Comments on: Tiger Tales: Henschel’s VK.45.02

By: Kellomies

Kellomies — Thu, 13 Mar 2014 18:12:47 +0000

*cough* I did say “postwar”. And Monty’s troublesome quirks aside the wartime Anglo-American cooperation on the whole went fairly well – at least compared to the original Anglo-French Entente and “Mr. Diplomacy” de Gaulle’s Free French.

By: Westonbirt_EU

Westonbirt_EU — Thu, 13 Mar 2014 16:52:24 +0000

“With a military split into four completely separate parts that had to be actively bullied by Hitler into cooperating (Heer, Kriegsmarine, Luftwaffe, SS), two competing intelligence services (SA, SD) that never shared information and occasionally offed each other’s agents, two civil services and two courts (one regular/normal, one SS), and five atomic bomb programs that shared no information or resources with each other Nazi Germany was actually one of the most inefficient states in history.”

By: Kena

Kena — Thu, 13 Mar 2014 16:42:02 +0000

That depends really on who you’re asking. The relationship between Montgomery and Eisenhower was appauling at times – putting Eisenhowever as the head of all allied forces added a year to the war according to Monty.

“They’re over paid, over sexed and over here!” as some of our guys said.

By: ROMEU

ROMEU — Thu, 13 Mar 2014 16:37:56 +0000

The first mention of the VK45.02 (H) with Sloped armor+8,8 L/71 is from April 15th 1942, this first version use the Tiger 1 components(drive train and suspension).(Now: VK45.02 (H) Model 1);

The second mention is from August 19th 1942 request to install the Panther HL 230 P30 motor in the Tiger I tank(like you mentioned), no mention of armor and gun is given.(Now: VK45.02 (H) Model 2);

In the end of August the decision of the Albert Speer is to increase the contract of 300 tiger to 600, of the additional 300 is to produce 140 VK45.01(H) and 160 Tigers with the drive train and suspension of Tiger but with sloped armor( VK45.02 (H) Model 1), the Maybach proposal
( VK 45.02 (H)Model 2) is rejected.No mention of VK 45.03(H) is made yet.

The first mention of the Henschel working in a new project is from August 19th of 1942 between Krupp and Wa pruef 6 about the turret Tiger-Turm(H3 und P2).

In October 1942 The first mention to VK 45.03(H) is made in a discussion between about plans for production from you text:
“The VK.45.02(H) was brought up yet again in October of 1942. This time, the delivery plan for the VK.45.03 was being put together and finalized. 424 Tigers were still on contract at that time to be finished before the start of the VK.45.03 production was declared to be impossible. So, a transition vehicle was proposed again, as the VK.45.02(H), with 170 vehicles to be produced and the total number of Series 1 and 2 vehicles to be increased to a total of 500 (CN: From 424.) so that the Type 3 (VK.45.03) could be produced from vehicle 501 onwards.”

Is important to point that the model proposed here is the VK45.02 (H) Model 1 not model 2.

Conclusion: VK 45.03(H) is mix between VK45.02 (H) Model 1 and VK45.02 (H) Model 2, plus others changes made by Wa Pruef 6

By: Kellomies

Kellomies — Thu, 13 Mar 2014 14:54:49 +0000

Was there a field of the postwar divvying up that *didn’t* involve copious amounts of gratuitious wrangling, stonewalling and all-around parochialism? IIRC what I’ve read of it only the Anglo-American relationship was even remotely smooth.

By: Kellomies

Kellomies — Thu, 13 Mar 2014 14:50:06 +0000

I don’t think they’re really talking about the indexing system per ce, but rather the plethora of proposals with mostly similar names and oftentimes unclear relations. The running numbering inside category the US used was somewhat clearer in some respects.

By: CaptianNemo

CaptianNemo — Thu, 13 Mar 2014 14:48:26 +0000

There is almost nothing additional in that book. Just looked at my copy.

The VK 45.02(H) they are talking about is the VK 45.03(H).

The most I could have added is about the April 1942 8.8cm L/71 gun Tiger conceptualization that was named at the time VK 45.02(H). Which I suppose I can write it up and back edit it in. This ended up as the VK 45.03(H) in the end.

By: Zarax

Zarax — Thu, 13 Mar 2014 14:39:44 +0000

Yeah, it’s almost all there

By: Zarax

Zarax — Thu, 13 Mar 2014 14:38:56 +0000

delete please.

By: ROMEU

ROMEU — Thu, 13 Mar 2014 14:38:34 +0000

Germany’s Tiger Tanks: VK45. 02 to Tiger II: Design, Production and Modifications

But all info are in the images i upload.