PzKpfw VI Ausf. B Tiger II or colloquially Konigstiger (Polish royal tiger) was a German heavy tank from World War II. The first prototypes of the vehicle were built in 1943, and serial production continued in 1944-1945, ending with the production of 487 vehicles. The Tiger II was powered by a single Maybach HL 230 P30 engine producing 700hp. It was armed with 1 88mm PaK 43 L / 71 gun and 2 7.92mm MG34 machine guns.
PzKpfw VI Ausf. The B Tiger II was created in connection with the commission by Albert Speer in January 1943 of the Henschel and Porsche plants to design a new heavy tank for the German armed forces. The first prototypes were ready by October this year, and a car designed by the Henschel company entered mass production, with 50 units of the new tank having a tower designed by Porsche (the so-called Porsche tower). The royal tiger had a great anti-tank gun, capable of destroying any armored vehicle of the Red Army or Allies at the time at a distance of 1500-2000 m. It was also very well armored, and its armor was carefully contoured. In fact, the new German tank was unattainable for most enemy vehicles at distances above 1000-1200 m. Undoubtedly, the Tiger II had numerous disadvantages: first of all, the engine was definitely too weak, which was the same as the 11 tons lighter Tiger I. The gearbox was also damaged. and the entire driveline system, which was extremely failing and prone to failure. The Tiger II was also incredibly time-consuming and expensive to produce, which, taking into account the difficult situation of Germany on the fronts in the period 1944-1945, was also a big minus. The Royal Tiger underwent its baptism of fire during the Normandy operation in the summer of 1944 as part of the 503rd Heavy Tank Battalion and 101st SS Heavy Tank Battalion. Later, units equipped with these tanks also fought on the Eastern Front in 1944-1945, and perhaps the largest number of Tiger II tanks in one operation was used in the offensive in the Ardennes at the turn of 1944-1945.
The Cromwell A27M was a British tank of the Second World War. The first prototypes were built as early as 1941, but serial production continued in the period 1943-1945. In total, about 4,100 copies of this tank were built. Cromwell was powered by an engine Rolls-Royce Meteor V12 with 600 hp. It was armed with a single 75mm ROQF cannon and two 7.92mm Besa machine guns.
Tank Cromwell was constructed as the successor to the Crusader tank. The technical requirements for a new tank for the British Army were already specified in 1940, and analytical work and the first prototypes appeared at the beginning of the next year. However, due to problems with serial production of the drive unit, serial production started only in 1943. The Cromwell, when it entered service, turned out to be a very successful tank, technically refined, and above all, having a lot of maneuverability. However, its poor armor and mediocre main armament were criticized, which was inferior to the 17-pounder cannon, which was the main armament of the Sherman Firefly tanks at the time. Despite this, Cromwell is recognized as one of the most successful British armored designs of World War II. Several versions of this tank were created in the course of serial production. Chronologically, the first was the Cromwell I, which was the first mass-produced version of this tank. Shortly after, the Cromwell V was created, in which the hull production technique was changed and the armor at the front of the car was strengthened (from 76 mm to 100 mm). There was also a version VII with even more reinforced armor and wider tracks - it was also the last production series. Cromwell tanks were also used by the Polish Armed Forces in the West (PES), namely the 1st Armored Division.