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Panzerkampfwagen VI Tiger II Ausf. B Konigstiger / King(Royal)Tiger / Tiger II Sd. Kfz. 182 Panzerkampfwagen VI Tiger II Ausf. B
The Panzerkampfwagen VI Tiger II Ausf. B "Königstiger" (Sd.Kfz.182) / VK4503(H) was the most powerful combat tank of World War II. Up to the end of the war, the Allies did not introduce anything that could effectively counter it. The Tiger II combined a powerful and effective gun with armor that was virtually impervious to any Allied tank or anti-tank gun. The result was battlefield history.
Planning for the Tiger II started as early as May 1941, a year before the Tiger I entered production. By the fall of 1942/January 1943, designers started work on a new heavy tank that would eventually replace the Tiger I. In January 1943, Hitler ordered the new Tiger to be armed with a long 88mm gun and have 150mm frontal armor and 80mm side armor. Front and side plates were to be sloped and interlocked, resulting in a design similar to the then-new PzKpfw V Panther (Sd.Kfz.171). Once again, Henschel and Porsche were ordered to develop the new vehicle. Porsche provided two projects that were based on the previous VK 4501(P) design and were designated VK4502(P). The first one, Typ 180 (Turm Vorne) A/B, had its turret mounted centrally, while Typ 181 (Turm Hinten) A/B/C, had its turret mounted in the rear with a mid-mounted engine (similar in layout to the modern Israeli Merkava main battle tanks). Both designs shared the same chassis and hull, along with all the other components and gasoline-electric system of VK4501(P). Both designs were extremely similar, with the only difference being the location of the turret and some mechanical components. Only wooden mock-ups were produced.
Henschel’s design was developed at a much faster rate and was destined to enter production. It shared many components of the Panzer V Panther and Panther II (e.g. upper hull hatches) in order to standardize tank production, as ordered in February 1943. The VK4503(H) design was completely different from that of the Tiger I, with some resemblance to the enlarged Panther, and both had some common parts. On October 20, 1943, a wooden mock-up of Henschel’s Tiger II was presented to Adolf Hitler at Arys (Orzysz), in East Prussia. Preparations for production at Henschel’s plant in Kassel started in December 1943, with three prototypes produced. Tiger II production began in January 1944 and ended in March 1945. Only 489 production vehicles (and the three prototypes - V1, V2 and V3) were built in four production series (420500, 420530, 420590 and 420680), out of the original 1,500 ordered. Production was delayed by the overall war situation and bombing raids on the Henschel factory at Kassel, which left it in ruins.
The first King Tigers produced, from January to September 1944 were coated with Zimmerit anti-magnetic mine paste, except the three prototypes. Some vehicles produced before June were also fitted with deep fording equipment, but this was mainly for testing purposes. Overall, during production, numerous modifications were made to the vehicles, including: replacement of gaskets and seals, type of tracks used, installation of sockets, installation of additional track links, etc. None of the modifications significantly changed the appearance or performance of the tank.
King Tiger with early (Porsche) turret. The first 50 King Tigers (including the three prototypes) were equipped with turrets designed by Krupp for Porsche’s VK4502(P) - commonly known as Porsche Turrets. Later models were equipped with turrets designed by Krupp for Henschel - known as Henschel or Krupp Production Turrets. Both turrets were mounted in the middle of the tank. The Porsche turret was originally developed for the VK4502(P) tank, which was based on the VK4501(P) chassis. This project was rejected, but the design of the turret was accepted and adapted for Henschel’s Tiger II (because the Henschel turret wasn’t ready yet). Porsche’s turret mounted a one-piece 88mm gun, while Henschel’s turret mounted a two-piece 88mm gun (from May 1944). The Tiger II with Porsche turret carried 80 rounds of ammunition, while the production version with the Henschel turret carried 86 rounds. Seventy-five percent of the ammunition was stored along the hull sides, and the remaining 25% was stored in the rear of the turret. Also, a total of 5,850 7.92mm rounds were carried for three MG 34/MG 42 machine guns for local and air defence. The Porsche turret had a curved mantlet and the commander’s cupola was offset to the left. The curved mantlet created a shot trap below the mantlet and, in December 1943, Henschel was ordered to design a new turret to be used as a standard for future models. Krupp designed the turret, which featured a flush cupola, instead of a bulged one, and a saukopf mantlet. The Henschel