The Tiger tank vs. The KV-1 tank

Two iron beasts from World War II take center stage

On this new episode of tank versus tank, we look at the German Tiger I (yes, there is a Tiger II, but that is for another time) and how it stacks up against the Soviet response to the Tiger, the KV-1. The Tiger was the most famous tank of World War II, as nearly every Allied soldier referred to a German tank as a Tiger. The Kv-1 was the Soviets response to the Tiger when they first encountered them in limited numbers at the Battle of Leningrad in January 1943. So, let’s get to it, and determine who wins this round!

That my friends, is a Tiger I. More specifically, the Tiger I Heavy Tank. This iron war monger was designed and created as the Germans response to the emergence of the Soviet T-34 and KW tank series. The Panther was also designed to combat the T-34, but that was mentioned in my earlier post. The Tiger was meant to handle both Soviet models, which it did with brutal efficiency. As noted by Marcus Cowper and Christopher Pannell, a German tank unit, the 503 Schwere Panzer Abteilung, claimed to have destroyed 501 enemy tanks, 388anti-tank guns, 79 artillery pieces, and 7 airplanes, starting from July 5th, 1943 until September 21, 1943. Impressive stat line for a tank unit using a fairly new tank, which was used in large numbers at the Battle of Kursk…which started on July 5th, 1943.

Now, to figure out how the Tiger could be so effective in such a short time, let’s look at the specifications of the tank. First off, the wieght. This iron beast came in at 64 tons. Yes, 64 tons. This increased weight slowed it down considerably, and it also limited the type of terrain the tank could fight on, since some bridges were not designed to hold up something that heavy. Yet, with increased weight, comes increased armor and firepower. The Tiger had 120mm thick armor on the front, with 80mm thick armor on its sides. That meant, to kill it, you would have to fire a round at the rear of the Tiger, and that’s not mentioning the fact that you had to get to the rear first. The Tiger also sported a 88mm KwK 36L/56 anti-aircraft gun. Yes, you read that right, anti-aircraft gun. The Tiger was outfitted with the best big gun of World War II, the 88mm Flak gun. So that big gun in the picture above is the 88mm Flak converted for use in a tank! Let’s see how the Soviets are doing.

And here we have the Soviet KV-1 Heavy Tank. Okay, so the Soviets were a little more creative with the name, as “KV” were the initials of Soviet Marshall Klimenti Voroshilov. The KV-1 was put into action on June 22, 1941, and it faced the German’s first tanks, most notably the Mark III and IV. The KV knocked those tanks out as if they were tin cans. The KV could withstand any gun on a German tank at the time, so the Germans created the Tiger, and the Soviets upgraded the KV-1 since the Tiger’s emergence at the Battle of Leningrad. Let’s check out what kind of upgrades we’re talking about.

The KV-1 comes in weighing at 47 tons, making it a lot faster than the Tiger, and allowing it to operate on more fields of battle as it could cross all types of bridges without breaking them. As for armor, the KV had 95–100mm thick armor on the front with 75mm thick armor on the sides. Now, you’re probably thinking, “Well, that’s close to the Tiger’s, why is the KV-1 still lighter?” Here’s why. The Kv-1 sported a 76.2mm ZIS-5 rifled tank gun. Its a very good caliber gun, but it’s designed to take out just tanks, not planes like the Tiger’s 88. Being that planes are bigger than tanks, the 88mm aircraft gun is bigger than the 76.2mm tank gun. But a smaller gun doesn’t mean you’re weak. The KV-1 was able to stand toe-to-toe with the Tiger, so the Germans had to make improvements. The Soviets did too, but that’s for another post.

Considering all that was mentioned, I’m leaning towards the Tiger being the winner, but the KV-1 had some upgrades that made it the Tiger’s equal. So I’ll let you decide and hit me up with a comment with which one you think is better!