Tiger Strength and Status

The table below lists the number of Tiger tanks listed as combat ready and undergoing short-term maintenance with the independent heavy tank battalions on the first of every month. Short-term maintenance was defined as lasting up to three weeks. These numbers are based on the monthly reports submitted by the units. Not all reports are available.

In addition to the Tiger tanks that were combat ready and were undergoing short-term maintenance, some units appear to have had additional vehicles. For some months, some battalions also submitted [word=link¤¤expl]Kriegsgliederung[/lang] organizational drawings specifying the number of vehicles and weapons in each company. These numbers sometimes specify the number of authorized Tiger tanks when at full strength (45), sometimes the number of operational tanks, and sometimes a third number different from both:

Date Status report Kriegsgliederung Notes
Combat ready Maintenance Total Staff 1st 2nd 3rd Total
schwere Panzer-Abteilung 502
1943-11-10 16 17 33 3 12 12 14 41 8 tank surplus
1944-01-01 17 6 23 3 11 8 11 33 10 tank surplus
1944-02-01 20 21 42 3 18 17 17 55 13 tank surplus
1944-03-01 24 4 28 5 23 21 22 71 43 tank surplus
1944-04-01 29 14 43 3 23 19 22 67 24 tank surplus
1944-05-01 25 8 33 3 20 17 20 60 27 tank surplus
1944-06-01 34 4 38 3 20 17 18 58 20 tank surplus
1944-07-01 41 3 44 3 17 16 18 54 10 tank surplus
1944-08-01 12 8 20 - 4 3 5 12 Matches operational number
1944-09-01 19 8 27 1 7 4 7 19 Matches operational number
schwere Panzer-Abteilung 509
1943-12-01 20 19 39 3 14 14 14 45 Matches authorized strength
1944-01-01 15 17 32 3 14 14 14 45 Matches authorized strength
1944-02-01 26 2 28 3 14 14 14 45 Matches authorized strength
1944-07-01 33 11 44 2 15 14 15 46 2 tank surplus
1944-08-01 10 10 20 - 5 4 11 20
1944-09-01 13 17 30 2 12 12 14 40 10 tank surplus

Those units that did have Tigers, but whose reports are not available, are listed as NA. Those units that did not have Tigers at a given month have no data.

Month Status s Pz Abt 501 s Pz Abt 502 s Pz Abt 503 s Pz Abt 504 s Pz Abt 505 s Pz Abt 506 s Pz Abt 507 s Pz Abt 508 s Pz Abt 509 s Pz Abt 510 s Pz Abt 301 (Fkl) s SS Pz Abt 101 s SS Pz Abt 102 s SS Pz Abt 103 Total Reporting units Operational rate
1943
Jul Combat ready NA 40 NA NA 40 25% 89%
Maintenance 5 5
Aug Combat ready 21 9 NA NA 30 50% 42%
Maintenance 16 26 42
Sep Combat ready 12 18 NA NA NA NA 30 33% 45%
Maintenance 12 24 36
Oct Combat ready NA - NA 14 NA NA 14 33% 26%
Maintenance 27 12 39
Nov Combat ready NA NA 10 NA 6 NA NA 16 29% 41%
Maintenance 14 9 23
Dec Combat ready NA NA 9 NA 4 20 NA 33 43% 46%
Maintenance 8 4 20 38
1944
Jan Combat ready 17 17 4 10 18 NA NA 15 9 90 78% 63%
Maintenance 13 6 - 11 5 17 1 53
Feb Combat ready 19 20 13 17 10 NA NA 26 NA 105 67% 60%
Maintenance 10 21 22 3 12 2 70
Mar Combat ready NA NA NA NA NA NA
Maintenance
Apr Combat ready NA NA NA
Maintenance
May Combat ready NA NA NA
Maintenance
Jun Combat ready NA
Maintenance
Jul Combat ready NA NA NA NA NA NA NA
Maintenance
Aug Combat ready NA NA NA NA NA
Maintenance
Sep Combat ready NA NA NA NA NA NA NA
Maintenance
Oct Combat ready NA NA NA NA NA
Maintenance
Nov Combat ready NA NA NA NA NA
Maintenance
Dec Combat ready NA NA NA
Maintenance
1945
Jan Combat ready NA 18 10 16 34 NA 51 12 NA 18 NA NA NA NA 159 50% 85%
Maintenance 2 8 5 1 4 3 4 27
Feb Combat ready NA NA NA NA - - 13 11 12 12 NA NA 48 50% 40%
Maintenance 26 - 2 25 9 11 73
Mar Combat ready NA NA 26 NA NA 25 5 5 NA NA NA 61 41% 64%
Maintenance 10 5 10 10 35
Apr Combat ready NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA - NA NA NA NA NA - 7% 0%
Maintenance 9 9

Sources

  1. Panzerlage : 28.2.1943. 1943. 2 p. BArch 10/60.
  2. Panzer-Lage : 20.6.1943. 1943. 6 p. Gen.Qu./Gruppe V(K)III - Nr. I 31 686/43 g.Kdos.. BArch 10/60.
  3. Panzer-Lage : 30.6.1943. 1943. 6 p. Gen.Qu./Gruppe V(K)III - Nr. I 31 780/43 g.Kdos.. BArch 10/60.
  4. Tiger Abteilungen (Nach Gen. Qu. Pz-Lage 31.12.1943). Der Panzeroffizier Beim Chef Gen St d H, 1944. 1 p. Der Panzeroffizier Beim Chef Gen St d H Nr. 117/44 g.Kdos.. BArch RH 10/71.
  5. Tiger Abteilungen (Nach Gen. Qu. Pz-Lage 29.2.1944). Der Panzeroffizier Beim Chef Gen St d H, 1944. 1 p. Der Panzeroffizier Beim Chef Gen St d H Nr. 342/44 g.Kdos.. BArch RH 10/71.
  6. Tiger Abteilungen (Nach Gen. Qu. Pz-Lage 31.3.1944). Der Panzeroffizier Beim Chef Gen St d H, 1944. 1 p. Der Panzeroffizier Beim Chef Gen St d H Nr. 401/44 g.Kdos.. BArch RH 10/71.
  7. Tiger Abteilungen (Nach Gen. Qu. Pz-Lage 20.4.1944). Der Panzeroffizier Beim Chef Gen St d H, 1944. 1 p. Der Panzeroffizier Beim Chef Gen St d H Nr. 524/44 g.Kdos.. BArch RH 10/71.
  8. Tiger Abteilungen (Nach Gen. Qu. Pz-Lage 20.4.1944) Neue Zahlen Rot. Stand 30.4.1944. Der Panzeroffizier Beim Chef Gen St d H, 1944. 1 p. Der Panzeroffizier Beim Chef Gen St d H Nr. -/44 g.Kdos.. BArch RH 10/71.
  9. KLAGES, Ron. Trail of the Tigers. Mukilteo, WA : Lyonsbrook Publishing, 2002. 134 p.