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This Tiger, first introduced on the
Eastern Front in the winter of 1943-44, weighs 75 tons in action (more
than 66 British tons). Just as important as the gun to the Royal Tiger's
combat efficiency is its new armor, which is sloped for added resistance
to armor-piercing projectiles.
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As in the case of all recent German
tanks, the tracks of the Royal Tiger are very wide -- 2
feet 8 1/2 inches. This not only lessens the
likelihood of serious damage by a single mine, but means that the weight
is so distributed that the tank can climb a 35-degree slope
or a 2-foot 9-inch step, and can ford streams
5 feet 9 inches deep. The Royal Tiger can do 24
miles an hour on roads, but only 9 to 12 miles an hour in cross-country
travel.
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For close-in defense, the Royal Tiger
has a coaxial 7.92-mm machine gun next to the 88, and another
in the hull. An anti-aircraft machine-gun mounting is fitted on top of the
commander's cupola. The crew of five (the commander, gunner, loader, who
are in the turret, and the driver and radio operator, who are in the front
of the hull) have only one pistol port. This port is in the door in the
rear of the turret, and consists of a conical plug closed by a chain. If
the crew find it necessary to open hatches for observation or to use small
arms.
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The
well-armored Royal Tiger is better armed than the standard Tiger. The Model
43 88 has a length of 71 calibers (71 times 88 mm), as compared with 56
calibers for the older Tiger's KwK 36. The Model 43 has a muzzle velocity of
2,460 feet per second with high explosive, and as much as 3,708 feet per
second with armor-piercing rounds. Since the time of flight of an
armor-piercing round at a range of 2,200 yards is 2.2 seconds or less,
accuracy and correction of fire against moving targets is greater than with
older tank and antitank guns. |
