Panzer VIII Maus

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Panzerkampfwagen VIII Maus
The Maus hybrid V1/V2 prototype at the Kubinka Tank Museum, Russia (2009)
Type	Super-heavy tank
Place of origin	Nazi Germany
Service history
Used by	Nazi Germany
Wars	World War II
Production history
Designer	Ferdinand Porsche
Designed	1941
Manufacturer	Ferdinand Porsche, Krupp, Alkett mass-production would switch to Krupp if the war continued
Produced	1944
No. built	2
Variants	V1, V2
Specifications
Mass	188 t (207 short tons; 185 long tons)
Length	10.2 m (33 ft 6 in)
Width	3.71 m (12 ft 2 in)
Height	3.63 m (11 ft 11 in)
Crew	6 (commander, gunner, 2 loaders, driver, radio operator/bow gunner)
Armour	220 mm (8.7 in) (turret front)[1] 200 mm (7.9 in) (turret side and rear)[1] 200 mm (7.9 in) (hull front)[1] 180 mm (7.1 in) (hull side)[1] 150 mm (5.9 in) (hull rear)[1]
Main armament	128 mm (5 in) KwK 44 gun L/55 (68 rounds)[1]
Secondary armament	75 mm (3 in) KwK 44 gun L/36.5 (co-axial, 100 rounds)[1] 7.92 mm (0.31 in) MG 34 machine gun (co-axial, 1,000 rounds)[1]
Engine	(V1) MB509 V12 petrol engine, DB 603 derivative (V2) MB 517 V12 diesel engine (V1) 1,080 hp (805 kW) (V2) 1,200 hp (895 kW)[2][3]
Power/weight	6.4 HP/ton[1]
Ground clearance	500 mm (20 in)
Fuel capacity	2,700 L (590 imp gal; 710 U.S. gal) (internal fuel tank) 1,500 L (330 imp gal; 400 U.S. gal) (external fuel tank)
Operational range	160 km (99 mi) (road) 62 km (39 mi) (off-road)
Maximum speed	20 km/h (12 mph) (maximum)[1] 18 km/h (11 mph) (average road speed)[1]

Panzerkampfwagen VIII Maus (English: 'mouse') was a German World War II super-heavy tank completed in July of 1944. It is the heaviest fully enclosed armored fighting vehicle ever built. Five were ordered, but only two hulls and one turret were completed, the turret being attached before the testing grounds were captured by advancing Soviet military forces.

These two prototypes underwent trials in late 1944. The complete vehicle was 10.2 m (33 ft) long, 3.71 m (12.2 ft) wide and 3.63 m (11.9 ft) high. Weighing about 188 metric tons, the Maus's main armament was the Krupp-designed 128 mm KwK 44 L/55 gun, based on the 12.8 cm Pak 44 towed anti-tank gun also used in the casemate-type Jagdtiger tank destroyer, with a coaxial 75 mm KwK 44 L/36.5 gun. The 128 mm gun was powerful enough to destroy all Allied armored fighting vehicles in service at the time, with some at ranges exceeding 3,500 m (3,800 yd).^[4]

The principal problem in the design of the Maus was developing an engine and drivetrain powerful enough to adequately propel the tank, yet small enough to fit inside it – as it was meant to use the same sort of "hybrid drive", using an internal-combustion engine to operate an electric generator to power its tracks with electric motor units, much as its Porsche-designed predecessors, the VK 30.01 (P), VK 45.01 (P), and Elefant had. The drivetrain was electrical, designed to provide a maximum speed of 20 km/h (12 mph) and a minimum speed of 1.5 km/h (0.9 mph).^[5] However, during actual field testing, the maximum speed achieved on hard surfaces was 13 km/h (8.1 mph) with full motor field, and by weakening the motor field to a minimum, a top speed of 22 km/h (14 mph) was achieved.^[6] The vehicle's weight made it unable to use most bridges; instead it was intended to ford to a depth of 2 m (6.6 ft) or submerge up to a depth of 8 m (26 ft) and use a snorkel to cross rivers.^[7]