even one was ever knocked out by an enemy tank. Not one the entire war. EDIT: The transmission issues the Germans had with their tanks would have been gone had they used the Porsche chassis design for the Tiger I. This design used Diesel-electric transmission, electric motors connected to diesel generators, eliminating geared transmission. However this design used a lot of copper for the generators and motors. Copper being in short supply they did not adopt this version. There were 91 made with this design, called the Ferdinand and later renamed Elefant, they had no issues with gears wearing out in the transmissions. This design was also used in the Panzer VIII Maus prototypes.

[@franzjupp1187]

Nuts.The Porsche Tiger wasn´t able to do a 90° turn during presentation to AH. The performance of Ferdinand was also quite low. They just hadn´t the technical solution to cover the high weight in the field situations. The Henschel Tiger was by far better.

[@billwilson3609]

US tanks knocked one out of action when parked on a city street. It appeared that the crew was doing repairs to the gear box or final drive when an US tank sent a AP round into the side of the turret that rattled around tearing things up. The King Tiger's gun and chassis was draped with big rags that probably were drying out after being rinsed out with gasoline.

[@jeffk464]

It was a waste of resources. They should have just kept making tigers and really ramped up the production of panther tanks.

[@lordm1889]

I wonder if the king tiger had had come out one or two years before what changes could have he brought in the war,

[@billwilson3609]

The US Ordnance designed and produced the M6 heavy tank and M4 at the same time. The M6 used a larger radial engine with a fluid drive with some being fitted with petrol-electric drives for testing. The M6 was cancelled due to mechanical problems caused by it's weight with Ordnance continuing research on the petrol-electric drives since it allowed tanks to reach the same speeds in forward and reverse. In 1943 Ordnance had the T25 worked up to replace the M4. One version used a Ford V8 with a GM Hydramatic transmission and another with a petrol-electric drive. In 1944, Ordnance had 250 made split between the two versions for testing. The Army liked the performance of the electric drive yet it fell into disfavor due to problems with the speed control and requiring too much maintenance to keep operational. Production of the T25 was cancelled in early 1945 after the Army decided it wasn't needed. In 1943, the US Congress became worried about the Fall elections in '44 since the press had the public worked up over the Army not having a heavy tank to take on the Tigers and Panthers. Congress ordered the War Department to come with one and have it combat before the Fall Elections or else (Congress controlled funding of the war effort). The WD leaned on Ordnance who then supersized the T25 to create the M26 that used the same V8 and automatic trans. Prototypes were approved in December of '43 and ordered into production in February of '44. The assembly plant was ready that September yet had no parts to use due to the suppliers experiencing delays in obtaining the new machinery and strategic materials that were needed. The plant finally had parts coming arriving in November where they assembled 14 and 19 in December. Congress had ordered the first 20 made to be shipped to Europe ASAP so those were sent over without prior testing, trained crews, mechanics or any replacement parts. Those arrived in February of 1945 with the Army refusing to use them. They finally did in March to get Ike out of hot water with Congress and General George C. Marshall. The M26 proved to be a PITA to use since it had to travel at very low speeds to avoid damage to the engine and transmission. Those were kept at the rear of advancing columns then called up when needed, taking 20 to 30 minutes to arrive. They also required a barge to be taken across rivers and canals. A few were knocked out by the German 88's so Belton Cooper complained about their poor armor protection. Ordnance sent over one Super Pershing for testing so the Army allowed Cooper to add armor to it. The tank crawled off to do battle where it hit two distant targets that resembled tanks before being knocked out by a hidden Panzer 4 that put a 75 round thru the side of the hull. It was hauled to a salvage yard where it disappeared after the war ended, presumably cut up as scrap.

[@libenstein]

Tanks for the memories.

[@henrik3291]

42:23 John Cloudsley-Thompson. Awesome quote.

[@TheYamR6Sp]

The tank used for the scenes in color is the same tank as in Saving privat Ryan i guess, same small non overlapping wheels. It is not a real Panzer VI Tiger but a replica on a T34 chasis.

