Why Two Tigers

Discussion in 'Weapons, Technology & Equipment' started by chipm, Oct 14, 2020.

  1. chipm

    chipm Well-Known Member

    Yeah, it is a Ton.!
    I am not any kind of Numbers Cruncher, Accountant, Logistics person.....probably took longer than it would have if they were not at war, using (some) slave labor, being bombed, Etc etc.
    The usa was lucky. They produce the best P-51 and Merlin Engine possible. Nobody was bombing them or disrupting their supply chain.
     
  2. ltdan

    ltdan Nietenzähler

    I do not know the exact amount of work for the King Tiger, but for the production of the comparable (but smaller) Panther 2000 working hours had to be spent.
    Of wich
    - Chassis processing 55 hours
    - Chassis assembly 485 hours
    - Turret machining 38 hours
    - Turret assembly 150 hours
    - Final assembly 85 hours
    were required

    The following special machines were required
    - three 8-spindle boring mills (provided the armoured chassis with holes for the swinging arms of the torsion bar spring support)
    - a „Buggehäuse-Drehwerk“ (created the holes and support for the turret gear rim and ball bearing)
    - eight Wesselmann drilling units (drilled the holes for the shock absorber bolts)
    - a „Turmkranz“-drilling machine (made the holes for the turret wreath fixings)
    - a Heller milling unit, 2 spindles (machined the contact surface for the side reduction gear)
    - a "Turmdrehwerk" (processed the mount of the turret ring and commander's cupola)

    On 1 March '45, 5448 people were employed in tank construction at MAN. They worked 24 hours in two 12-hour shifts.
    Thereof
    - 124 in the administrative department
    - 841 in the tank machinery department
    - 3983 in the manufacture of tanks
    - 500 in the tank assembly
    5023 were men, 425 women. 2719 of the men and 230 of the women were non-Germans,

    Would assume a 30 - 50% higher workload for the King Tiger
     
    Osborne2 and Dave55 like this.
  3. Dave55

    Dave55 Atlanta, USA

    Sounds much more reasonable.

    The Tank Museum guy's producer may have had a decimal point error.
     
  4. chipm

    chipm Well-Known Member

    That was my first thought when i saw the video.
    How can that be.?
    They never would have made.....doesn't really matter what the number was..... 200-300-400- in the time frame that they did.
     
  5. ltdan

    ltdan Nietenzähler

    When comparing prices, the different dimensions may become more apparent:
    Panther - 120.000 RM (Basic version)
    King Tiger - 800.000 RM (Full Dress)

    Those are nearly the 7-fold production costs - also new to me...
    But there we have rather an exponential function: twice as big, 7 times as expensive
    Seems "50% higher workload" was a bit of significant miscalculation...ahem....
    But: Learned something new again, how nice!
     

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