Variants of the Tiger

Including the Tiger II

Of all the tanks produced by the Germans during World War II, the Tiger is probably the most famous. Mounting the dreaded "88" which was used so effectively by Rommel against the British infantry tanks, and armored to withstand any allied anti-tank gun, the Tiger inspried fear in opposing crews. The Tiger I was designed before the advantages of sloped armor had been realized by the Germans, and it was far from a perfect vehicle. Yet the Tiger had a psychological effect which went far beyond its capabilities. To green troops, every German tank became a "Tiger."

The Tiger II was developed as a replacement for the Tiger I heavy tank. It used a larger, more-powerful 8.8cm gun. Sloped armor was also integrated into the design. Numerous examples were encountered by the Allies in Normandy.

Very few variants of the Tiger I and Tiger II were produced (though there are numerous "paper projects"). There were, however, numerous prototypes which led up to to the Tiger I and Tiger II. Therefore this section will tend to focus on prototype designs more than some of the other sections of this page.

VK 4502(P), Panzerkampfwagen "Tiger" P2