K Panzerkampfwagen
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The "K" Panzerkampfwagen (front of the vehicle is at right) |
|
| K Panzerkampfwagen | |
|---|---|
| General characteristics | |
| Crew | 27 |
| Length | 12.7 |
| Width | 6.1 |
| Height | ~3 |
| Weight | 120 t |
| Armour and armament | |
| Armour | 30 mm |
| Main armament | 77 mm (4) |
| Secondary armament | Maxim (7) |
| Mobility | |
| Power plant | two V6 Daimler 650 |
| Suspension | unsprung |
| Road speed | 8 |
| Power/weight | |
| Range | |
The Großkampfwagen or "K-Wagen" (short for G.K.-Wagen) was a German super-heavy tank, two examples of which were almost complete by the end of 1918.
The plan to build the Großkampfwagen was first conceived early 1917 by Chefkraft, the directorate for motorisation. On 28 June 1917 ten were ordered by the ministry of defence, five each to be built by Riebe and Wegmann, mainly for propaganda purposes: the Army actively sought to prevent the order as the type was seen by the military as hugely impractical and a complete waste of scarce resources.
The vehicle weighed originally 165 tons but this was reduced to 120; it was armed with four 77 mm fortress guns and seven Maxim machine guns and had a crew of 27: a commander, two drivers, a signaler, an artillery officer, 12 cannoneers, eight machine gunners and two mechanics. In the beginning of the project it was proposed to incorporate a flamethrower but this was later rejected. The hull consisted of six modules that could be transported separately by rail: the control room, the fighting room, the engine room, the transmission room and two sponsons. The commander could give orders to the crew by means of electric lights: fire control was comparable to that of a destroyer, so the Germans saw the vehicle as a veritable "landship". The drivers would have had to steer the vehicle blindly, directed by the commander.
The type was even bulkier than the Ferdinand Porsche-designed World War II era Maus and therefore the largest tank ever built. It would never become operational however as under the armistice conditions Germany was forbidden to possess tanks and all hulks were scrapped. The record for the largest operational tank is still held by its contemporary, the French Char 2C. In 1942 Hitler had a full scale wooden mock-up built for comparison with his own examples of tank gigantomania.
| World War I tanks |
| British tanks |
| Mark I - Mark V series - Mark VIII - Mark IX Medium Mk A Whippet - Medium Mark B - Medium Mark C |
| French tanks |
| Renault FT-17 - St. Chamond - Schneider CA1 - Char 2C |
| German tanks |
| A7V |
| Italian tanks |
| Fiat 2000 |
| Experimental designs |
| Flying Elephant - Tsar Tank - LK I - LK II - Mark VI - Mark VII - K-Wagen - Sturmpanzerwagen Oberschlesien - Holt Gas-Electric Tank - Steam Tank (Tracked) |
