Maus (tank)

''Panzerkampfwagen'' VIII ''Maus'' (English: 'mouse') was a German World War II super-heavy tank completed in July of 1944. As of 2025, 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 the Soviet military.

These two prototypes underwent trials in late 1944. The complete vehicle was long, wide and 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 .

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 and a minimum speed of . However, during actual field testing, the maximum speed achieved on hard surfaces was with full motor field, and by weakening the motor field to a minimum, a top speed of was achieved. The vehicle's weight made it unable to use most bridges; instead it was intended to ford to a depth of or submerge up to a depth of and use a snorkel to cross rivers.

Development

The development of the Maus originates from a contract given to Porsche for the design of a 100-ton tank in March 1942. Porsche's design, known as the ''VK 100.01'' / ''Porsche Type 205'', was shown to Adolf Hitler in June 1942, who subsequently approved it. Work on the design began in earnest; the first prototype, to be ready in 1943 was initially to receive the name ''Mammut'' ('mammoth'). This was reportedly changed to ''Mäuschen'' ('little mouse') in December 1942 and finally to ''Maus'' ('mouse') in February 1943, which became the most common name for this tank.

The ''Maus'' was designed from the start to use the "electric transmission" design which Ferdinand Porsche had used in the VK 45.01 (P), his unsuccessful attempt to win the production contract for the Tiger. The initial powerplant was the Daimler-Benz MB 509 gasoline engine, an adaptation of Germany's largest displacement (at ) inverted V12 aircraft engine, the Daimler-Benz DB 603 petrol engine, and later changed to the Daimler-Benz MB 517 diesel engine. This drove an electrical generator, and their combined length occupied the central/rear two-thirds of the Maus' hull, cutting off the forward driver's compartment in the hull from direct access to the turret from within the tank. Each 1.1-meter-wide track, which used the same basic "contact shoe" and "connector link" design format as the Henschel-built Tiger II, was driven by its own electric motor mounted within the upper rear area of each hull side. Each set of tracks had a suspension design containing a total of 24 road wheels per side, in six bogie sets, staggered to be spread over the entire width of the track.

Due to the return "run" of the uniquely 110 cm-wide tracks used being completely enclosed within the fixed outer side armor panels that defined its overall hull width, with the inner vertical lengthwise walls of the hull used to mount the suspension components, a narrow lengthwise "tub" remained between the hull's inner armored walls, under and to the rear of the turret to house the engine and generator of the tank's powertrain.

The armor was substantial: the hull front was thick, the sides and rear of the hull were up to . The turret armor was even thicker, the turret front was up to and the sides and rear . The gun mantlet was , and combined with the turret armor behind, the protection level at that section was even higher.

The initial plan for the ''Maus'' was for the prototype to have been completed by mid-1943, with monthly production scheduled to run at ten vehicles per month after delivery of the prototype. The work on the ''Maus'' would be divided between Krupp, responsible for the chassis, armament and turret and Alkett, who would be responsible for final assembly.

The ''Maus'' tank was originally designed to weigh approximately 100 tons and be armed with a 128 mm main gun and a 75 mm co-axial secondary gun. Additional armament options were studied including various versions of 128 mm, 150 mm, and 170 mm guns. In January 1943 Hitler himself insisted that the armament be a 128 mm main gun with a coaxial 75 mm gun. The 128 mm PaK 44 anti-tank field artillery piece of 1943 that Krupp adapted for arming the ''Maus'' as the ''Kampfwagenkanone (KwK) 44'' retained, in parallel to the Porsche project, its original anti-tank ''Panzerabwehrkanone'' family designation of PaK 44 when mounted in the casemate-style Jagdtiger tank destroyer.

By May 1943, a wooden mockup of the final ''Maus'' configuration was ready and presented to Hitler, who approved it for mass production, ordering a first series of 150. At this point, the estimated weight of the ''Maus'' was 188 tons.

In his book ''Panzer Leader'', Heinz Guderian wrote:

This lack of close combat armament was later addressed with the addition of a ''Nahverteidigungswaffe'' (short-range defensive ordnance) mounted in the turret roof, a MG 34 machine gun with 1,000 rounds mounted coaxially with the main weapons in the turret, and three pistol ports for submachine guns in the sides and rear of the turret. Future planned modifications included provisions for a MG 151/20 cannon for anti-aircraft defense mounted in the turret roof.

V1

The first, turretless prototype (V1) was assembled by Alkett in December 1943. Tests started the same month, with a mockup turret fitted of the same weight as the real turret. In June 1944 the production turret, with armament, was used for tests.

The ''Maus'' was too heavy to cross bridges. As a result, an alternative system was developed, where the ''Maus'' would instead ford the rivers it needed to cross. Due to its size, it could ford relatively deep streams, but for deeper ones it was to submerge and drive across the river bottom. The solution required tanks to be paired up. One ''Maus'' would supply electrical power to the crossing vehicle via a cable until it reached the other side. The crew would receive air through a large snorkel, which was long enough for the tank to go under water.

V2

In March 1944 the second prototype, the V2, was delivered. It differed in many details from the V1 prototype. In mid-1944, the V2 prototype was fitted with a powerplant and the first produced ''Maus'' turret. This turret was fitted with a 128 mm KwK 44 L/55 gun, a coaxial 75 mm KwK 44 L/36.5 gun and a coaxial 7.92 mm MG 34. The V1 prototype was supposed to be fitted with the second produced turret, but this never happened.

By July 1944, Krupp was in the process of producing four more ''Maus'' hulls, but they were ordered to halt production and scrap these. Krupp stopped all work on it in August 1944. Meanwhile, the V2 prototype started tests in September 1944, fitted with a Daimler-Benz MB 517 diesel engine, new electric steering system and a Skoda Works-designed running gear and tracks.

