German heavy tank of World War II that operated beginning in 1942 in Africa and in the Soviet Union, usually in independent heavy tank battalions. While the Tiger I has been called an outstanding design for its time, it has also been called overengineered, using expensive materials and labour-intensive production methods. The tank was given tiger roll sushi nickname “Tiger” by Ferdinand Porsche, and the Roman numeral was added after the Tiger II entered production. Today, only seven Tiger I tanks survive in museums and private collections worldwide.

Only one prototype hull was ever built and it was never fitted with a turret. The overall weight would have been 36  tonnes. This section does not cite any sources. Schachtellaufwerk track suspension system of torsion bar-sprung, overlapped and interleaved main road wheels for tank use. This concept was already common on German half-tracks such as the Sd.

80 mm on turret sides and 60 mm on the hull sides. 28 cannon in a Krupp turret that looked similar to an enlarged Panzer IV Ausf. The hull for one prototype was built, followed later by five more. On 26 May 1941, Henschel and Ferdinand Porsche were asked to submit designs for a 45-tonne heavy tank, to be ready by June 1942. Porsche worked on an updated version of their VK 30.

Leopard tank prototype while Henschel worked on an improved VK 36. On 22 June 1941, Germany launched Operation Barbarossa, the invasion of the Soviet Union. The Germans were encountering large numbers of Soviet T-34 medium and KV-1 heavy tanks, that were surviving the German attack. Weight increase to 45 tonnes and an increase in gun calibre to 8. The due date for the new prototypes was set for 20 April 1942, Adolf Hitler’s 53rd birthday. Unlike the Panther tank, the designs did not incorporate sloped armour.