Jagdtiger
| Panzerjäger Tiger Ausf. B | |
|---|---|
Jagdtiger s/n 305020, while displayed at the U.S. Army Ordnance Museum's former site at Aberdeen, Maryland (2008)
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|
| Type | Heavy tank destroyer |
| Place of origin | Nazi Germany |
| Production history | |
| Manufacturer | Nibelungenwerk (Steyr-Daimler-Puch) |
| Produced | 1944–1945 |
| No. built | 70-88 |
| Specifications | |
| Weight | 71.7 tonnes (158,000 lb) (Henschel suspension) |
| Length | 10.65 m (34 ft 11 in) including gun |
| Width | 3.6 m (11 ft 10 in) |
| Height | 2.8 m (9 ft 2 in) |
| Crew | Six |
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| Armor | (Casemate) 250 mm (9.84 in) (Hull) 150mm (5.90 in) (Side) 80mm (3.14 in) (Rear) 80mm (3.15 in) |
|
Main
armament |
1 × 12.8 cm PaK 44 L/55 |
|
Secondary
armament |
1 × 7.92 mm Maschinengewehr 34 |
| Engine | V-12 Maybach HL 230 P30 700 PS (690 hp, 515 kW) |
| Power/weight | 9.8 PS (7.2 kW) / tonne |
| Suspension | torsion bar |
|
Operational
range |
Road: 120 km (75 mi) |
| Speed | 34 km/h (21 mph) |
Road: 120 km (75 mi)
Jagdtiger ("Hunting Tiger") is the common name of a German heavy tank destroyer of World War II. The official German designation was Panzerjäger Tiger Ausf. B as it was based on a lengthened Tiger II chassis. The ordnance inventory designation was Sd. Kfz. 186. The 71-tonne Jagdtiger was the heaviest armored fighting vehicle used operationally during World War II and is the heaviest armored vehicle of any type to achieve series production. The vehicle carried a 128 mm PaK 44 L/55 main gun, capable of out-ranging and defeating any Allied tank. It saw service in small numbers from late 1944 to the end of the war on both the Western and Eastern Front. Although 150 were ordered, only between 70 and 88 were produced. Due to an excessive weight, the Jagdtiger was continuously plagued with mechanical problems. Today, three Jagdtigers survive in museums.
With the success of the StuG III, Marder I, Marder II, and Marder III in the tank destroyer role, the military leadership of Nazi Germany decided to use the chassis of existing armored fighting vehicles as the basis for self-propelled guns. German tank destroyers of World War II used fixed casemates instead of moveable turrets to significantly reduce the cost, weight, and materials used for mounting large caliber guns.
In early 1942, a request was made by the Army General Staff to mount a 128 mm gun on a self-propelled armored chassis. On 18 May 1942, Adolf Hitler ordered that the 128 mm gun be utilized in the tank destroyer role, rather than for infantry support. Firing tests of the 128 mm gun showed it to have a high percentage of hits; smaller caliber guns, such as the 88 mm and 105 mm, were also tested.
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