[@marc260267]

I saw it almost at once, this isn't a Tiger, the wheesl!! It's anther tank, a T-34, disguised as a Tiger. So obvious.SAD

[@loriryde5437]

Originally built for the movie Kellys Heros

[@lyndoncmp5751]

Lori Ryde, The Kelly's Heroes Tiger-T-34s were left in Yugoslavia in 1969. New Tiger-T-34s were constructed in England in 1998 for Saving Private Ryan.

[@vendrick4571]

9:45 song is called: Panzerlied. (For those who are possibly curious)

[@HO-bndk]

Das Panzerlied. Still sung today by German armoured troops.

[@sam_ldn8262]

@@HO-bndk sorry for super late reply. But in 2017 The German minister of defense Ursula von der leyen banned das panzerlied as part of 'denazification'

[@oliverpetroski4205]

That version was from a hollywood movie "Battle of the Bulge".

[@Ben-bg2lp]

Don't you love it when the first 10 minutes of every tank documentary goes back to the history of the invention of the f***ing spear?

[@MS-tm2yz]

Note the front sprocket wheels on the mock up tank are much smaller than on the real ones. Also the tracks are far too narrow. Excellent documentary.

[@historicmilitaria1944]

It's an ex private ryan movie prop russian 1952 t34/85 mocked up to look like a tiger....the interior shots of the guy loading the gun was done on tiger 131 at bovington.

[@psmiddx2096]

Excellent tank! Proper precursor to an MBT, though it would have been amazing if the Centurion had just made it into Europe in time.

[@chickenpurple6704]

Very good in theory, but the germans were missing a lot of necessary quality parts that they needed, such as good transmissions, which the tiger's lacked.

[@adriantowe278]

Michael wittman gets all the praise but it was his gunner Bobby woll it was him that tuck the tanks out he was the best he survived the war please look him up rip Bobby rest easy you earned it😊

[@jeffk464]

Its a crew, they have to all be good and work well together.

[@adriantowe278]

​​@@jeffk464yes but the gunner is the man that gets it right the first time

[@user-dp1rc4cd3x]

The commander orders the tank in advantageous positions where it can get targets and also orders when to retreat

[@whynot-tomorrow_1945]

Bravo!

[@StopFear]

Anybody here from 90s or early 00s and remembers history channel showing all of these WW2 documentaries ?

[@chadjustice8560]

StopFear with all kinds of bad information lol

[@StopFear]

Chad Justice Not really. What kind of bad information? I hope you aren’t another holocaust denier.

[@chadjustice8560]

StopFear no but there info on tanks and stuff which has been proven untrue and just all around bad info

[@whiteknightcat]

I remember a History Channel that was actually about history, before it sold its soul to reality TV.

[@Womb2DaTomb]

I’ve seen Tiger 131 up close and personal, and seen it running too. Intimidating is all I remember.

[@wor53lg50]

It lives at bovington, my young son wanted me to lift him up so he could see how long he could dangle from the barrel, this i done, then went to walk away, he started hollering to me to get him back off as he found it to high to drop...

[@Womb2DaTomb]

@@wor53lg50 Bovington is where I seen it too! I need to revisit, fantastic place

[@Extrasailor]

I feel like watching Lord of The Rings:" But a new tank was forged in great secrecy and had the power to beat the other rings...ops I meant tanks, because the Lord of war never sleeps."

[@brugnamename6133]

I simply loved the 'Tank Brigade' chorus @ 10:22 😁

[@oliverpetroski4205]

That one is from the old movie "Battle of the Bulge".

[@CosmoCircleTv]

the colour footage at 10.49 features a replica of a tiger ... if i am not mistaken is the same replica made using a T34 hull for the movie saving private ryan by spielberg, you can notice the tracks and the turret is placed more at front,... You also can instantly notice the gun is smaller than the 88mm L56 in comparison to the tank size, because the tank is actually smaller, T34 was a medium tank...

[@thestar111]

He is badass! All of them were both sides.. I salute you Sir!

