Book Review of
The Panzerjager Tiger (P) (Sd.Kfz. 194)
Ferdinand
Author: Slawomir Zajączkowski
Kagero Top Drawings no. 121
ICBN: 978-83-66673-72-4
BY Ray Mehlberger
Copyright: 2021
MSRP: $ 24.95
ICBN: 978-83-66673-72-4
BY Ray Mehlberger
Copyright: 2021
MSRP: $ 24.95
HISTORY:
The Elefant (German for "elephant") was a heavy tank destroyer used by German Wehrmacht Panzerjäger during World War II. Ninety-one units were built in 1943 under the name Ferdinand, after its designer Ferdinand Porsche, using tank hulls produced for the Tiger I tank design abandoned in favour of a Henschel design.
In January to April 1944, Ferdinands received modifications and upgrades. They were renamed Elefant in May 1944. The official German designation was Panzerjäger Tiger (P)[Note 1] and the ordnance inventory designation was Sd.Kfz. 184.
SPECIFICATIONS:
Type: Heavy tank destroyer
Place of origin: Nazi Germany
Designer: Ferdinand Porsche
Designed: 1942–1943
Manufacturer: Nibelungenwerke
Produced: March–May 1943, (substantial upgrades in January to April 1944)
No. built: 91[1]
Mass: 65 tonnes (143,000 lb)
Length: 8.14 m (26 ft 8 in) with gun
Width: 3.38 m (11 ft 1 in)
Height: 2.97 m (9 ft 9 in)
Crew: 6 (driver, radio-operator, commander,
gunner, two loaders)
Armor: 200 mm (7.87 in) maximum
Main armament: 8.8 cm Pak 43/2 L/71, also known as StuK 43/1
Secondary armament: 7.92 mm MG34 machine gun (Elefant only)
Engine: 2 × Maybach HL 120 TRM petrol of 600 PS (592 hp, 442 kW)
Power/weight: 9.2 PS (6.8 kW) / tonne
Suspension: longitudinal torsion-bar
Fuel capacity: 950 liters
Operational range: 150 km (93 mi) road, 90 km (56 mi) cross-country
Maximum speed: 30 kilometres per hour (19 mph)
THE BOOK:
Kagero is based in Lublin, Poland.
This book is staple-bound and soft-cover of 28 pages in 8 ¼” x 11 ¾” page format.
It comes packaged in a self-sealing clear cello envelope.
The cover art is divided vertically into a red top and a black bottom. On the red top there is a black and white photo of an actual Ferdinand.
On the bottom half there is a white line drawing of a top view of the Ferdinand. Over this drawing there are 2 color side profiles of the Ferdinand. The top one is in a wave pattern camouflage of sand, dark-green and red brown. It has a small black German cross, outlined in white, on its hull sides and a black outlined no. 231 on the sides of the fighting compartment.
It is a Panzerjager Sd.Kfz. 184 Ferdinand of the 2nd Company, 653rd Schwere Panzerjager Abteilung. It was camouflaged after the summer campaign in Autumn 1943, Russia.
The second color side view is in a base of tan with red brown and dark-green line pattern camouflage, small German cross, outlined in white, on its hull sides and a black outlined no. 333 on the sides of the fighting compartment.
It is also a Panzerjager Sd.Kfz. 184 Ferdinand of the 3rd Company, 653rd Schwere Panzer Abteilung also, shown after the battle of Kursk, central region of the front, Autumn 1943, Russia.
These 2 are repeated again in the book, along with a 2-view of a Ferdinand that is in a base of earth-yellow with large blobs of dark-green and red-brown camouflage. Small black German cross, outlined in white on the hull sides and a black outlined no. 322 on the sides of the fighting compartment.
It was with the 3rd Company, 653rd Schwere Panzer Abteilung, Battle of Kursk, July 1943.
The 4th color profile is a 4-view in a base of earth-yellow with narrow band red-brown bands camouflage. Small black German Cross, outlined in white on the sides of the hull and white no. 614 on the sides of the fighting compartment.
It was with the 654th Schwere Panzer Abteilung, Battle of Kursk, Orel region, July 1943.
The book contains 21 pages of line-drawings, 4 color profiles, a sheet of line-drawings and 30 black and white cover arts of other Kagero books.
There are 21 pages of 1/35th scale line-drawing profiles of the Ferdinand.
A loose sheet, printed on both sides in 16” x 11 ¼” format, folded in the center to fit the book, holds 5 line-drawing profiles in 1/48th scale on the face side and 6 line drawing profiles in 1/73nd scale on the reverse side.
