The German Army's Most Formidable Weapon
Making its debut on the battlefield in 1944, the King Tiger heavy tank immediately struck fear into the hearts of Allied soldiers unlucky enough to face it. The first 50 models featured a Porsche designed turret, however in mass production runs a Henschel design turret was adopted. Designed for defense and attack, the King Tiger featured thick 150mm armor on the front and 80mm armor on the sides, and a 88mm L71 high velocity main gun capable of penetrating 170mm thick armor at a distance of 1,000m. 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. This massive tank was driven by a 700hp Maybach HL230 P-30 12 cylinder liquid cooled engine.
