Tank Chats #47 King Tiger | The Tank Museum

[@kyle857]

They say on a moonless night in Germany, when it gets real quiet... You can still hear Porsche asking if anyone wants to use his petrol-electric drive.

[@PanzerBuyer]

Looking forward to the Maus chat.

[@Teknokraatti]

That one you'll be waiting for a long time. The only surviving Maus (Of a grand total of 2 hulls and 1 turret built), is not at Bovington. It's sitting in Kubinka tank museum a while away from Moscow in Russia. As the Maus is not in driving condition, moving it would be quite bothersome.

[@VRichardsn]

Jokes aside, many buses in Europe use the system.

[@larascasse9264]

F1 cars use hybrid technology with the ERS (Energy Recovery System). Porsche is concidering a role as engine supplier to F1 in 2021.

[@kyle857]

Richardsen No copper shortage these days.

[@cmkwan59]

Can't deny it, siting there dead still for years, the King Tiger still looks like a solid mighty deadly beast!

[@dwightehowell8179]

@@insomniacbritgaming1632 The Pershing was about as good with many of the same faults. The Russians were building a heavy tank as well.

[@johnmcdonald9304]

cmkwan59. Yeah. The bloody thing looks like it wants to kill you.

[@Bobobo-bo-bo-bobobo]

Yeah, until the transmission breaks

[@ChrisCorson]

@@Bobobo-bo-bo-bobobo just like their cars nowadays. Nothing has changed.

[@longinusc]

@@dwightehowell8179 Although the Tiger II was more heavily armored, both tanks were quite similar in performance.

[@Hammern28]

German tanks, Tiger II, Panther and such, had their issues, but by the gods, they still put fear into ones mind. Not to mention the sexy looks.

[@Hammern28]

@Bres Do you mean... the King Tiger, or are you here to spread the word of religion? And I think you mean... knee, not knew.

[@Hammern28]

@Bres :)

[@hubsi5263]

right and about 1200 Tigers and 400 Kingtigers fought nearly 2,5 years with success against 80.000 enemy Tanks.

[@Hammern28]

@@hubsi5263 Yep!

[@ConcordDown]

I wish it faced is-2 or is-3.

[@MrZenzio]

They may have been overly expensive, but dear lord were they beautiful.

[@FilipGereg]

And deadly. Don't forget what they are actually made to do. To kill other humans as effectively as possible, which is kinda retarded of us.

[@GeorgiaBoy1961]

Even today, almost seventy-five years after they were first produced, the King Tiger is still a fearsome sight and impressive tank. I've seen one up close in person - and they are awe-inspiring.

[@FilipGereg]

I would really like to see one in person.

[@GeorgiaBoy1961]

Filip, where do you live? If Europe is closer, Bovington Tank Museum in the U.K. has one. If the U.S. is closer, the Patton Museum at Ft. Knox, Kentucky is probably your best bet - or possibly the Aberdeen Proving Grounds in Maryland. Maybe some other readers can help with other museum sites to recommend as well. Good luck.

[@FilipGereg]

I'm from Serbia. Southeastern Europe. There is also one in Belgium. I guess that's the closest one to me. kzbin.info/www/bejne/lWq0gauGeZxmbdk this is it in case you haven't seen it.

[@riseld4]

For those that are curious, taking into account inflation, the Königstiger tank would cost the equivalent of $4.5 million in 2019

[@paskovalokki6589]

Suprisingly enough thats less than a leopard 2a6 or m1a2 which cost 5.74 million (2a6) and 6.21 million dollars (m1a2). All those electronics must be pretty expensive.

[@riseld4]

@@paskovalokki6589 True, but you do get a lot more bang for your buck with these modern tanks

[@rachmandikalucky2775]

geez that's really damn expensive even for the germans

[@mathewkanapilly796]

Paskova Lokki it’s mostly the depleted uranium shells and armor that are very costly in the m1a2

[@ant-onemusic444]

@@riseld4 if you take into account the efficiency gained, I don't know, can a "cheap" t54 take out an Abrams if used properly?

[@toontech]

My father was a motarman, landed in France right after The Battle of the Bulge. Fought all the way to Austria. One time, as a kid (in the 70s) I built a model of the King Tiger. I was very proud of it (with a small diorama). When my dad came home from work, he took a look at it and groaned. Said, "King Tiger". I asked if he came across any. He answered, "Yes. But I wasn't enjoying the encounter at the moment.". What our fathers went through.....

[@9bang88]

He probably thought it was a king tiger. Most gi saw a tractor and thought it was a tiger lmao

[@memorimusic420]

Bruh absolutely not​@@9bang88

[@adamw4245]

@@9bang88yeah definitely a tank that doesn’t move

[@polarvortex3294]

It's amazing how, in war, service personnel in different positions and in different areas can have vastly different experiences. There were many who were stateside during the whole world war, or in Hawaii or England after the trouble in those places was over. I'm sure most never saw an armed enemy. Yet your dad was on scene for the best of it -- or worst of it, I guess. We all owe a debt to him.

[@duanesmith5074]

My Uncle Bill was a Hellcat tank destroyer Commander. He landed D-Day + 1 and spent 259 days in combat. Imagine what it was like to face one of those incredible German tanks. I know he did it and apparently he did it pretty damn well because he live to his 90s. Thanks Uncle Bill

[@TringaporeHK]

is he still alive or no

[@johanjamesmercado]

The comment literally says he lived until his 90s so unfortunately no​@@TringaporeHK

[@baz6128]

Visisted the Tank Museum yesterday and these monsters did not disappoint. They are massive.

[@GermanyTrainSpotting]

And the jagdtiger

[@josharnold3450]

You’re an excellent presenter. I have to do a lot of presentations for work and I’m really impressed at how clearly you manage to communicate a lot of interesting information

[@TheBob3759]

He is.

[@Trupp42]

I'm in agreement as well.

[@Assassine0606]

I´ve been to the museum several times, and the King Tiger is always awe inspiring. Even me, beeing a little larger at 1,85m, feel so small next to it. Wether or not it was a good or practical tank, it is a massive beast.