[@somerandomvertebrate9262]

The two SS panzer divisions transferred from the eastern front to Normandy, mentioned in the documentary, ought to have been the 9th SS Panzer Division "Hohenstaufen" and the 10th SS Panzer Division "Frundsberg". Both of these were fairly new formations and, since they followed the standard organization of a panzer divison, were - as far as I'm aware - never armed with any Tigers, not even the special attached heavy tank companies that a few favoured SS and army divisions enjoyed. What happened was that the Panther battalion of the 10th SS Panzer Division "Frundsberg" failed to join the division until 1945, leaving the entire division with a single panzer battalion (in this case a mix of Pz IV's and StuG III G's), necessitating the independent 102nd SS Tiger Battalion ("schwere SS-Panzer-Abteilung 102") to be temporarily attached to the division in Normandy, acting as a stand-in for the missing 1st Battalion of the 10th SS-Panzer Regiment ("I/SS-Panzer-Regiment 10").

[@thomassawyer6523]

As a youngster, they used to make comic magazines of tank wars fighting the Germans - and where I first read about the Tiger Tank and the 88. Were cool adventures.

[@EddiTaru]

Sad what our grandparents vent through. Imagine all the lives lost.

[@briancarlisle3056]

SAD THAT KILLING MACHINES RE GERMANS WERE MADE TO FUCK UP DECENT HUMANS WHAT PRI CE IS DEATH. LET'S NOT FORGET OUR PEOPLE'S WHO DIED. FOR WHAT OH A WAR MACHINE. MR TIGER

[@Hichatsu]

You see that Tiger there using as a reenactment, that is not a proper tiger tank, 1. its too small, 2 the chassis for the tank is of a T-34/85, 3. The treads of a tiger were 2/3ft wide.

[@redle0pard]

I think this particular tank was used in making the movie: Kelly's Heroes.

[@Hichatsu]

It was! good call, I was going to put that in...but I didn't want to show my age lol :D

[@redle0pard]

Bonkas mate Yep! That was and still is a War Movie Classic; especially the street scene show-down between the Tiger and Odd-Ball, Kelly and Big Joe - LOL!

[@Hichatsu]

yeah with the Clint Eastwood style music "woof woof" :D

[@redle0pard]

Bonkas mate And that classic Odd-Ball Line to Crap-Game: "To you....a hero is some kind of a weird sandwich!".

[@henrikandrekyllingstad4774]

cool movie i wold like to watch more of them

[@karlhans6678]

12:00 "Not an elegant vehicle as I had imagined. I expected it to be like the T-34." he got to see this tank later in the war -- the Panther tank!

[@arthas640]

Reminds me of a scene in Company of Heroes where British commandos were attacking a German stronghold and right when they think the Germans are breaking, a Tiger breaks through a wall and the British captain screams "What they BLOOD HELL is that thing!?!"

[@brucemacallan6831]

12:40 read ‘Tigers in the mud’ it’s Otto Carius’ memoirs. Excellent book.

[@willcline7992]

Just a few points to clarify, the Germans were not at all skilled in mass production. Many replacement parts required modification in the field to repair a tank. The US were the masters of mass production and even sent manufacturing executives to the USSR to teach them how to produce the T-34s. It is simply hard to fathom just how big a difference this made but remember the US produced more of virtually every type of weapon than the entire rest of the world including Allies and Axis countries. Toward the end of 1943 and early 1944, the US began to ratchet down manufacturing of war materials because they recognized they did not need anymore and there would be consumer demand at the end of the war. In the seas around Okinawa at the end of the war, the US deployed 88 carriers of various classes and ships that covered the ocean from horizon to horizon as described by all eyewitnesses. The world could just not understand the production capacity of the US. The US supplied all of the Allies with their needs as well as all of the included American forces. The Russians never used horses because they had all of the Ford trucks they would ever need. But the Russians had millions of fighting men and women and they were destined to march into Berlin with just the material support of the Americans.

