Landkreuzer P. 1500 Monster

Landkreuzer P 1500 Monster
Type	Project super-heavy tank
Place of origin	Nazi Germany
Specifications
Weight	1,500 tonnes
Length	42.00 m
Width	18.00 m
Height	7.00 m
Crew	100+
Armor	250 mm (hull front)
Primary armament	80 cm K (E) gun
Secondary armament	Two 15 cm sFH 18/1 L/30 (howitzer) Multiple 15 mm MG151/15
Engine	Four MAN M9v 40/46 U-boat diesels 2,200 hp
Operational range	?
Speed	15 km/h

The Landkreuzer P 1500 Monster was a German pre-prototype super-heavy tank designed during World War II — representing the apex of the Nazis' extreme tank designs.

Conception

On 23 June 1942 the German Ministry of Armaments proposed a 1,000 tonne tank — the Landkreuzer P. 1000 Ratte. Adolf Hitler himself expressed interest in the project and go-ahead was granted. In December the same year, Krupp designed an even larger 1,500 tonne tank — the P 1500 Monster. In early 1943, Albert Speer, the Minister for Armaments, cancelled the project.

Purpose

This "land cruiser" was planned as a self-propelled platform for the 80-cm K (E) guns also made by Krupp — the largest artillery weapons ever built. Their 7 tonne projectiles could be fired up to 37 km (23 miles) and were designed for use against heavily fortified targets.

Specification

The P 1500 would have dwarfed even the largest super-heavy tanks in development at the time — such as the German Panzer VIII Maus, the biggest built during the war. The Maus weighed 188 tonnes against the P 1500's proposed 1,500 tonnes. For comparison, the German heavy tank Tiger I weighed 57 tonnes. The P 1500 was to have 250 mm frontal armour and be propelled by two or four diesel submarine engines. In addition to its main 80 cm gun, it would have been armed with two 15 cm sFH 18 heavy howitzers and multiple MG 151 autocannon.

Issues

Development of the Maus had highlighted significant practical problems associated with very large tanks — such as their destruction of roads, their inability to use bridges and the difficulty of strategic transportation by road or rail. The larger the tank, the bigger these problems became — to the point where they were insurmountable. Propulsion had also proved problematic in the development of the Maus — the prototype had failed to meet its specified speed requirements which meant that even larger tanks such as the P 1500 were likely to be slow-moving and thus vulnerable to air attack.

See also

• Super Heavy Tanks of the World War II Era
• Bucket-wheel excavator, - to compare to the largest land vehicles ever built — picture, weighing more than 13,000 tons

External links

• Description & images of Gustav / Dora - guns of the type Monster was designed to carry
• German site with tentative vehicle stats
• Article about the 1000/1500 series