Hello people.
Today we will be studying on the Maus Tank (You might pronounce it as Moss Tank, but this is the real spelling). It means Mouse in German...I do advise you to go read up on the entry on the Maus Tank. the links are at the bottom...but just In case you're a total nut when it comes to Military stuff, I'll explain some details right here...Ready?
THE really Simple Details that you should understandWeapons: VERY POWERFUL (but I can't find info on how powerful they are...but they are huge...
Armour: Might be thick
Speed: VERY SLOW
Crew size: 5-6
Size: EXTRA BULKY...bigger(taller) than a human by a lot...(to get in the tank must be a lot like getting into a Gundam)
Comments: Should be classified MOVING FORTRESS instead of super tank
Original purpose: super tank
Personal supervisor: Adolf Hitler (the man Himself!!!!)
LINKS IF YOU'RE A PROWIKIPEDIAACHTUNGPANZERLone SentryADVANCE FACTS IF YOU'RE A VERY VERY PRO PERSONSource: Wikipedia
CHAPTER 1: Overview- Name: Panzerkampfwagen VIII Maus (Sd.Kfz 205)
- It is a German super-heavy tank design, and the heaviest tank to reach the complete working prototype stage in World War II.
- The basic design known as the VK7001/Porsche Type 205 was suggested by Ferdinand Porsche to Adolf Hitler in June 1942, who subsequently approved it
- Original name: Mammut (Ger. "Mammoth"). This was reportedly changed to Mäuschen (Little Mouse) in December 1942 and finally Maus (Mouse) in February 1943.
- tank's hull was 10.1 metres long, 3.67 metres wide and 3.66 metres tall. Weighing about 180 tonnes (or about 188 short tons)
- main armament was a 128 mm cannon with a coaxial 75 mm gun and steel armour ranging from 60-240 mm.
- The Maus would have had a crew of either 5 or 6 and a total production of between 150 and 200 was planned for one version of it.
PROBLEM: The principal problem in development of the Maus was finding a powerful enough engine for its weight that could be carried in the tank.
- Though the design called for a maximum speed of 20 km/h, no engine was found that could power the prototype to more than 13 km/h under ideal conditions.
PROBLEM: The weight also made it impossible to cross most bridges. It could ford due to its size or submerge and use a snorkel.
- The amount of armour was substantial, the front lower hull (glacis plate) was about 200 mm (8 in) thick, sloped at 35 degrees to the vertical. The sides of the hull were 180 mm (7 in) and the rear 160 mm (6.3 in). The turret was 240 mm (9.5 in) to the front and 200 mm to the sides with a roof of 60 mm (2.3 in).
COMMENTS ON THIS CHAPTER: As a result of its low power and huge bulk the Maus was relatively slow moving and logistically demanding, but could potentially have been a formidable weapon in certain defensive positions where extensive movement was not required, and where its weight would serve to its advantage by making it a stable gun platform. In an assault, it would have been less useful but it had the benefit of a turret where a vehicle like the 128 mm armed
Jagdtiger tank destroyer did not. This was not a major hindrance because by the time it was built, the German army had almost entirely abandoned
Blitzkrieg tactics.
Chapter 2: Operational use
- The working Maus prototypes remained at Kummersdorf and at the proving grounds in Böblingen. In the last weeks of the war the V1 with the dummy turret was captured by the advancing Soviet forces in the vicinity of the western batteries of the Kummersdorf artillery firing grounds. It had been mechanically sabotaged by the Germans before abandoning it.
- The Russian Commander of Armored and Mechanized troops ordered the hull of V1 to be mated with the turret of V2. The Russians used six 18t half-tracks to pull the 55 ton turret off the burnt out hull. The combined V1 hull/V2 turret vehicle was completed in Germany and sent back to the USSR for further testing. It arrived there on May 4, 1946. When further testing was completed the vehicle was taken over by the Kubinka Tank Museum for storage where it is now on display.
- It appears that the capture of this prototype had little impact on post-war Soviet tank development. Soviet tank design continued to concentrate on strictly limiting size and weight. The next-generation Soviet tanks had similar levels of protection and armament. The IS-3 heavy tank was armed with a 122 mm gun, but weighed under 50 tonnes. The T-54 main battle tank, which started production in 1947, provided 200 mm of frontal turret armor, 120 mm of frontal hull armor and a 100 mm main gun, while weighing in at less than 40 tons.
EXTRA LEARNING MATERIALS
Links:
JUST IN CASE YOU SAID "WOW" AT THIS TANK...Take a look at this....That's CRAZY. Why of course. Look at it's name and besides Hitler must be obsessed with MEGA BIG GUNS AND TANKS
Thanks for reading and if you have any other questions, please do ask...If you want to Forward this to anyone else.. inform me first
as this is a copyrighted lesson with materials from the internet. Please ensure you have internet connection at home...thank you
Yours Sincercely
Woon Keong
Labels: A lesson on the Maus Tank