[@darson100]

The economics angle was just getting interesting when it was cut off. Please have more of this as it's a fascinating area to look at,

[@RaeSyngKane]

While it's not necessarily exclusive to economics, the_chieftain (Nicholas Moran) makes a pretty compelling argument that the Sherman was the best war winning vehicle by using economics, reliability, and versatility. His talk lasts a while but here it is if you want to check it out: www.c-span.org/video/?433629-2/design-history-m4-sherman-tank-world-war-ii

[@colinkelly5420]

This is probably one of the better economic lecture on WWII. About 30 minutes but worth it to watch to see why different countries had different production numbers and what their production philosophy was. kzbin.info/www/bejne/hGfbfYCLnsuVrrMm20s

[@Shelmerdine745]

Good luck trying to stop the Allies on both fronts with Sherman tanks.

[@RaeSyngKane]

Well it didn't work with any of the German tanks so I feel like they would've been willing to give it a try

[@andy4an]

how much did a T-34 cost to make?

[@Sturminfantrist]

"you can make 9 sherman Tanks for the Price of one Tiger II" or 8 late war Bf 109s or 16 early Modell 109s, the times when planes were cheaper then Tanks are long gone now

[@sleepyrasta420]

ghgg no different from what the USA does right now

[@Sturminfantrist]

@Andy Blue Under good conditions like a long Range engagement in open Terrain yes

[@Orignal_Français]

@ghgg not really, since you can compare the price of a Mauser rifle, Stug III, King Tiger etc. So Yes, a King Tiger was worth 8 late 109, 2 Tiger I etc.

[@anfruitwhocantx]

Andy Blue not really, if each say every 4th sherman was a 76, then thats 7 75’s and 2 76’s, they could easily ambush and destroy the tiger by barraging with HE or even AP on the aides.

[@alchemist6819]

@Andy Blue you are so wrong bud, 3 Sherman tanks with limited experienced crews can take out a king tiger with experienced crew.

[@KMac329]

I watch these Tank Chats again and again. This is one of my favorites.

[@NeyoSteel]

I'll never get tired of tank chats and my favourite beard guy David Willey!

[@blue2sco]

David Fletcher?

[@NeyoSteel]

Ian Davidson Nope, David is the other guy

[@nerdzy8454]

He is David Willey. It's underneath Tank Chats in the intro.

[@Escylon]

@Ian Davidson: David Fletcher MBE

[@builder396]

Cant find his name? Jesus, his name was put up in the video in the first minute or so.

[@garrisonnichols807]

Such a beautiful beast of a tank. Definitely something I would feel confident fighting in.

[@marshja56]

In the old board game Panzer Blitz we loved this tank. They were represented by a counter that had a very powerful gun and thick armor. We were always excited to use Tiger 2's in a game. But somehow they were usually a bit disappointing. Their slow speed meant it was difficult to get them involved in a maneuvering fight. They were often late to the party or simply left behind. And you never had very many of the things. (Actually in most scenarios you didn't have any of them.) Those two aspects, slow and few, meant that this powerful tank rarely dominated. Although the game wasn't very realistic you did get a sense of how "slow and few" were fundamental limitations for the Tiger 2.

[@Whatisthisstupidfinghandle]

Avalon Hill ruled the 70s !

[@alexanderfox-robinson4910]

It might seem strange but I found exactly the same problem in Company of Heroes 2. The Tiger 2 is so slow and often gets ganged up on quite effectively by more maneuverable enemies. But it is a very cool tank.

[@WhizzingFish12]

Thats a shame because it's not accurate. I played PB as well - if I remember right the stats were 20-16-12-6. Tiger II was not that slow - could cruise along roads at 25 mph. Its history, once the teething problems were solved, showed it to have very good operational mobility, esp for its monstrous size. The most beautiful and formidable tank of the war.

[@trycoldman2358]

4 words that'll make you cry *HANS THE TRANSMISSION BROKE*

[@spamuraigranatabru1149]

I'm holding back tears, this comment is so powerful!

[@lucasart328]

amen

[@soundofeighthooves]

the german tank crews spoke english ?

[@rurushu8094]

trycoldman23 *ze

[@mushroomcloud1]

Better than Hans, wir stehen in Flammen.

[@ibizenco]

At the village of La Gleize (in Belgium) is an original King Tiger that the Germans abandoned, when their Ardennes offensive failed. It has a few big, impressive "dents" at the front. I visited it earlier in the summer. A monster.

[@HellStr82]

Yes...saw it. There is also a small museum there. Amazing experience

[@dustyroads834]

I just learned more about this tank in ten minutes than I have in the last ten years. I could listen to this man all day.

[@francishung6935]

The long awaited king tiger. thank you for the video!

[@neocortex2157]

This tank is beautiful. A true masterpiece of engineering.

[@johnbrinsmead3316]

until something broke.

[@gingerbaker1785]

@@johnbrinsmead3316 That doesn't mean for a second it was a bad tank they had such a deadline to create a "better" tank and they did it the engines were very underpowered for the weight of the tank they had upgraded transmissions and engine parts but only the best tank commanders could have access to them. This tank was scary it could knock a Sherman out with one shell from 2000 yards and it usually wasn't that far. So it could easily destroy anything the allies had. I don't glorify natzis but the Germans made such an impressive machine for the time too big maybe, but powerful and effective non the less in the right situations.

[@sulate1]

@@gingerbaker1785 It was a good tank if you were a Captain, it was a bad tank if you were a General. Too unreliable and expensive to maintain, too difficult to move strategically, too much fuel to consume. Overall too expensive.

[@drachenoger7635]

@@johnbrinsmead3316 jealous teeboo ?

[@johnbrinsmead3316]

@@gingerbaker1785 look, you'll totally rule the lesser allied tanks in world of tanks with one of these bad boys, but as others have mentioned these tanks are logistics nightmare. the common fate seems to have been either breaking down or running out of fuel. they certainly didn't stem the tide on either front.

