Panzerjäger Tiger – Ausf. B – Sd.Kfz 186 – Jagdtiger – The Tank Museum, Bovington – England. This Hunting Tiger is one of the 11 Jagdtigers made with a Porsche suspension. This tank destroyer has a 128mm Pak 44 L/55 Based on the Panzerkampfwagen VI – Ausf. B. Photographed in The Tank Museum, Bovington – England in 2017.
The Jagdtiger was a German tank destroyer developed during World War II, based on the chassis of the Tiger II heavy tank. It was armed with the formidable 128mm Pak 44 L/55 anti-tank gun, one of the most powerful weapons mounted on a ground vehicle at the time. The gun had exceptional range and armor-piercing capabilities, capable of destroying most Allied tanks at extreme distances, including the Soviet IS-2 and the American M26 Pershing. The Jagdtiger’s armor was similarly formidable, with up to 250mm of frontal plating, making it nearly impervious to most anti-tank weapons of the era.
Weighing around 71 tons, the Jagdtiger was extremely heavy, limiting its mobility and making it slow, with a top speed of around 38 km/h (24 mph) on roads. It was powered by a Maybach HL230 P30 engine, which provided 700 horsepower. The vehicle’s high weight led to mechanical problems, particularly with its transmission and suspension, and it was prone to breakdowns, often requiring towing back to base.
The Jagdtiger’s design emphasized firepower and armor protection over mobility, and its use was primarily defensive. Only 88 units were produced between 1944 and 1945, and it was deployed in small numbers on the Eastern and Western fronts, where it had limited success due to its operational limitations.
