The Tiger is
arguably the most feared tank of WWII. Billed as invincible by Nazi propaganda,
the massive, heavily armed and armoured, vehicle's mystique has continued to
grow in the intervening years. Often forgotten were the 56-ton behemoth's
weaknesses, among which were a feeble power-train and suspension, an
unquenchable thirst for precious fuel, and perhaps most crucial, the huge drain
it imposed on Germany's
manufacturing and engineering resources. Only 1,346 Tiger Is were produced; so
precious a resource was the Tiger that even severely damaged vehicles were
remanufactured and returned to the front, some multiple times - leading to a
bewildering array of features over the tank's many variants. Today, only a
half-dozen Tigers survive, leaving period photographs as a visual record of
their victories - and ultimate defeat. Illustrated with over 200 vintage
photographs, plus colour profiles and detailed line
drawings.
