The Tiger in a Nutshell: Speer: We’ve just produced our newest tank fresh of the assembly line for your next campaign. It has heavy amour, an 88 main gun and can take down anything on the battlefield. Rommel: I can’t wait to see it. Where is it? Speer: In the shop for repairs.
I have had a warm up ride in the commander's position in her....she is awesome! The wounds on the turret and chassis are frightening, I don't blame the crew for bailing out.
I think that might have been a Sherman tank because some used radial engines as one of their engine options. That Chrysler multibank (5, six cylinder inline, flat head engines) was a wild setup.
You missed out the part where a 6 Pounder shot deflected off of the Tiger's left turret lifting lug and struck the commander in the head, mortally wounding him. His unconscious body fell back inside the tank, causing the crew to believe they had been perforated. This is what caused the crew to abandon the tank and run off. Tiger 131 was captured with the engine still running, with the mortally wounded commander still onboard. Tiger 131's left turret lug still bears the scar from the 6 Pounder shot hit.
Yup... The turret / gun was disabled and then the bailout occurred. If not mistaken the Tank itself is in Bovington in the Tank Museum, it still running today .
The Tiger 131 turret was jammed from a shot to the turret ring. The crew bailed out since the turret couldn't be traversed. I never ever heard of the commander of the tank being killed by a deflecting shot off a lug. Please give a link. 😉
Story about Tiger 1 in Africa... Footage almost entirely of Tiger 2s, being inspected by Joachim Peiper in Europe if I'm not mistaken... Oh Dark Docs, you never change...
For a story about the Tiger I,, there are very few images of it actually in the video. There is the repeated footage of a 'review' of Tiger II's (King Tiger), but for a documentary, it's specificity, and accuracy, are sadly lacking.
I tend to really listen only, the footage is done with after a minute. Then they loop sometimes. And 100% agree with the comment concerning the Tiger 2 footage whilst the original Tiger is being described. It's as bad as I've seen. Just lazy.
There are SO many falsities in Dark Doc videos. I don't even think he does his research. What WW2 buff doesn't know the difference between a Tiger I and 2!!?!?!?!?!
Glad I reviewed some others' comments to learn that I was not the only one to notice that many of the visuals were of Koenig Tiger (King Tiger) tanks, not regular Tigers. What's more there are several unattributed clips of Italian soldiers, Italian tanks (M11/39? one give away is the main gun mounted on the body while a secondary gun is mounted in a smallish turret.) and I believe even Italian artillery. It does not add to the value of the film when one finds oneself looking for errors rather than listening to the narration. Despite the qualities of the Tiger and Koenig Tiger German industry simply could not keep up with the production capacity of the Allied powers. The Allies could afford to lose three or more of their tanks to kill one Tiger because there simply were not enough Tigers being manufactured to replace losses.
I was a tanker for 12 yrs on 5 different tanks.The problem with the Sherman's against German tanks was this.There were no forward American scouts early on to point out and mark positions of German armour before an attack.As American forces pushed the France,some units went to moving scouts in forward positions to find German armour ,then report back to command to draw up operations orders in how the attack should take place .Having a forward air controller among the scouts were crucial to call in air attacks before the battle to get German armour scattered and confused.Once American units started this practice,they pushed forward pretty quickly.The American army armour tactics were established in Europe are still used to this day.I went to advanced armour training in fort knox for 93 days in 1994 for platoon sgts. only.E-6 to E-7.Operations orders,CEOIs,tactics,and everything in between to make you a successful leader.Thanks DARK DOCS for this splendid video.
@@markpaul8178 My uncle was World War II. His wife and Mother-in-law got stuck in Germany during World War II. He served Army. My dad was Army Air Force and then Air Force that transition of 45 to 47
Germany has been building formidable tanks since the Tiger 1 and are still building world class tanks with their latest "cats" the Leopard series. Once again Mark brought to life a spellbinding WW2 story of valour and intrigue.
Tiger 131 is a grand old lady these days, enjoying her retirement at Bovington. She gets to come out once or twice a year and show off on tank day to the amazement and enjoyment of cheering crowds who marvel at her size and power. She got to star in the movie FURY- the only movie ever filmed that features a real Tiger tank.
@@smallthings6590 it’s too bad you haven’t seen the documentary called tiger files which is an hour long video completely on tiger 131 it’s on Amazon prime but good try.
I know quite well the story of the Bovington Tiger 131 but it must be pointed out that it was not shot any traverse mechanism but simply a lucky shot that ricocheted against the "roof" cracking it, both destroying the radio and blocking the turret. The other issue is that the Maybach HL210 P45 was not originally developed as the engine for the Tiger but originally developed as an aero engine but then it became the only 650 hp available for the Tiger and it was very compact 21.35-litre (1303 cu.in.) 12-cylinder...
@@pctrashtalk2069 it is by all means a V-12 engine, has nothing to do with a radial engine. Two important things: the Tiger 131 was originally powered by the HL 210 with a slightly smaller displacement and lesser torque compared to the never seen green HL 230. The great difference was that the HL 210 made extensive use of aluminium including the crankcase and block, the opposite was using gray cast Iron, larger displacement more horsepower but more importantly a better and more reliable torque!
More actual tiger one pics would have been nice. Excellent video of Grant or Lee tanks being assembled while talking up the tigers. Good video of the tiger two also. Actually saw one or two pics of the star of the show
Amazing what beautiful beasts they were. In those pictures even though it was fighting a few Churchills and took at least one 75 round there really isn’t a mark on it. Wouldn’t want to face those on the battlefield. Has to be an awful feeling to be not only outgunned but not even able pierce the armor of the enemy on the battlefield.
I had AIT at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Spring 1967. There was a King Tiger in the tank park which had sustained two direct hits by Shermans in the nose. The hits looked just like the damage you'd do to a stick of butter with a table knife. In other words negligible, pitiful. The Tiger must have also been abandoned, since there was no other visible damage. The turret was tall enough to stand upright in, regardless of the hull. A freaking massive tank. Remember, the Tiger's main gun was an 88mm antiaircraft gun. No wonder it was feared.
