Tiger I

The Tiger I was a tank made by Nazi Germany. It was first made in 1942 by the Henschel und Sohn company. The tank was used during World War II in the North African Campaign and Operation Barbarossa. The Tiger I used a 8.8 cm KwK 36 gun. It had 100 mm (3.9 in) of armor.

Panzerkampfwagen VI Tiger Ausf. E
Tiger I in northern France, March 1944
Type	Heavy tank
Place of origin	Nazi Germany
Service history
In service	1942–1945
Wars	World War II
Production history
Designer	Erwin Aders Henschel & Son
Designed	1938–1941
Manufacturer	Henschel
Unit cost	250,700 ℛℳ[1][a][2][b]
Produced	1942–1944
No. built	1,347[c]
Specifications (RfRuK VK 4501H Ausf.E, Blatt: G-330)
Mass	54 tonnes (60 short tons)[4] 57 tonnes (63 short tons) (Ausf. E)[5] (Combat weight)[6]
Length	6.316 m (20 ft 8.7 in) 8.45 m (27 ft 9 in) gun forward
Width	3.56 m (11 ft 8 in)
Height	3.00 m (9 ft 10 in)
Crew	5 (commander, gunner, loader, driver, radio operator)
Armour	25–120 mm (0.98–4.72 in)[7][8]
Main armament	1× 8.8 cm KwK 36 L/56 92 AP and HE rounds
Secondary armament	2× 7.92 mm MG 34 4,500 rounds 4,800 rounds (Ausf. E)[9]
Engine	Maybach HL230 P45 V-12 700 PS (690 hp, 515 kW)
Power/weight	13 PS (9.5 kW) / tonne
Transmission	Maybach Olvar Typ OG 40 12 16 (8 forward and 4 reverse)[10]
Suspension	Torsion bar
Ground clearance	0.47 m (1 ft 7 in)
Fuel capacity	540 liters
Operational range	Road: 195 km (121 mi)[5] Cross country: 110 km (68 mi)[5]
Maximum speed	45.4 km/h (28.2 mph) on roads[11][d] 20–25 km/h (12–16 mph) cross country[5]

The Tiger I has been called an outstanding design for its time.^[12] It has also been called overengineered.^[13] It was built using costly materials. The methods used to make it were labour-intensive. Early version of the Tiger would often have track failures and breakdowns. It also had a limited range because it used a large amount of fuel. The tank was costly to maintain but was mechanically reliable.^[14] It was hard to transport. It could not move well in areas with mud, ice and snow. These conditions would often jamming the tracks solid.

The tank was given its nickname "Tiger" by Ferdinand Porsche. The Roman numeral was added after the Tiger II was being made. The original name was Panzerkampfwagen VI Ausführung H.

Today, only seven Tiger I tanks still exist. They are in museums and private collections worldwide. As of 2021^[update], Tiger 131 (captured during the North Africa Campaign) at the UK's Tank Museum is the only Tiger I restored to running order.

Notes

1. Without weapons, optics, or radio. 299,800 ℛℳ combat ready.
2. Firstly produced Tigers price was 800.000 ℛℳ.
3. Although 1,350 is a common figure, World War II magazine reported the figure of 1,355 in their January 1994 edition (p.16). Jentz gives a revised number of 1,347, including the prototype, following investigation of the primary sources.^[3]
4. Sustained road speed was 40 km/h (25 mph)^[5]