When Porsche lost the contract for the Tiger I tank more than 90 chassis had been

already produced, in different stages of completion, and for such reason it was
decided to use them for a new

project: a heavy and powerful self-propelled anti-tank cannon. Only two tanks had
been completed, so the remaining hulls were reconverted to the new concept. The
resulting vehicle would be

denominated Panzerjager Tigre (P) Ferdinand, in recognition of its projectist.

Later the Ferdinand would be named Elefant, as the crews of these tank destroyers
had been calling them since time

ago. The chosen cannon was the new Panzerabwehrkannone Pak 43/2 L/71 caliber 88
millimeters, which was too long for being placed in the centerline on the combat
compartment, so an enlarged project

was started. The two engines were forwarded towards the center of the hull, and the
combat compartment was relocated backwards, being placed aback the electric
transmission system. A big box was

used as superstructure, placed in the rear half of the hull, with the armored
surfaces so sloped as possible. The cannon, which had a limited transversal firing
sector, was placed in this aft

superstructure, and even so, it surpassed 1.22 meters the front of the hull. The
superstructure had a cuppola in the center to the right for the commander, and a
hatch in the rear that the crew

used to access or leave the tank. All the unions between armor plates were
overlapped and strongly welded. The hull was light and flat in the upper part,
similarly to the one used in the Henschel

Tiger, which had been the winning contract. Suspenssion consisted in three pairs of
road wheels at each side, being each pair mounted in a torsion bar. The two Maybach
gasoline engines were

attached to a Siemens Schuckert electrical generator, which gave energy to two

electric motors, one installed for each drive sprocket.[p]
In the contest against Henschel for creating the new Tiger tank, the Ferdinand had
been rejected because of its excessively complex mechanics. Steering was assisted
by hydropneumatic engines, and

the absence of a gearbox to change speed facilitated the driving. The powerful
cannon, equipped with 50 shells, gave the Ferdinand the possibility of destroying
the enemy tanks at a distance larger

than the effective range of their fire. However, it was committed the surprising
mistake of not installing any machine gun, leaving the new tank unprotected against
infantry. In subsequent models

this defect was fixed and the radio operator sitting beside the driver had at his
disposal a hull machine gun, albeit this mounting had a limited rotation angle and
visibility.
The great thickness of the armor, reaching 20 centimeters in the front, made the
Ferdinand/Elefant invulnerable to frontal attacks from Allied tanks, but the
overweight caused by the heavy armor

resulted in an excessive pressure on the ground, being the suspenssion one of the
weak points of this tank. It was soon clear than a meticulous inspection was
necessary before attempting any

movement, either by road or through the countryside. Because of this reason and a
low power to weight ratio, the speed resulted drastically decreased; from the 35
kilometers/hour intended in the

original project for the Tiger I, the final prototype of the Ferdinand would reach
only 20 kilometers/hour. There were great expectations about this highly
specialized tank destroyer, and two

batallions were equipped with the first units produced in 1943, to be destined to
the Battle of Kursk. There, the Ferdinand/Elefant drove the attack and broke
through the Soviet defenses, only to

be later surrounded and almost decimated by the rear. In the occasions when this
tank was used more wisely, the probabilities of success greatly increased, gaining
a good reputation in other Soviet

fronts and specially in Italy, where the war was not based in maneuvers, but in
ambushes.[p]
[aimg96]high_res/tanks_germany/
sdkfz_184_ferdinand_elefant_tank_destroyer_02.jpg[*aimg96]low_res/tanks_germany/
sdkfz_184_ferdinand_elefant_tank_destroyer_02.jpg[/aimg96][br]
[fs]Panzerjager Tiger (Pak 43/2) Elefant (SdKfz 184).[/span][p]
In the summer 1943, in the Battle of Kursk, where Germans and Soviets released the
largest battle of tanks in History, the crews of the Soviet tanks are suddenly
surprised by a self-propelled

cannon never seen before. It is a huge vehicle, with a square-like aspect, but with
surfaces sloped enough to effectively deflect the anti-tank shells, which
apparently make no effect in the new

tank, which advances slowly but without the minimal turn back, while its 88-
millimeter cannon, longer than any other seen until then, relentlessly hits the
Soviet tanks. However, in a

counterattack, being placed practically under the huge vehicle several infantry
soldiers, they become aware that the new tank nothing can do against them, for it
lacks armament for close attack and

defense. So, the fabulous tank destroyer is vulnerable against the foot soldier.
This discovery sentences the fearsome Jagdpanzer SdKfz 184, one of the weapons that
was expected to help crush the

Soviet Army. In no time, the Soviet infantrymen learnt its weak points and blind
spots, so almost immediately this tank had to be retired from the front, when a
good number of units had been

already destroyed. The illustration below shows five views of the Ferdinand/Elefant
tank. In the rear is visible the large hatch used by the crew to access or leave
the tank, but used as well to

install or remove the large cannon. In the upper view are visible, to each side,
the rectangular air intakes for the Maybach gasoline engines. A similar propulsion
system like the one adopted in

the Ferdinand/Elefant tank was later used in the Maus tank. A foldable holder
attached to the upper part of the hull holds and immobilizes the long cannon during
displacements in the countryside.
Twelve large rivets on each side reinforce the union between the supestructure and
the hull, and additional rivets reinforce the front of the hull. The radio operator
and the driver could see the

exterior through two loopholes located in the chamfered corners of the fore hull,
orientated about 45 degrees, or by using the upper hatches; there was no frontal
hatch for the driver's view.[p]
[aimg96]high_res/tanks_germany/
sdkfz_184_ferdinand_elefant_tank_destroyer_01.jpg[*aimg96]low_res/tanks_germany/
sdkfz_184_ferdinand_elefant_tank_destroyer_01.jpg[/aimg96][p]
[box]
Crew: 5[p]
Armament: One Pak 43/2 L/71 88-millimeter cannon, one MG 34 7.92-millimeter machine
gun in the hull (not installed in early units)[p]
Ammunitions: 50 x 88-millimeter cannon[p]
Armor: 30-200 millimeters[p]
Length: 8.14 meters[p]
Width: 3.43 meters[p]
Height: 2.97 meters[p]
Weight: 68 tonnes[p]
Ground clearance: 47 centimeters[p]
Ground pressure: 1.24 kilograms/square centimeter[p]
Power to weight ratio: 9.56 horsepower/tonne[p]
Engine: Two Maybach HL 120 TR with 12 cylinders in V, refrigerated by water,
developing 320 horsepower at 3000 revolutions per minute[p]
Speed (road): 20 kilometers/hour[p]
Speed (cross-country): 17 kilometers/hour[p]
Range: 150 km[p]
Maximum surmountable trench: 3.2 meters[p]
Maximum surmountable step: 0.8 meters[p]
Maximum surmountable slope: 22 degrees[p]
Maximum fording: 1.2 meters[p]
[/div][p]