How do you kill a tiger?

[Shiva]

Originally posted by bigsky
in 1986 when i was at armor school at ft. knox, when i was getting my scout training. the instuctors told us the weakest spot on a tank to hit with a tank gun or anti-tank missle is the turret ring. thats the spot where the turret meets the hull. there is always a crack otherwise the turret could not turn.

In theory, yes. However, that works best with rod penetrators like APFSDS (Armor-Piercing, Fin-Stabilized, Discarding-Sabot) or HEAT (High Explosive Anti-Tank) rounds; full-caliber solid-shot projectiles benefit less from hitting the turret ring. Another factor making it much less important is that IRL if you hit the turret ring, even if you don't get a K-kill (aka 'brew-up' or outright destruction), you have a good chance of jamming the turret so that it can't rotate -- but AH doesn't model jamming the turret, so you don't get the benefit of that target location.

Aiming for the turret ring is also more effectiv with modern tanks, which  are much more likely to require more space in the turret than can be accomodated with a turret the size of the turret ring, and therefore have the turret overhanging the hull, creating a shot trap that guides an incoming round into the turret ring or hull deck (like the rounded bottom of the gun mantlet on early Panthers). Both the PzKpfw IV and PzKpfw VI lack any significant shot trap.

[Fridaddy]

The damage mod on the Tiger is skewed. I personally feel its way to hard to even damage it let alone kill it.

Case in point.

One Tiger I saw took a string of bombs from a pony (unk size bombs, but no matter) all clustered around the tank. The blew so much dust in the air I couldnt see the tank. It was unscathed. In the RL there would have been SOME damage if not casualties inside from the near miss (or is that a near hit?)

I was about 500 meters away in a M-8 and he did not see me. I closed to within 50 meters and started fireing the 37mm. I know the 37 isnt a big gun, but the M-8 is fast and the 37 has a quick reload time, about 2 sec. I attempted to hit the turret ring and aparently missed as the turret traversed. I hit the treads four times with no effect as the tank started moving later on. As I drve by I hit the boggy wheels, again no effect. I even hit the barrel of the main gun to no effect. I know I hit the Tiger at least ten times all in spots that would have disabled...something.... and the Tiger drove around and finally took me and a few others out.  

I feel it needs to be remodeled, it looks like I am not the only one.

[plumbob]

My dad was in nam, he always talks about night when they would get hit with 120mm rockets.  He said that not many guys died from them, but the concussion would throw you out of bed even if it landed a long ways off.  Those that where unluck to be within 200-300 feet of it would have dislocated limbs, broken bones etc.


Now we are talking about 500-1000lbs bombs, way way more explosive power than 120mm rockets.  I would think that at very least you should have severly wounded crew from bomb hits that close to the vehicle.

[swoopy]

I watched a documentry on the tiger not long back, and the commander of one of the tiger was saying they were getting hit from AP rounds from all around. When the battle was over they counted around 140 hits all over the tank. Really it all depended on where u hit it and at what angle.

Main problem with the tiger was its suspension and transmission, many of them had to be abandoned because of this.

[popeye]

Driving over a piece of wood siding in the town will kill a Tiger.  Ask me how I know....

[bj229r]

Tigers ARE fairly impervious (in here, anyhow) to air attack---but if I had a nickel for every time a $#@#@%#@% panzer kilt my tiger w 1-2 shots.....well..id STILL be in debt..but far less so;