Tiger I E Platoon (GBX15) includes five Individually sculpted Tiger I E tanks, five Tank Commanders, one German decal sheet & ten Rare earth magnets. When the Tiger was introduced in 1942 it was a weapon un-equalled in performance and protection, there was little the Allies in the Tunisia or Russia could do to knock them out. It had its disadvantages (it was slow and a little unreliable to start with), but at the time its clear advantages outweighed these. Check out the Tiger I E Platoon in the online store here...

The Tiger first underwent development when specifications for a new heavy tank were sent out to various manufacturers. It was to mount a gun that penetrated 100mm of armour at a 1500m and also be able to withstand return fire from similar weapons. Henschel developed the VK3601, but this design was to have a squeeze bore weapon, which had to be abandoned due to the lack of an adequate supply of tungsten for the ammunition. The VK3601 was quickly adapted to mount the 8.8cm KwK36 gun, which had already made itself famous in the anti-tank role as the FlaK 36. The new prototype became the VK4501 (H), the (H) to distinguish it from the parallel development of Porsche VK4501 (P) (which later became the Ferdinand).

The order to start the final design was issued on 26 May 1941. Henschel was to develop the chassis while Krupp developed the turret. Porsche’s version was also still under development and Krupp was also to provide the turret for this. Rheinmetall also developed a turret mounting the 7.5cm KwK L/70 gun (later to become famous as the Panther’s gun) but this was abandoned in favour of the 8.8cm mounts.

Production of the Tiger I E began in July 1942. Production of the Porsche model was abandoned after problems with the engines and suspension and only five tanks were completed. The Henschel model now became the sole Tiger in production. The target was to produce 285 by 12 May 1943 in time for the summer offensive.

The Production model Henschel Tiger I E had 100mm of front armour on both its hull and turret, 80mm on its rear and sides, and 25mm of top armour. None of the armour was particularly well sloped, but it had lots of it. It 8.8cm gun had already proved itself in combat as a lethal anti-armour weapon.

The first Tigers issued went to the newly assembled men of 502nd Schwere Panzerabteilung, who were quickly sent to the Leningrad front in August 1942. Tigers also made an appearance in North Africa in late 1942, much to the disturbance of the allied soldiers who ran into them, many of the legends surrounding the Tiger spring from these first encounters.

The Tigers of the SS Divisions and Grossdeutschland also made their impact felt during the Battle of Kursk, taking a terrible toll on the once mighty T-34, now equalled by the up gunned Panzer IV and by far out ranked by the Panther and Tiger.

The Tiger underwent couple of upgrades during its life; in July 1943 the cupola was changed to a new design with periscopes and a rotating hatch similar to the Panther. May 1943 saw the introduction of a new engine to improved performance, and in January 1944 a new road wheel was introduced.

The Tiger I E success as a design can be marked by its continued destructive use in the hand of aces like Michael Wittmann and Otto Carius right until the end of the war. Designed by Evan Allen Painted by Jeremy Painter

The Tiger I E in Flames Of War

Armour     Name Mobility Front Side Top Equipment and Notes Weapon Range ROF Anti-tank Firepower Tiger I E Slow Tank 9 8 2 Co-ax MG, Hull MG, Protected ammo, Wide tracks. 8.8cm KwK36 gun 40"/100cm 2 13 3+ Slow traverse.

Protected Ammo Many tanks are destroyed not by the enemy shell but by their own ammunition being hit by white-hot fragments of armour and exploding. The chances of this were minimised by providing a safe place for stowing ammunition within the vehicle such as an armoured compartment or inside a water-filled jacket. If forced to bail out, crews of tanks with protected ammunition are far more confident when it comes to remounting their vehicle quickly. Tanks with Protected Ammo re-roll all failed Motivation Tests to Remount Bailed Out vehicles in the Starting Step (see page 102 of the main rulebook).

Wide Tracks Some excellent tank designs have successfully utilised wider tracks, allowing them to cross almost any terrain. If a vehicle with Wide Tracks becomes Bogged Down while attempting to cross Rough Terrain, roll again. On a roll of 4+ the vehicle immediately frees itself and continues moving.

Slow Traverse Most tanks were either fitted with power traverse or had turrets that were light enough to be quickly swung by hand. Some designs suffered from heavy turrets lacking power traverse. Tanks with slow traverse add +1 to the score required to hit when shooting any turret-mounted weapon except an AA MG at targets that are entirely behind a line drawn across the front of the tank’s turret before they rotate their turret to face the target.

Contents & Assembly Guide Coming Soon...