Panzer VI Ausf. E Tiger
Also known as: PzKpfw VIE, Panzer VIE, Tiger I, Sd. Kfz. 181
The Tiger I (Panzer VIE) was armed with an 88 mm L56 gun. On May 26, 1941 Hitler ordered the Henschel and Porsche firms to design a new heavy tank. Franz Xaver Reimspiess developed the Panzer Tiger. Reimspiess was the leader of the Nibelungen Panzer factory in Upper Austria. The Henschel design won the competition and became the Tiger However, Henschel was unable to make the 88 mm main gun fit in a turret, and used Porsches turret design on all of their tigers. A few Porsche Tigers were made, with a different chassis, but these were not as reliable as the Henschel model. Many of the Porsche chassis were converted into tank destroyers, known as Elefant.
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Sturmtiger was armed with a 380 mm mortar.