Pz.Kpfw. VI "Tiger II" Ausf. B

  Unit Properties of  General Information
 * Nation:     Germany
 * Category:   Tanks
 * Class:      Category:Heavy Tanks
 * Role:       Anti-tank/Infantry Support
 * Primary Armament: 88 mm KwK 43 (AP/HE)
 * Secondary Armament: 3 x 7.92mm MG-34 Machine gun 1 x Co-axle 1 x Hull 1 x Anti-Air
 * Armor:     200-80mm
 * Crew:       5 (9)


 * MP price:   120
 * Speed:      21
 * Fuel:       ?

History
The King Tiger was designed in 1943, entering service in 1944. It was a behemoth of a tank which dominated the battlefield in terms of fire-power and armor; no allied war time tank could best the 'King Tiger' in a straight up duel and it took far superior numbers and precise tactics just to bring them down. The allies relied on their air-superiority during the war to bring down heavy tanks, as the roof armor of the Tiger II was easily penetrated by the 60lb rockets of the RAF. The Tiger II was plagued with mechanical faults and was prone to break downs which would render it immobile and vulnerable. Along with the faulty mechanics came an agonizingly slow speed and it also could take up to 77 seconds to fully rotate the turret when the engine was at idle, this means it would take over half a minute to sight a target that was at the rear of the Tiger II.

Despite the mechanical and speed shortcomings the King Tiger was the most feared German tank of the Second World War and was the worst fear of any allied tank crew. With a gun able to punch through all allied armor from normal combat ranges and frontal armor invulnerable to all but the most powerful allied cannons (17pdr., 90mm M3, 100m D10S).

In game
The Tiger II is a mobile (albeit painfully slow) fortress which is unrivaled on the field. With 180mm of frontal armor sloped at 55 degrees giving the equivalent of 200mm it can only be penetrated by the UK Tortoise and the US T29 but these vehicles need to be relatively close to penetrate it. The King Tiger uses the 88mm KwK 43 L/71 high-velocity gun Nashorn, Elefant and Jagdpanther. However as well as being the most powerful German tank it is also the most expensive, costing a huge 115 points, slightly less than the price of two Tiger I tanks.

The Tiger II's vulnerabilities lie in its maneuverability, the speed at which the turret turns is very slow, making it difficult to quickly target enemies. The Tiger II is also vulnerable from the rear, a single Molotov cocktail or AT grenade to the engine compartment can easily render it immobile or destroy the hull and being as slow as it is, the King Tiger can be easy pickings for a well concealed and coordinated infantry squad. It also has huge, wide tracks which can be easily broken which would leave the Tiger II very vulnerable to infantry as well as flanking armor. These shortcomings make the risks of deploying a King Tiger very high, especially on 'No Refund' maps.

If you decide to use this tank make sure it does not get captured by the enemy, it is one of the most powerful vehicles in the game and can be a battle winner. If you think that it could fall into enemy hands, e.g. its hull has been crushed but repairable, or it has been made immobile and the crew have abandoned it, it is a very good idea to destroy the Tiger II to make sure that if you can't have it, no one can.

Note: This is how most King Tigers were actually destroyed in the war; by their own crews due to breakdowns or malfunctions. More were destroyed by the crews than the enemy.