The initial designation was Panzerkampfwagen VI Ausführung H (literally "armoured combat vehicle VI version H", abbreviated PzKpfw VI Ausf. H) where 'H' denoted Henschel as the designer/manufacturer. The tank was given its nickname "Tiger" by Ferdinand Porsche, and the Roman numeral was added after the Tiger II entered production. This was a problem on the Eastern Front in the muddy rasputitsa season and during periods of extreme cold. It was difficult to transport and vulnerable to immobilisation when mud, ice, and snow froze between its overlapping and interleaved Schachtellaufwerk-pattern road wheels, often jamming them solid. It was expensive to maintain, but generally mechanically reliable. The Tiger was prone to certain types of track failures and breakdowns and was limited in range by its high fuel consumption. While the Tiger I has been called an outstanding design for its time, it has also been called over-engineered, using expensive materials and labour-intensive production methods. After August 1944, production of the Tiger I was phased out in favour of the Tiger II. 1,347 were built between August 1942 and August 1944.
It gave the German Army its first armoured fighting vehicle that mounted the 8.8 cm KwK 36 gun (derived from the 8.8 cm Flak 36).
0 kommentar(er)