[@danam2584]

I just discovered these tank chats this week. I can't stop watching!! I love Both Dave Fletcher and David Willey!!

[@KMac329]

Always one of my favorite Tank Chats. I learn something new every time I view and listen to it (and this applies to all of them). (There is a lot to absorb.) I recently saw a collection of photos of WWII Fallschirmjaeger. One identified them as on and behind the rear (stern?) of a King Tiger in the Ardennes during the Rundstadt Offensive. How to know it was a King Tiger? The most obvious feature of the vehicle was the exhaust pipes. (I suppose an intelligence analysis could identify the tank using much less.) I went to the Tank Chats video and sure enough there was a photo of the rear (stern?) of a King Tiger. You guys at Bovington are so helpful for us piker WWII "historians" in this regard. Thank you very much, all of you!

[@VirginiaRican]

How to take out a King Tiger: step 1, take out the fuel trucks, step 2, wait.

[@skullofhell1662]

Vincent Loparo III I acree because the tiger 2 drinks just to much fuel

[@tiedeman39]

Yes, that's the joke.

[@skullofhell1662]

It's clear to me that you don't know much the tiger 2 did drink the fuel tanks of in totaal 860 liters (227 gallons ) give it max range of 110-120 km (68-75miles ) on road an 80 km (50 miles) cross-country so hire,s your answer

[@tiedeman39]

skull of HELL there's

[@skullofhell1662]

Jawul wats los

[@drsnugglezwtf550]

the look of german stuff in ww2 was just amazing ... everyting looked good . tanks plans weapons uniforms pistols Granades optics troop carryers helmets . just epic

[@davidstarr3566]

Yeah they had Hugo Boss design the Uniforms...

[@drsnugglezwtf550]

@@davidstarr3566 yes

[@sotis1756]

@@davidstarr3566 and some 1000++ other brands lol

[@ralfraths3619]

@@davidstarr3566 No, they did not: kzbin.info/www/bejne/eZykiKaYmZppn5Y

[@sotis1756]

@@okayboomer3292 gonna have to strongly disagree with that Statement

[@duggiebader1798]

Imagine the moment when a Sherman crew saw one of these appearing round a corner or through a building.

[@drachenoger7635]

according to teeboos nowadays, no german tank realy ever moved because breakdown. Also Shermans are the best tanks at least some teeboos say that...allied vets,who called their trashca....ahm tanks coffins for 5, got an other opinion back then it seems, but hey lets rewrite the history right?

[@william3791]

imagine being a foot soldier seeing that thing waltzing through the city...and you don't have any anti tank gun...

[@TheIfifi]

@@drachenoger7635 its only right to rewrite history when its revealed that the initial understanding was flawed. Damn wehrboo....

[@bubbasbigblast8563]

@@drachenoger7635 The same tank crews kept insisting the tanks they came across were Tigers, when they were almost always Panthers (Shermans were confirmed to have fought a Tiger I once in all of the European theater, and the Shermans won.) They also could have used the 1000 upgunned, uparmored Shermans waiting in Britain for Normandy, but the tankers didn't want them because it made the supply lines tricker and hey, the basic Sherman worked fine right? Then they got there and whined about not having the better tank. Just because they were there doesn't mean their opinions are right.

[@poisonousteapot2394]

@@bubbasbigblast8563 the reason why we didn't hear any horror stories about allies tank from surviving German crew is because there isn't any, German tank has a habit of trapping it's crew when the armour gets penetrated and the tank start burning, German tank is even more of a death trap than Sherman is.

[@gunner678]

I remember visiting the museum as a young gunner officer on attachment to Bovington BGT many years ago...it was amazing even then!

[@donfrandsen7778]

What a beast, fascinating machine!! Thank you , looking forward to more videos . Cheers !!

[@Shepard_AU]

Looking at the ''damage'' done to the Tiger at 11:46, the soldiers that took the shot were lucky that the tank was abandon.

[@TheIronArmenianakaGIHaigs]

Thicc Kitty cat

[@maciek19882]

Yeeeeeess

[@maxsrbczv]

Best kind of kitty cat

[@Uncle_Spam]

An absolute unit

[@ScipionLaurentiend]

thiccc with 3 c's

[@l.a.xgunner]

*THICC*

[@axelmilan4292]

Love this tank. It just radiates raw power.

[@alstokesveteranfilmmaker913]

And killed people - which is what gets conviniently forgotten, of course, in these 'history' conversations. Meanwhile banging on about British mispronounciation of overseas trade names. How dare we?! Easily, we're just not very good at it. I worked in Germany in the 1970s, knew very little of the language and discovered if I listened carefully it was possible to pick up local pronounciation of common trade names (our industries used the same equipment). I don't remember people being so uptight about whether we knew their language perfectly or not, just that we got on with the job. And had fun. Modern Europeans I notice these days get so worked up about accurate use of language now. The only thing I got upset about in the 70s were young Germans who insisted on using English so they could improve their language skills. Of well, back to the elegant lethal tanks.

[@ricardosoto5770]

Yes it does.

[@Eule153]

It's RAW

[@HellStr82]

@@alstokesveteranfilmmaker913 "and killed people" Oh you mean like that Crime against humanity the British did at Dresden?

[@PanzerdivisionWiking]

I really appreciate the great lighting on the Konigstiger, perfect for screen shots!!

[@jasbaklinski]

I don't think he moves his feet once.

[@alexanderneumann6587]

or those hips

[@JohnSmith-qv6hp]

@@alexanderneumann6587 yes typical Venutian behaviour watching and waiting.for the right time to make his move

[@topwargear]

The tank has him scared to move! :)

[@Alex-xd9gw]

he doesn't walk, HE LEVITATES

[@jasonscott8844]

It is a little known fact that he has tracks for feet. So he pulled up beside the big cat and put his parking break on.

[@TheFreaker86]

Thank you David Willey for this greatly informative and enjoyable lesson! :-)

[@sebuteo]

What a superb tank chat. Loved it. And learned a lot. Brilliant!

