In June 1941, Hitler launched Operation Barbarossa, opening up the Eastern Front in World War II – a campaign to which more forces were committed than in any other theatre of war in history. After trials, the Henschel design was considered superior and the more practical to mass produce, largely as the Porsche VK 4501 prototype design needed large quantities of copper – a strategic war material that was in limited supply. Unlike the Panther tank, the designs did not incorporate sloped armour.

To compete, orders for a German prototype for a new tank thus required a weight increase to 45 tonnes and an increase in gun calibre to 88mm.īoth the Henschel and Porsche companies displayed designs to Hitler at his base in Rastenburg for him to inspect. The first Tiger tank prototype was scheduled to be ready for Hitler’s birthday on 20 April 1942Īfter Germany’s invasion of the Soviet Union on 22 June 1941, they were shocked to encounter Soviet T-34 medium and KV-1 heavy tanks that were far superior to anything they had available. Why was this, and did it actually deserve its legendary status? 1. However, it was the German Tiger tank that frequently ranked among the finest, being superior to British and American tanks for most of the war.

Notable tanks of the time included the German Panzer tanks, the famous Soviet T-34 tank (that proved so highly effective at the Battle of Kursk) and the US M4 Sherman tank. Despite initial progress, the full effectiveness of the tank as a weapon was not fully realised until the inter-war years, and by the onset of World War Two, the tank had become a far more efficient and deadly weapon. The tank was first used as a battlefield weapon on 15 September 1916 at Flers-Courcelette (part of the Battle of the Somme), ushering in a new era of mechanised warfare.

Modern tiger tank