Tiger II (H) Sla.16

Tiger II (H) Sla.16

Tiger II (H) Sla.16

Germany

IV Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
7.0	6.7	6.7

Class:

PREMIUM

Heavy tank

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Description

The Pz.Kpfw. VI Ausf. B (H) mit Simmering Sla.16 is a premium rank IV German heavy tank with a battle rating of 7.0 (AB) and 6.7 (RB/SB). It was introduced in Update 1.57 "Battle March". As a purchasable bundle vehicle, this variant comes with premium bonuses and the experimental installation of a diesel power engine, increasing its mobility vastly. But the vehicle functions near identically to the in-tree regular variant. It fits into the 6.7 line-up very well and can be utilised greatly in battle because of it's enhanced combat capabilities.

General info

Survivability and armour

The frontal armour of the Tiger II is very strong and can only be penetrated by a select few tanks at its battle rating and even less when fighting in a down-tier. The side and back armour, however, are pitiful with only 100 mm at its thickest, some SPAA at the rank can penetrate the sides so it is advised to never show your back or sides to an enemy lest you want to go back to the hanger/garage. It is slightly more armored then its non-premium counterpart with added tracks on the sides on the turret, adding an extra 30mm of armor to the very weak sides.

Mobility

Game Mode	Max Speed (km/h)		Weight (tons)	Engine power (horsepower)		Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
	Forward	Reverse		Stock	Upgraded	Stock	Upgraded
Arcade	45	12	70	968	1,431	13.83	20.44
Realistic	42	12		663	750	9.47	10.71

The top speed on-road forwards is around 42-44 km/h, and the reverse speed is surprisingly good at -11 km/h (RB). These speeds combined with neutral steering mean the Tiger II (H) Sla.16 is quite agile despite its heavy tank status. The engine has a lot of horsepower and climbing hills is surprisingly easy with this variant of the famed King Tiger.

Armaments

Main armament

The main gun this Panzer beholds is the KwK/43 88mm long-barreled gun. This gun performs astoundingly well for this BR, offering high muzzle velocity with more than enough post-penetration damage. The muzzle velocity of this gun sits at around 1000m/s for APCBC and 1400m/s for the APCR round, and also has HEAT shells, making it an exceptional sniper and brawler alike. The APCBC stock shell gets a fair amount of explosive filler with a wide one-shot capability upon penetration. This shell exceeds in ammo-racking enemy tanks, so aim for ammo stowage on the enemy vehicle. The APCR should only really be used for engagements on enemies you cannot punch through with APCBC alone, since it offers significantly higher penetration at the expense of post-pen damage, making it a very situational round. The same can be applied to the HEAT shell for long-range, as penetration dropoff does not matter on angled armour layouts, but instead offers poorer penetration values.

88 mm KwK 43
Capacity			Vertical guidance	Horizontal guidance	Stabilizer
70			-8°/+15°	±180°	N/A
Turret rotation speed (°/s)
Mode	Stock	Upgraded	Prior + Full crew	Prior + Expert qualif.	Prior + Ace qualif.
Arcade	17.0	23.6	25.8	28.6	30.4
Realistic	12.5	14.7	16.1	17.9	19.0
Reloading rate (seconds)
Stock	Prior + Full crew	Prior + Expert qualif.	Prior + Ace qualif.
9.7	8.6	7.9	7.5

Ammunition

Penetration statistics
Ammunition	Type of warhead	Penetration in mm @ 90°
		10m	100m	500m	1000m	1500m	2000m
PzGr 39/43	APCBC	237	234	222	207	194	181
Sprgr.43	HE	14	14	14	14	14	14
Hl.Gr 39	HEAT	110	110	110	110	110	110
PzGr 40/43	APCR	279	273	252	227	205	185

