The Henschel design was straightforward, with a five-man crew, standard layout and engine etc. Each company's tank was derived from earlier designs, and because of this they had to stick with vertical armor plates. Two companies submitted designs for the competition, Henschel and Porsche. Work on this project was accelerated dramatically after the Soviet T-34 and KV-1 tanks were encountered that summer. However, both projects were dropped in May 1941 when a new specification for a 45 ton tank to be armed with a modified 88mm AA gun, or an equivalent weapon, was issued. So in late 1940 work on two heavy tank projects, the VK 3601 and the VK 3001, sped up. That changed in 1940.ĭuring the French campaign, the Germans found out to their dismay that the Panzer III and IV had a very hard time tackling the French heavy tanks. Work on several projects went very slowly, as the consensus among the German Panzertruppen was that the Panzer III and IV designs were adequate, and that a heavy tank was not a pressing priority. So in 1937 work began on a heavy tank to meet the need for a breakthrough tank. But there was one type of tank that had not been built or designed by then, a heavy breakthrough tank. In this doctrine light tanks such as the Panzer II were to be used for training and reconnaissance, while medium tanks like the Panzer III would be used for exploitation and pursuit after a breakthrough had occurred. The origins of the Tiger tank went back to the mid-1930s when German armored doctrine was being devised. It was because of this reputation (and Nazi propaganda) that the Tiger became possibly the most famous tank ever. The Tiger tank fought from the steppes of Ukraine to the mountainous terrain of Italy and Tunisia, all the way to the hedgerows of Normandy, picking up a fearsome reputation along the way.
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