Tankopedia
WW2HeavyHeavy TankGermany

Tiger II (Konigstiger)

In service 1944 - 1945

The heaviest German tank to see mass service, combining Panther-style sloped armour with the long 88.

Built byHenschel & Sohn

Tiger II (Konigstiger)
Tiger II (Königstiger) in France, Bundesarchiv Bild 101I-721-0398-21A — Wagner, via Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0 de

Development history

The Tiger II married sloped frontal plates to the formidable KwK 43, a gun that could destroy almost any Allied tank far beyond its own effective return range. The price was 70 tonnes on a drivetrain designed for far less, giving chronic final-drive failures, bridge and rail difficulties and appalling fuel consumption. It appeared in small numbers in Normandy, the Ardennes and Hungary, where fuel shortages often decided its fate.

Variants

One canonical record, 3 recorded variants.

  1. Turm Porsche (VK 45.02 turret)

    1944

    First 50 hulls with the curved-front turret prone to shot deflection into the roof.

  2. Turm Henschel

    1944

    Flat 185 mm turret front, improved ammunition stowage.

  3. Jagdtiger

    1944

    Casemate tank destroyer on a stretched hull with a 128 mm PaK 44.

Notable actions

  • Normandy (1944)
  • Operation Market Garden area fighting (1944)
  • Ardennes Offensive (1944-45)
  • Battle of Berlin (1945)