Shell details
Ammunition	Type of warhead	Velocity in m/s	Projectile Mass in kg	Fuse delay in m:	Fuse sensitivity in mm:	Explosive Mass in g (TNT equivalent):	Normalization At 30° from horizontal:	Ricochet:
								0%	50%	100%
PzGr 39/43	APCBC	1,000	10.16	1.2	14	108.8	+4°	48°	63°	71°
Sprgr.43	HE	820	9.4	0.1	0.5	1000	+0°	79°	80°	81°
Hl.Gr 39	HEAT	600	7.64	0.0	0.3	1100	+0°	62°	69°	73°
PzGr 40/43	APCR	1,130	7.3	N/A	N/A	N/A	+1.5°	66°	70°	72°

Ammo racks

Ammo racks of the Tiger II (H). Note that racks 7 and 8 are ready racks.

Thanks to the ready rack feature found on this tank, the first and second ammo racks found in the back of the turret will always be full of ammo, making it the prime target for enemy tankers who are looking to detonate your ammo rack. Even solid shots like APCR and APDS that commonly pierce your front turret can make their way to the rear of the turret, potentially hitting the ready racks and can cause a critical hit to become a deadly one.

Full ammo	1st rack empty	2nd rack empty	3rd rack empty	4th rack empty	5th rack empty	6th rack empty	7th rack empty	8th rack empty	Visual discrepancy
70	65 (+17)	59 (+28)	48 (+39)	37 (+50)	30 (+57)	23 (+64)	12 (+70)	1 (+76)	Yes

Both side empty: 23 (+47)

Notes:

• Recommended ammo load is 23 to keep the hull empty and both ready racks full.
• 7th and 8th ammo racks are ready racks, and takes priority in being filled at the beginning of the battle, then fills 1 through 6 in that order.
• Full reload speed will be realized as long as ammo exists in either ready rack. If both ready racks are empty, a penalty to reload speed will occur.
• Simply not firing the main gun when it is loaded will load ammo from racks 1-6 into 8 then 7, as long as there is ammo in racks 1-6. Firing the main gun will interrupt the loading of the ready racks.

Machine guns

7.92 mm MG 34
Coaxial mount
Capacity (Belt capacity)				Fire rate (shots/minute)	Vertical guidance	Horizontal guidance
3,000 (150)				900	N/A	N/A

This tank, unlike the standard version, receives an additional top mount MG34 7.62mm machine gun located atop the commander's cupola with a wide arc of fire, designed for anti-aircraft purposes. However, this extra gun proves inadequate at efficiently dealing damage to aircraft and so should be used more prominently as a spotting tool or a light armour remedy.

Usage in battles

Considering most of the players who use this vehicle will be using it in RB/SB, this section will cater to them. This vehicle can be used as a brawler and a sniper equally. With its potent gun and reliable armour layout, this tank can take a fair few shots before expiring. Try not to let your flanks become exposed if playing in urban maps. On open maps, you should stick to towns or hills and remain hull down to utilize your thick turret cheeks well. Aim for noticeable weak spots on enemies, ie. lower glacis shots or ammo rack shots will more often than not result in a reliable way to destroy them. The gun has a solid rate of fire, not too slow, so you can follow up with a return shot fairly quickly.

You will adapt over time and learn where the weak spots of most opposing vehicles. At times, this tank will act more as a support tank when considering the typical opponents will more than likely have stabilizers and sufficient suspension dampening, putting you at a disadvantage if you can't train your gun onto the target first. American heavy tanks such as the T29, T34, T32 and M103 will sometimes give you trouble. The trick to dealing with these tough, heavily armoured foes is to aim for the lower glacis. When engaging these vehicles, if you are not confident in being able to penetrate on your first shot, try and shoot the gun barrel to prevent your foes from firing back at you.

It is best used at mid to long ranges, where its' small weak spots are hardest to hit. It can, however, be put to work on the front lines, protecting medium tanks and tank destroyers - just be aware of your limited mobility, and ensure you have options should you get advanced upon by multiple enemies.

