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The first prototype of VK4501(P) was completed by April 1942 and demonstrated to Hitler on his birthday. It mounted the original L/56 gun as did a further nine, completed up to October 1942. By then, comparative trials between the Henschel and Porsche prototypes revealed that the former had a much better performance so it was selected for production. The 90 remaining Porsche hulls were completed as the celebrated Ferdinand self-propelled gun. |
Click to find out how to purchase this photo. Tank Museum photo No. 2400/E/3 |
Click to find out how to purchase this photo. Tank Museum photo No. 2400/F/5 |
The name Tiger seems to have been coined around March 1942 and the matter of design was considered by a Tiger Commission in October. It was this Commission which selected the Henschel version for further development. Henschel had been working on a revised design, to carry an 88mm gun, since May 1941. |
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One unusual feature was the proposal to mount an armoured screen, 100mm thick, across the front of the tank to protect the tracks and drive sprockets. The additional weight, created by this and other changes, was permitted when it was agreed that this tank should be made capable of wading rivers. |
Click to find out how to purchase this photo. Tank Museum photo No. 0593/A/1 |
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