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Panzerkampfwagen E-100 (Tiger Maus)

1945 WORLD WAR 2 X-TANK

History

Germany entered heavy tank development in the early 1930s before World War II, producing a series of five "Neubaufahrzeug" heavy tanks with multiple turrets. However, these steely beasts ran counter to the expected success of the "blitzkrieg" method of warfare, which directly limited its interest and overall impact. However, as World War II fully penetrated European daily life, the idea of ??developing heavy tanks for the German army was reconsidered - also spurred by the arrival of an increasingly powerful Soviet breed.

In addition to the famous early light and medium tanks, there were also the first-class Tiger I and Tiger II tanks of 1942 and 1943. War - "Super Heavy Tank" - which included the Panzerkampfwagen (PzKpfw) E-100 - also known as the "Tiger Rat" development. ("Tiger Mouse").

The design of the E-100 follows the traditional route of a tracked wheel system mounted on a heavily armored fuselage, with the engine in the rear and a 360-degree rotating turret in the top center of the fuselage. Henschel was commissioned to develop it, and by mid-1943 Porsche was in direct competition with Porsche, which had been awarded the development contract for its oversized 188-ton Panzer VIII "Rat". Henschel was designed to be "lighter", initially weighing around 155 tonnes of armor, weapons and systems, although its size and weight were still limited to rural European streets and old bridges.

The turret design of the E-100 was the same as the Porsche-Maus project, hence the informal name "Tiger-Maus". In addition, Tiger Maus will use a number of off-the-shelf components from existing stock in Germany to speed up initial development and subsequent production as well as anticipated field maintenance.

Work on new fuel tanks continued from 1943 to 1944. Maybach supplied the HL230P30 series of 700 hp liquid-cooled V12 petrol engines for the program (production-quality mounts will receive HL234 V12s instead). These engines are the same types of engines used in the previous Leopard and Tiger II (Konigstiger) medium tanks, although in the latter they proved to be seriously insufficient for the behemoths. The track system was similar in design to earlier German tanks, with large overlapping wheels. The drive sprocket is mounted at the front of the hull and the chain idler is at the rear.

The upper part of the track should be covered with armored skirts to protect the base from anti-tank weapons. The forward tilt plate slopes down to the driver's position in front of the turret turret in the left front hull. The turret itself has thick bevels and a heavy mantle.

The engine deck is expected to be flat, with two exhaust pipes attached to the rear fuselage fairing. The hull is suspended by a unique coil spring system using Belleville washers. The crew consisted of six people, including a driver, commander, loader, gunner and several loader/machine gunners.

The authorities have yet to agree on the main armament of the tank, certainly considering matching or surpassing the existing Soviet design, which now features a powerful 122mm gun. Thus, the 128mm gun system of the PaK 44 L/55 series pioneered the E-100's preferred main gun armament. However, it was also pointed out that the 150mm KwK 44 L/38 and 173mm KwK 44 series guns were also being considered in development. Either of these configurations would give the E-100 a clear advantage on the battlefield, both in range and penetration at any angle of attack.

Surprisingly, the car also comes with a 75mm KwK 44 L/36. The 5 field guns are mounted coaxially, making it relatively easy to deal with short-range armored targets. Infantry threats will be repelled by a 7.92mm MG34 general purpose machine gun, possibly mounted on top of the turret.

Despite best efforts, prototype development of the E-100 was slow, resulting in only one incomplete example being captured by the British advancing in 1945. By this time, the chassis, hull, and wheel systems were in place, although by the end of the war little else was made.

The British loaded the hull onto a waiting trailer and took it to engineers for further inspection. Additionally, the E-100 was scrapped for its metal and other useful materials, officially marking its demise.

Like other German war plans, the E-100 was very optimistic in scope. During World War II, especially in the final months, tanks of this size would be a tactical burden in a mobile method of warfare. The German Armed Forces were forced to wage a defensive war from 1944, completely losing their original initiative.

It had limited naval power and controlled air power, leaving only a fanatical remnant of its ground forces to provide the maximum thrust of any attack (it had many successes). Estimates suggest the E-100 is designed to have a top speed of 25 mph on ideal road surfaces and a range of 120 miles -- although that could prove to be downright optimistic. It's worth noting that by the end of the war, both the British and the Americans were developing their own varieties of "super heavy tanks" designed to attack German fortifications heading for Berlin (neither were mass-produced).

The Imperial Japanese Army was also developing its own super-heavy tanks until the end of the war, to no avail. The IS series of tanks of the Soviets was a success, only the KV-4 was proposed, but it was never continued.

However, the Germans actively developed the E-100 "Tiger" and the super-heavy Panzer VIII "Rat" and accepted the large Land Cruiser P. 1000 "Rat" and the Land Cruiser P. 1500 "Monster" - the latter two Only available in paper form.