Geschützwagen Tiger für 17cm Kanone/21 cm Mörser

All models illustrated above are the magnificent Geschützwagen Tiger für 17cm K72 from Trumpeter

Grille (Cricket Series) 17/21/30/42 [1]

Geschutzwagen "Tiger" fur 17cm K72, 21cm MRS 18/1 und 30,5cm GRW (Sf)


In November 1942, Krupp received order to design the vehicle (waffentrager) using Tiger II components, which was to be part of the "Grille" series. It was to be able to mount 170mm Kanone 72 L/50 gun which could deliver a 68 kilogram projectile up to 25500 meters in range or a 210 mm "Mörser" (a howitzer actually) with a maximum range of 16500 meters firing a 111 kg shell. Grille 17 had its armament mounted on the rail platform inside the hull allowing it to be dismounted at any time and used independent of the actual tank itself. The maximum elevation of the main gun was 65º and its azimuth just 5º at right or left. In order to achieve the 360º fully rotation the gun and its turntable had to be placed in the ground which was folded and carried in the back of the vehicle.

Next in the series was Grille 30. It would be armed with Skoda 305mm GrW L/16 mortar. Project of Grille 42 was under the development. It was to be armed with 420mm Grw mortar.

The lengthened chassis was shaped as the Tiger II but used a much less thicker armor, about 50 mm in the frontal plates and 30 mm at the sides.

Also in order to save nickel the vehicle was designed to use SM stahl which was 130 Kg/ square mm resilient compared with the 150 kg/ square mm of the Nickel alloy.

Each variant was also armed with two 7.92mm machine guns. It would be operated by the crew of eight (driver, commander, gunner, radio operator and four loaders).

Powered by Maybach HL230P30 or HL230P45, Grille would be able to travel at maximum speed of 42 km/h with range of 250km. Grille was 13 meters long (with gun), 3.27 meters wide and 3.15 meters high. Its armor protection ranged from 16mm (side) to 30mm (front). Grille 17 weighted 58000kg but only carried 5 rounds of ammunition. Grille 21 weighted 52700kg and carried only 3 rounds of ammunition.

The project was halted in February 1945, given the worsening in the war situation, which forced Albert Speer to get rid of any nonessential armored vehicle development.

One prototype with 170mm gun was almost completed in May of 1945, and was captured by British troops at Haustenbeck near Paderborn.

[1] In 1942, German designers started the development of a new series, which would utilize chassis and components of various tanks and use them as mountings for various heavy weapons. Designs of the Grille Series incorporated many new technical modifications in order to mount heavy weapons. Some vehicles of the Grille Series were designed to be weapon carriers - Waffentrager. Some of those vehicles reached prototype stage but none of them entered production planned for mid 1945. Model: Armament: Chassis / Components: Grille 10* 88mm Flak 37 (early) 88mm Flak 41 (late) Panzer IV / Sd.Kfz.9 Grille 10 88mm Flak 37/41. Panther Grille 10 100mm K. Panther Grille 10 105mm leFH 43/35. Panther Grille 12 128mm K 43/44. Panther Grille 15 150mm sFH 43/44. Panther Grille 17* 170mm K 72 L/50. Tiger II Grille 21* 210mm Mortar 18/1 L/31. Tiger II Grille 30* 305mm Mortar (GrW) L/16. Tiger II Grille 42* 420mm Mortar (GrW). Tiger II * reached prototype stage. Late Grille 10 with 88mm Flak 41 gun. (Versuchsflakwagen fur 8.8cm Flak 4 1)

VK30.02(DB) - Panzerkampfwagen V

On 25 November 1941, the Waffenamt ordered Daimler-Benz and MAN to develop the tank that subsequently became known as the Panther. During 1942, the MAN design was accepted for production, but in the meantime, Daimler-Benz had partially completed their VK30.02 (DB) prototype. This vehicle closely followed the layout of the Russian T-34, with its turret far forward. Daimler again offered one of their own engines, the MB507 diesel. Drive was to the rear sprocket. Suspension was leaf-spring operating on paired bogie wheels, but other forms of suspension were considered.