Some of the production line assembly shown is for the M3 Grant or Lee depending on British or American deployment. One of the primary benefits of the Soviet T-34 was that it ran on diesel fuel which of course does not ignite in the presence of a flame--it takes high compression (upwards of 16:1) presence in order to get diesel fuel to actually burn. The T-34 was loosely based on J. Walter Christie (American) proposed AFV that was rejected by the US army as insufficient even though it had tremendous cross-country capability.
Okay...I watch/and sub'd to several of your channels. This might be my best yet. That Tiger tank is still operational? I think I heard that correctly as "the only one remaining and working". BTW, this is my first comment on any of your channels. I do love the history and efforts you put in, the time length is great, I can binge several at a time. And I always give the thumbs up...mostly just when I click on it so I don't forget....but I've never been dissatisfied. I might miss a thumbs up for you, but all of them deserve a good thumbs up. Thank you for this content!
If you live in England or ever visit there, it's on display at the Bovington Tank Museum. Furthermore, each year Tiger 131 is driven in the "Tankfest" parade on museum grounds. And yes, to date it's the only running tiger in existence, although a number of others are planned to be refurbished to running condition.
One of the many high points of my visit to the Tank Museum, although my wife's eyes glazed over after the first dozen or so and stated that she would meet me in the gift shop. Any tank enthusiast owes themselves at least one visit.
0:38 you talk about first appearance of Tiger I while showing pretty different and much bigger Tiger II tanks. That can be so confusing for many people who do not know German armor...
I really dig the narrator. Been watching the "Dark" series of documentaries for years and his slightly hushed yet hurried, enthusiastic, transatlantic style is unique. If this is the start of a career, then don't expect the job offers to ever dry up. A lot of people say they want Morgan Freeman to narrate their life, I want this guy! ^^^
Thank you for saying it! I've thought that exact same thing since I found this channel a few years back. Can he teach my corporate office? They really need help in speaking... 😆
I think The Captured Tiger was actually used in a movie not to long ago! “Fury” I think. But with strict conditions on how it could be used. The fact it’s the only working tiger left makes it precious.
I'm confused, Are you talking about the tiger 1 or the King Tiger. I see mostly Tiger 2's and I guess you threw in some scenes of the building of some General Lee tanks lol
@@vthegoose If the footage is irrelevant it shouldn't be there. This is supposed to be an informative video. Imagine your teacher in primary started teaching you about a new animal, a Giraffe for example, telling the kids about it's long neck and spotted skin. While a zebra was on the blackboard. Little Timmy: "Teacher what's that on the blackboard?" Teacher: "Oh that's a zebra, it's got nothing to do with what I'm currently talking about, I just thought it looked cool there"
@@Deuce_and_a_half Dark series videos always make errors. Mark Felton Productions recently posted a video on the same subject and did a far better job. I watch Dark Docs for the entertainment of catching errors, and Mark Felton for facts.
When the Germans first ran into the T-34's they were unaware that Russia even had that tank.Also,the initial T-34's they ran into in Barbarossa weren't the T-34 85's they had the standard 76 mm guns.The 85 upgrade came later.
The T34's of both guns were fundamentally well designed machines (if uncomfortable !), but mass production created massive quality issues rendering them much less effective than they might have been ... The KV1 was also a monster tank, but not many of them were available and I understand that they were fairly slow ...
I love the videos and this story was amazing. Sadly most of the pictures and videos are not accurate to what you're talking about, but I realize how hard it would be to find videos that do match
@@EducationInHistory spend the time doing a video properly and get congratulated for it; or do a inaccurate video and get criticised for it. Which is better?
@@mr1ybbob3214 I agree, but a video is a visual format. If it was just a audio recording, then it’s good quality production. But if you’re going to add pictures or video, try to use footage appropriate to what is being spoken about. Don’t get me wrong, I subscribe to all the Dark channels and the vast majority of videos are great. Just not this one. Anyway, we’ve picked on him enough. Let’s wait for the next video.
They both have 88s, the konigstiger has a 71 caliber gun and the tiger has a 56 caliber gun. Caliber is just the length of the barrel, given in terms of the bore, so the tigers barrel has an 88mm bore and the barrel is 56x88mm long
Well, I saw a lot of Tiger 2 footage and what looked like an American M3 Lee production line. And @7:45 those don't look like Churchills. I thought they might be Matilda's at first glance but I think they're actually Grant Command tanks as the main gun is on the turret. I even saw a Crusader and a couple of Shermans there for a moment and toward the end I think I saw a couple of flashes of Churchills. Not trying to trash your video just for future reference you might want to match your video's tanks along with the moments you mention certain tank types. AND I appreciate the video.. SIDE NOTE: Can anyone tell me or verify the Tank Destroyer @4:52? It looks like a SdKfz 162/1 Panzer IV/70(V) BUT the reason THAT tank destroyer was created was to fit the 7.5 CM PaK gun. That ain't it.. And I do realize that sometimes they had to put on what they had but I don't know of any reason they would for that TD. Maybe a very rare TD with a smaller gun? Or am I wrong on what type it is? THANK YOU FOR THE VIDEO!
I love the footage that within three minutes of the beginning they showed footage of the M3 Grant/Lee tanks being assembled and then footage of the King Tigers when they were talking about the Tiger I. Almost gave up watching this at that point.
At around 1:40 it is mentioned that the Germans were surprised by the Soviet tanks. In four years, the Soviets had developed and manufactured better tanks than the Germans who were still in the development stage. So what had the Soviets done right that they outperformed the Germans? A second observation, there are many stories naming individuals who were heroes in the battlefields, but very few names of those developers and engineers who invented the deadly weapons used. Some of them must have received recognition by their governments, and not only on the Manhattan Project and Enigma.
