There were also six double road wheels per side, suspended by torsion arms. It was propelled by a Maybach 120 TR, with varlorex transmission and cletract system of three-stage steering gears allowing a maximum speed of 35 km/h (22 mph). The DW 1 was made of soft steel with plate thickness of 50 mm (1.97 in) on the front, side and rear, and 20 mm (0.79 in) elsewhere. They were both renamed, by Henschel, to DW 1 and DW 2 Erprobungst-Fahgestell (experimental chassis). The Durchbruchswagen DW 1 and DW 2According to the delivery plan from the 1st of October 1937, Henschel had to provide a DW fahrgestell prototype with Cleveland track system gear ("Clectracgetriebe"), and one with differential drive ("Uberlagerungsgestriebe"), in the second half of 1938, for trials. In March 1937 this was changed to IW, for "Infanteriewagen", then DW ("Durchbruchswagen" or breakthrough tank), and in November 1939, VK 30.01 alte konstruktion (DW). The first designation was BW (verstaerkt), for Begleitswagen (escort tank, heavier), to differentiate this model from the Panzer IV forerunner, also called "BW". Preliminary prototypes ordered by Wa Pruef 6In January 1937, Baurat Kniepkamp from Wa Pruef 6, the department which laid the specifications and contacted the contractors, ordered a chassis (Fahrgestell) from Henschel, and the turret by Krupp, already contacted to study a 30-ton tank turret housing a 75 mm (2.95 in) gun in November 1936.
Wa Pruef 6 also studied the use of an aircraft engine, characterized by high-torque and low rpm, but this posed the obligation of redesigning many components of the drive train, which would mean sacrificing other vital aspects to stay within the 30 tons limit. This was still optimistic, given the fact that in 1936 Maybach was still struggling to produce its first compact 300 hp engine. Later, discussions led to the conclusion that only a 16-cylinder could provide the 700 hp needed for a 30-40 ton tank. Maybach dismissed a 16-cylinder as too long to fit in an engine compartment, so only a scaled-up 12-cylinder could be conceived, although it required a tremendous amount of development to reach the targeted output of 600 hp. Maybach in October, to discuss the feasibility of a 600/700 hp engine. The representative of the Wa Pruef 6 in charge of the project met with Dr. This was the result of the weight estimation for a tank equipped with a high velocity 75 mm (2.95 in) gun, powerful enough to destroy the Char 2C and B1 French tanks, and a minimum 30 mm (1.18 in) of armor. The Tiger gave fame to a few WWII tank aces, like Michael Wittman, something rarely heard of before, since the life expectancy of a tank crew was always quite shorter than that of fighter pilots.Ī long development history, started in 1935 The search for a suitable engineThe first mention of a 30-ton Panzer can be found in the note written by General Liese, head of the Heeres Waffenamt, on 30 October 1935. The Tiger, like all new tanks, had teething problems at first and it was never an easy tank to maintain, but it was always deadly effective (with a 10:1 up to 19:1 kill ratio), earning a capital of fear that was unrivaled during the war.Īllied crews found themselves hopeless with their inadequate machines, having to improvise costly tactics to deal with it. It powerfully symbolized all the might of the Nazi war machine, as dreamed off by Hitler, and later turned through propaganda into a "Wunderwaffe" (wonder weapon) in a mostly defensive war. The Tiger was a formidable machine that pushed the boundaries of armored warfare and forced the Allies to devise better tanks. Excellent engineering and training versus numbers underlined all this philosophy and was reflected, later, in small tactical unit operations. Something which targeted absolute excellence in design, combining lethality with the best possible protection, only given to elite crews, all this regardless of the cost.
In its concept laid the very core of the German conception of a heavy tank. When comparing the small number of Panzerkampfwagen VI Ausf.E (Sd Kfz 181) Tiger Tanks produced (only 1346), to the more than 120,000 T-34s and Shermans combined, one can appreciate the psychological impact of this model, at least from the Allied tank crew perspective. Panzer VI Tiger I Germany (1942) - Heavy Tank - 1346 built Original article by David Bocquelet, 25 december 2013 Excellence versus numbers
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