Tiger I nickname "Tiger" by Ferdinand Porsche, and the Roman numeral was added after the later Tiger II entered production. The initial designation was "Panzerkampfwagen VI Ausführung H" (‘‘"Panzer VI version H"’’, abbreviated "PzKpfw VI Ausf. H") where 'H' denoted Henschel as the designer/manufacturer. It was classified with ordnance inventory designation "SdKfz 182". The tank was later re-designated as "PzKpfw VI Ausf. E" in March 1943, with ordnance inventory designation "SdKfz 181". Today, only seven Tiger I tanks survive in museums and private collections worldwide. The Tiger 131 at the UK's Tank Museum, which was captured during the North Africa Campaign, is
Panzer ace by the Waffen-SS as part of its contributions to Nazi Germany's propaganda campaigns. In most German Army ("Heer") units, tank crews and commanders generally received awards for mission performance rather than tank kills. German highly decorated tank commanders were most often soldiers who served in units equipped with Tiger I or Tiger II tanks between mid-1943 and mid-1944. The Allies did not have any tanks capable of easily defeating the Tigers during this period. Few soldiers who operated Panther tanks at this time received the same high decorations, as these tanks were more vulnerable to Allied tanks and less mechanically