Most often people arent recognized for that type of stuff some dude had great ideas about armoring a tank, and planned out to the workers and they were recognized as a team(company) for making such a great tank. The single worker is barely recognized, especially in the Soviet union.
The Russians didn't really have better tanks if you knew their secret. The most famed of the Russian tanks was the T34, which the Russians went to great pains to keep far away from the Germans until they had a great number of them and first used the T34 in a massive tank battle at Kursk. They did great until the Germans were near the end of their own tanks. The Russians had merely put more armor on the front of the tank, but didn't develop a much better engine. Thus, in order to keep the engines from breaking down, they had taken armor off the rear of the tank. If they were fired upon from in front with cannons, their armor was thicker and better than anything the German possessed, but it was said that you could fire into the engine, fuel tank, or crew area wiry any rifle. They literally ALWAYS had to face the enemy or they were riding in steel coffins.
The big reason for the T-34's advantages was that Germany had contracted the Soviets to build THEIR tanks, pre-Barbarossa. Oh, if Hitler had only paid attention!
The Soviets studied many tank designs while coming up with the T-34,including using the "Christie"suspension.They wanted it simple and easy to mass produce in numbers.The Germans on the other hand usually had way over engenered stuff that was harder to produce.
Angled armour was the main reason. Any armour plate at 45° has a greater effective thickness and has the added benefit of deflection. If Hitler hadn’t been such an ADHD nightmare, stuck to simple, cheaper designs, and out-manufactured the allies, we’d all be speaking German right now.
Are there any other tanks that they want to show while talking about the Tiger. They have shown American Grant production lines and King Tiger tanks on parade. How about showing an actual Tiger being produced or driven. Talk about phoning it in. How lazy were the guys who threw this mess together.
No doubt someone else, has already mentioned it. But why oh why, do you title this Tiger 131. Then proceed to show nearly other tank involved in WWII, apart from the damn Tiger.
This is a story about a Tiger 1. Why add Tiger 2s and self-propelled guns to the visuals? Finally, why wasn't the intelligence gained from 131 passed to the USA for the development of add-on armor and a more capable gun for the Sherman than a 75 mm based on the design of the French WW1 75?
To annoy you Yanks. Anyway, we guessed you would Welch on your agreement to share nuclear technology after the war, even though Brits were involved in the Manhattan project 😆
What makes you think it wasn't - on top of the US's own experiences in North Africa? The M4 was designed to be reliable and easy to make and had armour as good, if not better, than anything in it's weight class. Also - the M4's starting in 1942 were equipped with 76 mm guns on some models with better penetration than the 75 mm depending on round used. Then there is of course the E2 'Jumbo' where they welded on more plates to give it an effective thickness of 180 mm or over 7 inches - 75% more than a Tiger I. And German reports that even the base line Sherman's if at a 30 degree angle were either immune to the 8.8 cm gun if hit in the upper angled plate, or had to be within 800 meters as it varies. There was also the fact people further up the food chain were more focused on Tank Destroyers in the US than UK - so getting improved tanks, like the T/M26, or up-gunning/better armouring the M4 (there are photos of a test version an M4 normally meant for a short barrel 105 with the turret and 90 mm gun of an M26) was like pulling teeth and eventually required Eisenhower to step in to even get the M26 production going and have them shipped over. The US was stuck in a doctrine of 'Tank Destroyer destroys tank, Tank supports infantry' as opposed to the UK and USSR which was 'Tank supports infantry - and destroys other tanks' so they kept improving their tanks in order to both support the infantry and fight other tanks. They did up gun and up armour Shermans, problem is that it was a fight to do that because the doctrine was they weren't supposed to fight tanks, they were supposed to support the infantry and it was adhered to too strictly by people in positions to block further developments and all that would have gone against it.
No, dude, you need to have better standards. The video is about the Tiger 1, and most of the footage shown is the Tiger 2. Whe he says about production we are shown footage of Grant tanks. Like this is History Channel level content. Narration thrown over any black and white footage they could find.
Dark series videos always come with errors. Mark Felton Productions recently posted a video on the same subject and did a far better job than Dark Docs. Take a look and see the difference in quality details.
when u see the pictures of churchill on top of that tank. it makes u wonder if british tanks became as good as they are now , at that specific point in time. its like u can see it in his face "this will win wars" and he invested more into good tanks.
Not at that time. The British were already hurting for production of tanks due to lack of resources. The war was on and they needed to field tanks. So the tanks that were in production like the Churchill, Cromwell and towards the end of the war the Comet, were used. It wouldn't be until after World War 2 that the research and design would bear fruit with the introduction of the Centurion tank that fought in the Korean War.
@@metalmilitia1o740 Well, the Centurion missed out on WW2 by minutes, it was most certainly not a postwar tank. What's really impressive is it became the most successful tank there has ever been!
The Churchill was a good tank, very heavy armor, decent firepower, and it will go anywhere. The slow speed was intentional, as they were meant to advance with infantry
_As images and footage of actual events are not always available, Dark Docs sometimes utilizes similar historical images and footage for dramatic effect_ Nobody's fault but your own if you can't read
T-34, 4-inch effective armor or actually 4 inches thick? The angle of sloped armor can make it relatively thicker; this theory was revolutionary in tank design.
Something most writers ignore is the desertion rate from the German Armed Forces, a small steady trickle of desertion throughout the war, rising to a flood from late 1943, journals of French Marquisands indicates whole camps of deserters in the Marquis some of company size, similarly even in the vicious war in the Balkans, “tribes” of deserters co existed in the wilderness alongside Tito forces.
The videos are enjoyable when the sound is turned off and there are only subtitles. The narrator speaks way too fast. There is something wrong there. I guess the sound is speeded up for some reason. 90% playback speed made him normal.
Dark series videos always make these types of errors. Mark Felton Productions recently posted a video on the same subject and did a far better job than Dark Docs.
