It’s not the weight of the tank, but the displacement of the weight to the ground and the power to weight ratio that matter. Interlevered roadwheels and wide track made the Tiger no less susceptible to getting stuck in the mud than a Sherman, with higher displacement that a Tiger due to it’s narrow track. The modern Abrams weighs more than a Tiger, has more than twice the horsepower,and even with it’s advanced design features, it will still get “stuck in the mud”. I know this from first hand personal experience, as I have done it (DOH!), more than once.
Just curious, how do you get a tank like the Abrams out of the mud?
Just like any other tank ,line a bunch up, hook up the tow cables and pull.
Well it was definitly panther. The best tank of the war was the T-34. Still the t-34 won by not only being a good tank, but by sheer numbers of it!
The sherman wasn’t a good tank, but the numbers that it was produced at, overwelmed the germans.
Still the T-34 was great, and it was proven many times, but the panther could at least stand up against the t-34, with its mobility unlike the tiger.
As much as I love the King Tiger, I have to admit the best German tank was the Panther G. Once all the bugs were cleared out. You couldn’t beat the mobility, firepower and armor of the Panther. Always a lethal tank whether it was on the offensive or the defensive. I also have a fondness for the Pz IV. The workhorse of the Panzerwaffe throughout the war.
TigerII
I have to agree with nearly everyone else, the Panther was probably the best overall German tank. It had speed, range , mobility, adequate armor and serious firepower. The Tiger was heavily armed and armored but was also short ranged was due to the larger caliber ammo, it didn’t always have enough ammunition on hand. There were never a large number of Tigers availible, they had to run from one hot spot to another in Russia, sometimes only a handful to face one hundred T-34s.
The Maus was never armed and too heavy for European bridges. When the test vehicle was driven down the cobblestone street, the vibration was so great that the foundations of the houses actually cracked when it passed by. It was a great wste of time and material.