Author Topic: German Big Mouse  (Read 986 times)

Offline Fongman

  • Copper Member
  • **
  • Posts: 146
German Big Mouse
« on: July 21, 2005, 01:11:11 PM »

Offline Kurfürst

  • Parolee
  • Silver Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 921
      • http://www.kurfurst.org
German Big Mouse
« Reply #1 on: July 21, 2005, 01:56:07 PM »
Yep, the Maus, 188 tons.

One interesting thing about it`s engine. These were Daimler Benz diesels, and were originating from their biggest aircraft engine - the 44.5 liter DB 603 of the Me 410, Do 335 and Ta 152C!
The Messerschmitt Bf 109 Performance Resource Site
http://www.kurfurst.org

Offline hogenbor

  • Nickel Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 677
      • http://www.lookupinwonder.nl
German Big Mouse
« Reply #2 on: July 22, 2005, 02:11:48 AM »
So heavy no bridge could carry it (or so I was told) and could apparently driven under water using snorkel equipment. Might be an urban myth though.

Was designed by one Ferdinand Porsche as well...

Offline Klum25th

  • Parolee
  • Copper Member
  • **
  • Posts: 327
      • http://www.75thrazgriz.bravehost.com
German Big Mouse
« Reply #3 on: July 22, 2005, 09:34:17 AM »
How big was the gun? How many crew did it take? Was it to be a tank destoryer, or Artillery?

Offline Meyer

  • Copper Member
  • **
  • Posts: 156
German Big Mouse
« Reply #4 on: July 22, 2005, 11:37:36 AM »

Offline Karnak

  • Radioactive Member
  • *******
  • Posts: 23047
German Big Mouse
« Reply #5 on: July 22, 2005, 12:16:28 PM »
Impressive, but a complete waste of resources.
Petals floating by,
      Drift through my woman's hand,
             As she remembers me-

Offline Simaril

  • Platinum Member
  • ******
  • Posts: 5149
German Big Mouse
« Reply #6 on: July 23, 2005, 09:35:00 AM »
Quote
Originally posted by Karnak
Impressive, but a complete waste of resources.


Pretty much sums up the entire German R/D program. If they'd focused their work on highest impact projects, and included production engineering in their planning and design, sure would have been more effective.


Course, then they would have lost the whine about lsoing because they were jsut outproduced...
Maturity is knowing that I've been an idiot in the past.
Wisdom is realizing I will be an idiot in the future.
Common sense is trying to not be an idiot right now

"Social Fads are for sheeple." - Meatwad

Offline hogenbor

  • Nickel Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 677
      • http://www.lookupinwonder.nl
German Big Mouse
« Reply #7 on: July 23, 2005, 10:11:33 AM »
Quote
Originally posted by Meyer
http://www.achtungpanzer.com/pz7.htm


That's nice info, thanks.

Also interesting

Its running gear designed by Skoda, consisted of double-wheeled trucks supported by twelve return rollers with 1100mm wide tracks.

And of course the Hetzer was based on Skoda running gear as well. Funny that, a Porsche with Skoda running gear :D

My next car might just be a Skoda, pity that it won't have a Porsche engine but a VW one.

Offline Hetzer

  • Zinc Member
  • *
  • Posts: 7
German Big Mouse
« Reply #8 on: July 24, 2005, 03:21:07 AM »
The Ratte is better.



The Ratte was to be a nightmare machine and its scale still boggles the mind. It would have been 35 meters long, almost four times as wide as the Maus, and 11 meters high. Armor would have been similar or possibly slightly thicker than that seen on the Maus, but of course covering much more surface area. The tank would have been propelled along on a total of six 1.2 meter wide tread assemblies, three on each side of the tank. This means that the treads on one side would have been only slightly narrower than the entirety of a Maus. No less than eight Daimler E-boat engines would have provided the tank's requisite 16,000 horsepower and the turret would have literally been a Graf Spee class battleship turret with only two instead of three gun positions.

