The history of the Jagdtiger began on 1943-02-21, were the subject of a heavy Sturmgeschütz mounting a 128 mm. cannon was mentioned. The vehicle was meant to both assist infantry, like the Sturmgeschütz III and IV, as well as being able to take out enemy armoured targets from a range of up to 3 km. Heavy armour was, as with most other mid- and latewar Panzers, seen as more important than speed. Because of the experience on the eastern front, the vehicle was decided to have good cross-country abilities.
The 12,8 cm Pak 44 L/55 (the weapon also used on the Maus) was decided to be used for the Jagdtiger. The size of the weapon did, however, demand for a fixed superstructure, in stead of a turret. For this, a lengthened (40 cm.) Tiger II chassis was suggested and approved.
Dr.Prof. Ferdinand Porsche suggested a paired external torsion bar suspension with single roadwheels, as opposed to the individual internal torsion bars with double roadwheels on the Henschel version. The roadwheels themselve were 800 mm. in diametre on Henschels Jagdtiger, and 700 mm. on Porsches.
The Porsche Jagdtiger was 1.2 t. leighter than the Henchel one, demanded 450 less working hours and was much cheaper. It was also possible to remove one 2-roadwheel section, without touching the other wheels - something that was impossible with Henchels overlapping wheels. On the other hand, there would have been 12.5 % more wear on the Porsche roadwheels per centimetre than on the Henschel ones, because of the smaller road wheel diameter.
The engine was the same as that of the Tiger II - the Maybach HL 230 P30 V-12 water cooled 23.1 l. gasoline. This engine could deliver 600 hp. at 2.500 rpm. The maximum speed (which could only be achieved for very brief periods of time on paved road) was 34.6 km./h. (very impressive, considering the weight 77 t.), with an avarage road speed of just 20 km./h., and a cross-country speed of just 10 km./h. The maximum range on road was 100 km., and 70 km. cross-country. The fuel consumption was up to 12 l./km.
The first 5 vehicles mounted 18-tooth drive sprokets, and Gg 24/800/300 tracks. After this (with Fgst.305006), type Kgs 73/800/152 double-link tracks were used.
A total of 88 Jagdtigers were produced, of which 11 (Fgst.305001, 305003, 305004, 305005 (rejected because of poor aromur quality, but used for evaluation and training ), 305006, 305007, 305008, 305009, 305010, 305011 and 305012 were mounting Porsche's suspension. The Jagdtiger was produced at Nibelungenwerke in Austria.
There were (aledgedly) produced four Jagdtigers mounting the 8,8 cm Pak 43 L/71. The reason for this modification was the lack of 128 mm. gun mounts (and not gun barrels, as stated in most books). Although this cannon had better armour penetration and a higher rate of fire than the 128 mm. one, Hitler insisted on the use of the 128 mm. cannons.
On Fgst.305003 and 305004, exhaust shields were mounted. From Fgst.305006, an external travel lock was mounted on the front armour plate. This was later modified itself, with Fgst.305010, as a crossbar was mounted on it to strengthen it. As said above, the track type changed from this vehicle (Fgst.305006) too.
From Fgst.305011, Zimmerit was no longer applied. The Fgst.305002 was not covered with Zimmerit, and thus, no Henschel Jagdtiger recieved Zimmerit. By the end of November, the 20 tons jack mounted on the rear plate was no longer used, and 6 (in stead of 4) track link hangers were mounted on each side of the superstructure.
From 1945-02, 4 Pilzen crane mounts were mounted on the top sides of the superstructure. Some of the Jagdtigers mounted a M.G.42 on the engine deck to use agains aircrafts. These have probably not been used for their true purpose, as only a suicidal maniac would stand on an open area, fireing at Typhoons and Mosquitos with a machine gun! At least the following Fgst.-numbers received the M.G.42 mount:
The first unit to receive the Jagdtiger was s.Pz.Jäg.Abt.653, as a replacement for the Elefant. The unit was sent to Fallingbostel, where they were trained using Porsche Jagdtiger. The first vehicles arrived in 1944-09, at which time the unit still had a few Elefants left (these were given to the second company, until Jagdtigers could replace them), along with some Flakpanzer IVs. The crews of the first company were sent to Fallingbostel, where they recieved training. First three Jagdtigers in this unit was 305006, 305007 and 305008.
In October, the unit moved out. s.Pz.Jäg.Abt.653 was assigned to the 17.Armee in Poland, during which time the third company also recieved some Jagdtigers. Production was slow, and in November, the unit had only 12 Jagdtigers. 6 more Jagdtigers recieved during November. In December, it was planned that the Jagdtigers should have taken part of the Ardennes offensive. 16 Jagdtigers are loaded onto trains, and two of the three trains unloaded 50 km. behind the front (as part of the 6.SS-Armee). Some Jagdtigers are diverted to Operation Nordwind, as part of the 17.SS-Panzer-Grenadier-Division. Despite accounts that the Jagdtigers were used during the Ardennes offensive, there are no prrof which supports it. There are no photographs of any Jagdtigers during the Ardennes, and crew testimoneys say that they were not. The main reason the Jagdtiers didn't reach the front is the logistic situation, which was worsened by the offensive and the weather. During December and January, second company is equipped with Jagdtigers.
