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Jan, 2025 update.
This is a compilation of research on the assembly line of the Henschel & Sohn Werk III in Kassel-Mittelfeld, with kind help and advice from my militaria friends. In particular, it should be noted that this article is based on Melcher Stikkelorum's study on the Henschel assembly lines for long years.
1. About the Henschel & Sohn Werk III in Kassel-Mittelfeld
The Werk III was reported as follows.
I. Introduction
Henschel & Sohn consists of three gen- eral engineering works in Kassel.
Werk I - Kassel proper was devoted to locomotive assembly and gun production.
Werk II - Rothenditmold, comprising a large foundry, boiler, and other locomotive component shops.
Werk III - Mittelfeld, was largely devoted to tank assembly and component manufacture.
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IV. Wartime organisation
8,000 workers were engaged on tank production, working in two shifts each of 12 hours. The night shift was stated to have only 50% of the output of the day shift. A pure 'Takt' system was employed in the assembly shop and this consisted of nine 'takte', each of six hours. The total time estimated to complete a tank, including the various machining processes, was said to be 14 days. An average of 18-22 tanks were carried in the hull assembly shop and ten on the final assembly line.
At the beginning of 1943, the 'Tiger I' was being produced at the rate of 20 a month but a total of approximately 650 were completed within that year. In 1944, 623 'Tiger I' were assembled (work on this tank stopped in August 1944) and 377 'Tiger II'. In 1945 planned output for the 'Tiger II' was 140 a month, but actual production was 40 in January, 42 in February, and 25 in March.
Information source:
SHAEF (Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force. See Appendix below), Report C - Henschel & Sohn, Kassel Date of visit 19-24 Apr 45, Preliminary Survey of German AFV Plants, 25 May, 1945.
Kassel
Image source: Openstreetmap.org.
https://www.openstreetmap.org/copyright/
Henschel & Sohn Werk III in Kassel-Mittelfeld.
Note that the location is referred to the current factory in 2025.
Image source: Openstreetmap.org.
https://www.openstreetmap.org/copyright/
Henschel & Sohn Werk III Hall 3 in Kassel-Mittelfeld (red line) in October, 1944.
Hall 3 measures approximately 181 meters north-south and 115 meters east-west when visually converted from the 1:6,000 scale shown on the map image.
Image source: NARA, NAID: 66878279.
2. The research of the assembly line of Tiger I of Henschel & Sohn Werk III
We can read the brief information in a research report which was written by Combined Intelligence Objectives Sub-Committee (C.I.O.S), G2-Division, SHAEF.
The C.I.O.S research team visited Kassel and interrogated to late Chief Inspector of Kassel factory staff in Germany in 29-30 August, 1945.
However, they could get little information about the Tiger, and did not tell whether the Tiger was Tiger I or Tiger II in the report.
The visit to this factory revealed little information with regard to Tiger tank assembly and inspection during such operations, owing to the fact of the building having been cleared so far as the tank building lines were concerned by the U.S.A. Army authorities and converted for use on truck and car repairs.
Hence it needs more investigation to obtain the primary document of the Tiger I assembly line.
However, the information on German tank manufacturing plants during World War II has already been thoroughly researched by Walter J. Spielberger, Thomas L. Jentz and Hilary Louis Doyle, and it is extremely unlikely that any further new information will be discovered I think.
Inspection Methods and Procedure on German AFV Manufacture report
by Combined Intelligence Objectives Sub-Committee (C.I.O.S).
FULL TITLE OF TARGET. Henschel & Son
LOCATION: Kassel
INTERROGATED. Herr Müller (late Chief Inspector)
DATE OF VISIT. 29th 30th August, 1945.
1) Inspection Detail
The visit to this factory revealed little information with regard to "Tiger" tank assembly and inspection during such operations, owing to the fact of the building having been cleared so far as the tank building lines were concerned by the U.S.A. Army authorities and converted for use on truck and car repairs.
The machines which had been used for the machining of hulls were, however, practically intact; in fact, some had hulls in position that were actually in process of being machined when the factory closed down.
With regard to the hull machining, the same principle seemed to obtain here as at M.N.H. in that special purpose machines were installed specifically for work on the "Tiger" tank.
Here again, by these means inspection is reduced to a minimum, for once the first hull is satisfactorily machined and the correct settings of the cutters established, the machining of subsequent hulls becomes automatically correct.