You managed to avoid saying where this was located. Was it in North Africa - as suggested by the introductory video ? Sorry - can't be bothered continuing.
Love your work, gave you a like, but please try to sync your footage with your narrative. While you were talking about German tank development, I was watching an M3 being assembled.
"Usually outgunned by their adversaries"? In what world? Sure, the Pz1 and Pz2, but we're talking 1938 - 1939 at that point. The Panzer III had a 3.7cm gun, later upgraded to 5cm, which was on par for it's time with it's allied counterparts, and the Panzer IV starting with the F2 which appeared in 40/41 outgunned almost every allied tank it faced, and from then on had the same gun that would be placed in the Panther. By the way, nice move showing Carro's when mentioning Churchills lol. I wonder how many people actually think a Carro Armato is a Churchill because of it.
If you want to see 131, she's you can see her, with some of her contemperies at Tiger Day on the 21st of April at Bovington Dorset, should be a good day.
Played a game called Battlefield 1942. I have to say, because of the ability to modify the maps, vehicles and equipment. I learnt a lot from what each was named and during game play it wasn't as good to reality. However there was a tiny bit of accuracy to take the Tiger out in one shot. Unless I missed it would like to see you go over the Stuka and the kettenkrad. I always thought that half motorcycle half tank vehicle was beyond its years. Such an amazing design imo
The Tiger in a Nutshell:
Speer: We’ve just produced our newest tank fresh of the assembly line for your next campaign. It has heavy amour, an 88 main gun and can take down anything on the battlefield.
Rommel: I can’t wait to see it. Where is it?
Speer: In the shop for repairs.
The tiger, a formidable opponent if you can find one that runs
I've had the pleasure of seeing this awesome machine in action at the Bovington Tank Museum.
I have had a warm up ride in the commander's position in her....she is awesome! The wounds on the turret and chassis are frightening, I don't blame the crew for bailing out.
@Shane Doe you could just say "Russian" yknow, communists are people. "Marching to their death" shouldn't be a joke. Your parents raised you wrong.
@@BuBornham in truth the Germans originally called the Russians Bolsheviks not communist but later generalised simply Russisch
Me granddad learned to drive a valentine at bovington
I’ve been there too
I like how he shows a radial engine being installed while narrating that it had a V-12.
I think that might have been a Sherman tank because some used radial engines as one of their engine options. That Chrysler multibank (5, six cylinder inline, flat head engines) was a wild setup.
You missed out the part where a 6 Pounder shot deflected off of the Tiger's left turret lifting lug and struck the commander in the head, mortally wounding him. His unconscious body fell back inside the tank, causing the crew to believe they had been perforated. This is what caused the crew to abandon the tank and run off. Tiger 131 was captured with the engine still running, with the mortally wounded commander still onboard.
Tiger 131's left turret lug still bears the scar from the 6 Pounder shot hit.
Yup... The turret / gun was disabled and then the bailout occurred. If not mistaken the Tank itself is in Bovington in the Tank Museum, it still running today .
@@fetus2280 Cant they shut it off? 😜
@@philmenzies2477 HA ! Took me a sec to realize wth you're talking about.. Good one mate, Dad joke of the day :) Cheers
@@fetus2280 It mentions the Museum in the close of the video.
The Tiger 131 turret was jammed from a shot to the turret ring. The crew bailed out since the turret couldn't be traversed. I never ever heard of the commander of the tank being killed by a deflecting shot off a lug. Please give a link. 😉
Story about Tiger 1 in Africa... Footage almost entirely of Tiger 2s, being inspected by Joachim Peiper in Europe if I'm not mistaken...
Oh Dark Docs, you never change...
Spot on mate. Big difference there.
Thought those were tiger 2’s still a badass tank also looks like a couple of PZ lV
Or talking about Tiger 1's production while showing M3 Grants on the production line. Hmmmm.
@@replicant5393 Ha! I know.
In some regards he's getting to be worse than Jingles. Though Jingles at least admits he's crap at times.
I like how the majority of the tigers shown in this are tiger IIs not tiger Is
Exactly.
So, its just backing footage to the audio
@@solariss452 buddy, there's only so much footage out there, it's just eye candy to look at
The video is free, so what is the problem?
It’s just a guy making videos. It’s not the fucking History Channel. Cut him some slack.
Amazing to think when Tiger 131 was on the production line in WW2, it would still be alive in 2022 👍
With digital controls no less!
It kind of is. The Leopard is a descendant of these (mostly the Pahther) WW2 tanks
No it wouldn't
ford t was on production ober 100 years ago and still a lot of this are alive, not like only one last tiger
@@nanab256 yes
For a story about the Tiger I,, there are very few images of it actually in the video.
There is the repeated footage of a 'review' of Tiger II's (King Tiger), but for a documentary, it's specificity, and accuracy, are sadly lacking.
I though it slightly amusing seeing an American Medium Tank M3 production line coming on-screen when talking about German tank factories.
allso m3 Lee factory
I tend to really listen only, the footage is done with after a minute. Then they loop sometimes. And 100% agree with the comment concerning the Tiger 2 footage whilst the original Tiger is being described. It's as bad as I've seen. Just lazy.
There are SO many falsities in Dark Doc videos. I don't even think he does his research. What WW2 buff doesn't know the difference between a Tiger I and 2!!?!?!?!?!
And when he’s talking about the “advanced” engine of the Tiger he’s showing footage of a radial engine going into an American tank 🤣.
Glad I reviewed some others' comments to learn that I was not the only one to notice that many of the visuals were of Koenig Tiger (King Tiger) tanks, not regular Tigers. What's more there are several unattributed clips of Italian soldiers, Italian tanks (M11/39? one give away is the main gun mounted on the body while a secondary gun is mounted in a smallish turret.) and I believe even Italian artillery. It does not add to the value of the film when one finds oneself looking for errors rather than listening to the narration. Despite the qualities of the Tiger and Koenig Tiger German industry simply could not keep up with the production capacity of the Allied powers. The Allies could afford to lose three or more of their tanks to kill one Tiger because there simply were not enough Tigers being manufactured to replace losses.
