German heavy tank destroyer Panzerjäger Tiger Ausf.B Jagdtiger COBI 2733 - World War II 1:48

Did you know:

• "A luxury we can't afford." That’s how German generals referred to the heavy tank behind Hitler’s back, who insisted on developing bigger and more powerful weapons.
• The Jagdtiger, built on the chassis of the Tiger II tank, was the heaviest and best-armored tank to reach mass production. By 1944, however, the Third Reich no longer had sufficient resources to produce such giants, resulting in a total of just 88 units built.
• Slow and clumsy, the tank was still a feared opponent. While the Jagdtiger destroyed its enemies from distances of up to 3.5 km, it could withstand fire from point-blank range.
• Combat operations of the Jagdtiger were significantly limited by a lack of fuel, as the tank consumed approximately 1000 liters per 100 km.
• The real threat to the German tank destroyer came primarily from Allied aircraft and their 30 mm cannons capable of penetrating the 40 mm roof armor.
• Interestingly, each tank was delivered with two types of tracks. The narrow 660 mm tracks were intended exclusively for loading onto railcars and for transportation to the front. The wider 800 mm tracks were used for actual movement. Due to the vehicle’s heavy weight, driving on the narrow tracks was prohibited, and crews faced severe punishment for violating this order. Changing the tracks was a demanding operation. With each track link weighing 62 kg and with 47 links per track, the entire track weighed nearly 3 tons.
• There is still debate over the combat deployment of Jagdtigers. The deployment of 4 vehicles is well documented—they were sent by Major General Heinz Kokott (a common German name) to positions near the village of Chaumont in anticipation of an American attack. In the ensuing battle, the 4 Jagdtigers destroyed 18 American Shermans.
• A great advantage, but also a weakness, was the long and heavy 128 mm cannon. Its overhanging barrel strained the mounting during off-road movement, and the crew had to recalibrate it repeatedly to maintain firing accuracy.

Technical specifications:

• dimensions: length 10.62 m (including cannon), width 3.6 m, height 2.8 m
• weight 75,000 kg
• armor: front 200 mm, sides and rear 80 mm, roof 40 mm
• power unit: V-12 Maybach HL 230 P30 gasoline engine with 510 kW output
• maximum speed: 10 km/h off-road, 35 km/h on road
• fuel consumption: 700–1000 l/100 km
• range: 120 km on road / 80 km off-road
• main armament: PaK 44 L/55 cannon, 128 mm caliber
• secondary armament: 1x mounted MG 34 machine gun (7.92 mm) and one loose MG 42
• crew: 6 members

From the memoirs of tank commander Otto Carius:

I was the commander of Jagdtiger number 305004, which is now part of the collection at the Bovington Tank Museum. In April 1945, we were sent to defensive positions near Berlin where we encountered Soviet IS-2 tanks. Their tanks were well-armored, but their guns lacked sufficient firepower. In one day, we destroyed three IS-2s and damaged two more without suffering any damage ourselves. The war ended for us when we hit a mine. We had to abandon the Jagdtiger.