Königstiger part 1
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Abandoned King Tiger tank of the Schwere Panzer Abteilung 506. Ardennes
Abandoned Panzerkampfwagen VI Ausf. B „Königstiger” tank with Porsche turret of the schwere Panzer Abteilung 503. Normandy France
Abandoned SdKfz 182 PzKpfw VI Ausf. B Tiger II "Kőnigstiger", 1945
Abandoned Tiger 2 tank with Porsche turret of the schwere Panzer Abteilung 503. Normandy France
Captured German Tiger II tank, cutaway (ex 332, 501 ssSpzAbt)
Captured King Tiger and american soldiers. Schwere Heeres Panzer Abteilung 506, Gereonsweiler Germany
Captured King Tiger tank of the schwere Panzer-Abteilung 501. Tank number 502
Captured King Tiger tank of the Schwere Panzer-Abteilung 501. Tank number 502. Poland 1944
Captured King Tiger tank of the Schwere Panzer-Abteilung 501. Tank number 502. Poland Staszow 1944
Captured King Tiger tank of the Schwere SS Panzer-Abteilung 501. Tank number 332.
Captured King Tiger tank of the Schwere SS Panzer-Abteilung 502. 1945
Captured King Tiger tank with zimmerit of the Schwere Panzer-Abteilung 501. Tank number 502. 1944
Captured King Tiger tank with zimmerit of the Schwere Panzer-Abteilung 501. Tank number 502. Poland Staszow 1944
Captured Konigstiger and american soldiers. Schwere Heeres Panzer Abteilung 506, Gereonsweiler Germany
Captured Tiger 2 tank
Captured Tiger 2 tank in Russia. King Tiger belonged to the Schwere Heeres Panzer Abteilung 505
Captured Tiger II Tank La Gleize Belgium. Tank of the Schwere SS Panzer-Abteilung 501. Tank number 213
Crew and Tiger II of the Schwere Panzer-Abteilung 505
Damaged King Tiger tank of the schwere Panzer Abteilung 503. Tank number 301. France 1944
Destroyed King Tiger tank of the Schwere Panzer Abteilung 506. Ardennes
Destroyed King Tiger tank of the Schwere Panzer Abteilung 506. Tank number 109 Ardennes
Destroyed King Tiger tank of the Schwere Panzer-Abteilung 507. Osterode 1945
Destroyed King Tiger tank of the Schwere SS Panzer-Abteilung 501. Tank number 133. Ardennes
Destroyed Tiger II, Eastern Front 1945
German heavy tank Königstiger, Sd.Kfz. 182
German king tiger tank, transport tracks
German tankers took a pose with their Panzer VI Konigstiger. Schwere Panzer Abteilung 505, tank number 132
German Tiger 2 tank 42
German Tiger 2 tank and Bren Carrier La Gleize Belgium. Tiger of the Schwere SS Panzer-Abteilung 501. Tank number 213
German Tiger 2 tank of Schwere SS-Panzer-Abteilung 503 Berlin 1945. Tank number 101
German Tiger 2 tank of the Schwere SS Panzer-Abteilung 501 front view
German Tiger 2 tank of the Schwere SS Panzer-Abteilung 501. Road to La Gleize.
German Tiger II and Pz.Kpfw IV tanks
German Tiger II tank of the schwere panzer abteilung 509 Eastern Front 1945
GI poses by destroyed King Tiger tank 1945
GIs posing with Panzerkampfwagen Tiger Ausf. B
Heavy tank Tiger 2 on the roadside, abandoned by German forces
King Tiger 321 of the Schwere SS-Panzer-Abteilung 502 Kietz area 1945
King Tiger number 222 of the schwere SS Panzer Abteilung 501. 17 December 1944
King Tiger of Schwere SS-Panzer-Abteilung 101. France 1944
King Tiger of Schwere SS-Panzer-Abteilung 101. Tank number 105, France 1944
King Tiger of Schwere SS-Panzer-Abteilung 101. Tank number 121, France 1944
King Tiger of Schwere SS-Panzer-Abteilung 503. Pariser Strasse Berlin 1945
King Tiger of Schwere SS-Panzer-Abteilung 503. Pariser Strasse Berlin April 1945
King Tiger of Schwere SS-Panzer-Abteilung 503. Potsdamer Platz Berlin 1945
King Tiger of Schwere SS-Panzer-Abteilung 503. Potsdamer Platz Berlin 1945 2
King Tiger tank 02 with porsche turret of Panzer Kompanie (Funklenk) 316
King tiger tank 2 porsche turret, july 1944 Chateu de Canteloup, Schwere Panzerabteilung 503
king tiger tank 6
King Tiger tank in Budapest, Schwere Heeres panzer abteilung 503, 2nd company, Tank number 233. October 1944
King Tiger tank number 222 of the schwere SS Panzer Abteilung 501.
