Osprey New Vanguard 5 : Tiger I Heavy Tank 1942-1945

Probably the most famous tank of the Second World War, the Tiger 1 was, ironically, quickly designed utilising components that had been partially tested in previous heavy Panzers. While limited development of heavy Panzer designs had commenced in 1937, the first serious efforts resulted from a meeting with Hitler on 26 May 1941: the main concerns were the problems of combating British tanks and anti-tank guns. More than 22 years of research by Tom Jentz and Hilary Doyle have revealed the true origin and development of the Tiger, the precise production history, the reasons behind key decisions and modifications, and the organisation and exact number of Tigers issued to each of the combat units. The comprehensive and extremely detailed text is accompanied by a fine selection of black and white photographs from the Second World War showing the tank in use. Tables of relevant performance and production statistics also appear throughout the book, clearly laid out in order to allow the interested reader to have the facts easily available. These tables come in particularly useful when the authors discuss the battlefield survivability of the Tiger, showing clearly its superiority to many allied tank designs. This book is packed with detail and superbly illustrated by Peter Sarson.

Contents

• Introduction
• Design and Development
• Production History
• Production Modifications
• Firepower
• Mobility
• Battlefield Survivability
• Operational History