Super-heavy tank

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Super-heavy tanks were designed in response to the arms race of ever-increasing armament and armour in tanks. Although some models were built, they were impractical and saw no active service or combat. Most heavy tanks suffer from problems related to tactical mobility (soft ground, crossing bridges), strategic mobility (transporting on rail or truck), reliability of mechanical components under severe stresses, and other practical problems, like the sheer difficulty of handling extremely large ammunition. Above a certain weight threshold these problems become insurmountable.

Some extreme tank designs approved by Adolf Hitler during the Second World War were devised to be all-conquering monsters of the battlefield. A prime example of these would have to be the Maus, a German design which only reached the prototype stage. These tanks were designed by the Nazis as a possible way of winning the war and by the allies as a way of countering any advances in Enemy armour. Tanks of 1,000 metric tons or more were even considered. However, these "ultra-heavy" tanks, such as the P. 1000 "Ratte" and P. 1500 "Monster", were deemed unpractical and never made it past the preprototype stage.

At the time they seemed sensible as both sides could see the others tanks and anti-tank weapons improving and both required a way of countering the others superiority. Hitler was a keen advocate of super-heavy AFVs and personally agreed to the development of the Maus whereas in Britain and America the stunning effectiveness of the German 88mm's forced home the point that much thicker armour and much better armament was needed on their own tanks.

The idea of super heavy tanks saw less development after the war, except in the Soviet Union where some relatively heavy tank prototypes were tested for the Cold War nuclear battlefield. These might be considered super-heavy by the standards of Soviet tank design, where the emphasis was on small size and low weight, but they were no heavier than the standard U.S. and British heavy tanks of the period.

American super-heavy tanks

• T-28 Super Heavy Tank (95 tonnes, 2 prototypes)

British super-heavy tanks

• Tortoise (tank) (78 tonnes, 6 prototypes)
• TOG1 (tank) (80 tonnes, 1 prototype)
• TOG2 (tank) (80 tonnes, 1 prototype)

German super-heavy tanks

• Panzer VII Löwe (76–90 tonnes, project only)
• Panzer VIII Maus (188 tonnes, 2 prototypes)
• E-100 (tank) (140 tonnes, 1 hull completed)
• Landkreuzer P. 1000 Ratte (1800 tonnes, project only)
• Landkreuzer P. 1500 Monster (2500 tonnes, project only)

Soviet super-heavy tanks

• Grotte Tank (TG-5 or T-42, 100 tonnes with 107mm main gun and four subturrets. project only - 1931—Zaloga 1984:85)
• Obyekt 279 (60 tonnes, one prototype, two planned - 1957)

[edit] References

• Zaloga, Steven J., James Grandsen (1984). Soviet Tanks and Combat Vehicles of World War Two, London: Arms and Armour Press. ISBN 0-85368-606-8.