Tiger

[Panzer Vor!!!]

 

Today is Tiger I anniversary. 75 years ago, first Tiger I tank prototypes were demonstrated to the German high command officers, including Hitler.

After tests conducted on 20 April 1942, the Henschel prototype was chosen for series production. The decision was based on a maneuverability test, and on the fact that the Henschel prototype was more conventional, cheaper and easier to produce than the extravagant Porsche design. At the time of its introduction, and for some time afterward, the Tiger was the most powerful tank in the world. The 88 mm gun, which had 92 rounds of ammunition, was enormously formidable, and the armor ensured that any frontal shot could not penetrate. So effectively was it that the Allies had to develop special tactics to deal with it. Soon Tiger entered into serial production and first units were soon equipped with the new top of the line heavy tanks coming from the Kassel tank factory.

It was in Tunisia that the Western Allies first encountered the fearsome Tiger tank--when rounds from a 75mm artillery gun fired from a mere 50 meters away bounced off the side of the German monster. It was no wonder that the fearsome vehicle, despite its design flaws and unwieldy size, quickly gained an aura of invincibility.