”Armour and movement are only two of the combat characteristics of the tank weapon; the third and the most important is firepower” this was written after the end of
World War II by the famous tank general Heinz Guderian, the man that created the German armored forces and taught them to fight.
This quote did not appear in his book on accident. In the first half of World War II the German forces continually had major difficulties when facing the French, British and
Soviet tanks that had anti-shell armoring.
Stopping the attack of the thick-skinned Matildas, Churchills or KVs was often possible thanks to the use of heavy anti-aircraft guns in an 88mm caliber that were
designed to destroy high-altitude targets, or with the help of large-caliber field artillery.
It is not a surprise that the German engineers used the 88 mm anti-aircraft guns´ design as the base for developing the tank cannon used on the Tiger. The further
improvement of this gun; a more powerful 88 millimeter cannon with a barrel length of 71 calibers was then placed on the German tank destroyers “Ferdinand” and
“JagdPanther” and the heavy tank, the Tiger II.
Because it had this armor penetrating rapid fire “long arm” that could hit any Allied tank up to a kilometer away the Tiger II was a fearsome opponent until the end of the war.
It's no coincidence, since the main aim of creating the King Tiger was to destroy enemy armored vehicles.
We will evaluate the performance characteristics of the King Tiger compared to the other tier 8 heavy tanks. The highest rates will have a rating of 10 points, and the lowest will have 1.
The suspension traverse speed is 26 degrees per second.
The turret traverse speed is 25 degrees per second.
It's not bad, but the tank´s top speed is only 28 kph. That's the lowest number on this tier.
The view range, while having a 100% crew, is 400 meters; which is a very good rate.
The aim time is 2.3 seconds. Not many tanks are able to aim faster.
The overall accuracy spread of the shot is 0.34 meters for every 100 meters to target. It's a very accurate gun, capable of effectively damaging the enemy at long range.
The penetration of the armor-piercing shell is 225 millimeters. This decent rate allows the King Tiger to harm highly armored targets such as the E-75.
The one-hit damage is not the best at 320 points.
The frontal armor that's 150 millimeters thick is mounted at a 50 degrees angle. It's capable of withstanding shots from most of the guns up to tier 9.
The hull sides have 80 millimeter armor. This allows us to “tank” with our side and partially protects from HE shells.
The “Henschel” turret has 185 millimeter armor in front and side armoring with good angles. The T32 raises the standard a lot, so 5 points is quite a good result.
The turret sides are less protected, they have 80mm armor.
The tank has 1600 hit points.
It needs to be noted that the King Tiger, like many tanks of the German branch, has the transmission mounted in the front of the hull.
A hit in the lower armor plate might lead to a fire and damaging of the engine.
Let´s summarize. The King Tiger´s strong points are armor penetration, aim time, accuracy, frontal armoring and a decent number of hit points.
The weakest points are mainly the low mobility and a high chance of catching fire.
Let´s review combat tactics.
The Tiger II is best used on city maps. As long as you take any position that covers the vulnerable lower armor plate.
This can be a mound, a vehicle, a tank´s hull, a key hole and so on.
The King Tiger is quite effective when shooting from behind a corner if you exit cover at a right angle towards the enemy.
In situations when you are at the bottom of the list it's worth it to stay behind high-tier comrades and use their tanks as cover.
In these conditions you need to aim for the weak points in the enemy vehicles´ armor or damage their mobility by blowing their tracks off.
If you are at the top of the list make use of the tank´s sturdy armor.
Play aggressively, select an attack direction by yourself, but do not forget to cover your lower armor plate.
Open maps may be somewhat difficult, because the low mobility of the King Tiger makes it an easy target for the enemy artillery.
When at the bottom of the list you should try to make a run for the nearest cover and prepare to meet the opposing light and medium tanks, while monitoring their
possible avenues of approach.
If there is no threat to your artillery then move to a safe zone behind allies and help repel the offense of the opposing team.
When on some maps it's worth it to take positions that are mostly used by the TDs.
Being at the top of the list does not guarantee safety.
The low speed is definitely the biggest disadvantage of the King Tiger.
You need to clearly know which position you'll have time to take before you are spotted.
Don't rush to the enemies half of the map at the beginning of combat. Take advantage of your accurate gun and high view range.
When dueling light and medium tanks it'll be very hard to protect your weakly armored sides and rear.
These agile opponents will circle you while shooting at your vulnerable points. How do you counter such situations?
First, try to stop your opponent by knocking off its tracks.
Second, try to keep your rear end pushed against an obstacle, this will help get rid of a “kill zone” that is safe for the opposing vehicle.
Third, try to increase the enemies movement radius by moving in the opposite direction.
When facing heavy tanks at a distance place your combat vehicle at an angle to form a diamond shape.
If the opponent aims for the lower armor plate then increase the angle, if he switches to shoot at your side then return to the starting position.
If you are in a clench remember that opponents with high gun elevation arc numbers can shoot your glacis plate at an almost 90 degree angle. So even at close distance
try to place your tank in a diamond shape and swing your hull and turret making it harder to aim for your vulnerable points.
It is best to aim for the upper part of the turret, protruding parts of the hull or the commanders hatch.
Remember that most of the same tier opponents will try to increase the distance to survive so do not allow that to happen.
When facing a higher tier heavy tank there is no point in clenching, because they can effortlessly penetrate the Tiger II´s armor.
It would be best to retreat to a covered position and destroy the opponents through their weak points.
But if you do get into a clench with a low-level enemy there is nothing for you to fear except for the shots at the machine-gun mount and the commander´s hatch.
A standard set of modules will fit the King Tiger´s style of play nicely: a rammer, a stabilizer and coated optics.
Though you can experiment with tactics and select a different set of modules by yourself.
The crew should learn the skills necessary to offset the tank´s disadvantages and boost it´s combat abilities.
First level repair for the whole crew.
Then: the commander takes “Sixth Sense”, the gunner takes “Dead Eye”, the driver takes “Preventative Maintenance”, the radio operator takes “Situational Awareness” and
the loader takes “Safe Stowage”
It is good to take “Firefighting” as a third skill for the whole crew.
Good luck in battle!