BWPicPzVITiger

Even since Barbarossa began in June of 1941, Soviet tanks,
particularly the T-34 and KV-1 medium and heavy tanks had woefully
outclassed Germany's panzers. Germany, with development and
deployment of the Panzer VI, finally, in 1943, possessed the trump
card to the previously dominant Russian tanks; as the Tiger held
advantages over its Soviet made peers in both firepower and armored
protection. The Tiger represented the German army's first heavy tank
and went on to craft a ferocious reputation during the war.

The Tiger's deadly reputation primarily came from its main gun: the
dreaded 88mm high-velocity cannon. The 88mm gun, infamous as
Germany's pre-eminent anti-tank weapon, gave the Tiger the
firepower to penetrate any enemy tank at stand off ranges, meaning
before an opposing tank could effectively engage the Tiger's massive
100mm thick frontal armor. Weighing in at 56 tons, the Tiger was the
largest tank on the battlefield any time it was present.

The Tiger, for all the attention given to its hitting power, also
possessed notable technological innovations, including a hydraulically
activated power traverse system operated by the gunner. The gunner
merely needed to press on a rocker plate, similar to a brake or
accelerator in a car, to traverse the turret. The gunner could rotate
the turret a full 360 degrees in only one minute with the pressure
applied dictating the direction the turret traversed.

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