Tiger Tank Panzer VI Rc Model WW2 SS T Shirt

 "PANZER VI TIGER" t shirt.  The Panzerkampfwagen VI Tiger I the most popular German panzer of World War II.

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T-34 vs Tiger The Greatest Tank Battle "THE LAST CITADEL" Book Review
The lengendary Tiger tank...Hitler's invincible weapon of the World War 2 battlefield. So superior to all other tanks of the enemy that the Battle of Kursk was delayed to allow the Tiger 1 to spearhead the attack that would drive the Red Army back and bring victory back to the Germans on the eastern front...or so they hoped. "The Last Citadel" by David L Robbins is a fictional novel based on this premise and this is my review.

The Last Citadel by David L Robbins, is a fictional book based on historical events surrounding the epic tank battle at Kursk Russia in 1943 during WWII.  The German forces were bogged down by the Russian winter, the Russian victory at Stalingrad and then the subsequent spring rain and mud.  In the summer of 1943 the Germans had amassed a huge force to attack Russia and regain lost ground.  This would lead to the largest tank battle in history and also lends a dynamic backdrop to this book.  There are 4 main characters that drive this story.  The first is a Spanish officer Captain Luis Ruiz de Vega serving with the SS Liebstandarte Panzer Division. 

He was wounded in the Battle of Leningrad and is but a shell of his former greatness. The next 3 are all from the same Russian Cossack family. Dimitri Berko, a private driving the T-34 in the Soviet 3rd Mechanized Division.  He is commanded by Sergeant Valentin Berko, Dimitri's son, and Katya Berkovna, Dimitri's daughter, a night bomber with the famous all-female bomber squadrons of the Red Air Force, so-called the Night Witches by the Germans that they bomb.  The 3 main story lines follow de Vega being assigned to escort the new super panzer of the German Army, the Tiger 1 Panzerkampfwagen VI, via train to the front and assure that the Tigers are delivered intact.  He then starts itching for action to command one of the Tigers at the Battle of Kursk. 

He soon realizes how the Tiger is most effective in battle.  With Demitri and son Valentin in the same T-34 there is much of the father/son tension along with the tank battles that ensue.  The author keeps all entities separate into what seems like 3 different stories revolving around the build up to the tank battle at Kursk.  Each character has there own well detailed back stories that are fleshed out through memories, flashbacks and boastful story telling during the breaks in the battles.  The best aspect of this book is the historical detail and accuracy of the Tiger tank and the Battle of Kursk.  This book was very close to being non-fiction in the level of detail, but also very engrossing character development.  After reading about David L Robbins amount of research that was conducted, I knew just how realistic this book was.  He had spent 3 weeks on the battlefields of Kursk in the middle of summer getting a feel for the heat and sun of the Russian steppes.  He also trained in how to derail a train using explosives as the Partisan Russian fighters attempted in stopping the shipment of the Tiger tanks in the story.  Time was also spent in pouring over accounts from German and Russian tankers’ first hand battle accounts.  "Hands on" equipment training was given to him ranging from small arms to the tanks at the Aberdeen Ordinance Museum in Maryland and being taken around in a restored Russian T-34 in Virginia.  David L Robbins certainly did his homework for this book and you will feel it when you read it.  This is a must read for any Tiger 1 fan and any WWII fan in general.

The Most Valuable Tank in the German Wehrmacht of World War 2

During WWII the German Army (Heer) had revolutionized the use of armored warfare by using their "panzers" to concentrate a large number of units to strike a spearhead through the enemy's defensive lines. Much of armored combat tactics, prior to the invasion of Poland in 1939, had used the tanks sparingly spread out across wide lines making them ineffective. With the added implementation of the Luftwaffe (Air Force) to attack ground based targets and support the German panzers, the "Blitzkrieg" (Lightning War) was conceived. Now having said all that about the "Blitzkrieg", the panzers were of course used in a defensive manner. As the war turned in favor of the Allies, the Germans started defending the territory they had gained, then subsequently lost and eventually had to defend the "Fatherland" of Germany itself.

So, I ask the question...what was the single most important panzer tank used by the Germans during WWII? We all know of the terrifying Tiger 1 and the Panther, but what of the Panzerkampfwagen I, II, III or IV? Let's start with the Panzerkampfwagen VI...the "Tiger".
The Tiger made a psychological impact on the morale of the enemy due to its long range lethal 88mm gun and the heavy frontal armor (120mm), which made it seem indestructible. The Tiger was too massive at 56 tons and no sloping armor like the Panther tank which allowed the weight to be much lower. Only about 1350 produced, but started in 1942 and the majority late in the war... too late and too costly.

