Initially, the project for the production of military vehicles "Tiger" was initiated in the 38th year. By this time the army had the Germans not heavy combat vehicles breakthrough, similar to domestic goals and T-35 tanks Char B1. None However, in the strategic plan (proven later in Poland and France), inactive massive tanks were virtually no application, proceeding from this, the demands of troops to the powerful armored vehicle were very vague. In Ultimately, Erwin Aders, one of the most important plant employees "Henschel (Henschel) interested in designing a heavy Tiger (Durchbruchwagen). During the 1939-41 period, "Henschel" designed two original copies, which were called DW1 and DW2. Released earlier, had the tower on the following sample from the original tower installed machines PzKpfw IV.

Passive armor prototypes sought to 50mm. After the Nazis attacked the Soviet Union became apparent to the enemy need of significant improvement of heavy machinery Nazi troops. German Medium Tank PzKpfw IV Ausf. E-F lost much of the basis properties of the Russian T-34 version of the 1941 KV-1 homolog in Germany were used. Nevertheless, due to high level of classification of the crews, providing an excellent tank corps artillery support, good interaction with the aircraft, the Germans lined well as medium tanks and heavy enemy tanks, a large number of enemy encounters in the presence of a vigorous local crew T-34 heavy tanks and emphatically determined that high visibility, perfect mobility, of course, does not remove entirely poor quality of security and armament combat vehicles of Germany. With smoothing devastation in the Soviet Army continued to provide these broneapparaty increasing pressure on the Germans. Also, in the course of military operations, soldiers Wehrmacht increasingly had to fight prematurely constructed by protecting the enemy, where the importance of heavy armor is no longer seen as unrealistic.

The decision arose task was divided into two phases – improvement of pre-existing models of armored vehicles (PzKpfw III, PzKpfw IV) and the production of its twin Soviet KV-1. Immediately after the attack on the Soviet Union engineers with 2 major engineering companies – "Henschel" and "Porsche" – have been addressed in the basic properties of a breakthrough heavy tank design weighing 45 tons. In the course of the demonstration was approved by the command copy the manufacturer, "Henschel". Under the name of PzKpfw VI Ausf. H Tiger, he joined in series production.