I was a tanker for 12 yrs on 5 different tanks.The problem with the Sherman's against German tanks was this.There were no forward American scouts early on to point out and mark positions of German armour before an attack.As American forces pushed the France,some units went to moving scouts in forward positions to find German armour ,then report back to command to draw up operations orders in how the attack should take place .Having a forward air controller among the scouts were crucial to call in air attacks before the battle to get German armour scattered and confused.Once American units started this practice,they pushed forward pretty quickly.The American army armour tactics were established in Europe are still used to this day.I went to advanced armour training in fort knox for 93 days in 1994 for platoon sgts. only.E-6 to E-7.Operations orders,CEOIs,tactics,and everything in between to make you a successful leader.Thanks DARK DOCS for this splendid video.
Thank you for your service! Just a weekend Warrior during the Reagan years
@@paulprigge1209 Paul,thank you sir for your service.I served in the RA,and NG.
@@markpaul8178 My uncle was World War II. His wife and
Mother-in-law got stuck in Germany during World War II. He served Army. My dad was Army Air Force and then Air Force that transition of 45 to 47
@@paulprigge1209 Thanks Paul for your story.
Sir,your name rings a bell.I have heard your name somewhere down the line.
Germany has been building formidable tanks since the Tiger 1 and are still building world class tanks with their latest "cats" the Leopard series. Once again Mark brought to life a spellbinding WW2 story of valour and intrigue.
Yeah we will see the results of the leopards in Ukraine now it should be pretty lopsided.
@@JimHugg-gl9bs they getting destroyed lmao most of em are gone
@@TheMrmango69 probably why i haven't heard about them then
Tiger 131 is a grand old lady these days, enjoying her retirement at Bovington. She gets to come out once or twice a year and show off on tank day to the amazement and enjoyment of cheering crowds who marvel at her size and power. She got to star in the movie FURY- the only movie ever filmed that features a real Tiger tank.
If I ever make it to England, Bovington tank museum is the first place I intend to visit. We have nothing like Bovington here.
I know tiger 1s aren't invincible but they are damn cool to look at.
Majority of footage are tiger 2’s
@@haterbehavior4583 facts
Would be nice if there were some in the video.
Cause Hugo Boss.
Not all Germans were Nazis.
We fought the wrong enemy. (George S Patton)
I don't condone the Nazis but they have the best uniforms.
@@Nikolai.... they did have the best uniform, but they also had the worst reason for fighting in the opinion of most rational people.
Yet more than 90% of film is showing other tanks and assault guns 💪 thanks for this.
Lol go watch something else then. Like real footage is falling out of trees.
@@smallthings6590 I can only imagine how videos like this is how history becomes so warped over years and years.
But hey king Tigers are basically the same as 🐯s eh lol.
Just pretend it's story telling time, just like it was in the 30's and 40's.
@@smallthings6590 it’s too bad you haven’t seen the documentary called tiger files which is an hour long video completely on tiger 131 it’s on Amazon prime but good try.
Come to see the Tiger 131, watch as they assemble M3 Lee's. Glorious.
I know quite well the story of the Bovington Tiger 131 but it must be pointed out that it was not shot any traverse mechanism but simply a lucky shot that ricocheted against the "roof" cracking it, both destroying the radio and blocking the turret. The other issue is that the Maybach HL210 P45 was not originally developed as the engine for the Tiger but originally developed as an aero engine but then it became the only 650 hp available for the Tiger and it was very compact 21.35-litre (1303 cu.in.) 12-cylinder...
The engine shown looks like a radial engine not a V12. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maybach_HL230
@@pctrashtalk2069 it is by all means a V-12 engine, has nothing to do with a radial engine. Two important things: the Tiger 131 was originally powered by the HL 210 with a slightly smaller displacement and lesser torque compared to the never seen green HL 230. The great difference was that the HL 210 made extensive use of aluminium including the crankcase and block, the opposite was using gray cast Iron, larger displacement more horsepower but more importantly a better and more reliable torque!
Thank you for all the work you put in.
More actual tiger one pics would have been nice. Excellent video of Grant or Lee tanks being assembled while talking up the tigers. Good video of the tiger two also. Actually saw one or two pics of the star of the show
Dark Docs be that way.
Mark Felton Productions recently posted a video on the same subject and did a far better job than Dark Docs.
@@HollywoodMarine0351 mark is fantastic ain't he
@@jaex9617 yet I still subscribe. Lol
@@guylelanglois6642 we watch Mark Felton for facts, while Dark Docs for the entertainment of catching their errors. lol
I really enjoy your documentaries. I really look forward to find new ones to watch.
Another excellent episode. Thankyou.
Amazing what beautiful beasts they were. In those pictures even though it was fighting a few Churchills and took at least one 75 round there really isn’t a mark on it. Wouldn’t want to face those on the battlefield. Has to be an awful feeling to be not only outgunned but not even able pierce the armor of the enemy on the battlefield.
I had AIT at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Spring 1967. There was a King Tiger in the tank park which had sustained two direct hits by Shermans in the nose. The hits looked just like the damage you'd do to a stick of butter with a table knife. In other words negligible, pitiful. The Tiger must have also been abandoned, since there was no other visible damage. The turret was tall enough to stand upright in, regardless of the hull. A freaking massive tank. Remember, the Tiger's main gun was an 88mm antiaircraft gun. No wonder it was feared.
I've touched tiger 131 at the tank museum it's a very impressive tank even now
Great story! For their day the Tiger was an awe-inspiring piece of engineering.
This Beast is even intimitating on screen! Dear Boy
Some of the production line assembly shown is for the M3 Grant or Lee depending on British or American deployment.