When used as a sniper, it is best that you find a position with a good overview of the battlefield. Keep your tank positioned directly towards the enemy and keep an eye out for any medium tanks trying to flank you (Tiger II has great frontal armour, do not be afraid to use it. However, keep in mind that the lower plate offers less protection and penetrations can easily cause fires due to the positioning of mechanical parts). It is best that you find cover behind a solid object and slightly rotate your vehicle e.g.: rotate your tank about 10-15 degrees from the enemy (your turret too). Positioning, combined with distance, can easily give you effective armour greater than 300 mm. When "sniping" it is best to wait for the enemy to expose their weak points, fire a steady, accurate shot and retreat to a safe position. Wait for your reload to be completed and slowly show your frontal plate (most of the players will engage even though the chances of penetration are low); once the enemy has fired, you can take your time and engage the tank while they reload.

Using the Tiger II to advance and to support the front line can be rather tricky. While this tank offers great firepower and superior frontal armour, you'll notice that it is hard to fight in urban areas. In situations like this, you will quickly realize that the high weight and sheer size of the tank can cause major problems. Almost any tank that is faster will easily outmanoeuvre the Tiger II and destroy it. To avoid this, it is best to stay in the back (not too far from your team), keeping your tank positioned at an angle and using "peek-a-boo" techniques. You should always look for a position that can protect you during the assault of small tanks, such as "U" shaped buildings where you can easily retreat and protect your weak points.

Counter-tactics

Colour-frames showing the viability of targets on the Königstiger.

A Tiger II is a formidable enemy when it's used correctly by its operator, but it's by no means indestructible under any conditions.

The first thing you want to do is deny the Tiger II of the advantage of its gun by getting as close as possible while keeping clear of its cannon (the closer you get, the better the penetration values for you and the Tiger II) most Tiger II operators will avoid getting flanked at all costs so you might find yourself forced to face one from the front. The biggest weak spot is the lower frontal hull plate, its slopped but only 100mm thick and behind it lies the transmission that likes to catch fires and create nasty shrapnel when destroyed, the shrapnel will fly inwards and if your shell is large enough they will take out the entire crew. However, this shot will most likely only leave the Tiger II unable to move for a minute and make his operator quite angry (at you) while his gun remains perfectly operational and before you have a chance reload you will most likely receive a very accurate shot from an irritated Tiger II operator.

The lower frontal plate is a good place to hit but it should be a second option, with this tank, you need to disable that gun as soon as possible, the turret is a very reliable target at close range, even with HEAT ammo you should be able to deliver a shot that will disable its firing capability for long enough for you to reload and shoot again. Using your best AP round for this is recommended since the frontal turret has a fairly thick (but flat) plate if nothing else works try APCR.

Using high calibre HE rounds is also effective. The cupola is probably the best place to hit with a HE shell since the explosion will deflect into the thin upper plate and destroy everything inside. It is not easy to hit, but if you manage to hit the cupola it's very unlikely it survives.

The Tiger II is very vulnerable to "Circling attacks", that means, running around it in circles and harass it with side shots. Its turret can turn quite fast (especially in arcade mode) but most medium tanks are fast enough to outrun it.

If you somehow manage to see an enemy Tiger II from the side, try to land a shot in the middle of the hull, near of the turret (not on the turret, the upper part of the hull), there's a good chance there will be ammo there, and if there isn't, you will either knock out the tank by taking out many crew members or cripple it heavily

Modules

Tier	Mobility		Protection	Firepower
I	Tracks		Parts	Horizontal Drive
II	Suspension	Brake System	FPE	Adjustment of Fire	Hl.Gr 39
III	Filters		Crew Replenishment	Elevation Mechanism
IV	Transmission	Engine		PzGr 40/43	Smoke grenade
This is a premium vehicle: all modifications are unlocked on purchase

