The Mother OF All Tank Questions

[KG_Panzerschreck]

Which would you rather fight from, a Panther G, or an Tiger I?

I would have to go with the Tiger myself, i know it breaks down and the Panthers gun is better at range, but i have to go with the heavier armor and the better HE preformance and the "Tiger Terror" value of the Tiger.

[KG_Kharkov]

The Tiger breaks down! It pales compared to the Panther's mechanical problems. Shot trap defects, engine defects, engine fires. The Panther is a piece of crap (not really, but it ain't no Tiger).

I'll take the Tiger 1 any day.

[KG_Jag]

For all battlefield conditions and weather--give me the Panther, especially if its a late G. Just try to take a Tiger off road in the mud or in snow. Plus the Panther's rate of fire is far superior; even the King Tiger fires faster than the Tiger. Don't even mention speed. An ice cream truck can shut down a Tiger!

Jim and I could not have done what we did in our FGM game as the Germans with Tigers.

Still under the right conditions and used properly, the Tiger is one heck of a tank, especially in 1942 and 1943.

[KG_Red_Star]

I m with Jag on this one
1) Speed, on and off road
2) Agility
3) Sloped armor
4) High velocity 75 mm with plenty of penetrating power
5) Speed of reload

I'll take a 44 onward G

Red

[KG_SSpoom]

I like the Tiger for sheer "Fear Factor"
Plus I bet Angelina could heft those 88s where Jen would
have trouble Loading either.

[KG_Cloghaun]

Combat Mission and history are two different things.

1. The kill ratios are higher across the board with Tiger tanks than with any other German tank. Much higher.
Meaning how many enemy tanks each Tiger knocked out before being destroyed itself.
2. No other tank had the immediate impact on the battlefield as the Tiger. One has to look no further than Kursk.
3. No other tank was formed into independant battalions to be used as fire brigades.
4. The top two German tank aces, Wittmann and Carius commanded Tiger I's and their kill totals were much better than Barkmann's - (the top Panther ace).
5. I have nearly 50 tanks in my war room and my Tiger I that Jay made me is the coolest one of the bunch.

[KG_Jag]

I am shocked....shocked that Frank picked the Tiger.

However two additional points to consider. First the Tiger ruled the battlefield for a year to a year and a half after it was introduced. It had no serious threats from any Allied AFV of that time. The Panther, especially the non-rushed to Kursk fixed Panther, came into the war when more serious Alllied tanks and tank destroyers were on or soon to be on the battlefield.

Second the Germans continued production of the Panther to the end of the war, while it stopped producing Tiger 1s by the summer of 1944. In part this was because the Tiger was too expensive and slow to build. In part it was because the KT, which is more like a King Panther, could do almost everything better, had sloped armor, and what it could not do, the Panther could and did.

[KG_Kharkov]

I agree with Frank. History and gameplay are two totally separate things here. Wittman in a Tiger was unstoppable. Tiger kill ratios throughout the war were incredible. I gotta go with the odds -- still picking the Tiger!

[KG_Swampfox]

Gents,

I agree with Bill and Red Star, G model panther, a much more progessive design, easier and cheaper to produce, easier to transport, easier to recover damaged or disabled machines. Part of what makes a great AFV is its ability to be upgraded. The basic design of the Panther allowed it to be improved till the collapse. Sloped armour offers higher resistance to penatration vs verticial armour. As far as kills, look at the opponents,
Tigers slaughtered T-34 42 and 43 models like flies, but the Panthers would have also had they been developed earlier.
After Kursk, german soldiers increasingly had to watch for air attack from the growing red air force, I'd have wanted to be in a Panther after Kursk, before Kursk? Certianly a tiger....

Swamp

[KG_ThorsHammer]

its a very tough question

The Tigers armour was very well made, and thick even at the sides.
The Panthers frontal armour may have been a little better, but side armour was poor.

The Panthers 75mm was so good it actually had better anti armour performance than the Tigers dreaded 88, but the 88 had better HE performance.

Both types had their mechanical problems, although I think the G model panther may have been a little better.

Despite its size, the Tiger was faster and more manouverable than the markIV,
but the Panther was still better in both regards.

Off road the lighter Panther was less likely to bog down.

Its such a tight race. If you asked me which I would produce, I would say the Panther as one could produce two in the same time and for the same cost as one Tiger. But which would I rather be in??..I would have to take the Tiger because of its good overall armour