Landkreuzer P. 1000 Ratte
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Landkreuzer P. 1000 Ratte | |
|---|---|
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| Type | Project super-heavy tank |
| Place of origin | Nazi Germany |
| Specifications | |
| Weight | 1000 tonnes |
| Length | 35.00 m |
| Width | 14.00 m |
| Height | 11.00 m |
| Crew | 20+ |
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| Armor | 150 - 360 mm |
| Primary armament |
2x 280 mm 54.5 SK C/34 |
| Secondary armament |
1x 128 mm KwK 44 L/55 8x 20 mm Flak38 2x 15 mm MG 151/15 |
| Engine | 8x Daimler-Benz MB501 20-cylinder marine diesel engines or 2x MAN V12Z32/44 24-cylinder marine diesel engines 16,000 or 17,000 hp |
| Operational range |
? |
| Speed | 40 km/h |
The Landkreuzer P. 1000 Ratte (Rat) was to have been an extremely large tank for use by Nazi Germany during World War II. It was designed in 1942 by Krupp with the approval of Adolf Hitler, but the project was canceled by Albert Speer in early 1943 and no tank was ever completed. At 1000 metric tons, the P-1000 would have been over five times as heavy as the Panzer VIII Maus, the largest tank ever actually built.
Contents |
[edit] History
The development history of the Ratte originated with a 1941 strategic study of Soviet heavy tanks conducted by Krupp, the study also giving birth to the Panzer VIII Maus superheavy tank. The study led to a suggestion from Krupp director Grote, special officer for submarine construction, who on June 23 1942 proposed to Hitler a 1000-tonne tank which he named a Landkreuzer. It was to be armed with naval artillery and armoured so heavily that only similar weapons could hope to affect it. To compensate for its immense weight, the Ratte would have been equipped with three 4 feet (1.2 m) wide treads on each side with a total tread width of 24 feet (7.3 m). This would helped stability and weight distribution but the vehicle's sheer mass would have destroyed roads and rendered bridge crossings completely impractical. However, it was anticipated that its height and ground clearance of 7 feet (2.1 m) would have allowed it to ford most rivers with ease.
Hitler became enamored with Grote's concept and ordered Krupp to begin development of the concept. As of December 29 1942 a few preliminary drawings had been completed, by which time the concept had been named Ratte (Rat).
[edit] Propulsion
The Ratte was to be propelled by two MAN V12Z32/44 24 cylinder marine diesel engines of 8500 hp each (as used in U-boats) or eight Daimler-Benz MB 501 20 cylinder marine diesel engines of 2000 hp each (as used in E-boats) to achieve the 16,000 hp needed to move this tank.
[edit] Armament
The Ratte's primary weapons would have been two 280 mm SK C/34 naval guns mounted in a modified naval heavy cruiser turret as used in the Gneisenau class warships, fitting two guns instead of three. One such turret was supposedly built before the project was canceled, although documentation of its whereabouts is missing.
Further armament was to consist of a 128 mm anti-tank gun of the type used in the Jagdtiger or Maus, two 15 mm Mauser MG 151/15 autocannons, and eight 20 mm Flak 38 anti-aircraft guns, probably with at least four of them as a quad mount. The 128 mm anti-tank gun's precise location on the Ratte is a point of contention among historians, most believing that it would have been mounted within the primary turret, with some others thinking a smaller secondary turret at the rear of the Ratte more logical.
While development does not seem to have progressed very far, some sources believe that a turret was in fact completed and then diverted to use as a fixed gun emplacement in Norway. Several such emplacements survived World War II, many using turrets from scrapped warships very similar to the turret intended for the Ratte. However, despite references to a Ratte turret being used as a fixed emplacement there is no evidence that it ever existed. The Gneisenau was broken up in 1944 and its turrets used in emplacements near Rotterdam; similar turrets were used near Trondheim, Norway, which according to some sources was the supposed location of the Ratte turret.
[edit] Landkreuzer P.1500
An even heavier concept, the P. 1500 "Monster", was in the very early stages of design when both projects were canceled in 1943 by Albert Speer. It was meant to be a self-propelled version of the Schwerer Gustav (or Dora) 800 mm siege cannon.
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- German site (translated via Google) with a scale model
- German (translated via Google) site with data sheet
- An article about the Ratte tank
- Article about the 1000/1500 series
[edit] References
- Ellenbogen, Michael (2006). Gigantische Visionen - Architektur und Hochtechnologie im Nationalsozialismus. ARES Verlag. ISBN 3902475250.
- Spielberger, Walter J. (1977). Spezial-panzer-fahrzeuge des deutschen Heeres. Motorbuch-Verlag, p. 137. ISBN 3879434573.
- Parsons, Zack (2007). My Tank is Fight!. Citadel Press Inc.. ISBN 0806527587.
