The Königstiger (officially named the Panzerkampfwagen Tiger Aus. B or SD. Kft 182) more commonly known as the ‘King Tiger' or ‘Royal Tiger' by Allied troops, was a development of the fearsome Tiger I tank. Its introduction to hostilities in 1944 caused significant problems for the allies but ultimately it saw action too late to have a game-changing impact on the war. Deployed on both the western and Eastern fronts, The King Tiger's long 8. 8cm gun had enormous operational accuracy with the ability to knock out any Allied tank frontally at ranges exceeding 2. 5 kilometers (1. 6 miles), way beyond the effective range of any Allied tank gun. The first combat use of the King Tiger was during the battles in Normandy by 503Rd heavy Panzer Battalion (s. H. Pz. Abt. 503), opposing operation Atlantic between troarn and demouville on 18 July 1944. On the eastern front, its combat debut came on the 12th August 1944 by the 501st heavy Panzer Battalion (s. H. Pz. Abt. 501) resisting the lvov–sandomierz offensive, where it attacked the Soviet bridgehead over the Vistula River near baranów sandomierski.