On 26 May 1941, Henschel and Ferdinand Porsche were asked to submit designs for a 45-tonne heavy tank, to be ready by June 1942. [18] Porsche worked on an updated version of their VK 30.01 (P) Leopard tank prototype while Henschel worked on an improved VK 36.01 (H) tank. Henschel built two prototypes: a VK 45.01 (H) H1 with an 8.8cm L/56 cannon, and a VK 45.01 (H) H2 with a 7.5cm L/70 cannon. For all sorts of model tanks in Australia, shop at Models and Hobbies 4U. Shop military vehicles and tanks in a huge range of different models and brands for a variety of unique hobby experiences. This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sourcesin this section. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. ( April 2010) ( Learn how and when to remove this template message)

Production of the Tiger I began in August 1942 at the factory of Henschel und Sohn in Kassel, [51] initially at a rate of 25 per month and peaking in April 1944 at 104 per month. An official document of the time stated that the first Tiger I was completed on 4 August. 1,355 had been built by August 1944, when production ceased. Deployed Tiger I's peaked at 671 on 1 July 1944. [52] It took about twice as long to build a Tiger I as another German tank of the period. When the improved Tiger II began production in January 1944, the Tiger I was soon phased out. Produced from 1942 to 1944 the Tiger 1 (designation Panzerkampfwagen VI Tiger Ausf. E) is perhaps the most iconic German tank of World War II. Despite less than 1,400 being produced, its lethal gun and heavy armour had a powerful psychological effect on Allied troops. Wa J Ru-WuG 6—Panzerkraftwagen und Zugkraftwagenabteilung – Tanks and Tractors Branch of Amtsgruppe fur Industrielle Rustung—Waffen und Gerat, the Group for Weapons and Equipment Manufacture

WW2 Relic Hunting (Eastern front)". WW1 - WW2 battlefields Eastern Front . Retrieved 1 August 2023. Jentz, Tom; Doyle, Hilary (1993). Tiger 1 Heavy Tank 1942–45. illustrated by Peter Sarson. Osprey. ISBN 978-1-85532-337-7. The British Churchill Mk IV was vulnerable to the Tiger from the front at between 1,100 and 1,700m (0.68 and 1.06mi) at a 30 deg side angle, its strongest point being the nose and its weakest the turret. According to an STT document dated April 1944, it was estimated that the British 17-pounder, as used on the Sherman Firefly, firing its normal APCBC ammunition, would penetrate the turret front and driver's visor plate of the Tiger out to 1,900 yards (1,700m). [60]

Otto Carius (translated by Robert J. Edwards), Tigers in the Mud [69] First actions [ edit ] A Tiger I deployed to supplement the Afrika Korps operating in Tunisia, January 1943The conservators have kept the damage caused by the ricochet unpainted; it can be observed at the Bovington Tank museum. This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sourcesin this section. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. ( February 2019) ( Learn how and when to remove this template message) Kubinka Tank Museum in Moscow, Russia. In good condition; displayed as an indoor exhibit (although the outermost row of four roadwheels are missing on this vehicle). [ citation needed] In July 1943, two heavy tank battalions (503rd and 505th) took part in Operation Citadel, including the Battle of Kursk, with one battalion each on the northern (505th) and southern (503rd) flanks of the Kursk salient the operation was designed to encircle. However, the operation failed and the Germans were again put on the defensive. The resulting withdrawal led to the loss of many broken-down Tigers which had to be abandoned, with battalions unable to perform required maintenance or repairs. [77]