turret was also known as Krupp’s (production) turret, or Serien Turm (serial turret). King Tiger with the Porsche turret weighed 68,500 kg, while with the Henschel turret weighed 69,800 kg. Krupp produced both turrets. The turret could be traversed 360 degrees in 19 to 77 seconds, depending on engine RPM; since the engine powered the hydraulic turret drive (at 2,000rpm - 19 seconds). It could be also traversed by hand, using the hand wheel operated by the gunner. The Tiger II was powered by 12 cylinder Maybach HL 230 P30 engine producing 700hp (as used in the Panther) with an 8-speed Maybach OLVAR EG 40 12 16 B gearbox (8 forward and 4 reverse).It also featured a new L 801 steering mechanism by Henschel. This combination allowed the heavy tank to turn on the spot. The King Tiger’s suspension was made up of nine sets of overlapping 800mm steel (rubber cushioned) road wheels per side, on swing arms sprung on torsion bars. Out of nine road wheels, five were outer and four were inner road wheels. Overlapping road wheel arrangement solved the problem encountered in interleaved arrangement used in Tiger I, which caused mud, ice and rocks to jam the track mechanism and immobilized the tank. This system was an improvement but did not solve all the problems as overlapping arrangement reduces the life of tank tracks due to the pressure. The Tiger II was equipped with two types of tracks: 660mm narrow tracks (used for transportation) and wider 800mm combat tracks. The Tiger II suffered from a lack of mobility because of its high weight and high fuel consumption (power/weight ratio - 10.1hp/ton). Maximum speed on the road was 35-38km/h (22-24 mph) and cross-country was 17km/h (10mph). Fuel consumption was a serious problem, since a single Tiger II consumed 500 liters per 100km (2 gallons per mile), while fuel was in scarce supply. The Tiger carried 860 liters (227 gallons) of fuel in 7 tanks, giving it a maximum range of 110-120km (68-75 miles) on the road and 80km (50 miles) cross-country. The King Tiger also needed constant maintenance to keep it operational.
King Tiger with Krupp’s (production) turret. The Tiger II was armed with the very accurate 88mm KwK 43 L71 tank gun. This 88mm gun, 71 calibers long (6.3m or 21 feet), had a maximum effective range of 10km (6.2 miles). The Tiger II was initially equipped with a binocular Turmzielfernrohr (TZF) 9b/1 sighting telescope and later with the monocular TZF 9d sighting telescope. The gun could be elevated to a maximum of 17 degrees and depressed to a maximum of 8 degrees. The rounds for the 88mm gun weighed almost 20kg (44 pounds) each, which resulted in a relatively slow rate of fire. The powerful 88mm gun was able to knock out Sherman, Cromwell and T-34/85 tanks at a range of 3,500 meters (2.2 miles), far beyond the range of enemy guns. In addition, Tiger II was equipped with turret mounted Nahverteidigungswaffe (90mm NbK 39 close-in defense weapon).The crew was protected by thick sloping armor that made it a hard target, and only a few weapons were actually able to destroy it at even close range. There are no records or photographs to prove that the Tiger II’s frontal armor was ever penetrated in combat. Its side armor was easier to penetrate by existing Allied armor (e.g. Sherman Firefly, T-34/85, JS-II). A five-man crew, composed of commander, gunner, loader, driver and radio operator/bow gunner, operated the King Tiger. All were connected by an internal telephone system with the exception of the loader. The vehicle was primarily equipped with a FuG5 radio, and some had a FuG2 radio set.
The Tiger II was also used as a base for the Bergewagen recovery tank (18 produced but their existence is unconfirmed), Jagdpanzer Jagdtiger Ausf. B (Sd.Kfz.186) heavy tank destroyer, Grille 17/21/30/42 (prototype of self-propelled gun series) and Tiger II transport vehicle for a 280mm Kanone 5 heavy gun project. In late 1944, Krupp proposed to rearm all Tiger II tanks with a 105mm KwK L/68 gun, but it was never realized. Also, various modifications were made to the turret (including installation of the range finder) and hull (including redesigned rear deck), but these were not implemented due to the end of the war.
PzKpfw VI Tiger II Ausf. B with Krupp’s (production) turret. German comparison of German tanks with the new (at the time) Russian T-34/85 and JS-II (122mm), from March 23rd of 1944, stated that: "The Tiger 2 is far superior to the T34-85 and the JS 122." Starting in November 1944, 20 Tiger IIs were converted by Wegmann to command tanks - Befehlswagen Tiger II Ausf. B (Sd.Kfz.267/268) equipped with additional radio equipment. Two types of command radios were used: FuG8 (Sd.Kfz.267) and FuG7 (Sd.Kfz.268). The first command tanks entered service in February/March 1945. Both variants carried 63 rounds of ammunition (32 armor piercing and 31 high explosive).
