The clash of armour on the eastern front created an arms race of armour between Germany and Russia that sparked a rapid evolution in tank design. Since the invasion of the Soviet Union in 1941 until the collapse of Germany in 1945 each side competed to put the best machine on the battlefield. German AFVs put to the challenge of defeating Russia in 1941 had as thin as 13mm of armour to a maximum of 50mm while its main gun was as small as a 37 or 50mm weapon. Some vehicles carried a 75mm gun but this was designed for infantry support and was of the low velocity type. At that time successful for that role but until modified it was only good against tanks at close range. However, by 1944 armour thickness could be as much as 200mm with a 128mm main gun capable of shooting armour piercing rounds. The Strumtiger actually had a 380mm gun that fired a special projectile to destroy enemy fortifications.

But it wasn't mass and might alone that was evolving. Technology in making tanks that weighed nearly 70 tons maneuver and handle all sorts of terrain had to keep pace with the capability to deliver a deadly blow and to withstand one as well.

The 88mm 71 cal. gun on the Tiger II was more powerful than the 88mm 56 cal. gun on the Tiger I and had better velocity at 3,220 fps. This could penetrate 182mm of 30º armour at 500 yards. This was more than enough to deal with Russia's JS 2 tanks. On the western front, America never really fielded a true competitor until so late in the war that accounts are scarce. The Tiger II carried 84 rounds and they weighed 37 pounds each.

LESSONS LEARNED

1. STANDARDIZED
   1. An intentional delay in mass producing the Tiger II occurred in order to standardize parts with the latest models of the Panther tank, the Panther II, and the Tiger I. Some parts included were the cupolas, engines, engine covers and road wheels. This was helpful in parts being available for faster field repairs and production.
   
   
2. OVERLAPPING
   1. Dropping the interleaved road wheels for an overlapping stylel. This simplified maintenance and repairs as well as reduced freeze-up between the road wheels from freezing mud.
   
   
3. STEEL WHEELS
   1. These were used instead of the type with rubber around the rims. The steel wheels were more resilient and offered better cross country performance.
   
   
4. ZIMMERIT
   1. This was an anti-magnetic paste added to the surface of the armour to deter enemy tank destroying troops using magnetic explosives.
   
   
   

DRAWBACKS

1. UNDER POWERED
   1. In fact the engine driving this 68 tons of Tiger II was the same engine that was in the 45 ton Panther.
   
   
2. ECONOMY
   1. Moving the weight of a tank this size required a large consumption of gas. At this stage in the war, this was a luxury that Germany just didn't have.
   
   
3. BREAKDOWNS
   1. This was the result of being under powered. 68 tons of stress on the drive train led to many mechanical failures. These breakdowns and running out of fuel left many of these powerful tanks abandoned by their crews on the battlefield. In time the mechanical issues could have been alleviated to some degree but time was another luxury that Germany didn't have.

Even with it's drawbacks, the Tiger II was a great tank with many excellent design features. Surprisingly capable of greater maneuverability than some smaller allied tanks on certain terrain.