The Tiger II is a German heavy tank of the Second World War. The official German designation was Panzerkampfwagen Tiger Ausf B, often shortened to Tiger B. The ordnance inventory designation was SdKfz 182 (SdKfz 267 & 268 for command vehicles). It is also known under the informal name Königstiger (the German name for the Bengal tiger), often translated literally as Royal Tiger, or somewhat incorrectly as King Tiger by Allied soldiers.
The Tiger II was the successor to the Tiger I, combining the latter’s thick armour with the armour sloping used on the Panther medium tank. The tank weighed almost 70 tonnes, and was protected by 100mm to 185mm (3.9” to 7.3”) of armour to the front. It was armed with the long barreled 8.8cm KwK 43 L/71 anti-tank cannon. The chassis was also the basis for the Jagdtiger anti-tank vehicle.
The Tiger II was issued to heavy tank battalions of the Army and the Waffen-SS. It was first used in combat by 503rd Heavy Panzer Battalion during the Allied invasion of Normandy on 11 July 1944; on the Eastern Front, the first unit to be outfitted with the Tiger II was the 501st Heavy Panzer Battalion, which by 1 September 1944 listed 25 Tiger IIs operational.