In 1945-01, the Jagdtigers were to take part of Operation Nordwind, but the s.Pz.Jäg.Abt.653 was still on the train waggons as the offensive started. Still together with the 17.SS-Panzer-Grenadier-Division, s.Pz.Jäg.Abt.653 attacked the Maginot line. By 1945-01-09 the first Jagdtiger is destroyed by a bazooka. The use of Jagdtigers is limited, and reports about the high number of breakdowns are sent to Hitler. Some Jagdtigers, more or less intact, are captured by the US forces. It is ironic, that most of the Jagdtigers found in good condition, whereas the Jagdtigers destroyed by their crew were in such devastated condition, that almost nothing could be extracted from the wreck. Medio January, third company Jagdtigers are still at the Maginot line, attacking bunkers, but preperations for the Siegfreid line is underway, including some Jagdtigers. These are commanded by the XXXIX.Panzerkorps. In the beginning of February, s.Pz.Jäg.Abt.653 had 41 Jagdtigers, of which 19 needed repair. The unit is ordered to the Hagenau forest on 1945-02-18, where it is used as indirect artillery at rages of above 20 km. At the end of February, most of the units Jagdtigers are just waiting in hidden positions, awaiting Allied attacks.
During the begining of March, s.Pz.Jäg.Abt.653 was refitted with repaired Jagdtigers while waiting for orders. 1945-03-11, the unit actually reached its maximum capacity. On the night between 1945-03-15 and 1945-03-16, s.Pz.Jäg.Abt.653 was involved in heavy combat. On 1945-03-15, the Allies had bombarded and afterwards attacked the German positions, and s.Pz.Jäg.Abt.653 was sent out to counter-attack the Allied forces. Neither the Allies, not the Germans, could go anywhere, and both sides recieved heavy losses. The Jagdtigers inflicted heavy casualties among the Allied tanks and infantry, but Allied artillery took several hits, and the Germans needed to tow 21 Jagdtigers away. Later that month, it was proved that the 12,8 cm Pak 80 was capable of taking out Allied tanks at ranges up to 4,000 metres. An Allied Sherman column was all but destroyed by heavy fire, while the Sherman crews panicked. Having called in air suport, s.Pz.Jäg.Abt.653 had to retreat as P-47s showed up. 5 Jagdtiger were hit, of which 4 were destroyed. To save s.Pz.Jäg.Abt.653 from more losses, it was withdrawed from the front. Meanwhile, several Jagdtiger were destroyed by Allied infantry and tanks, of which one was destroyed by point-blank range by 3 Shermans. At Neustadt, 3 Jagdtigers did manage to take out 25 M10s and Shermans, and although the Jagdtigers took several hits, they didn't suffer any casualties, and were able to withdraw.
On 1945-03-28, Leutnant Hans Knippenberg recieved the Iron Cross first class.
At the beginning of April, there were only 24 Jagdtigers remaining. After the first 9 days, the number is down to 17. Some crew members are sent to Nibelungenwerke. On 1945-04-26, only 1 Jagdtiger is fully operational, with 14 waiting repair. In May, s.Pz.Jäg.Abt.653 retreats into Austria, to get to Nibelungenwerke, during which 10 Jagdtiger are blown up due to failures. After coming to Nibelungenwerke, eight Jagdtigers are blown up on the assembly track, as they do not have any sighting devices (this is alledgedly the eight Jagdtigers with the 8,8 cm Pak 43s). The unit continued to give resistance until 1945-05-07, where the unit surrenderes.
Besides the Jagdtigers, s.Pz.Jäg.Abt.653 also had Bergepanthers and Sd.Kfz.9s, Flakpanzer IVs (of which some were Wirbelwinds, some 3,7 cm Flakpanzer IVs and some Sd.Kfz.7/1s), and several guns, halftracks and trucks.
The second unit to recieve the Jagdtiger was s.Pz.Jäg.Abt.512 It was not equipped with as many Jagdtigers as s.Pz.Jäg.Abt.653, and accounts are more blurry, but it still deserves mentioning.
The story of s.Pz.Jäg.Abt.512 starts in 1945-01, but it was not until February that the unit started to recieve any Jagdtigers. This was due to time-consuming quality inspections, and later technical difficulties were also to give great problems for the unit. Starting with 5 Jagdtigers (officially given on 1945-01-30), the unit slowly worked against a goal of 33 Jagdtiger. This was never to be reached, and other Panzers (Pz.Kpfw.IV Ausf.H and Sturmgeschütz IIIs) were used in stead as compensation. A further 6 Jagdtigers were recieved in February. During the first half of March, the second company was still recieving training. Because many of the crewmembers were used to the Tiger tank, they didn't like the Jagdtiger much (due to the lacking turret, lower flexibility, etc.). Trying to drive to the Rhine to plug a gap, they experienced so many logistic problems that they were unable to reach their destination in time. On 1945-03-24, 5 Jagdtigers were used as the rear guard of a failed Allied attack. Although s.Pz.Jäg.Abt.512 have some great oppotunities to fight, they didn't exploit them. At one point, the unit lost 2 Jagdtigers due to some of the crews panicking, and running the vehicles down.