One of the primary benefits of the Soviet T-34 was that it ran on diesel fuel which of course does not ignite in the presence of a flame--it takes high compression (upwards of 16:1) presence in order to get diesel fuel to actually burn. The T-34 was loosely based on J. Walter Christie (American) proposed AFV that was rejected by the US army as insufficient even though it had tremendous cross-country capability.
Grants and Shermans built a special built Chrysler plant
Okay...I watch/and sub'd to several of your channels. This might be my best yet. That Tiger tank is still operational? I think I heard that correctly as "the only one remaining and working". BTW, this is my first comment on any of your channels. I do love the history and efforts you put in, the time length is great, I can binge several at a time. And I always give the thumbs up...mostly just when I click on it so I don't forget....but I've never been dissatisfied. I might miss a thumbs up for you, but all of them deserve a good thumbs up. Thank you for this content!
If you want to see the actual tank. Tiger 131 is in the Movie Fury. Its one and only time in a major Film IIRC
If you live in England or ever visit there, it's on display at the Bovington Tank Museum. Furthermore, each year Tiger 131 is driven in the "Tankfest" parade on museum grounds. And yes, to date it's the only running tiger in existence, although a number of others are planned to be refurbished to running condition.
Video about the Tiger 1 but you show more footage of the Tiger 2...
Smh
Easy to tell them apart.
@@jamessnee7171 for me yes, but someone who doesn't follow the history of WW2... they probably won't know.
One of the many high points of my visit to the Tank Museum, although my wife's eyes glazed over after the first dozen or so and stated that she would meet me in the gift shop.
Any tank enthusiast owes themselves at least one visit.
0:38 you talk about first appearance of Tiger I while showing pretty different and much bigger Tiger II tanks. That can be so confusing for many people who do not know German armor...
I really dig the narrator. Been watching the "Dark" series of documentaries for years and his slightly hushed yet hurried, enthusiastic, transatlantic style is unique.
If this is the start of a career, then don't expect the job offers to ever dry up.
A lot of people say they want Morgan Freeman to narrate their life, I want this guy! ^^^
Same bro, I love his work.
Thank you for saying it! I've thought that exact same thing since I found this channel a few years back. Can he teach my corporate office? They really need help in speaking... 😆
Rob Lowe
He sounds exactly like Tom Cavanagh and Aidan Gillen combined
If this guy narrates your life, the video will be mostly photos of other people, not you.
I think The Captured Tiger was actually used in a movie not to long ago!
“Fury” I think.
But with strict conditions on how it could be used.
The fact it’s the only working tiger left makes it precious.
You are correct, they also have the Sherman ‘Fury’ 76mm that was used in the film too at Bovington along side 131.
I'm confused, Are you talking about the tiger 1 or the King Tiger. I see mostly Tiger 2's and I guess you threw in some scenes of the building of some General Lee tanks lol
You are correct. The guy does not bother to inform himself. Pity.
He’s talking about tiger 131, the footage is irrelevant
@@vthegoose If the footage is irrelevant it shouldn't be there. This is supposed to be an informative video. Imagine your teacher in primary started teaching you about a new animal, a Giraffe for example, telling the kids about it's long neck and spotted skin. While a zebra was on the blackboard.
Little Timmy: "Teacher what's that on the blackboard?"
Teacher: "Oh that's a zebra, it's got nothing to do with what I'm currently talking about, I just thought it looked cool there"
@@Deuce_and_a_half Dark series videos always make errors. Mark Felton Productions recently posted a video on the same subject and did a far better job. I watch Dark Docs for the entertainment of catching errors, and Mark Felton for facts.
Dear docs. Always good and interesting. Classic history channel of unique things online. Perfection.
Love your videos although it was a bit confusing to keep seeing picks of a king tiger. I got a bit confused
When the Germans first ran into the T-34's they were unaware that Russia even had that tank.Also,the initial T-34's they ran into in Barbarossa weren't the T-34 85's they had the standard 76 mm guns.The 85 upgrade came later.
The T34's of both guns were fundamentally well designed machines (if uncomfortable !), but mass production created massive quality issues rendering them much less effective than they might have been ... The KV1 was also a monster tank, but not many of them were available and I understand that they were fairly slow ...
@@Jester-Riddle the kv1 was also known to have a obsolete and weak transmission that left them stranded a lot
I read the first KVs used the same engine and transmission as the T-34. The problem was the KV was just to heavy for that engine and transmission.
The superiority of the t34 has been greatly exaggerated as well.
@@bluntone2273 Part of the 'superiority' came from the fact that it was cheap and quick to produce, so volumes were available ...
Enjoyed your video and I gave it a Thumbs Up as a support
I love the videos and this story was amazing. Sadly most of the pictures and videos are not accurate to what you're talking about, but I realize how hard it would be to find videos that do match
Any videos of a Tiger 1 would be preferable to endless Tiger 2 footage. It’s not as if footage of Tiger 1s is difficult to find.
@@flynhiinthesky a lot of people don’t get how long it takes to make a 10 minute video either
@@EducationInHistory spend the time doing a video properly and get congratulated for it; or do a inaccurate video and get criticised for it. Which is better?
@@flynhiinthesky it's just the footage that's wrong. All the info he gave is right
@@mr1ybbob3214 I agree, but a video is a visual format. If it was just a audio recording, then it’s good quality production. But if you’re going to add pictures or video, try to use footage appropriate to what is being spoken about. Don’t get me wrong, I subscribe to all the Dark channels and the vast majority of videos are great. Just not this one.
Anyway, we’ve picked on him enough. Let’s wait for the next video.
Marc Felton already did it &its way better.❤
Why are we talking about Tiger I's, but seeing almost entirely Tiger II's?
Eisenhower's ships ran aground and he still came out a hero.
Thanks
Wonderful exposition.
Interesting story about Tiger 131 and narrating is excellent.
WOW! There is still ONE fully functional Tiger! That's amazing!
My favorite is the Liger. Half lion half tiger...thanks Napoleon!
No denying Germany's history of world class engineering and machining. That Maybach engine is a thing of beauty.