During production there were two machining lines in operation, the second and later line being an improvement on the earlier, the set-up on this being that the hulls were moved along rails between the machines, machining operations being thus performed in their correct sequence of holes for suspension arms and housings for torsion bars, final drive faces and bores for housing, gearbox and idler wheel housings, lifting was thereby reduced to a minimum, the only lifting required being when the hull was to be turned for machining the turret base ring.
Reference images of Tiger I early type assembly working from Takt 5 to Takt 8.
The date is unknown.
Images source: Bundesarchiv.
3. The research of the assembly line of Tiger II of Henschel & Sohn Werk III
The next is about Tiger II, we often see the assembly line image that is called to Tiger II in web or books (*1).
However I'm wondering about it for a bit when I read a report Henschel & Sohn, Kassel' dated Visit 19-24 Apr 45 by the Technical Intelligence Section of G-2 Division in SHAEF (*2).
The report states
Werk III sustained considerable damage in the past two years from air attacks, thus necessitating a certain amount of re-organisation of the manufacturing facilities. When examined, however, the plant was still capable of producing a substantial number of tanks a month. Layout of the plant is included as Appendix A.
SHAEF, Appendix A, Report C - Henschel & Sohn, Kassel Date of visit 19-24 Apr 1945. (*2)
(Left) Henschel & Son Kassel - MIttelfiedld Plant Scale 1/6,000.
(Right) Diagrammatic Layout of Hull Assembly Shop.
Image source: Document E2009.2492 courtesy of Bovington Tank Museum Archive.
Unfortunately, the report does not specify which tanks the assembly line in Appendix A was for.
So I think it is difficult to determine if the assembly line is for the Tiger II with this report.
4. Tank assembling at Henschel & Son Werk III in Kassel-Mitelfeld
From 1942 to 1945, the Werk III assembled not only the Tiger I and Tiger II (*3), but also the Panther. (*4)
I summarize here some of the facts we know.
Tiger I was assembled in the Werk III until August 1944. (*3)
Tiger II was assembled in the Werk III until March 1945. (*3)
Panther was assembled in the Werk III from March to September 1943. (*5)
Further research is needed to know when and whether each tank was produced on Werk III's east or west assembly lines.
The assembling period of major tanks at Henschel & Son Werk III in Kassel-Mitelfeld.
Reference:
*1 Alexander Volgin, Panzerkampfwagen Tiger Ausf.B: Construction and Development (2018).
*2 SHAEF, Report C - Henschel & Sohn, Kassel Date of visit 19-24 Apr 45. Preliminary Survey of German AFV Plants, 25 May, 1945. Document E2009.2492 courtesy of Bovington Tank Museum Archive.
*3 Thomas L. Jentz & Hilary Louis Doyle, Germany's Tiger Tanks: VK45.02 to TIGER II Design, Production & Modifications (1997).
*4 Melcher Stikkelorum, 'Panther Production at Henschel & Sohn'.
*5 『図説 パンター中戦車パーフェクトバイブル』学習研究社 (2007)、p51、野木 恵一氏 記事
5. Tank assembly lines at Henschel & Son Werk III in Kassel-Mitelfeld
It's a quick assumption about the two assembly lines at Werk III in Kassel-Mitelfeld. It needs more investigation.
Jul 1942 - Feb 1943
The eastern assembly line is unknown.
The western is for Tiger I.
Mar 1943 - Sep 1943
The eastern assembly line is Panther (?).
The western is for Tiger I.
Nov 1943 - Aug 1944
The eastern assembly line is Tiger II (?).
The western is for Tiger I.
Nov 1943 - Aug 1944
The eastern assembly line is Tiger II (?).
The western is for none (?).
Appendix 'Technical Intelligence Section in SHAEF'
The Henschel & Sohn survey report for the period 19-24 April 1945 was written by the Technical Intelligence Section under G-2 Division in Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force (SHAEF).
The role of the section was ‘It acted as a cleaning house for all technical information obtained from the field, and controlled the allocation of all captured enemy war materials wanted for technical intelligence purposes’, and the section consisted of liaison officers from a large number of related organizations.
Information source:
Report of the general board Uniter States Forces, European Theater: Organization and Operation of the Theater Intelligence Service in the European Theater of Operations, G-2 Section Study Number 14 (1945).
SHAEF G-2 Division Organizational Chart.
Technical Intelligence Section is third from the bottom in the left column.
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