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Tiger II
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<p>The Tiger II was a <a href="/facts/Nazi_Germany/8kRbqRpo">German</a> <a href="/facts/Heavy_tank/yCTIP18N">heavy tank</a> of the <a href="/facts/World_War_II/2efV5L1U">Second World War</a>. The final official German designation was <i>Panzerkampfwagen</i> Tiger <i>Ausf</i>. B, often shortened to Tiger B. The ordnance inventory designation was <i><a href="/facts/List_of_Sd.Kfz._designations/xz78BV6J">Sd.Kfz.</a></i> 182. (<i>Sd.Kfz.</i> 267 and 268 for command vehicles). It was also known informally as the <i>Königstiger</i> (<a href="/facts/German_language/oWaQIDA8">German</a> for <a href="/facts/Bengal_tiger/munL9mS8">Bengal tiger</a>, lit. 'King Tiger'). Contemporaneous Allied soldiers often called it the King Tiger or Royal Tiger. </p><p>The Tiger II was the successor to the <a href="/facts/Tiger_I/mMjEEKeg">Tiger I</a>, combining the latter's thick armour with the <a href="/facts/Armour_sloping/M5Ek5KMB">armour sloping</a> used on the <a href="/facts/Panther_tank/H8vxombH">Panther</a> medium tank. It was the costliest German tank to produce at the time. The tank weighed almost 70 <a href="/facts/Tonne/gMymLmWv">tonnes</a>, and was protected by 100 to 185 mm (3.9 to 7.3 in) of armour to the front. It was armed with the long barrelled (71 calibres) <a href="/facts/8.8_cm_KwK_43/94svy89t">8.8 cm KwK 43</a> anti-tank cannon. The chassis was also the basis for the <i><a href="/facts/Jagdtiger/MypuN2fS">Jagdtiger</a></i> turretless <i><a href="/facts/Jagdpanzer/xu8s9XS8">Jagdpanzer</a></i> anti-tank vehicle. </p><p>The Tiger II was issued to <a href="/facts/German_heavy_tank_battalion/vcvAQauM">heavy tank battalions</a> of the <a href="/facts/German_Army_(1935%25E2%2580%25931945)/yP5zyQ76">Army</a> and the <i><a href="/facts/Waffen-SS/KBYTW6jY">Waffen-SS</a></i>. It was first used in combat by <a href="/facts/503rd_Heavy_Panzer_Battalion/dwbJvuPH">503rd Heavy Panzer Battalion</a> during the Allied <a href="/facts/Operation_Overlord/fcx7BD00">invasion of Normandy</a> on 11 July 1944; on the <a href="/facts/Eastern_Front_(World_War_II)/W05zyTMj">Eastern Front</a>, the first unit to be outfitted with the Tiger II was the <a href="/facts/501st_Heavy_Panzer_Battalion/uoKbxXdu">501st Heavy Panzer Battalion</a>. Due to heavy Allied bombing, only 492 were produced. </p>