[@LtBrown1956]

will talking about production capacity misses the more important point that if the germans COULD match US they lacked the fuel for the much smaller number of tanks they already had. More german tanks would have only meant more being captured while sitting around for lack of fuel

[@jduff59]

Excellent comments Will. The Studebaker truck won the war for the Soviets, allowing field artillery to be brought into position quickly easily defeated the Germans, whose horse-drawn artillery was ponderous.

[@adolfdempsey4670]

The fact that so many US soldiers survived at Malmedy leans towards the German's claim of "taking the surrender when another unit came upon and opened fire on the surrendering US troops." Eisenhower was executing every SS man he captured... the order was written out as explaining "we do not have time to take prisoners." Stars and Stripes would repeatedly commemorate these executions with the words "...as usual, the SS fought to the last man...."

[@michaelbevan3285]

there were survivors at Malmedy because only a very small handful of men actually shot and the snow absorbed a lot of the shots and Americans were able to get away in the confusion. The actor, Charles Durning, was one of the survivors. Look him up and educate yourself. As for the SS, time and again, they did fight to the last man and often died in place rather than surrender. read some history.

[@jerryjustice8803]

The Tiger tank was a fearsome weapon but my understanding of German tanks the Panther tank overall was the better tank. The Panther tank was faster, cheaper and had good armor plus a pretty powerful gun and could be manufactured in greater numbers. The Tiger tank was very slow, very heavy and complicated to repair. Both tanks were pretty over engineered but the Tiger had to be repaired usually by a factory team. Many of them were abandoned by the crew when they couldn't repair it.

[@lyndoncmp5751]

No thats not true about Tigers needing to be repaired by a factory crew. In Tiger battalion had its own organic maintenance section and these kept the Tigers operational at a slightly higher overall average than the Panther. Tiger was stronger on the sides and rear than the Panther and could take more punishment. Its gun was better for dual purpose as well. We mustn't forget as well that the Panther was not declared fully troop ripe by Guderian until February 1944. The Tiger had already been proving its worth for 15 months by then. It was the more effective tank in 1943 and early 1944. Tiger I production was discontinued in summer 1944 anyway.

[@johnhorse5551]

They say the Spitfire is a legend but the Hurricanes shot more me109 down

[@kratoswittman-qx1tn]

I love the fact the tiger used in the first reenactment is a t 34 chassie

[@Dark_Asteroid]

You say "Tiger Attack" and im in!

[@America-First2024]

The Tiger used in this documentary is the last operational Tiger in existence not a replica. It’s currently on display at the Tank Museum in Great Britain. And was also used in the movie Fury.

[@ParikshitBhujbal]

Fury was replica

[@America-First2024]

You are replica

[@weirdBEATCollective]

Bovington Tank Museum, Tiger 131. They had to build a concrete base in the field so as to not over tax the tanks engine while making the film. There is a good documentry about the making of Fury that can be found on KZbin and a lot of videos of the tanks at the museum.

[@mecfeast5303]

No you can clearly see on the wheel that this is a russian/fake tiger not near the real tiger

[@dougmaxwell8789]

They used the real 131 for certain shots as well as a replica in Fury. I believe the one used in this documentary was the one in Saving Private Ryan.

[@wm9904]

That king tiger is terrifying

[@jimmyhostetter6024]

Excellent history lesson,with actual veterans! Gods speed, great narration,the tigers were a heavy load for sure

[@francvrecl3093]

Most realistic presentation I sow ever

[@steveayers6887]

Brave men and women who believe in truth and justice .....DIE HARD.... NOT LIKE TERRORIST OF TODAY WHO HIDE BEHIND CHILDREN AND WOMEN.....

[@ThePunchOfJustice]

my justice

[@suicidalcunt9651]

What does this have to do with this video

[@steveayers6887]

No guts no glory....

[@MrMax2800]

protector lnqcd n

[@WOTArtyNoobs]

Very good to see the interviews with the tank commanders from both sides. A pity that the History Channel did not ask The Tank Museum at Bovington if they could show the only surviving Tiger, Tiger 131 is an awesome beast to this day. Just about everyone who visits the museum touches and looks over this monster.