Sturmmörser Tiger

Model by Thomas Hartwig, Bremen Germany.

Aside from the command versions, the Sturmtiger was the only major variant of the Tiger I to see production. Designed as a short-range heavy assault weapon to aid in city fighting, such as that encountered in Stalingrad, it arrived too late to participate in the offensive campaigns. In fact, production of such a weapon was not ordered until August 1943 by Hitler. Eighteen vehicles were converted from August to December of 1944 by Alkett at their Berlin/Spandau factory. Owing to the urgency placed on the project by Hitler, each conversion required an average of only three days.

The primary armament of the Sturmtiger was a 38cm rifled rocket launcher. This weapon had been originally designed for the German Navy by Rheinmetall Borsig for use in anti-submarine warfare. Each projectile combined a Treibsatz 4581 rocket motor with a high explosive or hollow charge (HEAT) cap. Each round weighed 726 lb. (330 kg) and was over 5 feet long (1.52 m). The crane located on the superstructure rear was used in loading these massive projectiles through an apeture in the roof. Perhaps the most unique feature of the mortar is the means of exit for the rocket exhaust gasses from the projectile. The rocket gasses could not be allowed into the fighting compartment, so they were rounted through an armored jacket surrounding the barrel with numerous exit holes surrounding the muzzle.

• Encyclopedia of German Tanks of World War II
• The Tiger Tanks

Back to Main Page