The Tiger I was a German heavy tank of World War II deployed from 1942 in Africa & Europe usually in independent heavy tank battalions Its final designation was Panzerkampfwagen VI Tiger Ausf E often shortened to Tiger The Tiger I gave the Wehrmacht its first armoured fighting vehicle that mounted the 88 cm Kw K 36 gun 1347 were built between August 1942 & August 1944 It carried a crew of 5 (driver radio operator gunner commander & loader) & was powered by a water-cooled V-12 engine taking to speeds up to 28 mph (45 kmph) & alonng with its feared main weapon carried two 792mm MG-34 machine guns used in close combat situations While the Tiger I has been called an outstanding design for its time it was arguably over-engineered using expensive materials & labour-intensive production methods The Tiger was prone to certain types of track failures & breakdowns & was limited in range by its high fuel consumption It was expensive to maintain but generally mechanically reliable Also being difficult to transport & vulnerable to immobilisation when mud ice & snow froze between its overlapping & interleaved Schachtellaufwerk-pattern road wheels often jamming them solid made the effectiveness of this fearsome weapon less potent This was a problem on the Eastern Front in the muddy spring season & during periods of extreme cold The tank was given its nickname Tiger by Ferdinand Porsche & the Roman numeral was added after the later Tiger II entered production The initial designation was Panzerkampfwagen VI Ausf&252;hrung H (&8216;&8216; Panzer VI version H&8217;&8217; abbreviated Pz Kpfw VI Ausf H) where 'H' denoted Henschel as the designermanufacturer It was classified with ordnance inventory designation Sd Kfz 182 The tank was later re-designated as Pz Kpfw VI Ausf E in March 1943 with ordnance inventory designation Sd Kfz 181 Mid-production Tiger I's have the second design turret with the smaller cupola but retain the rubber-rimmed roadwheels