Super-heavy tanks

Super heavy tanks could be used in battle if WWII will last few years more. At the end of war german had complete plans and prototype for Maus super heavy tank. It wasnt functional, because turret was stuck in transport. The tank will have primary gun 128L56 mm from Jagdtiger TD and secondary will be short barreled 75mm gun. Soviets and others will have on tank that could beat it, even IS-3

Dude. WWII ended over half a century ago.

I think he comes from another dimension.

There has been confirmation that AdamS is classified as one of the anomalies of an defective government time-portal experiment. Officials say we could be seeing more of these time-travellers in the coming years.

Just kidding!Are you talking about now or when ww2 was happening, AdamS.

I think this is just a what if post becuase if u think about it if the world war was still going for at least another 10 more years then we would probabliy see some even more awsome weapons.........

Oh right. That explains it all.

It is a weaponry forum afterall. Those super-heavy tanks are pretty unique, the main cannon on that beast is longer (but not better) then most modern tanks.

The Maus photos that I saw contained a complete chassis without the turret. No plans on how they were to deploy this beast, as they could barely move the King Tigers around!

And one less complete prototype was actually send against Soviets..

They just broke down before they made contact with enemy.

Or something..

Maus / Mouse!

while some sources state that actually V2 saw combat while defending the facility at Kummersdorf.



Maus / Mouse! #2

By the end of the war, only the two vehicles had been completed, with nine more under construction. For many years, it was thought that both vehicles had been destroyed to prevent their capture. But with the fall of the Soviet Union, not only has it emerged that one survives at the Kubinka museum outside Moscow, but it is also thought they actually saw combat.

It is believed that as the Russian Army closed on Berlin, both vehicles were destroyed to the area of W�nsdorf. It is thought that one vehicle suffered damage to it?s drive, the other was abandoned a few km?s down the road. It is not clear if they fired any shots. The vehicle now on show comprises of the V1?s hull, and the V2?s turret. There was also a claim that an RAF Typhoon destroyed one, but no proof exists.

i suppose u could put the m1a2-HA in the new catagory of super heavy tanks since nobody but the u.s. has the tech to pull it off. if the m1 had the mobility of say the old m-60's...it really wouldn't bee as 'cool'

Maus weighted 188 tons..

Abrams is about 1/3 of that..

its a tad heavier but..the m1 would prob be the heaviest in front line service now??

Are as heavy as Challenger 2s and Leopard 2s..

Leopard 2s and M1s being almost (not totally, but quite close..) the same tank only difference is that Leopards are more modern, have better armor and arment.

These all weight something like 60+ tons..

Maus weighted about 200 tons, 188 tons extacly. The second german REEEaly super heavy tank was Ratte, a 1000 ton tank project. They had ONLY plans. This vechicle would have a turret with TWO 250mmL50 cannons that could be compared with naval artillery. But sped.... of almost 4kph!!!So Ratte will be something more a mobile bunker than a tank. I say that because history likes to repeat. Maybye in future we will use similar tanks. They could be fitted with fusion or quantum reactors, so they speed will be greater and they could carry high-energy laser as main gun.

[Edited on 17-12-2003 by AdamS]

[Edited on 17-12-2003 by AdamS]

[Edited on 17-12-2003 by AdamS]

1000tons???

OMG...

what is it a mobile...

I remember that I read somewhere about germans using two U-Boat engines to power some super heavy tank.
Does anyone have any info about that?

Link!

These were called as land cruisers and remained as insane paper projects only.



On June 23rd of 1942, Dir. Dip. Ing. Grote (along with Dr.Hacker) from the Ministry of Armament, who was responsible for the production of U-Boots suggested the development of a tank with a weight of 1000 tons. Adolf Hitler himself expressed interest in this project and allowed Krupp to go ahead with it. Project was designated as Krupp P 1000 (Ratte - Rat). This "land cruiser" would be 35 meters long, 14 meters wide and 11 meters high. P 1000 would be equipped with 3.6 meters wide tracks per side made of three 1.2 meters tracks, similar to those used in excavators working in coalmines. It was planned to power P 1000 with two MAN V12Z32/44 24 cylinder Diesel marine engines with total power of 17000hp (2 x 8500hp) or with eight Daimler-Benz MB501 20 cylinder Diesel marine engines with total power of 16000hp (8 x 2000hp). According to the calculations it would allow P 1000 to travel at maximum speed of 40km/h. P 1000 would be armed with a variety of weapons such as: two 280mm gun (naval gun used in Scharnhorst and Gneisenau warships), single 128mm gun, eight 20mm Flak 38 anti-aircraft guns and two 15mm Mauser MG 151/15 gun.



P 1000 turret ended up at coastal defence battery (Batterie Oerlander) near Trondheim, Norway.



[Edited on 17-12-2003 by FULCRUM]

thanks Fulcrum...

very very intresting...

what did they want to use t against???

TANKS????

Had these come true..

The general idea would have been that these would have wiped out all resistance..

Even whole towns/cities..?

As 280mm guns are quite powerful.. (one shell weights 250 -> 400 kg..)

Yeah, as I said Ratte will be something like mobile bunker. Wtih its weapons it will have many uses, for example tank smasher, heavy SPG, coastal defense tank, mobile AA gun unit. This cank could even sink a destroyer or light cruiser moving too close tocoast.