If your pants aren't feeling uncomfortably tight yet, just wait until you hear about the armament. The turret would have mounted a pair of 280mm long barreled ship cannons, each gun weighing in at almost 50 tons and firing shells that weighed over 300 kg a piece and were capable of reaching out and touching someone 42 kilometers away. Practically these weapons would have never been able to engage targets 42 kilometers away in a direct fire role, but that was their naval capability. Finally, instead of a turret machinegun the P.1000 was intended to mount either a dual or quad 20mm anti-aircraft gun on top of the 380 ton turret. The number of crew members is unknown but would have likely topped fifty men, with adequate machineguns studding the hull to engage infantry from all directions.

Offline BUG_EAF322

  • Gold Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 3153
      • http://bug322.startje.com
German Big Mouse
« Reply #9 on: July 24, 2005, 03:45:34 AM »
My thought is they would have been just great things to bomb.
U just cant miss.
:)
very useless

Offline Simaril

  • Platinum Member
  • ******
  • Posts: 5149
German Big Mouse
« Reply #10 on: July 24, 2005, 12:37:18 PM »
Love to see how long it took to traverse THAT turret.

And, what a hoot -- think about it trying to move anywhere, on the road or cross country!! And all it would take would be one river to stop its progress -- there wouldnt be a bridge in europe that could take it.

"Sorry, sir, our panzer division can't get through -- a Ratte drove down the autobahn last Thursday..."
Maturity is knowing that I've been an idiot in the past.
Wisdom is realizing I will be an idiot in the future.
Common sense is trying to not be an idiot right now

"Social Fads are for sheeple." - Meatwad

Offline rabbidrabbit

  • Gold Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 3907
German Big Mouse
« Reply #11 on: July 24, 2005, 05:03:49 PM »
Lemme put on my spawncamping robe and wizzards hat...

Offline Keiler

  • Copper Member
  • **
  • Posts: 314
German Big Mouse
« Reply #12 on: July 24, 2005, 05:26:55 PM »
hehehe... would guess.. afer a Ratte drove crosscountry you could send some dozers to flatten the treads a bit and you have a brand new two lane road...

Turret travers.. dunno.. 16000HP should be absolutely enough to traverse that mother in a reasonable time, when stationary.

Offline Wolfala

  • Platinum Member
  • ******
  • Posts: 4875
German Big Mouse
« Reply #13 on: July 24, 2005, 06:07:14 PM »
Quote
Originally posted by Hetzer
The Ratte is better.



The Ratte was to be a nightmare machine and its scale still boggles the mind. It would have been 35 meters long, almost four times as wide as the Maus, and 11 meters high. Armor would have been similar or possibly slightly thicker than that seen on the Maus, but of course covering much more surface area. The tank would have been propelled along on a total of six 1.2 meter wide tread assemblies, three on each side of the tank. This means that the treads on one side would have been only slightly narrower than the entirety of a Maus. No less than eight Daimler E-boat engines would have provided the tank's requisite 16,000 horsepower and the turret would have literally been a Graf Spee class battleship turret with only two instead of three gun positions.

If your pants aren't feeling uncomfortably tight yet, just wait until you hear about the armament. The turret would have mounted a pair of 280mm long barreled ship cannons, each gun weighing in at almost 50 tons and firing shells that weighed over 300 kg a piece and were capable of reaching out and touching someone 42 kilometers away. Practically these weapons would have never been able to engage targets 42 kilometers away in a direct fire role, but that was their naval capability. Finally, instead of a turret machinegun the P.1000 was intended to mount either a dual or quad 20mm anti-aircraft gun on top of the 380 ton turret. The number of crew members is unknown but would have likely topped fifty men, with adequate machineguns studding the hull to engage infantry from all directions.



INteresting how this looks exactly like those wack Chinese Tanks in Command & Conquer Generals.


the best cure for "wife ack" is to deploy chaff:    $...$$....$....$$$.....$ .....$$$.....$ ....$$

Offline SMIDSY

  • Silver Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 1248
German Big Mouse
« Reply #14 on: July 24, 2005, 08:00:15 PM »
i just love the ironic names of these tanks. the smaller called a mouse and the larger a rat. is this to fool allied intel? or is it just a soldiers joke?