Tiger phobia.
Posted: 15 Dec 2014, 23:42
The Tiger tank saw combat in 42 in North afrika and Russia and became quickly the most feared unit of the WWII, all started during the first introduction of this 57 tons beast in North Africa and during the first Leningrad campaign in russia, there is a lot of discussion about what was the best tank during this period, Tigers? Panthers? T-34? KV-1? if we are talking as "single" unit and not in "mass production" the Tiger will surely win the medal of the most respected and feared tank during WWII even if the soviet T-34/KV-1 was far more advanced in design.
This rolling bunker equipped with the deadly and well known 88 gun went in action December 42 near "Tebourba" during the Tunisian campaign with the Rommel Afrika korps, the "Tiger phobia" started from this moment among British troops when an entire British armor battalion engaged 3 Tigers and Panzer III's from the 501st Heavy Panzer Battalion "Kampfgruppe Lueder", the result of the battle was catastrophic for the British, for a total 182 British tanks engaged, 134 were lost, a single Tiger unit knocked out 44 British armor in a single day, all started from there, The "Tiger phobia" was born and will spread among allies divisions like a unstoppable contagious plague, the axis lost their first Tiger on January 20 th 1943 only one month later by a British 6 pdr shot at short range from the rear/side, but the psychologic damage was done and the Tiger phobia will haunt allies tank commanders until the end of the war, no tanks has been feared and loved so much by their fanatic owners during the WWII that the Tiger tank even if his mechanic was far from being perfect, the psychology impact was so great that when a Tiger tank was spotted the allies armor had to withdraw as quicker possible and called artillery or tank hunter fighters to deal with it.
The psychology impact of the Tiger during WWII had no equivalent, no allies tanks could handle direct hits as much the Tiger could, one of the most vivid exemple is coming from the eastern front when one Tiger has been hits 27 times by Russians Anti tank guns (2 times by 45mm/ 14 times by 57mm/ and 11 times by the new russian 76mm!, adding on top of that 227 times by Anti tanks rifles, and still was able to run 76 km more and refit... no wonder that "panzer aces" were coming mostly from Tigers units.
Later the allies aerial superiority will stop this rolling nightmare for allies armored divisions and end for good the Tiger supremacy on the battlefied.
More detailed informations for this unit here: http://www.alanhamby.com/
This rolling bunker equipped with the deadly and well known 88 gun went in action December 42 near "Tebourba" during the Tunisian campaign with the Rommel Afrika korps, the "Tiger phobia" started from this moment among British troops when an entire British armor battalion engaged 3 Tigers and Panzer III's from the 501st Heavy Panzer Battalion "Kampfgruppe Lueder", the result of the battle was catastrophic for the British, for a total 182 British tanks engaged, 134 were lost, a single Tiger unit knocked out 44 British armor in a single day, all started from there, The "Tiger phobia" was born and will spread among allies divisions like a unstoppable contagious plague, the axis lost their first Tiger on January 20 th 1943 only one month later by a British 6 pdr shot at short range from the rear/side, but the psychologic damage was done and the Tiger phobia will haunt allies tank commanders until the end of the war, no tanks has been feared and loved so much by their fanatic owners during the WWII that the Tiger tank even if his mechanic was far from being perfect, the psychology impact was so great that when a Tiger tank was spotted the allies armor had to withdraw as quicker possible and called artillery or tank hunter fighters to deal with it.
The psychology impact of the Tiger during WWII had no equivalent, no allies tanks could handle direct hits as much the Tiger could, one of the most vivid exemple is coming from the eastern front when one Tiger has been hits 27 times by Russians Anti tank guns (2 times by 45mm/ 14 times by 57mm/ and 11 times by the new russian 76mm!, adding on top of that 227 times by Anti tanks rifles, and still was able to run 76 km more and refit... no wonder that "panzer aces" were coming mostly from Tigers units.
Later the allies aerial superiority will stop this rolling nightmare for allies armored divisions and end for good the Tiger supremacy on the battlefied.
More detailed informations for this unit here: http://www.alanhamby.com/