In contrast to the MAN designs Daimler-Benz produced their VK 30.02 (DB) prototype with a diesel engine, rear drive and leaf springs instead of torsion bars. One advantage of this design however was the fact that the installation of the MB 507 diesel engine considerably reduced the danger of fire and, because of its higher torque and a more satisfactory torque curve in the lower speed range, a higher tractive power was available. By fitting the transmission at the rear of the vehicle and in the smallest possible space, there was a larger area available for the installation of the gun, which allowed for a choice of calibres. The external leaf springs were easily accessible and permitted a larger internal height or a lower overall height. Before building began and in order to study the problem of rear-sprocket drive, the VK 30.01 (DB), which was of course already running, had superimposed steering gears fitted and steering controls modified to test the ideas evolved for the VK 30.02 (DB). With hydraulic steering action remote control was possible and the driver could even be accommodated in the turret cage.

Total weight of the VK 30.02 (DB) was 34 tons and it had a maximum speed of 54 kph. A constant-mesh Maybach Olvar eight-speed gearbox was fitted, controlled by multi-clutch plates worked by oil pressure. The clutch was of the hydraulically operated multi-disc type. The same system was adopted for the clutch steering. For spot turns the inner track was fully locked and the machine turned on its track. The bogies (bogies and return rollers were planned) were similar to those of the Russian T-34 and, because of the shortage of materials at that time, the wheels were without rubber tyres. Each pair of bogies was secured by a leaf spring. Prototypes of these vehicles were actually built and tested with the Daimler-Benz MB 507 diesel engine installed, but the contract which had been given to Daimler-Benz for 200 VK 30.02 (DB) type vehicles was actually withdrawn.

On 18th July 1941 Rheinmetall-Borsig received a contract to develop a tank gun which could penetrate 140 mm of armour at a range of 1000 metres. This firm was authorised at the same time to design an armoured turret for the VK 30.02 which was able to take this main armament. At the beginning of 1942 a test barrel L/60 was fired, whose performance nearly came up to the specification. Then a barrel length of L/70 was chosen and a delivery date in June 1942 was promised. This armament was intended for use in the VK 30.02 as well as in the VK 45.01 (Henschel) and VK 36.02 designs. The first version of the weapon had a spherical, single baffle muzzle brake which was later replaced by a double baffle brake.

Landkreuzer P. 1000 Ratte

The Landkreuzer P. 1000 Ratte was a design for a huge 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 1,000 metric tons, the P-1000 would have been over five times as heavy as the Panzer VIII Maus, the largest tank ever built.

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 1,000-tonne tank which he named a Landkreuzer. It was to be armed with naval artillery and armored with 9 inches (23 cm) of hardened steel, 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 1.2 metre (3.9 ft) wide treads on each side with a total tread width of 7.2 metres (24 ft). This would help 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 its ground clearance of 2 metres (6.6 ft) would have allowed it to ford most rivers with ease.

Hitler became enamored with Grote's concept and ordered Krupp to begin development on it in 1942. As of December 29, 1942 a few preliminary drawings had been completed, by which time the concept had been named Ratte (Rat). Albert Speer canceled the project in 1943 before any were actually constructed.

Propulsion
The Ratte was to be propelled by two MAN V12Z32/44 24 cylinder marine diesel engines of 8,500 hp (6.2 MW) each (as used in U-boats) or eight Daimler-Benz MB 501 20 cylinder marine diesel engines of 2,000 hp (1.5 MW) each (as used in E-boats) to achieve the 16,000 hp (11.8 MW) needed to move this tank. The engines were to be provided with snorkels also like those pioneered by German submarines. The snorkels were of course designed to provide a way for oxygen to reach the engine, even during amphibious operations passing through deep water.

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. It is rumored that the prototype turret was used as a coastal gun emplacement in occupied Netherlands near Rotterdam, but it now appears this turret was actually built to the specifications of the Gneisenau class and was unconnected to the Ratte program.

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. some concept drawings exist to suggest a flexible mount on the glacis plate. The tank was to be provided with a vehicle bay sufficient to hold two BMW R12 motorcycles for scouting, as well as several smaller storage rooms, a compact infirmary area, and a self-contained lavatory system.