Talk:Maus

Petition to add 'Maus' in Researchable vehicle

The Panzerkampfwagen VIII Maus (English:'mouse') was a World War II German super-heavy tank that was constructed in late 1944. It is the world's heaviest completely enclosed armored battle vehicle. Five were ordered, but only two hulls and one turret were constructed when the testing sites were taken over by approaching Soviet armed troops.

These two prototypes were tested in late 1944. The overall dimensions of the vehicle were 10.2 m (33 ft) long, 3.71 m (12.2 ft) broad, and 3.63 m (11.9 ft) high. The Krupp-designed 128 mm KwK 44 L/55 cannon, based on the 12.8 cm Pak 44 towed anti-tank gun also employed in the casemate-type Jagdtiger tank destroyer, weighed 188 metric tons, with a coaxial 75 mm KwK 44 L/36.5 gun. The 128 mm cannon was strong enough to kill all Allied armored battle vehicles in service at the time, with some capable of reaching ranges of more than 3,500 meters (3,800 yd).

The main challenge in designing the Maus was developing an engine and drivetrain that was powerful enough to propel the tank while remaining small enough to fit inside it, as it was intended to use the same type of "hybrid drive," using an internal-combustion engine to power an electric generator to power its tracks with electric motor units, as its Porsche-designed predecessors, the VK 30.01 (P), VK 45.01 (P), and Elefant had. The drive train was designed to provide a maximum speed of 20 km/h (12 mph) and a minimum speed of 1.5 km/h (0.9 mph). However, during actual field testing, the maximum speed achieved on hard surfaces was 13 km/h (8.1 mph) with full motor field, and a top speed of 22 km/h (14 mph) was achieved by weakening the motor field to a minimum. The Maus was designed to pierce opposing defenses like a massive "breakthrough tank," while causing little harm to its components.

V1 Alkett built the first turretless prototype (V1) in December 1943. The tests began the same month, with a fake turret of the same weight as the genuine turret installed. The production turret with armament was tested in June 1944.

The Maus was far too large to traverse bridges. As a result, an alternate technique was devised in which the Maus forded the rivers it needed to cross. It could ford relatively little streams due to its size, but for bigger ones it had to submerge and drive through the river floor. The solution necessitated the pairing of tanks. One Maus would power the crossing vehicle through a cable till it reached the other side. The crew would get oxygen through a wide snorkel that was long enough to allow the tank to go 8 meters (26 feet) under water.

V2 The second prototype, the V2, was delivered in March 1944[citation needed]. It varied from the V1 prototype in several ways. The V2 prototype was outfitted with an engine and the first manufactured Maus turret in mid-1944. This turret was outfitted with a 128 mm KwK 44 L/55 gun, a 75 mm KwK 44 L/36.5 cannon, and a 7.92 mm MG 34 gun. The V1 prototype was meant to have the second-generation turret, however this never happened.

Krupp was in the midst of manufacturing four more Maus hulls by July 1944, but they were instructed to cease work and trash them. In August 1944, Krupp ceased all work on it. Meanwhile, in September 1944, the V2 prototype began testing with a Daimler-Benz MB 517 diesel engine, new electric steering system, and Skoda Works-designed running gear and tracks. A unique railroad wagon was also built to transport the Maus prototypes.

Reference: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panzer_VIII_Maus

--C_Mouse (talk) 08:09, 30 August 2022 (UTC)