TheGermanMouseByMilitaryIntelligenceDivisionContentsTheGermanMouse5ARMAMENT..7POWERPLANTS.15WHYTHEMOUSE?19MICEOFTHEFUTURE23

TheGermanMouseSuper-Super-Super-HeavyTankBecameHitlersWhiteElephant

OneofthesubjectsofliveliestcontroversyduringtheAlliedinvasionofFrancewastheheavytankthe50-tonPershing,the62-tonTiger,the75-tonRoyalTiger.Weretheseworththeirweight?Didtheygaininprotectionandfirepowerasmuchastheysacrificedinmobility?AdolphHitlersmindwaspresumablymadeuponthispoint.Apetprojectofhis,whichfewwereawareof,appearstohavebeenasuperheavytankthatwouldhavedwarfedeventheRoyalTiger.DubbedtheMouse,thisbehemothofdoubtfulmilitaryvaluewastoweigh207tons,combatloaded.Twowereactuallybuilt,althoughtheywereneverequippedwiththeirarmament.

TheMouseisanamazingvehicle,withspectacularcharacteristics.Theglacisplateupfrontisapproximately8inches(200mm)thick.Sinceitisslopedat35degreestothevertical,thearmorbasisistherefore14inches.Sidearmoris7inches(180mm)thick,withtherearprotectedbyplates6inches(160mm)thick.Thefrontoftheturretisprotectedby9inches(240mm)ofcastarmor,whilethe8-inch(200mm)thickturretsidesandrearwereslopedsoastogivetheeffectof9inches(230mm)ofarmor.

ARMAMENT

Forthemainarmament,apeashooterlikean88-mmgunwasignored.shooterlikean88-mmgunwasignored.mmtankandantitankgun,whichwaslatertobereplacedbya150-mmpiece38calibersinlength.(ThestandardGermanmediumfieldhowitzerIScms.F.H.18isonly29.5calibersinlength.)Insteadofmountinga7.9-mmmachineguncoaxially,theMousewastohavea75-mmantitankgun76calibersinlengthnexttothe128-or150-mmgun.Amachinecannonforantiaircraftwastobemountedintheturretroof,alongwithasmokegrenadeprojector.

Insize,theMousewasconsiderablylargerthananyGermantank.Itslengthof33feetmadeitnearly50percentlongerthantheRoyalTiger.Becauseofrailtransportconsiderations,itswidthwaskeptto12feet(thatoftheRoyalTigerandTiger).A12-footheightmadeitaconsiderabletarget.

Inordertoreducethegroundpressuresothatthetankcouldhavesomemobility,thetrackshadtobemadeverywideallof43.3inches.Withthetrackstakingupover7ofits12feetofwidth,theMousepresentsaverystrangeappearanceindeedfromeitherafrontorrearview.Withsuchatrackwidth,andagroundcontactof19feet3inches,theMousekeepsitsgroundpressuredowntoabout20poundspersquareinchabouttwice

thatoftheoriginalTiger.

POWERPLANTS

Designinganenginesufficientlypowerfultoprovidemotivepowerforthemammothfightingvehiclewasaseriousproblem.ThoughtheGermanstriedtwoengines,botharound1,200horsepower(ascomparedtotheRoyalTigers590),neithercouldbeexpectedtoprovideaspeedofmorethan10to12milesanhour.TheMousecan,however,crossa14-foottrenchandclimba2-foot4-inchstep.

WhateverthemilitarypossibilitiesoftheMousemightbe,itcertainlygavedesignersspaceinwhichtorunhogwildonvariousfeatureswhichtheyhadalwaysbeenanxioustoinstallintanks.Oneofthesegadgetswasanauxiliarypowerplant.Thisplantpermittedpressurizingofthecrewcompartment,whichinturnmeantbettersubmersionqualitieswhenfording,andgoodantigasprotection.Auxiliarypoweralsopermittedheatingandbatteryrecharging.

Oneofthefancyinstallationswasequipmentdesignedforfordinginwater45feetdeepacharacteristicmadenecessarybyweightlimitsofbridges.Besidessealingofhatchesandvents,aidedbypressurizing,submersionwastobemadepossiblebytheinstallationofagiantcylindricalchimneyortrunk,solargethatitcouldserveasacrewescapepassageifneedbe.Thetankswereintendedtofordinpairs,onepoweringtheelectrictransmissionoftheotherbycable.

Theelectrictransmissionwasinitselfanengineeringexperimentofsomemagnitude.ThistypeoftransmissionhadfirstbeenusedonthebigElephantassaultgun-tankdestroyerin1943,andwasconsideredbysomeeminentGermandesignersasthebesttypeoftransmissionifperfectedforheavytanks.

