Sections VI.4.b "Pz. Kpfw. TIGER" and VI.4.c "Pz. Kpfw. TIGER, MODEL B (KING TIGER)" from Handbook on German Military Forces, War Department Technical Manual TM-E 30-451, March 1945. [Note: More accurate data on Tiger tank series is available in postwar publications. The following is intended as a view of Allied opinions and information on the Tiger tank series. Only a poor quality copy of the original manual was available which explains the low quality of the images.]

Section VI:  ARMORED VEHICLES
	4.  Heavy Tanks
		a.  Pz. Kpfw. PANTHER         . . .
		b.  Pz. Kpfw. TIGER (1) General.  This tank, originally the Pz. Kpfw. VI, first was encountered by the Russians in the last half of 1942, and by the Western Allies in Tunisia early in 1943. Its colloquial name, Tiger, was adopted officially in February 1944. The current version is Model E. Unlike the Panther, the Tiger is designed on familiar German lines, but all the dimensions are increased. The main armament is the 8.8 cm Kw.K. 36, which is essentially the 8.8 cm Flak 36 adapted for turret mounting. The mounting of such a heavy gun has raised considerable problems of rigidity, and consequently the hull is constructed of large plates entirely welded together. The superstructure is made up in one unit, and welded to the hull. The turret wall is made from a single large piece of armor, 82 mm thick, bent into a horseshoe shape. Further, all the armor plates are interlocked, in addition to being welded. The armor of the Tiger, at the time of its appearance, was the thickest ever to be fitted on any German tank, the front vertical plate being 102 mm thick and the hull sides 62 mm. The suspension, which employs interleaved, Christie-type bogie wheels with a very wide track, is reasonably simple and is an effective solution of the suspension problem for such a large and heavy vehicle. The Tiger engine requires very skilled driving and maintenance to get the best performance, and in the hands of insufficiently trained crews mechanical troubles are apt to appear. This characteristic has been the tank's principal disadvantage. (2) Specifications.         Model E Specification number   . . . .   Sd. Kfz. 181 Weight in action   . . . .   62.75 short tons. Crew   . . . .   5 men. Armor, Front nose plate   . . . .   102 mm at 20°.    Front glacis plate   . . . .   62 mm at 80°.    Lower nose plate   . . . .   62 mm at 60°.    Driver's front plate   . . . .   102 mm at 10°.    Hull sides   . . . .   62 mm vertical.    Superstructure sides   . . . .   82 mm vertical.    Rear plate   . . . .   82 mm at 20°   (undercut).    Turret front   . . . .   100 mm at 0° to 11°.    Turret sides and rear   . . . .   82 mm vertical. Armament (coaxially       mounted in turret)   . . . .   One 8.8 cm Kw.K. 36 (L/56). One M.G. 34.    In hull   . . . .   One M.G. 34. Dimensions, Length   . . . .   20 feet 8 1/2 inches.    (excluding gun)    Width with wide com-       bat track   . . . .   12 feet 3 inches    Width with narrow       transport track   . . . .   10 feet 4 inches.    Height   . . . .   9 feet 4 3/4 inches.    Gun overhang   . . . .   7 feet 1/2 inch.    Ground clearance   . . . .   1 foot 5 inches. Performance    Trench crossing   . . . .   10 feet.    Step   . . . .   2 feet 6 inches.    Gradient   . . . .   30°.    Fording   . . . .   Submersible to 13 feet.    Road speed   . . . .   5 miles per hour.    Cross-country speed   . . . .   5 to 10 miles per hour.    Maximum speed   . . . .   25 miles per hour.    Range on roads   . . . .   87 miles.    Range cross-country   . . . .   53 miles. Engine, Type   . . . .   Maybach HL 230 P45.    Cylinders   . . . .   V-12.    BHP   . . . .   690 HP at 3,000 rpm.    Fuel   . . . .   Gasoline.    Fuel capacity   . . . .   150 gallons (approximately). Transmission:  Maybach-Olvar preselective gearbox, hydraulically operated with eight forward speeds and four reverse. Suspension:  Front driving sprocket and rear idler. Eight load-carrying axles each with three large bogie wheels. Bogie wheels are interleaved. Torsion-bar suspension, one torsion bar per axle. Figure 102. Pz. Kpfw. "Tiger". Figure 103. Pz. Kpfw. "Tiger", Model E (Sd. Kfz. 181).
		c.  Pz. Kpfw. TIGER, MODEL B (KING TIGER) (1) General.  This tank is a development of the Tiger along the lines of the Panther and with a new main armament, the 8.8 cm Kw.K. 43 (L/71). The armor is as thick as that of the Tiger—in some parts thicker—and the improved design and the slope given to the majority of the plates (as in the Panther) give the tank vastly improved protection. The King Tiger is a tank designed essentially for defensive warfare or for breaking through strong lines of defense. It is unsuitable for rapid maneuver and highly mobile warfare because of its great weight and low speed. To accommodate the gun the turret has been made unusually long in proportion to the total length of the tank. When "buttoned up" the tank is extremely blind, and this is one of its weakest points. Since the King Tiger first appeared in August 1944 in Normandy, modifications have been made in the turret to eliminate the excessive plate-bending involved in the original construction. The King Tiger virtually is invulnerable to frontal attack, but the flanks, which are less well protected, can be penetrated by Allied antitank weapons at most normal combat ranges. (2) Specifications.       Model B Specification number   . . . .   Sd. Kfz. 182 Weight in action   . . . .   75 tons. Crew   . . . .   5 men. Armor    Front glacis plate   . . . .   150 mm at 50°.    Lower nose plate   . . . .   100mm at 50°.    Hull sides   . . . .   80 mm vertical.    Superstructure sides   . . . .   80 mm at 20°.    Rear plate   . . . .   80 mm at 25°.    Turret front   . . . .   180 mm at 10°.    Turret sides and rear   . . . .   80 mm at 20°. Armament (coaxially    mounted in turret)   . . . .   One 8.8 cm Kw.K. 43 (L/71) and one M.G. 34.    In hull   . . . .   One M.G. 34. Dimensions, Length   . . . .   23 feet 10 inches.    (excluding gun)    Width   . . . .   11 feet 11 1/2 inches.    Height   . . . .   10 feet 2 inches.    Gun overhang   . . . .   8 feet 10 inches.    Ground clearance,       Front   . . . .   1 foot 7 inches.       Rear   . . . .   1 foot 8 inches. Performance,    Road speed   . . . .   24 miles per hour.    Cross-country       speed   . . . .   9 to 10 miles per hour.    Maximum speed   . . . .   26 miles per hour.    Range on roads   . . . .   106 miles.    Range cross-country   . . . .   74 miles. Engine, Type   . . . .   Maybach HL 230 P30.    Cylinders   . . . .   V-12.    Fuel   . . . .   229 gallons.    Fuel consumption       (per 100 miles)          On roads   . . . .   213 gallons.          Cross-country   . . . .   300 gallons    BHP   . . . .   590 HP at 2,600 rpm. Transmission:  Maybach-Olvar preselector type gearbox. hydraulically operated; eight forward speeds, four reverse. Suspension:  Nine load-carrying axles each side, each carrying twin over-lapping bogie wheels. Single torsion-bar suspension. Front driving sprocket rear idler. Figure 104. Pz. Kpfw. "Tiger", Model B. Figure 105. Pz. Kpfw. "Tiger", Model B (Sd. Kfz. 182)

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