There was also a special railroad carriage made for transporting the ''Maus'' prototypes.

Capture

After the war, the commander of Soviet armored and mechanized troops ordered the hull of V1 to be mated with the turret of V2. The Soviets used six FAMO-built Sd.Kfz. 9 18t half-tracks, the largest of Germany's half-track vehicles built until May 1945, to pull the 55-ton turret off the destroyed hull. The resulting vehicle was then sent back to the USSR for further testing and is now at Kubinka.

A gunsight intended for the wooden mock-up turret was captured by British forces. It is now in the collection of The Tank Museum at Bovington.

Completion and testing

The test program for the Maus was established by Wa Prüf 6 and engineer Zadnik from Porsche on November 1, 1943. It consisted of a factory test by Porsche, a road test at the Kummersdorf motor vehicle testing site, submersion and towing tests at Porsche, and firing tests at the Army Testing Center in Hillersleben. While at Alkett, the first chassis received a replacement weight of 55 tons in place of the turret, which was not yet available.

Contrary to the instructions from Reich Minister Speer, who insisted on personal approval for every test drive, the Maus was driven for the first time on December 24, 1942, by Porsche driver Karl Gensberg, who drove it out of the hall and back at the Alkett company site in Berlin. After the first successful test drive at Alkett, the Maus underwent its first tests at the Army Testing Center Kummersdorf near Berlin. Due to repeated necessary repairs and adjustments, issues with spare parts supply, and heavy bomb attacks in northern Germany, it was decided to conduct further tests near the Porsche factory on the grounds of the tank barracks in Böblingen. The tank replacement unit 7 was stationed in the Hindenburg Barracks. The vehicle 205/1 was transported by rail to Böblingen starting January 11, 1944, and arrived on January 14, as the specialized railway transport wagon for heavy loads with 14 axles was not allowed to pass through tunnels or over railway bridges.

Comprehensive driving tests were then carried out in the tank barracks area, with reports being written regularly. The vehicle 205/1, with the replacement weight, was given a three-color camouflage paint scheme in March.

Without the engine and turret, the second chassis, 205/2, arrived in Böblingen in tow on March 10, 1944, coming from Alkett in a towable condition. The turret, still without the two guns, arrived on May 3, 1944. After the guns were installed, it was first assembled on June 9, 1944, by mechanics from Krupp. Around October 1944, the new diesel engine MB 517 arrived in Böblingen and was immediately installed into vehicle 205/2. Photos show that the only available turret was then mounted on the second chassis, and the entire vehicle was given a three-color camouflage paint scheme. The vehicle was made ready for operation and armed, and it was immediately relocated to "VersKraft neu" in Kummersdorf. Vehicle 205/1, with the replacement weight, was also relocated there. Further tests took place at the Krupp shooting range in Meppen. After the war, three Maus hulls and turrets were found there. They were likely used for firing trials.

Disposition after the end of the war

By the end of April 1945, both prototypes were located at the Army testing grounds in Kummersdorf. The Maus 205/2 was ultimately blown up by the German side at the site of the main camp in Zossen, specifically at Hindenburgplatz in Wünsdorf. It is possible that the vehicle was intended for the defense of the OKH headquarters. During the explosion, the turret was thrown off, and the lower hull was practically destroyed.

The Maus 205/1, which was left behind at the Kummersdorf firing range and still equipped with the replacement turret, was also damaged by an explosion inside, but remained externally intact. Both vehicles were captured by the Red Army, and the turret from Maus 205/2 was mounted onto the hull of Maus 205/1.

On May 4, 1946, the vehicle was sent to Kubinka for testing purposes. After the completion of the tests in 1951, all components were removed for examination, leaving behind a vehicle without any internal equipment. After being left outdoors for many years, the vehicle has been on display at the Kubinka Tank Museum since 1978. In 2000, the vehicle was given the original camouflage paint of prototype 205/2.

Military significance

The top speed of 13 km/h off-road, along with a total weight of almost 190 tons, which made crossing bridges practically impossible, posed significant disadvantages. The vehicle was more of a rolling bunker than a tank suitable for use in mobile warfare. In the event of a retreat, there would have been no possibility of quick evacuation; the Maus would have had to be abandoned, left behind, or destroyed. In the case of an attack, it would not have been able to keep up with fast advances. While the Maus' firepower and armor would have posed a massive problem for the enemy, it could have been bypassed or outmaneuvered, which led to the consideration of using accompanying tanks.

The enormous fuel consumption posed another problem, especially as the Germans were facing a severe fuel shortage towards the end of the war. Moreover, this rolling fortress could only fit on a specialized 14-axle railway transport wagon and was unable to pass through tunnels or railway bridges, making it almost impossible to transport large numbers to the front.

See also

* List of prototype World War II combat vehicles
* Panzerkampfwagen E-100 – German 150 tonne super-heavy tank design, largest of the ''Entwicklung'' series "replacement" German AFVs
* Landkreuzer P. 1000 ''Ratte'' – German 1,000 tonne armoured landcruiser design

Tanks of comparable role, performance and era

* American T28 super-heavy tank – prototype casemate-hull tank destroyer, two prototypes completed
* British Tortoise heavy assault tank – super-heavy tank destroyer
* Soviet IS-4 – known as Object 701, prototype heavy tank with 122 mm gun

References

Notes

Bibliography
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External links

Achtung Panzer







* ttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8PTFnl316ug "World of Tanks: Outside the Chieftain's Hatch's" Look At The Mausbr>Video of Kubinka Maus from the inside

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Super-heavy tanks
World War II tanks of Germany
Trial and research tanks of Germany
History of the tank