Tiger Tanks at War Book Review

By Michael Benolkin

Review

The armor team of Green and Brown are back again with another interesting title covering the Tiger tanks during World War II. The authors start off the discussion with the operational need that led to the development of the Tiger I and Tiger II tanks. While the Blitzkrieg had moved German forces around Europe in very quick time during the early stages of World War II, the early German Panzers had a close call with the heavily armored French tanks during their push into that country, followed by some close encounters of the wrong kind against Soviet T-34/76 tanks. These encounters underscored the inadequate firepower and armor protection of these early Panzers.

In terms of firepower, the only weapon the Germans had online that was effective against Soviet armor at that time was the 8.8cm Flak gun that had quicky found its niche as an anti-tank weapon in North Africa. The Tiger I would get a variation of this heavy-hitting weapon which was also effective against anything the Allies could get onto the continent.

The authors don't cover the intricate details of the Tigers sought by modelers and covered in many other titles. Rather, this title is more of an engineering look at the weapons system from its design, layout, operations and results. Overall, the title is broken down as follows:

• Background & Description
• Firepower
• Protection

The authors have also compiled a very nice selection of photos of the Tiger I and Tiger II tanks in several museums, including the only running examples at the Bovington Tank Museum in the UK. There are some very nice color shots of both types inside and out.

If you're looking for a good overview reference on the subject without wading through hundreds of pages of history and drawings, this is just what the doctor ordered!

My sincere thanks to Motorbooks International for this review copy!