Tiger II with Krupp’s (production) turret King Tigers were issued to schwere Panzer Abteilungen (heavy tank battalions) of both the Wehrmacht and Waffen SS. The majority went to Wehrmacht units, while some 150 were assigned to the Waffen SS. The first Tigers II tanks reached schwere Panzer Abteilungen of both Wehrmacht and Waffen SS as early as February 1944. The first five production King Tigers were issued to Panzer Lehr Division (Panzer Kompanie Funklenk 316) but were not used in combat. The first time the Tiger II saw action was in May 1944 near Minsk, followed by another action (of schwere Panzer Abteilung 501 commanded by Oberstleutnant von Legat) in July 1944 at Sandomierz in Poland. Only two companies of schwere Panzer Abteilung 503 commanded by Hauptmann Fromme, equipped with Tiger II tanks (with Porsche turrets), were committed to the fighting in Normandy, where their mechanical problems and Allied fighter-bombers as well naval gunfire proved fatal and, by the end of August 1944, all were lost. Tiger II tanks of schwere Panzer Abteilung 506 commanded by Major Lange, saw combat during the "Market Garden" operation in Holland in September of 1944. King Tigers also took part in the Ardennes Offensive, serving with schwere SS Panzer Abteilung 501 (Kampfgruppe Peiper). On the Eastern Front, Tiger II tanks took part in the fighting in Hungary and in central Poland in 1944 and 1945. The Tiger II saw combat on both Western and Eastern Fronts, where it proved to be a superb weapon and worthy opponent when operated by an experienced crew and properly maintained. A small number of King Tigers also defended Berlin in April and May of 1945. A Tiger II from schwere Panzer Abteilung 503 was also the last German tank to be destroyed in the war. It was blown up by its crew in Austria on May 10, 1945.
"Klein Tiger"In December of 1944, Henschel proposed the design for 33ton heavy Klein Tiger (Small Tiger), which was to be a lighter versionof Tiger II. It was to be powered by Tiger II’s Maybach HL 230 P 30 engine producing 630hp. It was to have 80mm thick sloped front armor and 160mm thick horizontal side armor. The side armor was to be newly developed (or being developed) layered armor. Klein Tiger was to be armed with Krupp’s 100mm PWK (Panzerwurfkanone), able to penetrate 200mm of armor. Small Tiger remained only a paper project.
PzKpfw VI Tiger II Ausf. B with Krupp’s (production) turret. This particular tank was produced in September of 1944 by Henschel and was to be issued to sPzAbt 509 but instead was issued to sSSPzAbt 501. This unit was part of Kampfgruppe Peiper, which took part in the Ardennes Offensive in the winter of 1944. This tank with turret number 332 was then abandomed by its crew near the village of Trois Point and was captured by US Army on December 24th of 1944. It was then moved to Spa and eventually ended up in Aberdeen Proving Grounds in Maryland. Tiger II was put on display and had entire right side of turret and part of the hull removed for display purposes. It was stored inside until 1957, when it was moved outside and parts removed were covered with thin sheet metal. In 1992, it was moved to Patton Museum at US Army Armor School at Fort Knox, Kentucky, The museum had the tank completely disassembled and repainted. The museum curator had all the layers of paint, which were applied overtime, scrapped off and then matched the original colors for properrepainting in its original camouflage. An interesting thing came up when it was discovered that theGermans painted the inside of the tank - dark yellow instead cream / ivory color. It remains there on display indoors.
PzKpfw VI Tiger II Ausf. B at Panzermuseum Thun in Switzerland. Today, a fine example of an accurately repainted and externally intact Königstiger is left as a monument at La Gleize, north of St. Vith in Belgium. In addition, Tiger IIs can be seen in museums in Saumur, France; Bovington and Shrivenham, England (the Tiger II in Bovington is the V2 prototype); Munster, Germany; the Patton Museum at Fort Knox in the USA; Thun, Switzerland; and Kubinka in Russia. The massive Tiger II, just as the Tiger I, will remain forever a symbol of formidable German Panzer formations of World War II. Königstiger Gallery I Specifications
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