20230422 (12)_131_Tiger_I
Titular star of The Tank Museum's Spring Tiger Day 2023 awaiting action in its normal place in the museum. For all its huge size compared to nearly any other WWII tank it looks a balanced machine with the turret slightly forward of the mid position, proportionately broad tracks and the massive 88mm gun also matching the remainder of the structure. Despite older historians' dismissal of the Tiger as slow, heavy, unmanoeuvrable and unreliable it is now known that it was barely slower than a Sherman, had better cross-country performance with lower ground pressure, could turn in place due to its advanced steering and on top of all this provided the driver was well-trained problems with the drive train (source of the alleged unreliability) were unlikely. Truly a dangerous opponent: luckily the complexity and cost kept production to a total of less than 2,000 while the Allies churned out Shermans and T-34s by the tens of thousands.
20230422 (12)_131_Tiger_I
Titular star of The Tank Museum's Spring Tiger Day 2023 awaiting action in its normal place in the museum. For all its huge size compared to nearly any other WWII tank it looks a balanced machine with the turret slightly forward of the mid position, proportionately broad tracks and the massive 88mm gun also matching the remainder of the structure. Despite older historians' dismissal of the Tiger as slow, heavy, unmanoeuvrable and unreliable it is now known that it was barely slower than a Sherman, had better cross-country performance with lower ground pressure, could turn in place due to its advanced steering and on top of all this provided the driver was well-trained problems with the drive train (source of the alleged unreliability) were unlikely. Truly a dangerous opponent: luckily the complexity and cost kept production to a total of less than 2,000 while the Allies churned out Shermans and T-34s by the tens of thousands.