[@jacobs.9797]

"You could've made 9 Sherman tanks for the price of 1 King Tiger tank." *Well there's your problem.*

[@emancoy]

The cost of Adolf Hitler's vanity project

[@themollusc]

That's why Shermans were crap 😄

[@emancoy]

@@themollusc i read somewhere where a single tiger took out a 10 Sherman tanks.

[@haraldhimmel5687]

@@emancoy A single Tiger once also took out close to 30 T-34. Problem probably wasn't so much the Tiger itself but continuing to produce bigger and pricier tanks.

[@majungasaurusaaaa]

@@emancoy But you can't be everywhere. They'd just bypass, wreak havoc on softer targets and destroy you with other weapon systems which they had plenty of.

[@crownprincesebastianjohano7069]

Saw a King Tiger at the Patton Museum when I was stationed there for Armor Officer Basic Course. It makes our modern takes look small. And it has some serious frontal armor. That Tiger had the minor pock marks that the Shermans managed, slight depressions in the armor and nothing more.

[@leonzakharyan9220]

Thank you for providing great videos! It is really interesting to watch and listen about the good, old tank's. History shall be learned, not changed.

[@matthiasm9591]

As a german I didn't even know that it is incorrect to call it Porsche turret and Henschel turret. I learned something new. And all native english speakers say Porsch instead of Porsche, dont be bothered by it.

[@ElvenMans]

Wouldn't be so bothered about it, if it wasn't in an educational style of video.

[@PaulZink]

Except owners of Porsche cars, who are usually very finicky about saying "Porsch-uh" as two syllables.

[@thof8287]

It's annoying that English speakers cannot learn how to or intelligent enough to pronounce other language words correctly! I grew up in the USA but from a German community and it's annoying listening to them mispronounce German names my family names etc. Einfach idioten!

[@wolf222555]

@@thof8287 then u can IMAGINE how annoying it is to hear ( some) Americans mangle the English language! And as my brother in law is German i can assure you( as a teacher of English) that HE also makes many mistakes! However i respect ANYONE attempting to learn another language and English is not easy for them. Perhaps you might consider adopting this same attitude? PS: he HAS however greatly improved my ability to swear in German! :-)

[@IronMan-qi3yg]

@@thof8287 I wouldn't worry mate Americans butchered the English language. E.g. aluminum...

[@donfelipe7510]

It cost as much to build as nine Sherman tanks but under the right conditions with a skilled crew this thing might have knocked out nine Shermans before they ever got near enough to cause it harm. Fortunately German tanks in 1944-45 rarely got that chance due to allied air supremacy, lack of fuel, spare parts and capable crews. I've been to the Tank Museum Bovington and stood next to this thing, I really wouldn't want to see an angry one coming at me!

[@crplsteve]

But then you got the caveat that most of the crew from those nine Shermans would still be alive where as the tiger 2 had a far lower crew survival rate. meaning that when that tiger is brought to unfavourable combat your probably gonna loose most of your experienced tankers.

[@patricklewis9662]

While i agree the tiger 2 can probably take out 9 Shermans, especially if they are armed with the 75mm gun. However you can’t support an infantry company with one Tiger 2; you can however with 9 Shermans.

[@DevilDaRebel]

Hell, the Tiger 2 where never meant to support infantry. On the contrary, it was meant to support the tanks supporting the infantry from long range.

[@davidbriggs6218]

I'm sure the Koingstiger is intended as a breakthrough vehicle. It's gun may be effective at longer range than contempories of it's day - But the intension of the Tiger series is a breakthrough vehicle much like the Panzer IV was in the initial blitzkrieg doctrine. So I do agree with Patrick above, a single Koingstiger is limited in it's ability to support an entire infantry unit moving, a squad perhaps is effective - like in the footage of the Ardennes offensive however ironic that the Koingstiger's main flaw was tied to that of the entire Ardennes failure: *fuel*. That being said, the concept of having a vehicle with superior firepower, more than necessary protection to defeat incoming rounds - though the mobility lacking - That's something all the allies took after the war into the MBT concept. The King Tiger is effectively the modern MBT but without mobility or fuel supply reliability, and as mentioned - the air superiority and *Artillery* superiority of the enemy (More guns than the Wehrmacht - not whether individual howitzer models were superior to another) - The King Tiger was successful at localised offensives/defences - nothing more than delaying the enemy - they could not change the inevitable - collapsing front lines, with lost vehicles abandoned or destroyed by own crews. Of course I'm an armchair enthusiast like others - I'll happily step back to recognised historians whom can confidently reference material to reinforce their statements as I have provided none. :)

[@DevilDaRebel]

David Briggs i dont think so man, you can look at german doctrine. Tigers where really adamant on providing fire support from range.

[@Lore_Thunder]

I have seen the Tiger II V2 and i was stunned by the size of it, Truly amazing!

[@StuSaville]

Never noticed before that the gun is offset, now I can't un-notice it...

[@ZETH_27]

Just to bug you, the turret of the Panther is off-set too, and not only that, the gun is off-set relative to the turret to put it on the centre-line of the hull.

[@psychohist]

@@ZETH_27 I built scale models of both these as a kid and never noticed. Now I hate you because I can't go back and check my long lost models.

[@ericamborsky3230]

The turret on either the Panzer III or Panzer IV (I can't remember which one) is also slightly offset.

[@ZETH_27]

@@ericamborsky3230 Think it's the Pz.IV. It's so that the engine and the drive shaft can function properly.

[@masterapeman8986]

I'm a cat person and that big beautiful cat is gorgeous!

[@notalemon2899]

Sir there are tigers in the French museum of war, you gonna rob it or what?

[@sirbachelorboredmen1314]

@@notalemon2899 you applying all cat person is that obsessed with cat?

[@felixleiter5178]

Thanks!

[@johnbrennan8611]

6:50 I had always heard they asked to have the turret redesigned because the area at the front of the turret under the main gun acted like a shell trap, where when you hit it because it was rounded it would deflect the shell into the top of the chassis.

