UBB.threads Forums General Interest Other Hobbies and Collections, like sports cars, movies, music,etc Vulnerability of the Tiger: The Soviet view

I think the Tiger model buffs will enjoy this read (u may know this article by heart, i dont know


U.S. translation of a WWII article from the Soviet Artillery Journal giving instructions for using anti-tank weapons against the German Tiger tank, Tactical and Technical Trends, No. 40, Dec. 16, 1943. At the time of publication, U.S. forces had only sporadically encountered the Tiger tank in Tunisia, Sicily, and Italy.
http://www.lonesentry.com/articles/ttt_tigervulnerability/index.html

The June 1943 issue of the Intelligence Bulletin contained a report on the new German heavy tanks encountered in North Africa, the Pz. Kw. 6 Tiger.
http://www.lonesentry.com/tigerheavytank/index.html

One more: The Tiger in Allied Intelligence
http://www.lonesentry.com/tiger_tank_intel/index.html

Thanks for posting those reports Gustavo, been a very long time so I sat down with my morning coffee and re-read them. Like the disclaimer says, right or wrong, this is what they thought would work at the time. Problem was, the Tiger was like fighting a machine that was extremely robust like fighting a U.S. P-47 or a Hellcat in the sky. You weren�t going to take it out with one shot unless it was a very lucky one. As a matter of fact, you would end up expending all or nearly all of your available ammo trying to stop it.

You also had the problem of being in range. Russian tankers and AT gunners attest to that fact, not only did you need to be in range to take a good shot but the Tiger could take you out at any time with just one. Even a near miss would kill most of an AT crew and it didn�t take pin point accuracy with the 88 to knock out Allied tanks.

War time photos show however that Allied gunners did their best to hit these soft spots and on occasion would be successful. The Germans would in turn change things like the commander�s cupola to make it more durable under fire. Pistol ports would be eliminated from turrets. Side skirts would be added to protect the space above the tracks and ultimately all hull and turret surfaces would be sloped.

In the end it would be overwhelming numbers and lack of supply that would stop the Tigers, most were ultimately abandon and disabled by their crews. Aircraft and artillery would prove to be the best tools to fight the Tiger with and that doctrine continues to this day.

Rick

Tiger durability, S24 being recovered by German crews at Kursk. I think she was hit like 650 times, finally stopped but continued to give fire support. �What did comrade say about the road wheels?!�

I think this is a close-up of S33, again, hundreds of hits ...

...S33 at the start of the following winter, still operational, a little ragged but repaired and still very much in the fight.