Background
Tiger! Tiger! Burning bright,
In the Forest of the night,
What immortal hand or eye,
Could frame thy fearful symmetry?
- William Blake 1757 Ð 1827
The Pzkpfw VI Ausf B Tiger IT, at just over 70 tons, was a
massive and formidable fighting machine. Designed to
dominate the battlefield, it did that successfully provided it was
deployed so that its hard-hitting 8.8cm Kwk 431L71 could bring
its devastating power to bear while keeping its adversaries out of
reach.
It was the heaviest, best-protected, most powerfully armed tank
of WWIT and its armour and firepower would measure up well
to main battle tank standards of today.
Known also as the Konigstiger, or to the Allies as the "Royal
Tiger", it inherited, by merit of its very name, the fearsome
reputation already established by the Tiger I, with the added
factor of being known to be bigger, better armed and more
impregnably armoured.
"Tigerschreck"
The choice of the name Tiger for their most hard hitting and
deadly tanks was a masterstroke on the part of the
Heereswaffenamt - a name with powerful connotations, and able
to trigger deep primal fears. Who, on coming close even to a
captive tiger, has not felt awe and a certain apprehension in its
presence?
To the Allied tank crews, at a disadvantage from the outset with
their inferior equipment, it was all too easy to see the Tiger tank
as a symbol of invincibility. It became a Chimera, an obsession,
from the days of early encounters, where, in their anxiety, every
enemy tank was seen as a Tiger.
The obsession persisted as late in the war as the Ardennes
Offensive. There, the sound and fury of the Battle Group
Peiper's Konigstigers, crashing from the woods to overwhelm
their defences, shook American soldiers. "Paralysing", is how
one young American soldier describes the feeling of seeing a
Konigstiger charging from cover with its gun barking and
machine guns blazing.
Such was the power of the Tiger to intimidate that although their
numbers were reported to be in scores, Pz Abteilung 501 serving
with Peiper's Battle Group had barely a dozen effectives in any
one place at any time.
"Panzerschreck", the Germans called it. Tiger obsession, or
worse, Tiger neurosis, became a problem for the Allied
command, especially when previously reliable tank crews
refused to confront a known Tiger presence as happened in Italy.
Crews had to be given assurances they would have
overwhelming superiority in numbers for any given attack - a
situation the Tiger could not handle. Caught in a close range
dogfight, it was a case of the Bear brought to bay by the Wolf
Pack. Close air support especially was promised - a factor that
largely negated the battle record of the big, slow tanks and
resulted in their heavy losses.
Armour & Armament
On the Tiger IT the turret front armour was 180mm thick and
inclined at ten degrees from the vertical. It was compounded
with a specially designed mantlet which was immune to
penetration or jamming.
The glacis plate was 150mm thick and inclined at fifty degrees.
There is no evidence that this frontal armour was ever
penetrated in battle. Even the deadly British 17 pounder, which
when using a special APDS ammunition theoretically capable of
penetrating the Tiger 11frontal armour, could not do so. Lower
front hull armour was 100mm thick and inclined at an angle of
fifty degrees from vertical. Even side and rear armour protection
was sufficient to eliminate any serious threat from American
75mm or Russian 75mm anti tank guns.
The long and powerful Krupp 88mm Kwk 431L71 could
outrange and outshoot the main armament of nearly all Allied
tanks. Also, it was a very accurate gun, capable of first round
hits at well over 1000 metres range.
Print Specifications
Main Print:
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"KING TIGERS in ACTION"
Limited Edition
Limited to 240 Prints, Certificate of Authenticity provided
Full colour, 930mm (width) x 690mm (height)
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"KING TIGERS in ACTION"
Limited Edition Print
signed by Artist and numbered
Limited to 200 Editions
Price: US$130.00 plus shipping
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"KING TIGERS in ACTION"
Limited Edition Print
signed by Artist and numbered
Limited to 20 Proofs
Price: US$195.00 plus shipping
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"KING TIGERS in ACTION"
Limited Edition Print
signed by Artist and numbered
Limited to 20 Remarques
Price: US$250.00 plus shipping
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