SD:Bef. Tiger

 is a German Tank unit and the predecessor to the Tiger II. The Tiger is one of the most iconic vehicles of the Second World War and symbolises the "bigger & better" doctrine pursued by Nazi-Germany in tank design and other areas. While it was over-engineered, prone to breakdowns, fuel-hungry, expensive to produce and maintain and presented many logistical difficulties, the Tiger was a fearsome sight to behold on the battlefield, as it sported a powerful gun capable of defeating all Allied armour and was clad in 3.9 inches of frontal armour.

This unit is an elite Befehlstank, a command tank equipped with communication equipment amongst others. It retains all the combat capacities of a normal Tiger tank, but in addition has a leadership ability.

Background
The Tiger Befehlpanzer combines the protection and firepower of a Tiger with the enhanced radio and communications necessary for command tanks.

Strategy
Unsurprisingly, the Bef. Tiger is fielded by Panzer-Lehr, home to Germany's most powerful tanks in abundance. The Bef. Tiger is everything the Tiger is for the same price, but has a leadership ability on top. This makes it a common pick in a Panzer-Lehr battlegroup. While its AT capacities are inferior to that of the Panther (and the Bef. Panther), its gun is still more than capable of destroying most Allied tanks with ease and with deadly accuracy (as an elite unit). It is also very potent against soft targets, unlike the Panther's gun. In short, the Bef. Tiger is a powerful and effective command tank that can turn the tables in phase B, especially since Panzer-Lehr will have taken a beating in the preceding phase.

Its 12 frontal armour gives it adequate protection against 75mm-armed shermans and 6-pdrs, but the more heavy Allied anti-tank guns will present a threat. Its sides and rear armour are also quite armoured for a tank, making flanking attacks slightly less effective.