[@ingaz6565]

The most feared tank of WW2, so much so that the allies estimated there where 300+ king tigers on the western front when in fact German records show about 130-140 King tigers on the western front. One German general remarked how just the sight of a single King Tiger could lift the moral of an entire German infantry division, as these tanks had an aurora of invincibility around them. Thankfully the Germans, late in the war could not produce enough of them and even when a respectable number of them where put together, fuel shortages forced many of them to be abandoned by their crew. A little fact, Kurt Knispel was a German tank ace during World War II, notable for his 168 confirmed tank kills, making him the most successful fighter in armored warfare. In one engagement against Russian armored forces he counted over 30 hits on his King Tiger tank, none of which penetrated.

[@ohmyshou1der]

invisibility mhmm

[@ingaz6565]

Lol, thanks for pointing it out.

[@GeorgiaBoy1961]

Re: "In one engagement against Russian armored forces he counted over 30 hits on his King Tiger tank, none of which penetrated." If memory serves, Otto Carius, another one of Germany's greatest panzer aces, had a similar experience in a Tiger I - in one engagement against the Soviet army, more than one-hundred hits from various caliber/type of guns were scored on his tank, without any of them penetrating or otherwise severely damaging his tank or harming his crew. Carius remarked on what a feeling of security and safety such a tough tank gave them.

[@drott150]

Not sure I'm buying the claim that he really experienced 30 hits from bonafide anti-tank weapons. Maybe small arms fire, sure. And even if none of them penetrated, there's still the concussive effects inside to the crew. At the very least, Knispel and his crew would have been stone cold deaf. And I believe they'd have bigger problems than mere deafness.

[@ingaz6565]

No, he counted 30 tank round hitting his tank. There are actually several of these stories, specially those who faced shermans as the sherman could not penetrate a tiger 2 head on.

[@LesWalker2023]

Still my favorite tank! Learned some interesting stuff from this video! Thanks for the concise and informative program! What a tank!

[@peervermeiren8902]

A very good tank chat with good conclusions and lessons learnt to modern days.

[@tando6266]

Meanwhile in the Shop " Not bad paint job, Ill show him a not bad paint job, I spent 2 bloody weeks just sourcing the green, and there he goes............." Great work lads.

[@cavdragoon]

Greatest tank museum in the world. Thank you for the outstanding information

[@HellStr82]

I saw one ... there is a Village in Belgium called La Gleize where one of these monsters was left there by the Germans. It's still there to this day. I have pictures standing next to this monster and could not believe how huge it was. And beautyfull at the same time

[@Wien1938]

A really gripping tank chat - lots of information and keeps being interesting. :)

[@rurushu8094]

It would be interesting to see a tank chats on the StuG III and T-34

[@user-pr3iy7no5v]

Indeed

[@Adagamante]

YES! I'm a sucker for turretless assault guns/tank destroyers.

[@cesjuggler9322]

Cheek The Breek qAQi1@Qqa1ŷggny55

[@killerkoala1918]

Please the t34!! One of my favorite tanks!

[@PaulZink]

I'm sure such chats may be in the works.

[@danilosiragusa63]

I could listen at you for hours Sir 👍 looking forward to visit the museum

[@outdoorexploration4854]

What an absolute UNIT

[@FroopLoop]

Okay cool, but what's the Doug score?

[@MrHenhen5]

No cupholders?? Glove box?

[@dsxz]

Lmfao doesnt have a pen holder in the center console, 0/10

[@MrGooberman23]

Best comment of the thread.

[@dougscrivens4002]

My Dad drove Churchill in WW2.Regiment Cap badge says "fear nought", he often said "you see a Tiger or Panzer coming your way you fear for your life".

[@Paciat]

- Does it even run? - Its just a small design flaw. :D

[@ChaosPootato]

Screw the production turret, the original one had angry eyebrows over the optics, which made it objectively better

[@Treasureson78RPM]

Love it! One hell of a gun on that bad boy. Impressive German WW2 tank for sure and a crazy concept. Just a bit too large to be practical.

[@Snowlep337]

TOUGH KITTY,COLD KITTY BIG MACHINE OF DOOM DEADLY KITTY, PANZER KITTY BOOM, BOOM, BOOM!

[@insomniacbritgaming1632]

I'm dying hahaha

[@yevrahhipstar3902]

The most tanky tank that ever tanked. Aesthetically the best tank ever made.

[@liamnotleum170]

I seen the tiger II today at your museum, I honestly couldn’t believe how huge this tank was in person.

[@Alte.Kameraden]

13:09 OMG it's a Decepticon! (look at the forward tank driving down the street)

[@johnreed3638]

My Dad drove Sherman’s during the war and he always said it was like shooting peas at a Tiger. Despite the Tigers shortcomings it and the Panther was by far the best Tanks of the war.

[@emilbt7588]

Tigerphobia

[@qwerty30013]

There’s more to a tank than 1v1

[@EnigmaEnginseer]

The Panther and Tiger series broke down all the time, what’s the point of a tank if it can’t get to where it needs to be most of the time

[@uni4rm]

Weird because Shermans with the longer 76 could and did knock out the first Tigers, although they were extremely rare and most people never saw one. The offensive during the Bulge effectively ended when they all ran out of gas. Shermans completely wiped the floor with Panthers as they were so poorly crewed.

[@michaeltroster9059]

They were engineering disasters. The interleaved wheel system was a disaster in snow and mud. They were very difficult to service in the field. Breakdowns were frequent and in the winter the mice and rats got into the works and ate the coveting off the wiring rendering them useless.and they consumed massive amounts of fuel which the Krauts were short on.

[@infantryattacks]

Brilliant presentation. I enjoyed how you integrated the history of this tank with present times.

[@ThamMalaysia]

The KWK43/71 gun, firing high velocity APCR rounds, penetrated ELEVEN inches of armor at 500 yards. An impressive feat in those days.

[@ItsAGorillaStudios]

13:09 I think the British Armed Forces need to sweep for Decepticon infiltration

[@Alte.Kameraden]

made me laugh. I noticed it as well.