King Tiger tank of the Panzer Abteilung 505. Tank number 201.
King Tiger tank of the Schwere Heeres Panzer Abteilung 503, Hungary 1945
King Tiger tank of the Schwere Heeres Panzer Abteilung 503. Tank number 301. France 1944. Commander: Lt von Rossen
King Tiger tank of the Schwere Heeres Panzer Abteilung 505. Tank number 124.
King Tiger tank of the Schwere Heeres Panzer Abteilung 506
King Tiger tank of the Schwere Heeres Panzer Abteilung 506.
King Tiger tank of the Schwere Heeres Panzer Abteilung 506. Marmecke Germany 1944
King Tiger tank of the schwere Panzer Abteilung 503. Tank number 100 France 1944
King Tiger tank of the schwere Panzer Abteilung 503. Tank number 200 Budapest Hungary 1944
King Tiger tank of the schwere Panzer Abteilung 503. Tank number 200 Budapest Hungary 1944 2
King Tiger tank of the schwere Panzer Abteilung 503. Tank number 233 Budapest Hungary 1944
King Tiger tank of the schwere Panzer Abteilung 503. Tank number 234 Budapest 1944
King Tiger tank of the schwere Panzer Abteilung 503. Tank number 234 Budapest Hungary 1944
King Tiger tank of the schwere Panzer Abteilung 503. Tank number 314
King Tiger tank of the schwere Panzer Abteilung 503. Třeboň Czechoslovakia
King Tiger tank of the schwere Panzer Abteilung 503. Třeboň Czechoslovakia 1945 3
King Tiger tank of the schwere Panzer Abteilung 503. Třeboň Czechoslovakia 2
King Tiger tank of the Schwere Panzer-Abteilung 507. Harste April 1945
King Tiger tank of the Schwere Panzer-Abteilung 507. Osterode 1945
King Tiger tank of the Schwere SS Panzer-Abteilung 501. Tank number 008.
King Tiger tank of the Schwere SS Panzer-Abteilung 501. Tank number 105. Stavelot December 1944
King Tiger tank of the Schwere SS Panzer-Abteilung 501. Tank number 105. Stavelot December 1944 2
King Tiger tank of the Schwere SS Panzer-Abteilung 501. Tank number 105. Stavelot December 1944 3
King Tiger tank of the Schwere SS Panzer-Abteilung 501. Tank number 105. Stavelot December 1944 4
King Tiger tank of the Schwere SS Panzer-Abteilung 501. Tank number 105. Stavelot December 1944 5
King Tiger tank of the Schwere SS Panzer-Abteilung 501. Tank number 133. Ardennes
King Tiger tank of the Schwere SS Panzer-Abteilung 501. Tank number 213. La Gleize
King Tiger tank of the Schwere SS Panzer-Abteilung 501. Tank number 332. Road to La Gleize.
King Tiger tank of the Schwere SS-Panzerabteilung 503
King Tiger tank of the schwere-Panzer-Abteilung Feldherrnhalle. Lanžhot Czechoslovakia
King Tiger tank of the schwere-Panzer-Abteilung Feldherrnhalle. Mikulov Czechoslovakia 1945
King Tiger tank on the road 1944/1945
King Tiger tank with porsche turret of funklenk Schwere Panzerkompanie 316
King Tiger tank with Porsche turret of the schwere Panzer Abteilung 503. Normandy France
King Tiger tank with porsche turret of the schwere Panzer Abteilung 503. Tank number 322, Ohrdurf Germany
King Tiger tank with transport tracks 1945
King Tiger tank with zimmerit of the schwere Panzer Abteilung 503. Tank number 231
King Tiger tank with zimmerit of the schwere Panzer Abteilung 503. Tank number 231, Budapest Hungary 1944
King Tiger tank with zimmerit of the schwere Panzer Abteilung 503. Tank number 301. France 1944
King Tiger tank with zimmerit of the schwere Panzer Abteilung 503. Tank number 301. France 1944 2
King Tiger tank with zimmerit of the schwere Panzer Abteilung 503. Tank number 311, France 1944
King Tiger tank with zimmerit of the schwere Panzer Abteilung 503. Tank number 313
King tiger tank, july 1944 Chateu de Canteloup, Schwere Panzerabteilung 503
King Tiger tank, Kassel area 1945
King Tiger tank, number 312, of the schwere SS Panzer Abteilung 501
King Tiger tanks of the schwere Panzer Abteilung 503, Sennelager September 1944
King Tiger tanks with transport tracks of schwere Panzer Abteilung 503. Sennelager Germany 1944
King tiger tanks, Schwere Heeres panzer abteilung 503, 1st company, Normandy 1944
King Tiger with Porsche turret, of the 316 funklenk panzer kompanie. Chateaudun 1944
King Tiger with zimmerit of Schwere SS-Panzer-Abteilung 102. Tank number 123, France
Kink Tiger with "octopus camo" near Kassel 1945
Kink Tiger with transport tracks near Kassel
Knocked out Tiger II after the war
knocked-out King Tiger tank of the Schwere Heeres Panzer Abteilung 506.
