King Tiger Production Turret
Description
In order to counter the increasing threat of Russian tanks
during the latter part of the Second World War, Germany began
development of a new heavy tank in February 1943. Officially
designated the Panzerkampfwagen VI-B Tiger II, but better known
as the King Tiger, it featured thick armor and a powerful main
gun. Henschel and Porsche, who had prior experiences in the
manufacturing of heavy tanks, came up with rival prototypes
incorporating different turret configurations. After trials,
the Henschel design was adopted for production. The King Tiger
carried the Type 43 L71, 88mm high velocity main gun which was
capable of penetrating 170mm thick armor plate at a distance of
1000 meters. Auxiliary armament included two 7.92mm machine
guns mounted on the front hull section and on the turret. The
extremely thick armor on the turret front measured 185mm and
88mm on the side panels. Power for this massive tank was
supplied by a Maybach HL230 P30 V-12 cylinder, liquid cooled
engine, producing 700 horsepower. The King Tiger went into mass
production at the Henschel factory beginning August 1944,
following the delivery of the last Tiger I tanks. Although the
tank possessed advanced technology and sophistication, only 430
units incorporating the Henschel turret came off the factory
line, and less than 500 total were ever available for combat.
