tiger tank series

Tiger tanks were considered the best tanks of World War II. Thanks to their powerful gun and armor, they had superiority over T34 and M4 Sherman tanks. In 1941, the Germans invaded Soviet territory with Operation Barbarossa. At that time, the Germans mainly had Panzer 3 tanks. The armor protection of Panzer 3s varied between 15 and 50 mm from the A models to the J models. The main armament of Panzer 3s was a 37 mm gun in the A models and a 50 mm gun in the J models. However, Panzer 3s could not cope with Soviet T34 and KV1 tanks. The Germans could only destroy these tanks with the 88mm Flak gun.

After 1942, the Germans developed Panzer 4 tanks, increasing their armor to 80 mm and equipping them with the 7.5 cm KwK 40 gun to tackle T34 and KV tanks. However, Hitler wanted new tanks with an emphasis on firepower and armor. The Germans opened a tender for this tank, and Porsche and Henschel took on the production, creating two separate prototypes. During the testing phase, Porsche's prototype caught fire, and Henschel's prototype was accepted. The frontal armor of the Tiger 1 tank was 100 mm, the turret armor was 200 mm, and the side armor was 80 mm. The Tiger's 8.8 cm KwK 36 gun could penetrate 120 mm of armor at 500 meters.

The Tiger 1 tanks were first used in the Battle of Leningrad in 1943, showing great success against KV1 and T34 tanks. They were later used in the Battle of Kursk, where Tiger 1s could destroy T34 tanks from 1 kilometer away. Additionally, one Tiger 1 tank could single-handedly destroy ten T34 tanks. By 1944, Tiger 1 tanks fought against the Allies in France, and they could destroy M4 Sherman tanks from 1 kilometer away. However, the Tiger 1 tanks had very poor engines and consumed fuel quickly. When the engine failed, the crew could not repair the tank and had to destroy it themselves. Shermans would avoid engaging with Tigers and request air support.

When the Soviets deployed IS-2 heavy tanks, they could easily penetrate the armor of Tiger 1 tanks. By late 1944, the Germans had developed Tiger II tanks. Porsche and Henschel again took on the production, creating two different models. Porsche's Tiger II had a major flaw: its turret armor was 100 mm, and T34-85 and IS-2 tanks could penetrate this armor from the turret. Additionally, the turret's sloped design caused shells to ricochet and hit the hull's roof, penetrating the armor. However, a different turret was later installed on the Tiger II, increasing the turret armor to 180 mm and solving these issues. The Tiger II had an 8.8 cm KwK 43 gun, which could penetrate 200 mm of armor at 500 meters.

However, due to the high cost and the Allies' bombing of German factories, only 490 Tiger II tanks were produced. The Tiger II tank had the same engine as the Tiger 1 tank and was very poor. Many tanks became unusable due to technical problems before reaching the front. Tiger II tanks deployed in battlefields had superiority over most tanks, including the IS-2, and could destroy T34 tanks from 3 kilometers away. Very few Tiger II tanks were destroyed by another tank, and most were lost due to technical failures or airstrikes. While Tiger tanks were excellent in terms of armor and firepower, they were very poor in terms of engines and costs, which ultimately contributed to the Germans losing the war.