Meanwhile, the first company of s.Pz.Jäg.Abt.512 had little success as well. While destroying two Shermans, the unit lost four Jagdtiger due to mechanical failures. After this, by the end of March, the first company recieved four Sturmgeschütz III and four Pz.Kpfw.IVs. After some small fighting, the Jagdtigers were commandered to Unna to assist Model here. A third company of s.Pz.Jäg.Abt.512 saw a little action around Paderborn, and although the unit managed to hold the Allies back along with a few Tigers and Tiger IIs, they were destroyed rather quickly.
During April, s.Pz.Jäg.Abt.512 saw quite a great deal of action. Especially on 1945-04-09, where the first company managed to engage an Allied column of Shermans and trucks from dug-down positions. Four Jagdtigers, four Sturmgeschütz IIIs and three Pz.Kpfw.IVs opened fire at the same time, and managed to destroy 11 tanks and over 30 softskins. Some of the enemy tanks were hit at more than 4,000 m. The combat unit only lost 1 Jagdtiger as P-47s appeared. This is more likely the scene which George Forty refers to in his book German Tanks of World War II). The company managed to destroy five Shermans before having to surrender in Iserlohn. The second company still fought on, but with little result. On 1945-04-15, the unit surrendered at Schillerplatz in Iserlohn without fighting.
As s.Pz.Jäg.Abt.653, s.Pz.Jäg.Abt.512 also had Bergepanthers and Sd.Kfz.9s, Flakpanzer IVs (of which some were Wirbelwinds, some 3,7 cm Flakpanzer IVs and some Sd.Kfz.7/1s), and several guns, halftracks and trucks.
It is uncertain exactly which units the Jagdtiger was given to. Sources are blurry, but evidence suggest the s.Pz.Abt.510 as one source (as no other can account for 2 missing Jagdtigers) and the s.SS.Pz.Abt.501, under 1.SS-Panzer-Division Leibstandarte Adolf Hitler, either with crewmembers from s.Pz.Jäg.Abt.653, or actual Waffen-SS crew. It is, however, very uncertain.
The Jagdtiger was certainly an impressive creation, and was intimmidating for the Allied crews. Still, it was a waste of steel and manpower, which could have been produced to manufacture Jagdpanthers or Tiger IIs. The extremely low number produced meant, that it had no influence at all on the war. Many Jagdtigers were destroyed by their crews due to machanical failure. One could say that the confidence in the Jagdtiger was also more vital than the results they showed, as Hitler believed strogly in this new wonder-weapon. Today, the only Jagdtigers in existence are Fgst.305004 in Bovington Camp, England, Fgst.305020 at Aberdeen Proving Ground, USA and Fgst.305083 in the Kubinka tank museum, Russia.
| Month | Production |
|---|---|
| 1944 | |
| February | 2 |
| March | 0 |
| April | 0 |
| May | 0 |
| June | 0 |
| July | 3 |
| August | 3 |
| September | 8 |
| October | 9 |
| November | 6 |
| December | 20 |
| Total, 1944 | 51 |
| 1945 | |
| January | 10 |
| February | 13 |
| March | 3 |
| April | 7 |
| May | 4 |
| Total, 1945 | 37 |
| Total | 88 |
| Physical specifications | |
|---|---|
| Length | 10.5 m. |
| Length (without gun) | 8 m. |
| Width | 3.77 m. |
| Height | 2.95 m. |
| Firing height | 2.15 m. |
| Weight | 75.2 t. |
| Engine | Maybach HL 230 P30 12-cylinder water cooled 23.1 l. gasoline |
| Horse powers | 600 @ 2,500 rmp. |
| Crew |
|
| Armour | 25-250 mm. |
| Armament | |
| Main gun | 12,8 cm Pjk.80 L/55 |
| Ammunition storage | 40 |
| Secondary guns |
|
| Ammunition storage |
|
| Performance | |
| Maximum speed | 34.6 km./h. |
| Road speed | 20 km./h. |
| Cross country speed | 10 km./h. |
| Range (on road) | 100 km. |
| Range (cross country) | 70 km. |
| Fuel capacity | 860 l. |
| Fuel usage (on road) | 8.6 l./km. |
| Fuel usage (cross-country) | 12.29 l./km. |
| Fording | 1.7 m. |
| Step climbing | 0.80 m. |
| Climbing, degrees | 35° |
| Trench crossing | 1.8 m. |
| Ground pressure | 1.11 kg./cm2 |
All contents written by Christian Ankerstjerne unless stated otherwise