This is a neat book on the Ferdinand. It will be of interest to modelers planning on building a model of the tank and to armor historians alike.
I sincerely wish to thank Casemate Publishers, the N. American distributor of Kagero Books for this review sample. All their titles can be viewed on Casemate’s website at:
The Elefant (German for "elephant") was a heavy tank destroyer used by German Wehrmacht Panzerjäger during World War II. Ninety-one units were built in 1943 under the name Ferdinand, after its designer Ferdinand Porsche, using tank hulls produced for the Tiger I tank design abandoned in favour of a Henschel design.
In January to April 1944, Ferdinands received modifications and upgrades. They were renamed Elefant in May 1944. The official German designation was Panzerjäger Tiger (P)[Note 1] and the ordnance inventory designation was Sd.Kfz. 184.
SPECIFICATIONS:
Type: Heavy tank destroyer
Place of origin: Nazi Germany
Designer: Ferdinand Porsche
Designed: 1942–1943
Manufacturer: Nibelungenwerke
Produced: March–May 1943, (substantial upgrades in January to April 1944)
No. built: 91[1]
Mass: 65 tonnes (143,000 lb)
Length: 8.14 m (26 ft 8 in) with gun
Width: 3.38 m (11 ft 1 in)
Height: 2.97 m (9 ft 9 in)
Crew: 6 (driver, radio-operator, commander,
gunner, two loaders)
Armor: 200 mm (7.87 in) maximum
Main armament: 8.8 cm Pak 43/2 L/71, also known as StuK 43/1
Secondary armament: 7.92 mm MG34 machine gun (Elefant only)
Engine: 2 × Maybach HL 120 TRM petrol of 600 PS (592 hp, 442 kW)
Power/weight: 9.2 PS (6.8 kW) / tonne
Suspension: longitudinal torsion-bar
Fuel capacity: 950 liters
Operational range: 150 km (93 mi) road, 90 km (56 mi) cross-country
Maximum speed: 30 kilometres per hour (19 mph)
THE BOOK:
Kagero is based in Lublin, Poland.
This book is staple-bound and soft-cover of 28 pages in 8 ¼” x 11 ¾” page format.
It comes packaged in a self-sealing clear cello envelope.
The cover art is divided vertically into a red top and a black bottom. On the red top there is a black and white photo of an actual Ferdinand.
On the bottom half there is a white line drawing of a top view of the Ferdinand. Over this drawing there are 2 color side profiles of the Ferdinand. The top one is in a wave pattern camouflage of sand, dark-green and red brown. It has a small black German cross, outlined in white, on its hull sides and a black outlined no. 231 on the sides of the fighting compartment.
It is a Panzerjager Sd.Kfz. 184 Ferdinand of the 2nd Company, 653rd Schwere Panzerjager Abteilung. It was camouflaged after the summer campaign in Autumn 1943, Russia.
The second color side view is in a base of tan with red brown and dark-green line pattern camouflage, small German cross, outlined in white, on its hull sides and a black outlined no. 333 on the sides of the fighting compartment.
It is also a Panzerjager Sd.Kfz. 184 Ferdinand of the 3rd Company, 653rd Schwere Panzer Abteilung also, shown after the battle of Kursk, central region of the front, Autumn 1943, Russia.
These 2 are repeated again in the book, along with a 2-view of a Ferdinand that is in a base of earth-yellow with large blobs of dark-green and red-brown camouflage. Small black German cross, outlined in white on the hull sides and a black outlined no. 322 on the sides of the fighting compartment.
It was with the 3rd Company, 653rd Schwere Panzer Abteilung, Battle of Kursk, July 1943.
The 4th color profile is a 4-view in a base of earth-yellow with narrow band red-brown bands camouflage. Small black German Cross, outlined in white on the sides of the hull and white no. 614 on the sides of the fighting compartment.
It was with the 654th Schwere Panzer Abteilung, Battle of Kursk, Orel region, July 1943.
The book contains 21 pages of line-drawings, 4 color profiles, a sheet of line-drawings and 30 black and white cover arts of other Kagero books.
There are 21 pages of 1/35th scale line-drawing profiles of the Ferdinand.
A loose sheet, printed on both sides in 16” x 11 ¼” format, folded in the center to fit the book, holds 5 line-drawing profiles in 1/48th scale on the face side and 6 line drawing profiles in 1/73nd scale on the reverse side.
This is a neat book on the Ferdinand. It will be of interest to modelers planning on building a model of the tank and to armor historians alike.
I sincerely wish to thank Casemate Publishers, the N. American distributor of Kagero Books for this review sample. All their titles can be viewed on Casemate’s website at:
Highly recommended.