[@Mirage_Victoria]

yep

[@mikesmith-wk7vy]

I love thier deep research into that tank that’s what makes history so interesting is unraveling the facts that surround the stories great vid

[@nikk2256]

Everyone debating how Germany could have altered production. Sad fact was they were doomed regardless, a couple thousand additional panzer IV's wouldn't have made a difference. Especially when one considers the state of the Luftwaffe and the crushing losses in the east.

[@ricardosoto5770]

The war was lost in 1943.

[@ricardosoto5770]

And it was unwinnable in late 1941 when the Soviets refused to cave in and the American joined the war. Germany could has fought to a stand still but that required Hitler not to be in power. After 1943 Germany was doomed.....

[@hoodoo2001]

You are confusing people with facts....STOP IT! :-) The interesting part about German failings is not about specs or engineering but about a Nazi mindset that would not permit clear thinking. It's about the human condition. So many fanboys get caught up in their favorite "part" of war like their favorite "tank" (like a little kid playing "army") that they fail to see what was really significant. Over time, more and more rational minds in German were peeled away as the Nazi mindset which was incapable of facing facts or truth took over. The real converstation is not about specs or engineering but about a Nazi psychology that would not permit rational thinking. It's about the human condition. Germany was doomed, but they could have made better decisions and there is some value in debating what they might have done, but the real study is how the German psychology deteriorated into the inflexible myopic mental state that pervaded the Nazi dominated German mind.

[@ricardosoto5770]

@@hoodoo2001 If the german army has to be subjected to the pitfalls of the nazi mindset there would have been no WW2 in the first place. Or Germany might end up allied with the West against Stalin.

[@chrisbuxton1958]

The Germans were lost with Operation Barberossa.

[@Wonkabar007]

Would be great to see the Saumur King Tiger and Tiger 131 in the arena at Bovington 👍

[@Jermster_91]

Wonkabar007 Father and Son reunited!

[@Stuka87]

As I recall they wanted the Saumur Tiger II for this exhibit, but there was some issue that prevented it.

[@richardwilliams2914]

there must be parts available somewhere hell if combat dealers can get Hitlers Mercedes im sure bovington get get tiger 2 working

[@spamuraigranatabru1149]

That would be amazing, they bring them together in both France and England!

[@thesherbet]

+richard williams 3D printing mate, no need to go searching for stuff like antique components

[@T4nkcommander]

My favorite tank presented by my favorite presenter. Also, at 11:07 you can see Richard von Rosen conducting an inspection of (I believe) 3rd Company, PzAbt 503. His book is well worth reading, extremely informative and entertaining. The Germans pretty well knew after Kursk and Normandy that they were done for, and the fact that most Heavy Panzer Battalions managed to knock out 10x as many enemy units as they lost and that still wasn't enough to break even really hits this point home. The Germans killed 5x as many as they lost at Kursk; yet it was only a minor setback to the Russians, who 'easily' replenished the losses. Meanwhile the Germans were crippled having lost too many tanks and experienced men.

[@haraldhimmel5687]

Who knows how Kursk would have ended without Hitler making one costly mistake after another. They probably would have still lost in the East but those mistakes had to pile up. The overwhelming military power of the Soviets shows IMHO that the plan to attack Russia early wasn't entirely flawed though. If it was supposed to succeed, it had to happen years before they were at full strength.

[@cringothebot276]

*Erika begins playing*

[@alexandrebriard9175]

*Panzerlied intensifies*

[@martinroner5688]

fellow GuP fans? :D i gotta say, Erwin takes the cake, Stug life. but the best scene was Miho and Maho cooperating to take down the centurion

[@Valorhammer]

UND DAS HEIßE! EEEERIKA!

[@connor9856]

Martin Rößner fellow man of culture

[@TheNostorian]

Boem boem boem.... ERICA!!

[@wannahuckaloogy5]

I would take a flight across the Atlantic just to go visit this tank museum

[@multipl3]

Just been for the first time and I only live 2 hours down the road!

[@heymanchan9007]

The design concept in these WWII Tank is good to look at and review

[@jeddak]

Seeing this thing up close and in details, one can see why it struck such fear in the hearts of Allied infantry facing them. What a monster.

[@dirkbonesteel]

Love the long format. Miss cranky guy but wonderful video

[@MrDgwphotos]

I suspect this is outside of David Fletcher's expertise. He seems to focus mostly on the WW2 British tanks and other allied tanks.

[@BulletsandButtons]

I just found this channel. Thank you for clarifying the turret misnomer. Very informative and well presented. Thanks again!

[@LordGeorgeRodney]

Uh. My day has started well - a new tank chat vid!

[@markelalagoz8481]

Admiral George Rodney bcdchx

[@karlheerwagen2972]

Well i remember changing the wikipedia article because it says "Porscheturret" and "Henschelturret" and then they reset it... Yeah dear Wikipedia hobby historians i dont think so...

[@westonharby165]

It's correct now

[@djohn1671]

absolute thing of beauty. taking into respect the damage and lives it took aside, but still an absolute beast of what it was designed for and did.

[@miroBGgsi]

Nobody: Wargaming: Is this tank made of paper ?

[@nickryan6787]

Thank god the armour is buffed in wot blitz

[@killerriot22]

@@nickryan6787 it's played and modeled correctly 1:1 armor and firepower wise in War Thunder.... but their (Gaijin's) way of gameplay balance facing this beast is up-teir. So you almost always face cold war-era armor. Because nothing else is feasible from long/medium and even shorter distances.

[@CrypticaProductions]

It's buffed next patch tho

[@nickryan6787]

@@killerriot22 no I mean that Tiger II's armour is so crappy in wot blitz (before update 6.7) and it is still crappy wot. So I don't think that it would be balanced if Tiger II is given to fight to the cold war era armour. It would be more feasible if you said that the Tiger II is given to fight with other tanks weaker tanks from WW2 with its crappy armory. This would eliminates the option to buff the armour. You statement is the opposite?

