The Pz.Kpfw VI (Sd.Kfz.181) Tiger is a German heavy tank from World War II, one of the most famous combat vehicles of that time. The command of the German Panzerwaffe had the idea of creating a heavy tank from the beginning of the war, but the first attempts in the form of the centuries-old Neubaufahrzeuge tank turned out to be unsuccessful. In 1939 and 1940 they were conducted ineffectively, but after the clash with the T-34 and KW-1 on the eastern front, work on the new heavy tank sped up. On April 20, 1942, the prototype of the new tank, under the designation VK 4501 (H), underwent field trials in the presence of Adolf Hitler and was put into mass production shortly after. The first production versions were designated Pz.Kpfw VI Ausf.H1 (later Ausf.E). In the course of production, in the years 1942-1945, the tank was systematically modified by, for example, adding Feifell dust filters, different placement of headlights, modernization of optical equipment, changes to the commander's turret, etc. The drive was provided by a Maybach HL230 P45 12-cylinder carburetor engine with a capacity of 700 HP. The Pz.Kpfw VI tank, although it did not have such a contoured front hull as the T-34 or Pantera, was a heavily armored vehicle (frontal armor up to 120mm), armed with a very effective KwK 36 L / 56 88mm gun, which earned the reputation of being the most effective tank of the Second World War. It was a vehicle much better than the Allied M4 or Churchill and the Soviet T-34/76. He could also easily fight the IS-2 or M-26, surpassing them with the effectiveness of the main armament. On the other hand, the Pz.Kpfw VI had some disadvantages - first of all, it was extremely time-consuming to produce and had a very complicated suspension. In the later period of the war, the quality of the Tiger's armor also deteriorated, which resulted from the lack of access to the molybdenum deposits by the German economy. Despite these drawbacks, the Tiger on the battlefields proved to be a very effective weapon. He successfully fought in Tunisia, the Kursk Arch, Normandy and on the Eastern Front. Technical data: length (with a barrel): 8.45m, width: 3.7m, height: 2.93m, engine power: 700KM, weight: 56.9 t, range (on the road): 100km, maximum speed (on the road) ): 38 km / h, armament: 1 88 mm KwK 36 L / 56 gun, 3 7.92 mm MG 34 machine guns.
2nd SS Panzer Division Das Reich (Ger. 2. SS-Panzerdivision "Das Reich" ) was formed in 1934 as SS-Division Verfügungstruppe to adopt its final name after using different names (e.g. SS-Division Reich or SS-Division Deutschland). The division began its combat route with the Western campaign in the summer of 1940. She also fought in the Balkans in 1941. In the same year she also participated in the Barbarossa and Typhoon operations, fighting, inter alia, at Jelnia and Moscow. The division also took part in the Battle of Kharkiv (February-March 1943) and in the Battle of the Kursk in July 1943. After this battle, she was transferred to France to make up for losses - both in people and equipment. She remained in this country until 1944 and in June of that year took part in the battles with the Allies in Normandy. In the course of operations in Normandy, she suffered heavy losses. After regenerating your strength, The 2nd SS Panzer Division Das Reich took part in the offensive in the Ardennes at the end of 1944. From the beginning of 1945, it fought in Hungary, where it remained until the end of March. The unit was almost completely destroyed by the Red Army, and its remnants broke through to the west and surrendered to American troops. The soldiers of the division committed war crimes and crimes against the civilian population - especially the Oradour-sur-Glane massacre in June 1944.