PeKo Publishing Panzerkampfwagen Tiger Ausf.B

[Mike]

Panzerkampfwagen Tiger Ausf.B

Construction & Development

Peko Publishing

 

 

The longwinded proper description of the Tiger II, King Tiger, Sd.Kfz.182, or Konigstiger as it is sometimes otherwise known might leave some potential readers a little confused, but the picture underneath the title leaves no doubt whatsoever that this is a book about the King Tiger.  The subtitle is the Construction & Development, and this is exactly what the book is about.  It arrives in a hard cover with 236 pages of glossy paper inside.  Authored by Alexander Volgin, it is a detailed technical reference of the design history, construction methods and manufacturing of the largest and heaviest tank that saw service in WWII.

 

The text starts with the gestation of the type, and traces its roots back to 1941, and the back-and-forth that led to the final design, after which it moves on to discuss the manufacturing in great detail, using German technical documentation, Allied forensic opinion, and lots of unusual photos from the factories that show the process in-depth, many of which I haven't seen before.  There are also many technical drawings and general arrangement sketches relevant to the text surrounding them.

 

 

The initial production is described in detail in chapter 3, and the adjustments to the design are noted in chapter 4, based upon their experience in the field.  The problem there was that the whole drivetrain was over-taxed due to the massive increase in weight during design, which was at the heart of the vehicle, so extremely difficult to remedy.  Fortunately for the Allies it was never satisfactorily resolved, which led to many King Tigers being abandoned due to breakdowns, rather than enemy action that would have cost lives and tanks.  There were other factors holding back production such as the wholesale destruction of Nazi manufacturing by Allied bombers during this period, which is also touched upon, showing some of the factories and the state they were left in after carpet bombing missions by the USAF and RAF.

 

 

When Allied command heard of the new tank with the 88mm high velocity main gun there were attempts to find out as much about it as they could, which continued after the war with extensive testing of captured examples.  The Field Trials section contains information gleaned from these tests, and there are a number of interesting pictures of the vehicles used, as well as some of the weapons tests that were conducted against the armour, with each type of round used being assessed for potency and effectiveness.  Tests of the KT's gun were also conducted against their own armour, showing the some catastrophic damage to a Russian IS-3 that was probably kept very quiet at the time.

 

The final page gives a list of references that were used in compiling this very useful volume.

 

 

Conclusion

This is a serious book about the King Tiger, and isn't just about the pictures.  There is a lot to read, some of which is quite technical, so will keep you entertained for a while.  The photos, diagrams and drawings are of great interest to armour aficionados, and whether you're a modeller or not, it will be a good read.

 

 

Review sample courtesy of