Konigstiger
Königstiger from Schwere Panzerabteilung 503 Vimoutiers August 1944
Königstiger of the schwere Panzer Abteilung 503. Tank number 301. France 1944
Königstiger tank of the schwere Panzer Abteilung 503. Tank number 301. France 1944
Königstiger with zimmerit of Schwere SS-Panzer-Abteilung 102. Tank number 123, France
Konigstiger with zimmerit, schwere Heeres Panzer Abteilung 503, Tank number 233 Budapest Hungary 1944
Tiger 2 tank "213" from SS Panzer-Abteilung 501, rear view
Tiger 2 tank 50
Tiger 2 tank 57
Tiger 2 tank 67
Tiger 2 tank 7
Tiger 2 tank henschel turret with zimmerit
Tiger 2 tank in Russia. King Tiger belonged to the Schwere Heeres Panzer Abteilung 505
Tiger 2 tank number 121, schwere Heeres Panzer Abteilung 503, 1st company, Normandy july 1944
Tiger 2 tank of the Schwere Heeres Panzer Abteilung 506
Tiger 2 tank of the schwere panzer abteilung 509 Eastern Front 1945
Tiger 2 tank of the Schwere Panzer-Abteilung 507. Osterode 1945
Tiger 2 tank of the Schwere Panzer-Abteilung 507. Tank number 121. Germany 1945
Tiger 2 tank of the schwere Panzer-Abteilung 509. Tank number 324. Eastern Front 1945
Tiger 2 tank of the Schwere SS Panzer-Abteilung 501
Tiger 2 tank of the Schwere SS Panzer-Abteilung 501. Tank number 008.
Tiger 2 tank of the Schwere SS Panzer-Abteilung 501. Tank number 121
Tiger 2 tank of the Schwere SS Panzer-Abteilung 501. Tank number 213. La Gleize
Tiger 2 tank porsche turret 11 with zimmerit, 316 funklenk panzer kompanie. Chateaudun 1944
Tiger 2 tank porsche turret 11, 316 funklenk panzer kompanie. Chateaudun 1944
Tiger 2 tank porsche turret 2
Tiger 2 tank porsche turret number 11, 316 funklenk panzer kompanie. Chateaudun 1944
Tiger 2 tank porsche turret. Tank produced by Henschel in February 1944.
Tiger 2 tank with porsche turret
Tiger 2 tank with Porsche turret and zimmerit. Schwere Panzer-Abteilung 503 , France 1944
Tiger 2 tank with zimmerit of the schwere Panzer Abteilung 503. France 1944
Tiger 2 tank, number 312, of the 3rd company 501 SS schwere Panzer Abteilung and 82nd Airborne Division troops. Corenne Belgium Bulge 1944
Tiger 2 tanks with transport tracks of schwere Panzer Abteilung 503. Sennelager Germany 1944
Tiger II German heavy tank
Tiger II of 1/ Schwere Panzer-Abteilung 503 destroyed by internal explosion - France 1944
Tiger II of Schwere Panzer-Abteilung 503 near Vimoutiers France 1944
Tiger II of Schwere SS-Panzer-Abteilung 101. Tank number 104, France 1944
Tiger II of the Schwere SS Panzer-Abteilung 501. Tank number 204. La Gleize
Tiger II tank (Fgst.Nr. 280273) of the Schwere SS Panzer-Abteilung 501. Tank number 213. La Gleize
Tiger II tank 6
Tiger II tank captured by U.S. forces, 1945
Tiger II tank of the schwere panzer abteilung 509 Eastern Front 1945
Tiger II tank of the schwere panzer abteilung 509 Eastern Front 1945 2
Tiger II tank of the schwere panzer abteilung 509. Tank code I. Eastern Front 1945
Tiger II tank of the Schwere SS Panzer-Abteilung 501. Road to La Gleize.
Tiger II tank of the Schwere SS Panzer-Abteilung 501. Tank number 008.