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Armed with the fantastic KwK 43, arguably the best pound-for-pound gun in the game.
• The default APHE shell has very high accuracy, shell velocity, penetration, and damage potential at all ranges.
• 22 shells in the first stage ammo rack, giving this tank an impressive 7.5 second reload rate when equipped with an ACE crew.
• Astounding frontal armour. The upper front plate is virtually impervious to anything but APDS and HEAT rounds.
• Enemy shells that penetrate the lower plate will likely have all of its damage absorbed by the transmission.
• Same small turret as the Tiger II H, but has 20 mm of tracks covering the entire exterior of the turret sides.
• Turret front is a small target, and the gun mantlet is both large and utterly impenetrable.
• Due to the placement of the turret and how thick the side armor is, side scraping is an extremely effective tactic in this tank.
• Armed with 12-round, semi-automatic smoke grenade launcher.
• Thanks to its diesel engine, this tank has better acceleration and hill-climbing speed than the standard Tiger II H.
• Though a heavy tank, it is a very fast and highly maneuverable when running at full power.
• Unlike the other Tiger II's, there's a roof mounted MG-34.
• Jack of all trades tank against its competitors. Can effectively snipe, ambush, flank, and brawl.

Cons:

• While being a small target, the turret front is weakly armoured when facing tanks at and above 6.7.
• All 22 rounds in the first stage ammo rack is located in the back of the turret. Enemy shells entering the back of the turret will likely lead to an ammo detention.
• Both of the hull sides is lined with ammo, meaning penetrating shots in the sides is almost always certain death.
• The APCR shells are lack-luster and wildly inferior to most of the contemporary American APCR rounds.
• Hilariously bad HEAT and Hi-Ex shells. Don't bother ever loading anything but the default APHE round.
• Still a heavy tank, most mediums will have no problems catching up/flanking the tank if the players is not paying attention.
• The roof mounted MG-34 has a high rate of fire, but still only fires 8mm bullets. Critically damaging enemy planes is unlikely.
• Routinely up-tiered to fighting enemy post-war tanks like T-54's and IS-3's.

History

The Sla.16 diesel engine developed by Simmering-Graz-Pauker from Vienna. With a power output of around 750 hp, it was considerably more powerful than Maybach engine used by the Tiger I, Tiger II, and Panther tanks that had 690 hp. The Sla.16 was also proposed as the power unit for the infamous super-heavy Maus tank. According to various of sources such as Military Engineer and Amazing Porsche and Volkswagen Story, the engines were tested with positive results. The recommendation was that these diesel engines were to be attached to the heavy tanks and tank destroyers currently in production for increased efficiency of the vehicles. A diesel engine was mounted onto a Tiger II as a prototype built by Nibelungen Werke and went through testings, though results have not been found from this test. Further proposals also wanted the engine to be mounted in the Panther and Jagdtiger vehicles for increased power, but the war's constraint on supplies and Nazi Germany's capitulation resulted in the cancellation of these programs.

Media

Skins

• Skins and camouflages for the Tiger II (H) Sla.16 from live.warthunder.com.

Sights

• RideR2's Realistic gunsight (TZF4a, TZF 5a/b/d/e/f/f2, TZF 9b/b1/c/d, TZF 12/a) for Pzkpfw II, Pzkpfw III, Pzkpfw IV, Pzkpfw V, Pzkpfw VI

Videos

The Shooting Range #5 - Metal Beasts section at 03:12 discusses the Tiger II (H) Sla.16.

See also

• Tiger II (H)
• Tiger II (P)

External links

• [Devblog] Tiger II Sla.16: the diesel-engined “King Tiger”

Germany heavy tanks
Tiger 1 (Henschel)	Tiger H1 · Tiger E · ␠Tiger
Tiger 1 (Porsche)	VK 45.01 (P) · Pz.Bef.Wg.VI P
Tiger 2	Tiger II (P) · Tiger II (H) · Tiger II (H) Sla.16 · Tiger II (10.5 cm Kw.K)
Super heavy tanks	Maus · E-100
Trophies
Great Britain	▀Pz.Kpfw. Churchill
USSR	▀KV-IB · ▀KW I C 756 (r) · ▀KW II 754 (r)