Panzer VI Tiger I, The Tank Museum, Saumur, Maine-et-Loire, France, Europe

Tiger I About this sound listen is the common name of a German heavy tank developed in 1942 and used in World War II. The final official German designation was Panzerkampfwagen VI Tiger Ausf.E, often shortened to Tiger. It was an answer to the unexpectedly impressive Soviet armour encountered in the initial months of the Axis invasion of the Soviet Union, particularly the T-34 and the KV-1. The Tiger I gave the Wehrmacht its first tank mounting the 88 mm gun in its first armoured fighting vehicle-dedicated version: the KwK 36. During the course of the war, the Tiger I saw combat on all German battlefronts. It was usually deployed in independent tank battalions, which proved to be quite formidable. While the Tiger I was feared by many of its opponents, it was over-engineered, using expensive materials and labour intensive production methods. Only 1,347 were built between August 1942 and August 1944. The Tiger was prone to certain types of track failures and immobilizations, and limited in range by its high fuel consumption. It was expensive to maintain, but generally mechanically reliable. It was also difficult to transport, and vulnerable to immobilization when mud, ice and snow froze between its overlapping and interleaved road wheels in winter weather conditions, often jamming them solid. In 1944, production was phased out in favour of the Tiger II. The tank was given its nickname "Tiger" by Ferdinand Porsche, and the Roman numeral was added after the later Tiger II entered production. The initial official German designation was Panzerkampfwagen VI Ausführung H ('Panzer VI version H', abbreviated PzKpfw VI Ausf. H), with ordnance inventory designation SdKfz 182, but the tank was redesignated as PzKpfw VI Ausf. E in March 1943, with ordnance inventory designation SdKfz 181. Today, only a handful of Tigers survive in museums and exhibitions worldwide. The Bovington Tank Museum's Tiger 131 is currently the only one restored to running order. The Tiger differed from earlier German tanks principally in its design philosophy. Its predecessors balanced mobility, armour and firepower, and were sometimes outgunned by their opponents. The Tiger I represented a new approach that emphasised firepower and armour. While heavy, this tank was not slower than the best of its opponents. However, with over 50 metric tons dead weight, suspension, gearboxes, and other such items had clearly reached their design limits and breakdowns were frequent. Design studies for a new heavy tank had been started in 1937, without any production planning. Renewed impetus for the Tiger was provided by the quality of the Soviet T-34 encountered in 1941. Although the general design and layout were broadly similar to the previous medium tank, the Panzer IV, the Tiger weighed more than twice as much. This was due to its substantially thicker armour, the larger main gun, greater volume of fuel and ammunition storage, larger engine, and more solidly built transmission and suspension. The Tiger I had frontal hull armour 100 mm (3.9 in) thick and frontal turret armour of 120 mm (4.7 in) compared to the 80 mm (3.1 in) frontal hull and 50 mm (2 in) frontal turret armour of contemporary models of the Panzer IV. It also had 60 mm (2.4 in) thick hull side plates and 80 mm armour on the side superstructure and rear, turret sides and rear was 80 mm. The top and bottom armour was 25 mm (1 in) thick; from March 1944, the turret roof was thickened to 40 mm (1.6 in). Armour plates were mostly flat, with interlocking construction. The armour joints were of high quality, being stepped and welded rather than riveted and were made of maraging steel. This made the Tiger immune to the American Sherman tank's frontal attacks with its 75mm gun. The nominal armour thickness of the Tiger reached up to 200 mm at the mantlet. The gun's breech and firing mechanism were derived from the famous German "88" dual purpose flak gun. The 88 mm KwK 36 L/56 gun was the variant chosen for the Tiger and was, along with the Tiger II's 88 mm KwK 43 L/71, one of the most effective and feared tank guns of World War II. The Tiger's gun had a high muzzle velocity and extremely accurate Leitz Turmzielfernrohr TZF 9b sights (later replaced by the monocular TZF 9c). In British wartime firing trials, five successive hits were scored on a 410 by 460 mm (16 by 18 in) target at a range of 1,100 metres (3,600 ft). Tigers were reported to have knocked out enemy tanks at ranges greater than 4.0 kilometres (2.5 mi), although most World War II engagements were fought at much shorter ranges. The rear of the tank held an engine compartment flanked by two separate rear compartments each containing a fuel tank, radiator and fans. The Germans had not developed an adequate diesel engine, so a petrol (gasoline) powerplant had to be used instead.