[@RedAssassin274]

@@killerriot22 unless you're 6.3 US or below lol

[@beasheerhan4482]

"5 words that'll make any Allied tanker cry..." 'Jimmie, there's a Kingtiger comin'...'

[@TheSaturnV]

5 more terror-inducing words: "Hans, ist das ein Thunderbolt?"

[@jinglejangle3287]

@@TheSaturnV allied tank didn't scare anyone

[@ElectableDane]

Jingle Jangle lol who cares? Allied air superiority would’ve taken care of these tanks with ease

[@jinglejangle3287]

@@ElectableDane not everything it seems...

[@Tamburahk]

@@TheSaturnV kill claims from Typhon and Thunderbolts are overexagurated by pilots them self.............. 1.st no accuracy 2. it would have to be DIRECT hit to ROOF of turret 3. pilot barely knew difference between Tiger to Panzer IV ............ 4. Pilots claming tank kill even when the tank was not even hit, they just saw smoke, or something and they claimed kill, german tank crews were taught to stay inside the tank during air strike because there was only a little chance that rocket would destroy tank

[@globaleye8]

Thank you for a very comprehensive covering of this tank. The Allies virtually equalled the Germans in everything concerning equipment except armour, our tanks were like lawnmowers in comparison. You have to feel sorry for the poor buggers that faced them.

[@daredemontriple6]

Yes and no really. German engineers certainly had the advantage, however the factories simply couldn't keep up. The Panther was plagued with issues despite being probably the best design on paper and the Tiger wasn't any better. On the reverse, tanks like the Sherman and T-34 especially, had their fair share of issues but they were much cheaper and easier to produce. I remember reading about how more T-34's were lost to maintenance issues than to enemy fire. I also recall reading about how much trouble T-34's gave the Germans, who struggled greatly until the Up-gunned Panzer IVs started arriving. The Panthers and Tigers were a solution but an unreliable one, the 75mm Panzer IVs could at least be expected to not break down before combat, even if their armour was lacking by comparison. On thw whole Allied armour tended to be too simple and crude, aimed at mass production - while German armour tended to be too complex and expensive. As the war carried on the difference was that the allies managed to refine their ideas, whereas the Germans didn't. Comet, Pershing, T-44, etc. They were all a much better balance of protection, speed, and armament - the three keystones of tanks. Centurion especially was an utterly revolutionary tank and the dawn of the MBT. By contrast Hitler's influence meant German tanks only ever got heavier and punchier. Tiger IIs were no doubt absolute beasts, but they were rare beasts. Rarer still than even their fathers, Tiger I, which weren't even encountered in combat by American forces in France. German tank development starts off very promising, with Panzer I and II leading to modern tactics and then Panzer III and IV to complement the new ideas. However, it quickly becomes a bit of a shambles. Panther is a fantastic idea but takes too long, and Tiger is a less efficient and capable solution. By '44 the writing's on the wall. By comparison the allies are producing tanks well within their production capabilities and with very reasonable statistics. Sure a typical M4 Sherman is well outmatched against a Tiger, but 99 times out of 100 the tank a Sherman encounters is going to be a Panzer III/IV or a Stug III/IV. And in those cases the Sherman is probably favoured.

[@SlappyTheElf]

@@daredemontriple6 I'd also add that for the most part at anything other than 1 on 1 tank duels the Sherman was faster more mobile and just a straight up better tank.

[@Ealsante]

So armoured and so powerful, the only thing he feared was breaking his transmission... which, of course, eventually he did.

[@Schraderbrau1383]

Ironic. He could save the ones he cared about from dying, but not himself.

[@martinj.hammersmith8512]

I love the King Tiger. I don;t care what anyone says about it, it’s my favorite tank of time. Such a beautiful machine for the 1940s, and it tried harder to protect it’s soldiers than any other tank.

[@theotv5522]

"I told mama we'll be seeing elephants, tigers, panthers. She thought I was visting Moscow zoo"

[@StewartNicolasBILLYCONNOLLY]

Imagine an experienced crew being told that this is your new tank....

[@notalemon2899]

“Wait how do I work this new tank?”

[@sirbachelorboredmen1314]

I rather being in Panther for practical purposes

[@ocharni]

i'd imagine given the rarity of these things they wouldnt assign a green crew to them but rather put the few experienced ones they have left in there.

[@matthewlocke2434]

It has been years since I have been to Bovington. Hope to get back soon and see these wonderful beasts. It is just a shame my favorite armored fighting vehicle the Ferdinand has been sent back to the US.

[@d0veta1l0]

@7:31 The King Tiger Picture looks amazing

[@thefantasyreview8709]

No King Tiger was ever penetrated through the front armour, for the entire war. Not one. That's pretty incredible. Used in the right way, with support, they were seriously formidable

[@MyName-pc7bk]

They were unstoppable and thank god these came out a day late and a dollar short because it could have changed history without a doubt.

[@ryanj610]

They barely saw combat. Heck, even the Tiger I barely saw combat on the Western Front. They would have been devastating in the right battles with better crews and air cover. As was, they were essentially thrown away in desperation.

[@thefantasyreview8709]

@@ryanj610 Tiger 1 saw lots of combat, even in North Africa, just not against the allied forces after D Day. Tiger IIs did see a fair bit of combat (though they suffered from breakdowns) - its detailed here: tanks-encyclopedia.com/ww2/nazi_germany/panzer-vi_konigstiger.php

[@sulate1]

You don’t necessarily need to penetrate the armor to take it out. The Kinetic shock of a large round can cause havoc in the crew compartment. And tracks etc can be vulnerable to smaller caliber rounds. They were formidable defensive weapons but strategically they were disastrous.

[@sulate1]

@@MyName-pc7bk They would never have changed history because Germany did not have oil to fuel them and use them strategically in a war of manoeuvre.

[@clanmcwoodgaming5083]

This is literally the only channel i never skip ads for haha

[@sdcoinshooter]

Can you imagine, being a US Tanker in your Sherman, and around the corner appears this 70-Ton Monster. It would be like trying to stand and fight man versus Godzilla.

