During the Second World War Germany dedicated a great amount of effort and resources to the development of a super-heavy armored combat vehicle. There were two models under development, the Maus and the E-100, but none of them was finally adopted for service. The majority of tank designers and theorists opposed the employment of such tanks. They were right: the Maus was considered obsolete even prior to being built, for it was clear that, given its size and its very limited speed, it would have been excessively vulnerable and not capable of adapting to the highly dynamic battlefield of the Second World War. There were plans for building 150 units but the prototypes were exploded by the German themselves right before the end of the war.


[1] 128-millimeter cannon [2] Cannon mantle [3] Elevation hydraulic cylinder(s) [4] Recoil absorber [5] Trunnion(s) [6] Breech [7] Recoil slider [8] Basket for ejected 128-millimeter cases [9] Telescopic aiming sight [10] 75-millimeter cannon [11] Basket for ejected 75-millimeter cases [12] 75-millimeter shells [13] Gunner's seat [14] Commander's seat [15] Loader's hatch [16] Commander's cupola [17] Ladder(s) [18] Hand grenades [19] Manual mechanism for turret rotation [20] Pinion for turret rotation [21] Rack for turret rotation [22] Shock absorber(s) against high-velocity impacts [23] Driving light(s) [24] 200-millimeter thick glacis armor plate [25] Towing hole(s) [26] Idler wheel(s) [27] Support wheel(s) [28] Return roller(s) [29] Suspension spring absorber(s) [30] Suspension crank arm(s) [31] Bogie support beam(s) [32] Drive sprocket(s) [33] 110-centimeter wide track(s) [34] Driver's instrument panel [35] Driver's episcope [36] Driver's seat [37] Communications operator's seat [38] 20-millimeter thick protective bulkhead [39] Internal fuel tank(s) (not depicted) [40] Internal combustion engine (Diesel) [41] Engine's exhaust [42] Engine's exhaust [43] Engine's heat dissipation grating [44] Electric generator [45] Electric motor(s) [46] Electric motor's heat dissipation grating [47] Air inlet(s) [48] 128-millimeter shell(s) [49] External fuel tank [50] Rear light(s)

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