The Maus - Nazi Germany's Biggest Tank

The Panzerkampfwagen VIII Maus was the largest tank ever built and the result of German designers' wartime obsession with larger and move heavily armoured vehicles. Find out how it was created and used and its ultimate fate.

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Thanks: Danila Batalin

[HoH]

I like how they wanted to name it mammoth, but, as to make the name more fitting for the biggest tank, named it mouse.

[mystictomato]

When you realize that King Tiger's frontal armor was never penetrated by allied anti tank weapons and Maus' rear armor is stronger than King Tiger's frontal armor. Maus was made not to care about being outflanked.

[boejimt]

Maus:(exist)



Bridge: Ah shit here we go again

[varun]

"mein fhurer, ve have build ze biggest tank in se vurld! What shall we call it?"

Hitler: "mouse"

"but mein fhure-"

Hitler: M O U S E !

[voughklry]

if the big tank didn’t work
Then it clearly wasn’t big enough

[ellisdiggle]

Hitler whilst viewing the maginot line: i want this but put it on tracks so it cant be outflanked. Hence the Maus

[alnevenkonnyu]

I usually don't (well, actually never) write any comments, but as far as we know, the Maus - and his bigger "brother", the Ratte (rat) were never meant to be tanks...
As the germans prepared for the allied invasion in Normandy, they knew that the positions of the coastal guns would be well known by the enemy, and the overwhelming allied naval and air soperiority would most probably knock out ANY fix positioned coastal guns, no mater how well they are fortified. As they mostly did...
That called for the concept of mobile coastal defensive fortresses. Due to the concept they wait in their bunkers till the end of the allied air raids, and as "the cat is away" they move out and open fire to the landing crafts and the ships near the coast. That explains the name...
The 128mm gun is capable to sink even a destroyer, and the coax 75mm gun made sense against the smaller boats and the troops on the beach. The shorter barell of the 75mm shows: it was never ment to be used against tanks.
The Ratte was even planned to carry the gun turrets of german warhips. And had AA guns. It was even called a "Landkreuzer" (land cruiser). Never a "Panzer".
The invasion in the summer made both projects obsolete, and the germans stopped them at once.
This version of history makes more sense, well, at least for me...

[knenda]

Those Russians who reassembled this tank from two wrecks must have had loads of fun :)

[marcocammozzo]

The Jagdtiger actually saw combat in the last desperate defences, as Otto Carius written in his book, where he commanded the Jagdtigers crewed by inexperienced young soldiers.

[bunkerratte_]

Finally a topic I know something about - if you ever visit Germany and are interested in the development: the Kummersdorf test site is almost frozen in time and can be visited with guides like me ;)
Great video as always Mark :)

[Zztoph]

Weight of the two t28 super heavy tanks combined. Even though t28 was considered as a monster.

[chichan]

That's not a mouse.


That's a Maus!

[monarchist]

At 1:12 and several other shots, you will notice the German tank has the Soviet hammer and sickle emblem. This was meant to fool any allied spies who infiltrated the testing grounds into believing the Maus wasn't German but a captured Soviet weapon.

[MyKonaRC]

I like how the russians  had to use German vehicles to move a German tank. hahaha

[timheersma]

There was an even bigger tank on the drawing board - the "Ratte". at 1000 tonnes and utilizing a battleship turret with two barrels, 2 U-Boat engines as planned propulsion, it would have been a very damaging piece of military hardware. Damaging to roads, bridges, and practically anything else in it's way had it been built.

[fivenightsofrandomness]

For anyone wondering what the hammer and sickle symbol on the side of the tank
Yes, it was real.
No, it was made by the germans
Why, to confuse allied spies confusing the maus as a captured russian tank

[_Matsimus_]

Everyone hates the maus for being “too big, slow and impractical”. I mean it’s a tank lol.... going outside the boundaries of normality! I think it’s a good try lol

[meehzinhoo]

I Would like too see the allied troops face when they saw the maus for the first time.

[herbivorethecarnivore]

The turret weighed the same as a full Tiger 1.
Fucking hell.

[GG-bwuz]

On the 1st of May 1943 a wooden mockup was shown to Hitler.

He liked it.

LOL