The Panther was considered the greatest tank the Germans had by many military experts, but the initial action was bogged down by mechanical problems and fires. After those bugs were worked out the Panther went on to have about 6,557 tanks produced. The Panther had better frontal armor than the Tiger, due to the sloping, and was speedier and handled rough terrain better as it was much lighter at 44 tons. The Panther had its debut at the Battle of Kursk in 1943 starting with 84 working Panthers. Within two days, the number of working Panthers had dropped to 40 due to breakdowns and enemy action. From then on the Panther was always outnumbered and never had the chance to really make a significant impact.
The Pzkpfw IV production was just under the III's with 13,522, it was the only tank to be manufactured during the entirety of the war. The Panzerkampfwagen IV started off with a 50mm gun, then had to match the Russian threat from the T-34's and KV-1's that were encountered in 1941 for the first on the Eastern front and had to upgrade to the 75mm gun. The Panzer IV was and all around "workhorse" for the Germans and was in many of the major skirmishes in all theaters of operations.

The Panzer III's had 16,409 produced but were medium panzers that kept getting firepower upgrades to keep up with the Russian tanks like the T-34.

The I and II's had a valuable impact in the early stages, but were quickly outclassed by the T-34's.

My vote would go to the Panzer IV for the most important tank to the Germans in World War 2. The Panzer IV was much like the Allies' Sherman or the T-34 tanks, where vast numbers overwhelmed the high quality, low quantity German panzers. The Panzer IV was improved with each version, except near the end of the war, where resources were limiting performance upgrades. Had the Germans "cranked" out more of the IV's, they would have had more spare parts, lower costs, higher rate of production and just more tanks to wage war.

More information on the Tiger 1:

The German heavy panzer used in World War 2 was the PzKpfw VI.  The first official German designation was Panzerkampfwagen VI Ausfhrung H however the panzer was re-designated as Panzerkampfwagen VI Ausf. E in March 1943. The panzer also had the ordnance inventory designation SdKfz 181.

The Tiger tank was to be fielded by the Germans from late 1942 and all the way up until the surrender in 1945. It was given its “Tiger” nickname by Ferdinand Porsche (the Roman numeral was added after the Tiger II was manufactured). The design served as the basis for other armored vehicles, the Sturmtiger heavy self-propelled gun and the Bergetiger armored recovery vehicle.  Tigers were capable of destroying the American M4 Sherman tank or British Churchill tank IV at ranges exceeding 2,000 m. In contrast, the Soviet T-34 utilizing with the 76.2 mm gun could not penetrate the Tiger 1 frontally at any range, but could attain a side penetration at just about 500 m firing the BR-350P APCR ammunition. The T34-85 tank 85 mm gun could penetrate the Tiger from the side at about range 1,000 m. The IS-2’s 122 mm gun could destroy the Tiger tank at ranges beyond 1,000 m.  From a 30 degree angle of attack the M4 Sherman tank’s 75 mm gun could not penetrate the Tiger tank frontally at any range, and needed to be within 100 m to achieve a side penetration against the 80mm upper hull superstructure. The British 17-pounder as used on the Sherman Firefly, firing its normal APCBC ammunition, could penetrate frontally out to over 1,000 m. The US 76 mm gun, if firing the APCBC M62 ammunition, could penetrate the Tiger frontally out to just over 500 m, and could be at ranges in excess of 1,000 m to achieve penetration against the upper hull superstructure. Using HVAP ammunition, which was in constant sparse supply and primarily issued to tank destroyers, frontal penetrations were possible out to just over 1,500 m. It is worth mentioning that many of the penetration capabilities at longer ranges had little relevance compared to combat engagements of the real war, especially that which was fought in Western Europe, where tank battles seldom happened outside of one kilometer due to scattering and chance for human mistake, which is amplified greatly as range increases regardless of the ability of any cannon. For example, while a 17pdr could penetrate the front armor of a PzKpfw VI at one kilometer in tests, during actual combat, a 17pdr gunner would probably never find himself in a position to actually attempt such a feat.

As range gets smaller in combat, all guns can penetrate additional armor (with the exception of HEAT ammunition, which was rare in WW2). The great penetrating power of the Tiger tank’s 88mm gun meant that it could destroy many of its opponents at ranges at which they could not respond. In open terrain, this was a major tactical advantage. Opposing tanks were often forced to make a flanking attack in order to knock out a Tiger.

The Panzerkampfwagen VI was first used in action in September 1942 near Leningrad. Under pressure from Hitler, the panzer was put into action months earlier than planned and many early models proved to be mechanically fragile. In its first action on 23 September 1942, many of the first Tiger tanks broke down. Others were taken out by dug-in Red Army anti-tank guns. One panzer was captured largely intact, which gave the Soviets a chance to study the tank and prepare a response.

In the Tiger tank’s beginning actions in North Africa, the panzer was able to master Allied tanks in the open terrain. Notwithstanding, mechanical failures meant that there were rarely more than a few in action. In a replay of the Leningrad experience, at least one Tiger tank was knocked out by towed British six-pounder antitank guns.

The panzer’s extreme weight limited the bridges it could cross and made drive-throughs of buildings, which may have had basements, hazardous. Another weakness was the slow traverse of the hydraulically-operated turret. The turret could as well be passed over manually, but this choice was seldom used.

