In this guide, I will be telling you where the weak spots are on the Tiger, Panther, and King Tiger series tanks. This guide is for new and experienced players alike. I have been playing War Thunder since 2018, and as much as it pains me to say it, it was not until Operation FROST this past December that I really learned where to shoot at on these tanks. Since then, I have settled into mainly playing BR 5.7 US.

The Tiger, Panther, and King Tiger series tanks have excellent protection and firepower. They can dispatch nearly any foe they face with ease, and often it takes just a single shot to deliver a killing blow. When facing these tanks, there is very little room for error, unless of course you like being in the respawn screen constantly.

THEY MAY BE TOUGH, BUT THEY ARE NOT INVINCIBLE!

COLOR GUIDE

NO COLOR = Not worth your time to shoot!

RED = Do not shoot!

YELLOW = Caution!

GREEN = Shoot!

The Tiger H1

FRONT

When facing the Tiger head-on, the green areas are where you want to shoot. The front plate is completely flat and requires a significant amount of angling to become effective. Shooting dead center between the machine gun port, and driver view will deliver a guaranteed instant kill. Additionally, shooting the commander cupola will knock out the commander and gunner, depending on the ammunition used.

Lastly, the area with yellow shading is where the transmission is. Shooting here will disable the tank. I do not advise shooting there unless you are using APCR ammunition and are shooting at a very long distance.

SIDE

If you see a Tiger with its side armor facing you, shooting the center hull above the tracks is the best because that is where ammunition is stored. Shooting there will usually guarantee a kill. Likewise, shooting at the turret will guarantee a few crew member kills.

The Tiger E

FRONT

The same spots exist on the Tiger E that were on the Tiger H1, the only real difference is the inclusion of tracks around the hull and turret which add a little extra armor. Shoot the big flat plate marked green right in the center to get a guaranteed kill.

Lastly, the area with yellow shading is where the transmission is. Shooting here will disable the tank. Compared to the Tiger H1, shooting this area is a little bit more difficult because extra armor is present. Again, if you want to shoot here, use APCR ammunition and be at long range.

SIDE

If you see a Tiger with its side armor facing you, shooting the center hull above the tracks is the best because that is where ammunition is stored. Shooting there will usually guarantee a kill. Likewise, shooting at the turret will guarantee a few crew member kills.

The Panther D

One thing to know about Panther tanks is that the turret is VERY cramped. Shooting here will take out quite a few members of the crew. Shooting right cheek of the turret is preferable because you can nail the commander and gunner with one shot

FRONT

The biggest weakness on the Panther always faces you when it shoots - the gun manlet! As you can see in the picture, there is a narrow band on the manlet where shells can penetrate. Shoot as close to the center as you can, because the further up or down you shoot, the greater the chance of the shell either not penetrating or bouncing. Another spot to shoot is the commander cupola. Shooting the left cheek of the tank isn't desirable because you usually won't kill the gunner.

Shooting the upper glacis plate of any Panther is generally not worth it unless you have very high penetration shells, such as APDS. The lower glacis plate, colored with yellow shading, is where the transmission is. Shoot that area with APCR ammunition to disable the tank.

SIDE

Shooting the sides of the turret will kill quite a few crew members. The upper hull above the track wheels is where ammunition is stored, shooting there will generally get you a kill.

The Panther A

The same tactics from the Panther D can be employed on the Panther A

FRONT

Once again, shoot the right turret cheek in the narrow band to knock out the commander and gunner. Don't bother shooting the upper glacis plate, shells will either not penetrate or bounce. The area shaded in yellow is where the transmission is, use APCR ammunition when shooting there.

SIDE

Again, shoot above the road wheels on the upper hull to hit the ammunition and blow the tank to smithereens. Cramped turret + explosive shell = ???

The Panther G

I hope you are noticing a pattern of weakspots on the Panther tanks! The only difference on the Panther G is a new gun manlet designed to remedy the shot trap that was present on the A/D models. The same tactics apply!

FRONT

Again, shoot the right side of the gun manlet in the narrow band to take out both the commander and gunner. Shooting the upper glacis plate is not advised unless you have high penetrating APDS rounds. The lower glacis plate, shaded in yellow, is where the transmission is. Shooting there will disable the tank.