Excellent video!
Tiger II's er shown the most, as "Tiger", and, the Tiger 1 has a 88 mm gun....
They both have 88s, the konigstiger has a 71 caliber gun and the tiger has a 56 caliber gun. Caliber is just the length of the barrel, given in terms of the bore, so the tigers barrel has an 88mm bore and the barrel is 56x88mm long
@@vthegoose I heard wrong I think, and you are correct :)
@@vthegoose the Tiger 2 carried an updated version of the 88, the KwK 43 which was a 71 calibre length gun.
Good stuff 👍
Tiger 131 was disabled by a British tank, not an anti tank rifle or gun
Good stuff D Ds . Thank you
Your commentary is about the Tiger 1 (2:50) while you show the Tiger II. Can you explain ?
Am ur new subscriber I enjoy watching
Well, I saw a lot of Tiger 2 footage and what looked like an American M3 Lee production line. And @7:45 those don't look like Churchills. I thought they might be Matilda's at first glance but I think they're actually Grant Command tanks as the main gun is on the turret. I even saw a Crusader and a couple of Shermans there for a moment and toward the end I think I saw a couple of flashes of Churchills.
Not trying to trash your video just for future reference you might want to match your video's tanks along with the moments you mention certain tank types. AND I appreciate the video..
SIDE NOTE: Can anyone tell me or verify the Tank Destroyer @4:52? It looks like a SdKfz 162/1 Panzer IV/70(V) BUT the reason THAT tank destroyer was created was to fit the 7.5 CM PaK gun. That ain't it.. And I do realize that sometimes they had to put on what they had but I don't know of any reason they would for that TD. Maybe a very rare TD with a smaller gun? Or am I wrong on what type it is?
THANK YOU FOR THE VIDEO!
Image confusion. PLEASE! Subtitle the correct id of the other AFV images.
I love the footage that within three minutes of the beginning they showed footage of the M3 Grant/Lee tanks being assembled and then footage of the King Tigers when they were talking about the Tiger I. Almost gave up watching this at that point.
At around 1:40 it is mentioned that the Germans were surprised by the Soviet tanks. In four years, the Soviets had developed and manufactured better tanks than the Germans who were still in the development stage. So what had the Soviets done right that they outperformed the Germans?
A second observation, there are many stories naming individuals who were heroes in the battlefields, but very few names of those developers and engineers who invented the deadly weapons used. Some of them must have received recognition by their governments, and not only on the Manhattan Project and Enigma.
Most often people arent recognized for that type of stuff some dude had great ideas about armoring a tank, and planned out to the workers and they were recognized as a team(company) for making such a great tank. The single worker is barely recognized, especially in the Soviet union.
The Russians didn't really have better tanks if you knew their secret. The most famed of the Russian tanks was the T34, which the Russians went to great pains to keep far away from the Germans until they had a great number of them and first used the T34 in a massive tank battle at Kursk. They did great until the Germans were near the end of their own tanks. The Russians had merely put more armor on the front of the tank, but didn't develop a much better engine. Thus, in order to keep the engines from breaking down, they had taken armor off the rear of the tank. If they were fired upon from in front with cannons, their armor was thicker and better than anything the German possessed, but it was said that you could fire into the engine, fuel tank, or crew area wiry any rifle. They literally ALWAYS had to face the enemy or they were riding in steel coffins.
The big reason for the T-34's advantages was that Germany had contracted the Soviets to build THEIR tanks, pre-Barbarossa.
Oh, if Hitler had only paid attention!
The Soviets studied many tank designs while coming up with the T-34,including using the "Christie"suspension.They wanted it simple and easy to mass produce in numbers.The Germans on the other hand usually had way over engenered stuff that was harder to produce.
Angled armour was the main reason. Any armour plate at 45° has a greater effective thickness and has the added benefit of deflection.
If Hitler hadn’t been such an ADHD nightmare, stuck to simple, cheaper designs, and out-manufactured the allies, we’d all be speaking German right now.
I love how you got this in a day before Mark Felton ;)))
Excellent.
Love your videos
Are there any other tanks that they want to show while talking about the Tiger. They have shown American Grant production lines and King Tiger tanks on parade. How about showing an actual Tiger being produced or driven. Talk about phoning it in. How lazy were the guys who threw this mess together.
Always great info and entertainment. I love history
Lots of video disconnect from audio in terms of tanks pictured. Multiple shots of Lee/Grant's being manufactured
No doubt someone else, has already mentioned it. But why oh why, do you title this Tiger 131. Then proceed to show nearly other tank involved in WWII, apart from the damn Tiger.
This is a story about a Tiger 1. Why add Tiger 2s and self-propelled guns to the visuals? Finally, why wasn't the intelligence gained from 131 passed to the USA for the development of add-on armor and a more capable gun for the Sherman than a 75 mm based on the design of the French WW1 75?
To annoy you Yanks. Anyway, we guessed you would Welch on your agreement to share nuclear technology after the war, even though Brits were involved in the Manhattan project 😆
What makes you think it wasn't - on top of the US's own experiences in North Africa? The M4 was designed to be reliable and easy to make and had armour as good, if not better, than anything in it's weight class. Also - the M4's starting in 1942 were equipped with 76 mm guns on some models with better penetration than the 75 mm depending on round used. Then there is of course the E2 'Jumbo' where they welded on more plates to give it an effective thickness of 180 mm or over 7 inches - 75% more than a Tiger I. And German reports that even the base line Sherman's if at a 30 degree angle were either immune to the 8.8 cm gun if hit in the upper angled plate, or had to be within 800 meters as it varies.
There was also the fact people further up the food chain were more focused on Tank Destroyers in the US than UK - so getting improved tanks, like the T/M26, or up-gunning/better armouring the M4 (there are photos of a test version an M4 normally meant for a short barrel 105 with the turret and 90 mm gun of an M26) was like pulling teeth and eventually required Eisenhower to step in to even get the M26 production going and have them shipped over. The US was stuck in a doctrine of 'Tank Destroyer destroys tank, Tank supports infantry' as opposed to the UK and USSR which was 'Tank supports infantry - and destroys other tanks' so they kept improving their tanks in order to both support the infantry and fight other tanks.