[@fw1421]

By the rusted look of the tracks this must be a non running Tiger. Plus it’s got the transport tracks on it too.🤔🤔🤔

[@teaeff8898]

Good observation on the narrow tracks.

[@nickryan6787]

Not to mention the missing mudflaps and the frontal spare track 😂

[@dillonpierce7599]

Was captured by the French ( duh ) and they actually used it in service for the rest of the war basically as it sits besides newer paint. Lucky beast that one.

[@nickryan6787]

@@dillonpierce7599 cool

[@phildunn1383]

Why can't they restore this to working order? Surely there are enough parts available from collectors to do so?

[@phildunn1383]

koennekekoen I mean renovate the Tiger I to fully working order. I know the King Tiger is a runner as I've seen it when I last visited Saumur. ;-)

[@dillonpierce7599]

Engine is all they need I believe.....

[@nigelterry9299]

On her transport tracks, interesting.....

[@gillespriod5509]

Maybe the krauts dont have time to change them and Just rush to the battle in this state, before running out of petrol and be captured, maybe it never see action and was found on a flat railcar when the pigs are retreating

[@onigiri3032]

tiger looks weird when it has no side mudflaps lol

[@krizhernandez4154]

Avery Solis agreed

[@usmarine3226]

Yeah hahahaha

[@nickryan6787]

Wow, that really goes to show that the tiger 1 is absolute boxy

[@redhed9776]

was that Otto Carrius's personal uniform??

[@pietropecco]

yes you are right, that was Otto Carrius's uniform!

[@fourneaujean7593]

le frère de celui présenté en Normandie récupéré part les FFI il c'est appelé Bretagne et après Colmart d'après les photos d'époque il était zimmerité et déjà à l'époque FFI il n'avait pas ses gardes boues mais il possédait ses chenilles dites de combat Les chars de la résistance Luc Braeuer char en Normandie SS Panzer Abteilung 101 2 tigre abandonné au village de Brieux

[@JoinSquizGroup]

Nice :D

[@pietropecco]

+Mac Squiz thanks!

[@antoniojelinek3762]

Is this a real tiger or a copy?

[@pietropecco]

they all reals

[@labrech]

world of tanks !

[@pietropecco]

+IzzIWarK ™ yes!

[@pawe3489]

tiger 1 in world of tanks is shit papper low

[@steven_t_k1068]

Lol not the first time a german tank has been in France XD

[@Tirpitz-lv2kt]

The tracks are not the real Tiger its replica tracks and weels

[@arnemagnus680]

no its real this are the tracks they used in ww2 to transport it by train

[@moonbod8623]

It is a late model with steel rimmed road wheels as well as the transport tracks. It’s all original.

[@albanischerss-soldat7539]

Das ist ein fake - Tiger man erkennt es sofort an den Ketten,sie sind nicht so dick wie beim Originalen.

[@steelmodels9781]

albanischer SS - Soldat КОСОВО ЈЕ АЛБАНИЈА das sind Transportketten und er ist kein Fake selbst schon gesehen.

[@steelmodels9781]

albanischer SS - Soldat КОСОВО ЈЕ АЛБАНИЈА :-SS

[@albanischerss-soldat7539]

STEEL MODELS sieht wie fake aus. Ausnahmsweise glaube ich dir,dass das Transportketten sind. Aber was ist mit diesem "Kanister" hinten im Turm?

[@steelmodels9781]

albanischer SS - Soldat КОСОВО ЈЕ АЛБАНИЈА was für ein Kanister??? Oder meinst du denn Staukasten, der fehlt!? Sonst Google mal, hilft immer. ;-)

[@albanischerss-soldat7539]

STEEL MODELS Ja den Staukasten. Da einfach hinten am Turm.