SIDE

Same story... Shoot above the road wheels to get a direct hit on the ammunition, blowing the tank to smithereens.

The Panther F

The main difference between the Panther F and previous variants is the new turret shape, which compresses the crew even more.

FRONT

Shooting the right side of the turret will again kill the gunner and commander. One thing to watch out for is the ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ massive gun and shroud it has because it will eat your shots or deflect them. Another weakspot, although very small, are the range finders. Shooting those will take out a few crew members.

SIDE

Yeah, same story as on the previous variants...

The Panther 2

This tank is starting to become somewhat of a rarer sight these days because it was removed from the German tech tree unless you already had it unlocked or were in the process of researching it. View this tank as an upgraded Panther F.

FRONT

Shoot at the usual spots. Beware of the large gun and shroud it has. I have seen the gun shroud eat HEAT shells with 400mm penetration in uptiered games. Because this tank is at 6.7BR and uptiers to 7.7BR are a possibility, depending on the tank you're running, you CAN shoot the upper glacis plate and go right through it.

SIDE

Shoot at the usual spots.

The Tiger II (P)

The Tiger II (P) is the first in the lineup of three King Tigers you will see on the battlefield. They are heavily armored, and come with jaw dropping firepower. They may be fearsome, but are dispatched easily by KNOWING WHERE TO SHOOT! This variant of the King Tiger is easily recognizable due to the curvy turret shape. This is my favorite version to face in battle!

FRONT

SHOOT THE RIGHT TURRET CHEEK! I will say it again - SHOOT THE RIGHT TURRET CHEEK! Shooting here guarantees at minimum you killing both the commander and gunner. As an added bonus, you can sometimes blow the thing up by hitting the ammunition rack, which is at the back of the turret.

Under no circumstance should you EVER shoot the left turret cheek - you'll only kill the loader!

SIDE

The King Tiger, like the Panther and Tiger tanks, has ammunition stacked high above the road wheels of the upper hull and is spread out literally everywhere. One thing to note on ALL King Tiger tanks is that ammunition is also stored in the turret of the tank. Shooting the left side of the turret that covers the engine will always result in an ammunition detonation, which will destroy the tank and give you a kill.

The Tiger II (H)

This is the second variant of the King Tiger, easily recognized by its flat, angular turret structure. This one is a tough nut to crack.

FRONT

The armor thickness of the area shaded in yellow is roughly 185mm. Literally any angling of the turret will further increase the thickness of the armor. Unless the tank you're rocking can punch through 200mm+ of armor reliably, don't bother engaging. As with the Tiger 2 (P), shooting the right turret cheek will kill the commander and gunner with a chance of detonating ammunition stored in the turret. If you're in a jam, try to destroy the main gun to buy yourself some time to escape.

SIDE

Shoot at the back left of the turret to detonate the ammunition stored there. Take note of the extra armor present. Again, shoot the upper hull above the road wheels to detonate the ammunition stored in the hull.

UPTIERS
If you face this tank in an uptier game, such as 7.7, most of the tanks at that BR rating will have ammunition that can blow through the frontal armor, turret and hull. If the tank is angled, penetrating it frontally can be hit or miss.

The Tiger II (H) Sla. 16

This is a premium version of the Tiger 2 (H). Nothing special really except for the additional armor covering the sides of the turret.

FRONT

Shoot the right turret cheek to kill the gunner and commander if you have a hard hitting gun that can punch through 185mm+ of armor reliably, otherwise avoid frontal engagements. If you're in a jam, try to destroy the gun to buy time to escape.

SIDE

Shoot the left side of the turret to detonate... You know the rest...

UPTIERS
If you face this tank in an uptier game, such as 7.7, most of the tanks at that BR rating will have ammunition that can blow through the frontal armor, turret and hull. If the tank is angled, penetrating it frontally can be hit or miss.

That's the end of my guide, I hope you enjoyed reading it and learned a thing or two along the way. I did not include the Tiger 2 (10.5cm) because I could not get pictures of it in the armory.