Page 90 - History of War - Issue 10-14

OPERATOR’S HANDBOOK

INTERIOR

The Tiger’s small enclosed interior contained
a crew of fi ve: a gunner, loader, driver,
commander and a radio operator. Although
small, the Tigers were over-engineered by
their manufacturers, so the interior was
packed with modern sighting equipment,
weapons caches and tools. The drivetrain
was aided by hydraulic-power-assisted
steering and the entire mechanism was
powered by four batteries. The whole tank
was so advanced that when it was captured
by the British, it was inspected by Winston
Churchill and George VI and then taken back
to Britain for extensive testing.

Despite its large
exterior, the inside of
a Tiger was a cramped
place where fires were a
frequent problem

Below The Germans insisted on using a
641bhp (478kW) 21 litre petrol Maybach
HL210 engine in their Tiger I tank

Below The panzer contained an
escape hatch if the main lids were
under fi re or had been blown off

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