Ferdinand Porsche Ferdinand Porsche Ferdinand Porsche (3 September 1875 – 30 January 1951) was an automotive engineer and founder of the Porsche car company. He is best known for creating the first gasoline-electric hybrid vehicle (Lohner-Porsche), the Volkswagen Beetle, the Mercedes-Benz SS/SSK, several other important developments and Porsche automobiles. An important contributor to the German war effort during World War II, Porsche was involved in the production of advanced tanks such as the VK 4501 (P), Tiger I, Tiger II, Elefant, and Panzer VIII Maus, as well as other weapon systems, including the V-1 flying bomb. Porsche was a member of the
Tiger I command. These battalions would be deployed to critical sectors, either for breakthrough operations or, more typically, counter-attacks. A few favoured divisions, such as the "Grossdeutschland", and the 1st SS "Leibstandarte" Adolf Hitler, 2nd SS "Das Reich", and 3rd SS "Totenkopf" Panzergrenadier Divisions at Kursk, had a Tiger company in their tank regiments. The "Grossdeutschland" Division had its Tiger company increased to a battalion as the III Panzer Battalion of the Panzer Regiment "Grossdeutschland". 3rd SS "Totenkopf" retained its Tiger I company through the entire war. 1st SS and 2nd SS had their Tiger companies taken away and incorporated into the