WWII Rare Footage of German Heavy Panzerkampfwagen Tiger Tank

Bundesarchiv - CC BY-SA 3.0
Bundesarchiv - CC BY-SA 3.0

The Tiger Tank was without a doubt the most feared tank by the Allied forces during the Second World War. The thing that made this tank be feared and respected was the 88mm gun which could destroy a Sherman tank at ranges up to 3600 yards. Far beyond the range of the guns mounted on the Allied tanks. Thus before an Allied tank had a to be well inside the range of a Tiger before it had any chance to destroy it.

Designer Ferdinand Porsche gave the tank the name Tiger which was a lot shorter than the official German designation: Panzerkampfwagen VI Ausführung H or E (later in the war).

The Tiger Tanks were first deployed in 1942 when they were used in North Africa against the American and British forces. Subsequently, they saw action on all fronts until the very days of the war.

After their first encounters on the battlefield, Allied tank crews reported virtually every tank they encountered as a Tiger Tank, which was unlikely because the Germans only managed to build 1,347 before production stopped in August 1944.

The Tiger Tanks were well ahead of any tanks the Allied forces had in their inventory, but they were not without flaws. The tanks were over-engineered, used expensive materials and were very labour-intensive to build. When it broke down, it was difficult and expensive to fix.

Some of the tracks used were prone to break, and its high fuel consumption made it a strain on the already bad fuel situation for Nazi Germany.

After the war had ended, the remaining Tigers Tanks were scrapped and now very few remain. Only a handful can be seen in museums and even fewer survive outside as monuments.

At this time there is only one Tiger left in running order; The Bovington Tank Museum in the United Kingdom has Tiger 131 which is the star of many tank-shows and has been used in the 2015 movie “Fury.”

https://youtu.be/SYMYdVt_CTE

Joris Nieuwint

Joris Nieuwint is a battlefield guide for the Operation Market Garden area. His primary focus is on the Allied operations from September 17th, 1944 onwards. Having lived in the Market Garden area for 25 years, he has been studying the events for nearly as long. He has a deep understanding of the history and a passion for sharing the stories of the men who are no longer with us.

@joris1944 facebook.com/joris.nieuwint