Tiger II tank of the Schwere SS Panzer-Abteilung 501. Tank number 213. La Gleize 3
Tiger II tank of the Schwere SS Panzer-Abteilung 501. Tank number 213. La Gleize 4
Tiger II tank with Porsche turret of the schwere Panzer Abteilung 503. Normandy France 1944
Tiger II tank with Porsche turret, sPzAbt. 503 Le Plessis-Grimoult 1944
Tiger II with porsche turret, Schwere Heeres Panzer Abteilung 503, Ohrdurf Germany
German heavy tank Tiger II Königstiger (Bengal Tiger). The official German army designation was Panzerkampfwagen Tiger Ausf. B, shortened to Tiger B. Already in autumn of 1942 Heereswaffenamt (Army Ordnance Office) recommended to Henschel factory to work out a new type of a heavy tank which was to replace recently produced Tiger I tanks in the future. It was assumed that a new type of a tank would have an armour shaped similarly like in a Soviet tank T-34. A 8,8 cm Kwk 43 L/71 gun of caliber of 88 mm was expected to be used as basic weaponry constructed in 1941 in Krupp plants in Essen. In January 1943 it was recommended to unify a heavy tank with a medium Panther tank whose production was about to be started by MAN factory soon. At the end of 1942 Nibelunenwerke AG in Saint Valentin in Austria were also included in the program of heavy tanks development. Professor Ferdninand Porsche introduced a project of VK 4502 (P) tank which was development of the previous construction of Nibelungen plants that is a heavy tank VK 4501 (P). Similarly in the case of VK 4501 (P) a drive were two engines of total power of 670 hp that move electric power generators which deliver electric power to two electric motors. A competitive project developed by Henschel was based, to a large degree, on tested technological solutions used earlier during PzKpfw VI Tiger tank building. A tank armour was strengthened, front armour was of 150 mm thick, side armour of 80 mm and front armour of a tower as much as of 180 mm. In its appearcance the tank was much different from edgy and “boxy” Tiger I ausf E. It looked like Panther tank. The construction of Tiger II tank was in many aspects similar to the Panther tank construction. It was driven by the same motor as late serial representatives of the Panther tank but it had much less useful power/weight ratio and as a result it was slower and less maneuverable. Moreover, Tiger II was reliable, gas-guzzling and its large size caused that it was difficult to move on the battlefield and mask. Many vehicles were abandoned or destroyed by their crews due to lack of fuel. The biggest asset of Tiger II was its cannon which was able to destroy enemy tanks on great distances. All enemy tanks could be destroyed frontally at distances of up to 3000 m. The problem was that after starting a service by Tiger II large open spaces of Russia were not available for it which made German to use those tanks against their purpose. Equivalent to armament and armor, but about 20 tons lighter and more agile, would have been the Soviet IS-3, which was not used on the European battlefield. With their armament, but not the armor, the M26 Pershing and the IS-2 model 1944 were approximately equivalent. Some weaknesses of the Königstiger:
- Inadequate armor - because of the lack of molybdenum in the German war economy, this was replaced by vanadium in the alloy of Tiger II armor, which considerably reduced the toughness of the steel. In the case of hits, there was often a break in the armor and a dangerous secondary fragmentation effect in the interior, despite the nominally stronger armor.
- High weight. Many bridges were therefore impassable for him.
- Extremely high fuel consumption. This became more and more a limiting factor towards the end of the war, because the tanks were left with empty tanks and had to be given up.
- Low speed. He could not follow fast-paced associations or (at the end of the war more frequently) could not retreat in time.
- Lack of movement of the turret. If the tank was tilted, it was often not possible to turn the turret because its motorization was too weak.
- Insufficient cooling Armament: 88 mm gun KwK 43 L/71. Total production: 492 tanks
Specifications
| variant | Tiger II with Henschel turret (VK 4503) |
| crew | 5 |
| lenght | 10286 mm |
| width | 3755 mm |
| height | 3090 mm |
| combat weight | 69800 kg |
| turret weight | 13500 kg |
| ground pressure | 1,02 kg/cm2 (1,23 kg/cm2 transport tracks) |
| armor / angle: | hull:150 mm front, 100 mm front lower, 80 mm sides and rear, top and bottom: 40 mmturret:180 mm front, sides and rear: 80 mm, top: 44 mm |
| engine: | Maybach HL 230 P30, 750 hp at 3000 rpm. 12 cylinder, water-cooled, gasoline 23000 cm3. Weight: 1300 kg |
| transmission | Maybach OLVAR EG 40 12 16 B (Adler Frankfurt, Waldwerke Passau, Zahnradfabrik Friedrichshafen), 8 forward and 4 reverse |
| fuel | 860 l |
| fuel consumption (road / off road) per 100 km | 500 l / 700 l |
| tracks | Kgs 73/660/152 (transport), Kgs 73/800/152 (combat tracks) |
| max speed | 38 km/h (15 - 20 off road) |
| range | 170 km (120 km off-road) |
| grade | 35° |
| trench crossing | 2500 mm |
| vertical obstacle | 850 mm |
| fording | 1600 mm |
| ground clearance | 495 mm |
| ammunition | 84 - 86 rounds |
| secondary armament | 2-3 x MG34 (or MG42) (5850 rounds), 1 x MP40 or MP38 |
| chassis numbers | 280001 - 281493, 284001 - 284107 |
| manufacturer | Henschel und Sohn Kassel |