Welcome back for the second tanky post! This time we are covering one of the Tier 7 German Heavy tanks, the Tiger I. Often criticized for being a fat, unarmored matchbox, I feel it is definitely in the running for strongest Tier 7 in the game. Why? Well, you will find out shortly! Enjoy!
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| Look at the glorious simplicity of this majestic beast! |
Continuing the format from last week (seems to work, not had any complaints!), we will start with some history behind this iconic piece of German hardware. Designed in 1941 to specifically combat the Russians T-34, the overall design was similar in most respects to the Panzer IV medium tank, but obviously in order to be attain its status as King of the mid-war tanks, it needed a certain... kick. That kick came in the form of a thick 100mm frontal armor plate (reaching 120mm on the turret mantlet), and the dreaded 8.8cm KwK 36 L/56. This gun was among the deadliest on the battlefields during its time, and coupled with the excellent optical equipment German tanks were equipped with it has been reported that Tigers have knocked out enemy tanks at ranges of at least 4 kilometers away. Thats insane! The armor, while seeming fairly thin for a Heavy tank, was deemed immune to the M4 Shermans gun in frontal attacks - another of its common foes.
Despite these excellent points, the Tiger I did surprisingly have an Achilles heel - it required frequent and often extensive maintenance. The engine and drive mechanism was, at the time, completely new and designed specifically for the Tiger I's requirements. This wasn't the worst part however - the suspension system designed for the Tiger was both ingenious and completely stupid. Each track was driven by 24 road wheels, overlapped of course. This meant that replacing a tyre on an inner road wheel would require the removal of up to 9 other wheels. During the Winter offensive on the eastern front these wheels would require frequent checks due to becoming caked with mud and then subsequently freezing. Some of the best crews could change a track in 20 minutes, but it usually took longer. A LOT longer.
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| A view of the Tiger I's ridiculous Road Wheel setup. |
The biggest problem faced with the production of the Tiger however, was the considerable cost attached to it. It required a huge amount of fuel to run, not to mention the initial cost of production - it was more than twice as much as it costed to produce a single Panzer IV! Only 1,347 Tiger I's were produced by the end of the war (compared to an astonishing 3,800 IS-2 tanks fielded by the Soviets). For these reasons, even though it was arguably one of the most formidable tank designs of its time, the Tiger never really had a significant impact on the war.
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| An elited Tiger I - note the unhistorical 8.8cm KwK 43 L/71 meant for the Tiger II |
In World of Tanks, the Tiger isnt nearly as infamous as it was back in the day - this is due to it facing tanks several tiers higher than the piddly Soviet T-34 or American M4; namely the Soviet IS, Chinese IS-2 and American T29 on its own tier. On unlocking the tank you should have researched every gun aside from the top 8.8cm gun, the gun you want to be using until you unlock it is the 8.8cm KwK 36 L/56 due to its superior characteristics compared to the others. Unlocking the KwK 43 L/71 will give you a considerable boost to your penetration and accuracy, while taking a small hit to rate of fire and aim time.
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| A Comparison of the two 8.8cm guns available to the Tiger I |
First thing to research would be the tracks in order to mount the sheer weight added by the turret and top gun, and from there you can go turret -> gun -> engine, or if you feel it is too sluggish you can grab the engine first. Equipment should ideally be Enhanced Gun Laying Drive too buff your accuracy, a Large Caliber Tank Gun Rammer to reduce your already ludicrous 6 second reload time on the top gun, and a Ventilation Class 3 to give a buff to your crew as a whole. Your crew will ideally want to take Sixth Sense (Commander), Preventative Measures (Driver) and Repairs on the other crew members. Second skill will ideally be Brothers in Arms to further increase your killing potential.
Playing the Tiger I might be difficult at first, but when you figure out just how absurd its gun is you will enjoy destroying many an enemy during your travels. The mobility on this thing is fantastic for a heavy, and while the top speed isn't the best, its certainly good for its tier. The turret traverse is abysmal but when coupled with track traverse it is passable. The Tiger I shines in places where it can lock down an alley and rain fat 8.8 shells on its foes. Side-scraping will allow you to survive longer and also hide your Lower Front Plate - one of your biggest weak points. Why is it a weak point? For the same reason its a weak point on the Panther - frontal hits in your LFP will usually hit your front mounted transmission and set your tank on fire - Fire Extinguishers are certainly worth the investment when driving this tank!
I hope this has convinced you guys to look into the Tiger I as a Tier 7 heavy, and hopefully earn it a permanent spot in your garage like mine! I just love how strong it performs due to being underestimated :3
Next week you can look forward to an article on the Soviet T-34! Until then, keep your LFP hidden and rain some hell! <3
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