AnotherinterestingfeatureoftheMousefromtheengineeringpointofviewwasthereturnfromtorsionbarsuspensionsuchaswasusedinthePz.Kpfw.III,thePanther,theTiger,andthe

RoyalTigertoaspringsuspension.AnimprovedtorsionbardesignhadbeenconsideredfortheMouse,butwasabandonedinfavorofavolutespringtypesuspension.

WHYTHEMOUSE?

JustwhytheGermanswantedtotryoutsuchamonstrosityastheMouseisaquestiontobeansweredbypoliticalandpropagandaexperts.Whereassuchaheavytankmightconceivablyhavehadsomelimitedmilitaryusefulnessinbreakthroughoperations,itwasnoprojectforNaziGermanyexperimentationin1943,1944,and1945.FornotonlydidGermanauthoritieswastetimeofengineersandproductionfacilitiesonthetwotestmodels,buttheyevenwentsofarastoconstructaspecialflatcarforrailtransport.

Thedrawbacksinherentinsuchaheavytankarepatent.WeightnotonlydeniespracticallyeverybridgeinexistencetotheMouse,butitimpedesrailmovementunlessrailwaysareproperlyreinforcedatbridges,culverts,andotherweakpoints.Fordingto45-footdepthswouldhavesolvedmanyofthestreamcrossingproblemsinEurope,butitseemsthattheMousecouldactuallycrossinwaternodeeperthan26feet.Thoughsitting

inarollingfortress,thesixmenoftheMousecrewarepracticallyasblindasinanytank.Becauseoflowspeedandhighsilhouettetheirvehiclewouldbemostvulnerabletohits.Sinceitisreasonabletosupposethatheavilyfortified,staticpositionssuitableforattackbyaMousewouldalsobefittedwithveryheavy,high-velocitygunscapableofantitankfire,theevenoccasionalcombatvalueoftheMouseoccasionalcombatvalueoftheMousemmPak44(alsoknowninmodifiedformsasthe12.8cmPak80)isreputedtobeabletopenetrate7inchesofarmorat2,000yards.

SincetheGermansactuallyhadtheirPak44inservicein1945,whentheMousewasnotyetintheproductionstage,itwouldappearthattheGermanshadtheantidotebeforethegianttankswereready.Moreover,inthelaterdaysofthewar,arollingcolossuslikeaMousewouldhavebeenalmostimpossibletoconceal,andwouldhavefallenaneasypreytoairpower.ThepsychologicalfactorthusappearstohaveplayedalargepartinthedemandforconstructionoftheMouse.

TheGermanArmywouldneverhavedesiredsuchatank,especiallyin1942whenitsdesignwasapparentlyinitiated.Ontheotherhand,itwouldhavemadeluridheadlinesandSundaysupplementcopyinbothAlliedandGermanpresscircles.Butwhateverthepublicreactionmighthavebeen,itseemsquestionablethattheMousecouldhaveexertedanypsychologicaleffectonRussian,British,orAmericanfront-linetroopsunlesstheGermanspossessedalmostoverwhelmingstrength,astheydidwhentheycrushedtheMaginotLinein1940.In1944-45itwouldhavebeentooeasyamarkforAlliedgunandplanesthefirstinstantitappeared.

MICEOFTHEFUTURE

Theappearanceofsuchavehicleintheopeningphasesofafuturewarisnottobeentirelydiscounted.WhenRedArmyarmoredunitscounterattackedGermanforcesadvancingnorthwardtowardLeningradin1941,theSovietseffectedasubstantialsurpriseandjustmissedobtainingaconsiderablevictorybythrowinginforthefirsttimeheavy46-tonKVtanksbackedby57-tonmodifiedKVsmounting152-mmtankgunsintheirturrets.

Thefirstdaysofawarareatimeofuncertainty.Thisisaperiodwhenpeacetimearmiesareprovingthemselves,whentheirpersonnelarestillanxioustodeterminethevalidityoftheirmaterielandtacticaldoctrines,whentheyareanxioustodiscoverwhattheenemyislike.Rumorsgrowfast,anduntriedmenarelikelytobeimpressedwiththemerereportofthesizeandgunpowerofasuperheavytank.Officersandnoncomsshouldthereforebeawareofthepossibilityofencounteringsuchcolossaltanks.TheyshouldseethattheirmenknowthedeficienciesandrealpurposeofoutlandishvehiclesoftheclassoftheGermanMouse,andthattheydonotattributetothesevehiclescapabilitiesoutofallproportiontotheiractualbattlevalue.