Tiger Heat: German Panzers on the Eastern Front

The manual mostly covered the maintenance of the tank however it also contained supplements, like a vehicle recognition chart, which displayed good black and white photographs and diagrams of the Allied tanks a Tiger tank crew could encounter.

The Tigerfibell also included diagrams illustrating the vulnerability of enemy tanks and the ranges at which the armour could be penetrated. There were detailed diagrams of these tanks, which revealed the vulnerable spots in the front, side and back armour. The manual stood out not just for its humorous and playful tone, but also for its striking graphic design, which ironically was inspired by the ‘degenerate’ and ‘communist’ Bauhaus school of the 1930s so detested by Nazi ideologues. Each page of the manual was printed using just black and red ink with the text broken up by illustrations, cartoons, and easy-to-read technical diagrams. It provided an influential model for future army manuals

Finally, Tigers had a successful third battle. January 12, 1943, saw the 502nd support the 96th Infantry Division opposing an attack of Russian tanks. Four Tigers destroyed twelve T-34 tanks. This forced the rest of the Soviet tanks into retreat.

January 16, 1943 the Russians finally captured their first Tiger during a German attack near the Shlisselburg on the Leningrad front. This tank was immediately delivered to the Kubinka Proving Grounds and inspected by Soviet Engineers. This meant the Soviets knew all of its secrets and could use this knowledge to build their own tanks and know the best method to attack and destroy a Tiger.

In early 1943, the Red Army had no comparable answer in terms of firepower to the Tiger and its 8.8cm KwK 36 L/56 gun or its heavy armour. For close combat, the Red Army Infantry had the PTRD-41 and PTRS-41 anti-tank rifles, which had a 4-foot barrel firing 0.57 inch or 14.5 mm shells with tungsten cores. This weapon was not able to knock out the Tiger, but, in the right hands, could destroy the tank’s optic devices or damage the suspension, slowing down its progress or immobilizing a Tiger. However, it was pretty much useless against the heavy German tanks, and later Soviet troops used captured Panzerfausts.

Artillery was the main weapon of the Red Army. Although, not all Russian artillery could penetrate Tiger’s armour. If fire was concentrated from several guns onto a single Tiger, the Tiger could be heavily damaged.

The 76.2mm ZIS-3 cannon, using anti-tank shells, could penetrate Tiger side armour at distances between 300-400 meters. The ZIS-3 could also destroy the running gear, but could not penetrate the Tiger’s frontal armour. The Tigers poor manoeuvrability aided in the use of anti-tank guns. Although it took the 85mm or 122mm A-19 cannon to destroy a Tiger at longer ranges. The Soviets made many anti-tank guns, up to 100mm in bore diameter.

When the Tiger I first appeared on the Eastern Front, the Red Army had the T-34/76 and different models of the KV-1. Until the autumn 1943, Red Army had only two types of SP guns: the SU-122 Medium Assault Gun and the SU-76 Light Self-Propelled Gun. None of these were effective against the Tiger at ranges over 500 meters. The Tiger had a great advantage over long distances. During the famous tank battle near Prokhorovka, the Soviet commanders tried to take advantage of the greater mobility of the T-34 and the assault guns by closing in to short ranges and shooting at the Tiger’s thinner side armour. The result of the battle was that the new German tanks were equal to older Soviet tanks because of the correct choice on the battlefield. This was a great manoeuvre on the part of Gen. Col. Rotmistrov and Gen Leut. Zhadov. The battle ended with almost equal losses, but the Soviets kept more tanks in reserve for a counterattack, while Germans were unable to continue with their offensive.

In February of 1944, the T-34 was rearmed with the new long-barrelled 85mm S-53 gun This was an 85mm AA gun was an anti-aircraft gun without any special modifications. In mid-1944 with 85mm ZIS-S-53. The ZiS-S-53 was a modified S-53 designed by Grabin’s Design Bureau to simplify the gun and reduce its price, while ballistic of both guns were same. This new gun could penetrate the side armour of a Tiger from 800 meters and penetrate the side of the turret from 600 meters. However, the Tiger could destroy the T-34 from 1,500 to 2,000 meters.