They did up gun and up armour Shermans, problem is that it was a fight to do that because the doctrine was they weren't supposed to fight tanks, they were supposed to support the infantry and it was adhered to too strictly by people in positions to block further developments and all that would have gone against it.
Another great video!
Shout out for you!
Your videos are always good.
Although I'm not a war history fanatic I watch all your videos, and keep doing that.
Keep it up!
No, dude, you need to have better standards. The video is about the Tiger 1, and most of the footage shown is the Tiger 2. Whe he says about production we are shown footage of Grant tanks. Like this is History Channel level content. Narration thrown over any black and white footage they could find.
Dark series videos always come with errors. Mark Felton Productions recently posted a video on the same subject and did a far better job than Dark Docs. Take a look and see the difference in quality details.
From what I learned in high school, carrying a piat was no real honor. They were junk.
flawless victory
I've got to visit that tank museum when I visit the UK.
I'm glad he and his unit is now getting the credit they deserve
Well done 👏
Nice tanks !! Got any gas for them ? Cause our Sherman's and T34s do. And we have alot....
Well done.
Great success against a formidable enemy. And a trophy that would be very difficult to top.
Awesome story of the Sherwood Foresters regiment. They are from my home town of Derby in the UK
They had the nickname ,, woofers,,
when u see the pictures of churchill on top of that tank. it makes u wonder if british tanks became as good as they are now , at that specific point in time. its like u can see it in his face "this will win wars" and he invested more into good tanks.
Not at that time. The British were already hurting for production of tanks due to lack of resources. The war was on and they needed to field tanks. So the tanks that were in production like the Churchill, Cromwell and towards the end of the war the Comet, were used. It wouldn't be until after World War 2 that the research and design would bear fruit with the introduction of the Centurion tank that fought in the Korean War.
@@metalmilitia1o740
Well, the Centurion missed out on WW2 by minutes, it was most certainly not a postwar tank.
What's really impressive is it became the most successful tank there has ever been!
The Churchill was a good tank, very heavy armor, decent firepower, and it will go anywhere. The slow speed was intentional, as they were meant to advance with infantry
Lol but the Tiger 1 did the opposite of "win wars" Germany's heavy tanks lost them the war.
@@Deuce_and_a_half not really
_As images and footage of actual events are not always available, Dark Docs sometimes utilizes similar historical images and footage for dramatic effect_
Nobody's fault but your own if you can't read
Typical. Any errors or inconsistency must be somebody else's doing.
T-34, 4-inch effective armor or actually 4 inches thick? The angle of sloped armor can make it relatively thicker; this theory was revolutionary in tank design.
Like the new background music
Something most writers ignore is the desertion rate from the German Armed Forces, a small steady trickle of desertion throughout the war, rising to a flood from late 1943, journals of French Marquisands indicates whole camps of deserters in the Marquis some of company size, similarly even in the vicious war in the Balkans, “tribes” of deserters co existed in the wilderness alongside Tito forces.
The videos are enjoyable when the sound is turned off and there are only subtitles. The narrator speaks way too fast. There is something wrong there. I guess the sound is speeded up for some reason. 90% playback speed made him normal.
Is this a film about the Tiger 2, or the Lee?
Showing the KIngs tiger when talking about the TIger is alike comparing JS 2 with JS3 tanks
Ww2 must have been quite a thing to behold
Tiger II's, which most of your footage is of, is a completely different beast. How does one confuse them?
Dark series videos always make these types of errors. Mark Felton Productions recently posted a video on the same subject and did a far better job than Dark Docs.
@@HollywoodMarine0351 As Mr. Felton always does. He's much more versed and educated in history than Dark Channels.
You managed to avoid saying where this was located. Was it in North Africa - as suggested by the introductory video ?
Sorry - can't be bothered continuing.
Being given the PIAT was definitely not a privilege.
GREAT VIDEO 👌👌
Good info
I appreciate the videos but what's up with the footage not matching the tank being talked about? Kinda odd since you guys are typically on it.
0:38 these are Tiger II tanks, not Tiger I. Video of construction of US M3 tanks during discussions of Tiger development....
Love your work, gave you a like, but please try to sync your footage with your narrative.
While you were talking about German tank development, I was watching an M3 being assembled.
JUST CANT GET A TRYED AND TRUTHFUL STORY THAN THAT .
why are you talking about Tiger 1 and showing clips of the King TIGER
"Usually outgunned by their adversaries"? In what world? Sure, the Pz1 and Pz2, but we're talking 1938 - 1939 at that point. The Panzer III had a 3.7cm gun, later upgraded to 5cm, which was on par for it's time with it's allied counterparts, and the Panzer IV starting with the F2 which appeared in 40/41 outgunned almost every allied tank it faced, and from then on had the same gun that would be placed in the Panther.
By the way, nice move showing Carro's when mentioning Churchills lol. I wonder how many people actually think a Carro Armato is a Churchill because of it.
If you want to see 131, she's you can see her, with some of her contemperies at Tiger Day on the 21st of April at Bovington Dorset, should be a good day.
FYI, Tiger 131 Was In The Movie:
"FURY", Staring Brad Pitt...
It's Also The Only Working Tiger Tank That's Still In Working Order...
Played a game called Battlefield 1942. I have to say, because of the ability to modify the maps, vehicles and equipment. I learnt a lot from what each was named and during game play it wasn't as good to reality. However there was a tiny bit of accuracy to take the Tiger out in one shot.
Unless I missed it would like to see you go over the Stuka and the kettenkrad. I always thought that half motorcycle half tank vehicle was beyond its years. Such an amazing design imo
wow came out the same time as mark feltons tiger tank video