[@siko9799]

good thing there were like 400 of them, and alot suffered mechanical issues too

[@kenoliver8913]

You would know, though, that you had at least 20 or 30 Shermans floating around nearby for every Tiger2 at the front (just getting the Tiger2 to the front was a major problem - it broke bridges). Plus you could quickly call in some CAS from the taxi rank to take it out. Plus your stabilised gun could aim and fire far quicker than the Tiger. Plus if needed you could run away quicker than it could follow. And if all else failed you could count on the beast breaking down before you did.

[@sotis1756]

@@kenoliver8913 well all that, but if the tiger would’ve landed that one shot the other options wouldn’t be a thing

[@nickdanger3802]

489 built according to Wackipedia. 49,000 M4's built.

[@siko9799]

@@nickdanger3802king tigers were in the eastern and western front, so what ken oliver said isn’t too far fetched

[@DosGaming101]

The upgrade I dreamed of. She's Beautiful, and would look at home, even on today's battlefield.

[@Mikegastaldo]

My grandfather immigrated to Argentina in 1945 with an Italian passport...need I say more?I ...my father took me to visit with him twice in the 70's before he passed in 1981... when I see stuff like this and see all the interest there STILL is in my people's history it amazes me.

[@sskuk1095]

"You could build nine Sherman tanks for the cost of one Tiger 2" I'd still take the Tiger!

[@majungasaurusaaaa]

And then have the rest of 8 of them bypass you, fall into your rear, encircle your forces while you're trying to chase that 1.

[@MrPancake777]

For looks sure. But for practicality I’d take the 9 Shermans any day.

[@marcinmisiek768]

1 Tiger II in a museum is cooler than 9 shermans in a museum. Asides from that, we know that numbers ultimately matter in war. I think in the Stug III video Stugs used to cost ~80,000 Reichmarks, meaning you could make about 10 stugs (well, probably less as the price of a late war stug like everything else increased) for the cost of a Tiger II, and we know which tank performed better for cost.

[@davogeorge4525]

@@majungasaurusaaaa I didn't know tank battles happened at 20 meters

[@majungasaurusaaaa]

@@davogeorge4525 They could at did. There was one incident of a Greyhound armored car destroying a King Tiger with its 37mm at roughly that range.

[@Gorilla_Jones]

The most beautiful and elegantly lethal tank ever made.

[@seanmager1168]

The M18 Hellcat and Comet tank were more deadly. And we're WAY MORE reliable...

[@ricardosoto5770]

@@seanmager1168 And the Panther was sexier.

[@Gorilla_Jones]

@@ricardosoto5770 In your opinion.

[@Gorilla_Jones]

@@seanmager1168 I'm speaking of aesthetics. SMH.

[@seanmager1168]

Gorilla Jones... im aware of that. im jus expressing my thoughts on stuff that's better then it. im not insulting you or your thoughts. so don't say the whole "SMH" thing. that's very rude... your entitled to yer opinion an im entitled to mine. no need to get all touchy...

[@kevinlowe3884]

This guy is the best presenter I've seen in a long time. The very few edits proves he's on top of content.

[@HerbertAckermans]

Right, lets point out the errors in this overview of history: 1: Discussions of putting an 8,8 cm Flak 41 (L/71) gun in a turret began as early as 21 June 1941 2: There was NO competition between Henschel and Porsche for the Tiger contract. Both companies had contracts for 100 Tiger tanks, but, Porsche's design failed with their engine design of the Typ 100 gasoline engines. The whole petrol-electric drive system was NOT the problem. 3: Porsche was asked to work with Krupp towards a Tiger with a long gun, because simply, they were not involved with Tiger production at the time, due to their contracts for 100 Tiger having been canceled. Henschel had presented a design, little more than a Tiger Ausf. E with sloping armor, VK 4502(H), which was quickly rejected. Porsche's design, in essence, was exactly the same approach, take the VK 4501(P) design, slap on sloping armour and mount the new turret with the longer 88 mm gun. 4: The roadwheels were first identical to those as used on the Tiger Ausf. E, rubber rimmed, with 4 wheels per axle. It wasn't until homologation with the Panther II was demanded that the new steel wheels, designed for the Panther II, had to be incorporated into Henschel's design. 5: the whole "copper shortage" myth is just that, a myth, based on nothing. The Panzerjäger Tiger (P) used the exact same petrol-electric drive as designed by Porsche, only the Porsche Typ 101 engines were replaced by Maybach HL 120 ones, nothing else was changed. The copper shortage was NOT an issue. Even the Maus would use large quantities of copper and be still under development at this time. There is no base for the claim copper shortage was an issue here. The reason Porsche VK 45.02(P) design was rejected was again their unreliable petrol engines. 6: Regarding Tiger Ausf. B Fgst. Nr. V2, the Tank Museum is so lucky to have that one there, they took out the engine and shoe-horned it into Tiger Ausf. E 131.... 7: Kudos for the attention to the whole turret by Porsche and/or Henschel myth 8: Shot trap was not a reason for the redesign of the turret. The simple reason for redesigning the turret was economical. The original design was too complicated, including bend armour at the front and turret side (for the cupola), which resulted in a number of front plates cracking during bending. 9: First unit to receive the Tiger Ausf. B is s.Pz.Kp. 316 (Fkl) a unit that would be using the Tiger Ausf. B to radio-control demolition vehicles, such as the Borgward B IV. 10: Monetary cost of a Tiger Ausf. B needs to be offset to what it could do on the battlefield. Even during the last fighting in Berlin, the Tiger Ausf. B proved itself to be an outstanding tank, with several instances where single Tiger Ausf. B were capable of fending off attacks by multiple T-34 as well as IS tanks and their infantry, while still remaining in operational condition afterward. If one were to look up the experience of Karl-Heinz Turk, his experience using even his immobilized Tiger Ausf. B at the Potsdammer Platz to repell multiple Russian attacks attests to the value the Tiger Ausf. B signifies.

[@Orcawhale1]

Source?

[@4700_Dk]

“Tiger Terror” ! Only the allied tankers can relate.