VK 45.01 (P) facts for kids

The

The VK 45.01 (P) was a special kind of heavy tank prototype. People also called it the Tiger (P) or Porsche Tiger. It was designed by a company called Porsche in Germany during World War II. This tank had a unique gasoline-electric engine system.

The VK 45.01 (P) was tested against a tank from another company, Henschel. The Henschel design won the competition. Because of this, the Porsche tank was not chosen for mass production. Instead, the Henschel design became the famous Tiger I tank. Most of the VK 45.01 (P) parts that had already been made were later used to build Elefant tank destroyers.

Developing the Porsche Tiger Tank

On May 26, 1941, two companies, Henschel and Porsche, were asked to design a new heavy tank. This tank needed to weigh about 45 tons. It also had to carry a powerful gun called the 8.8 cm Kwk 36 L/56. This gun was based on the German 88 mm Flak 37 anti-aircraft gun. Both the Henschel and Porsche tanks were planned to use the same turret, which was made by another company called Krupp.

Porsche worked on improving their earlier tank design, the VK 30.01 (P). They used some parts from that medium tank for their new heavy tank.

Engine and Drive System Challenges

The new Porsche tank, named VK 45.01 (P), was designed with two V-10 air-cooled Porsche Type 101 gasoline engines. These engines were placed at the back of the tank. Each engine powered a separate generator. These generators then created electricity for two electric motors. Each electric motor powered one of the tank's tracks from the rear.

This engine and drive system was very new and different for a tank. Because it was so new, it often broke down or needed a lot of repairs. Also, it was hard for Germany to get enough good quality copper. Copper was needed to build these electric drive systems. It was easy to get copper for one test tank, but not for many tanks. These problems, along with the fact that the tank was not as easy to move as its competitor, led to the Henschel design being chosen instead. The Henschel tank was more traditional and became the Tiger I.

From Prototype to Tank Destroyer

Even though the VK 45.01 (P) wasn't chosen as a main battle tank, its chassis (the main body) was later used. It became the base for a new heavy Jagdpanzer (a type of tank destroyer). This new vehicle was eventually called the Ferdinand. It was armed with an even longer 88 mm Pak 43/2 gun.

Only one VK 45.01 (P) tank actually saw combat. It was used as a command tank in a unit called Panzerjäger Abteilung 653. This happened in April 1944, and the tank was lost in July of the same year. The chassis of the VK 45.01 (P) and many parts from the Elefant were also used to develop a later tank prototype, the VK 45.02 (P).

Tank Design Features

A model showing what the Porsche VK 45.01(P) looked like.

Elefant tank, showing its suspension which was similar to the VK 45.01(P).

Ferdinand Porsche created a special suspension system for this tank. It had six road wheels on each side. Each road wheel was made of two wheels joined together. These wheels were grouped into three sets of two axles per side. This meant there were 12 individual wheels in total. Unlike the Tiger I, these wheels were not "interleaved" (overlapping). The tank weighed about 57 to 59 tons. It had wide tracks, which helped spread its weight. This gave it a ground pressure of about 1.06 kg per square centimeter.

Unique Electric Drive System

The gasoline-electric drive system was very new for vehicles. This led to many problems during its development. Two V-10 engines, called Porsche Type 101, were connected to Siemens-Schuckert 500 kVA generators. These generators made the electricity needed to power two Siemens 230 kW (312.7 PS) electric motors.

With this system, the tank didn't need a traditional mechanical power transmission or gearbox. Instead, a 3-step speed switch handled the changes in speed. The electric motors sent their power to a final drive system. This system had a ratio of 15:1 and directly powered the drive wheels at the back. The tank carried 520 liters of gasoline. This allowed it to travel about 105 kilometers on roads. Two compressed air tanks in the front helped the driver when braking.

Turret Placement

Unlike the Henschel tank, which had its turret in the middle, the VK 45.01 (P) had its Krupp-designed turret placed at the front. This turret was mostly the same as the one used on the Henschel prototype. It held the main gun, an 8.8 cm KwK 36, and a 7.92 mm MG 34 coaxial machine gun. The first eight turrets made had lower sides and a flat roof. The roof had a raised center part to allow the gun to aim lower.

Different Versions of the VK 45.01 (P)

• VK 45.01 (P) Test prototype

• This version had the VK 45.01 chassis. It was fitted with a concrete turret that weighed the same as the real Krupp turret. This was for testing purposes. Only 100 of these chassis were built.

• VK 45.01 (P) (Porsche Tiger)

• Ten VK 45.01 tanks were made with the Krupp turrets and 8.8 cm KwK 36 guns. Only one of these completed Tiger (P) tanks, with chassis number 150013, was used in combat as a command tank.

• Panzerjäger Tiger (P) "Ferdinand"

• Ninety-one existing VK 4501 chassis were turned into Ferdinand jagdpanzers (tank destroyers). This work was done very quickly, from March to May 1943.

• Panzerjäger Tiger (P) "Elefant"

• In September 1943, all Ferdinands that were still working were called back to be updated. Forty-eight of the 50 remaining vehicles were improved. They received more armor, a new commander's cupola (from the StuG III), and a new machine gun at the front for self-defense.

• Bergepanzer Tiger(P)

• Some VK 45.01 (P) chassis were changed into recovery vehicles. These were called Bergepanzer Tiger (P). Only three of these were built.

• VK 45.01 "RammTiger"

• This was a planned conversion of the VK 45.01 (P) chassis. It was meant to be a very heavily armored ramming vehicle with machine guns. Three main structures for these vehicles were completed, but their fate is unknown. The project was canceled in 1943.

See also

In Spanish: VK 45.01 (P) para niños