In 1942 Germany developed the Tiger I, which was then used during WWII.  Its official German designation was Panzerkampfwagen VI Tiger Ausf. E, often shortened to Tiger. During the course of the war, the Tiger I saw combat on all German battlefronts. 

It was usually deployed in independent heavy tank battalions, which proved highly effective. A single Tiger I proved to be more than a match for the American made Sherman tank. If it were not for the Sherman's higher deployment numbers in theatre, it's commonly believed the outcome of the war could have been different. 

While the Tiger I was ahead of its time in design, it was over-engineered because it used expensive raw materials and it employed labor-intensive production methods. Only 1,347 were built between August 1942 and August 1944. 

The Tiger was prone to certain types of track failures and breakdowns, and limited in range by its high fuel consumption. It was expensive to maintain, but generally mechanically reliable. It was also difficult to transport, and vulnerable to immobilization when mud, ice and snow froze between its overlapping and interleaved Schachtellaufwerk-pattern road wheels in both gravel and succeeding winter weather conditions, often jamming them solid. 

Enjoy with these 15 minutes of original formidable footage, thanks to Panzer Picture.