Early Tiger tanks had a top speed of about 45 km/h over optimal terrain. This was not recommended for normal operation, and was discouraged in training. Crews were told to not exceed 2600RPM due to reliability problems of the early Maybach engines at their maximum 3000RPM output. To combat this, the Tiger’s top speed was reduced to about 38km/h through the installation of an engine governor, capping the RPM of the Maybach HL 230 to 2600rpm (HL 210s were used on early models). Despite being slower than medium tanks of the time, which averaged a top speed of about 45 km/h, the Tiger still had a very respectable speed for a tank of its size and weight, being nearly twice as heavy as a Sherman tank or Red Army T-34 tank. The Tiger tank had reliability problems throughout its service life; Tiger tank units frequently entered combat understrength due to breakdowns. It was rare for any Tiger tank unit to complete a road march without losing vehicles due to breakdown. The tank also had poor radius of action (distance a combat vehicle can travel and return, in normal battle conditions, without refueling). Due to its very wide tracks, the Tiger had a lower ground pressure bearing than many smaller tanks, the most notable exception being the Russian T-34 tank.

The Tiger tank’s armor and firepower, however, were feared by all its opponents. In tactical defense, its bad mobility was less of an issue. Whereas Panthers were the more serious threat to Allied tanks, Tigers had a bigger psychological effect on opposing crews, causing a “Tiger phobia”. Allied tankers would sometimes evade rather than confront a Tiger, even a tank that only looked like one, such as the Panzer IV with turret skirts applied. In the Normandy campaign, it could take four to five Shermans to knock out a single Tiger tank by maneuvering to its weaker flank or rear armour; the Russian T-34s fared similarly against the German panzers, as had the German Panzer III earlier against the Red Army heavy tanks. An accepted Allied tactic was to engage the Tiger tank en masse, one attracting the attention of the Tiger crew while the others attacked the sides or rear of the vehicle. Since the ammunition and fuel were stored in the sponsons, a side penetration often resulted in a kill. This was a risky tactic, and often resulted in the loss of several Allied vehicles. It took a great deal of tactical skill to eliminate a Tiger tank.

Tiger tanks were usually employed in separate heavy panzer battalions (schwere-Panzer-Abteilung) under army command. These battalions would be deployed to critical sectors, either for breakthrough operations or, more typically, counterattacks. A few favored divisions, such as the Grossdeutschland or some of the low-numbered Waffen-SS divisions had a handful of Tiger tanks. The Tiger tank was originally designed to be offensive penetrating tank but by the time they came into action, the military situation had changed dramatically, and their main use was on the defensive as mobile artillery. Unfortunately this also meant racing the Tigers constantly from location to location causing excessive mechanical problems. As a result there are nearly no instances where a Tiger Battalion went into combat at anything close to full strength. Furthermore, against the Soviet and Western Allied production numbers, even a 10:1 kill ratio would not have been sufficient for the Tiger tanks. Some Tiger tank units did exceed the 10to1 kill ratio, including 13. Kompanie/Panzer-Regiment Grossdeutschland (16.67:1), schwere SS-Panzer-Abteilung 103 (12.82:1) and schwere Panzer-Abteilung 502 (13.08to1). These numbers must be set against the opportunity cost of building the expensive Tiger tank. Every Tiger tank built cost as much as four Sturmgeschutz III assault guns.

On 7 July 1943, a single Tiger tank commanded by SS-Oberscharfuhrer Franz Staudegger from the 2nd Platoon of 13th Panzer Company of 1st SS Division Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler battled a group of about 50 Russian T-34 tanks around Psyolknee (the southern sector of the German salient in the Battle of Kursk). Staudegger used all his ammunition in destroying 22 Soviet tanks, while the rest retreated. For this, Staudegger was awarded the Knight’s Cross.

On 8 August 1944, a lone Tiger commanded by SS-Unterscharfuhrer Willi Fey from the 1st Company of sSSPzAbt 102, engaged a British tank column, destroying some 14 out of 15 Sherman tanks, followed by one more later in the day using his last two shells. sSSPzAbt 102 lost all of its Tiger tanks during fighting in Normandy, but reported 227 Allied tanks destroyed in six weeks.

The Tiger tank is particularly affiliated with SS Haupsturmfurher Michael Wittmann of schwere SS-Panzerabteilung 101. He worked his way up, commanding assorted vehicles and then finally a Tiger I. In the Battle of Villers-Bocage, he destroyed over two dozen Allied vehicles including several tanks; and single-handedly defied the advance of the entire 7th Armored Division until his panzer was knocked out and deserted.

Over ten Tiger panzer commanders had over 100 vehicle kills on their account, including: Kurt Knispel with 168 kills, Otto Carius with 150+ kills, Johannes Boumllter with 139+ kills, and Michael Wittmann with 138 kills.