Panzerkampfwagen VII lion

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The Löwe (VK 7001) was an extremely heavy battle tank of the German Wehrmacht that never got beyond the drawing board stage.

development

The development of the heavy tank began in the spring of 1942 when studies were being carried out at Friedrich Krupp AG on the extremely heavy Soviet tanks.

The designers planned two variants: Variant one, the “light lion”, was to have turret armor 100 mm thick and weigh around 76 t. The heavier variant should weigh around 90 t and be 120 mm thick. A rear tower was planned for this tank. The crew should be five men for both variants.

The variant one favored by Adolf Hitler , the "light lion", should have extremely strong armor. The position of the turret was intended here in the middle of the vehicle. Both variants should be armed with the 10.5 cm L / 70 cannon and a coaxial machine gun. The heavy lion was similar to the Tiger II and it was intended to use as many identical components as possible. As the main attack weapon, he should have a 15 cm L / 40 or L / 37 Kwk. A crew of five was planned for each, three in the tower and two in the tub .

In July 1942, the planning of this battle tank was stopped and the development of an even more gigantic project began: the Panzerkampfwagen VIII Maus .

Technical specifications

  • Weight: 90 tons
  • Length / width / height: 7.74 m / 3.83 m / 3.08 m
  • Chain width: 90 cm
  • Armor: 120 mm tower front / sides: 100 mm
  • Engine: twelve-cylinder Maybach engine HL 230 P 30 with 700 hp
  • Top speed: 23 km / h on-road / off-road: 15 km / h
  • Driving range: 160 km Road / terrain: 80 km
  • Armament:
    • 10.5 cm L / 70 with 22 rounds
    • a coaxial machine gun with 2700 rounds
  • Crew: 5 men (commander, driver, radio operator, gunner, loader)
  • Year of construction: 1943 (planned)

See also

Web links

Commons : Panzerkampfwagen VII Löwe  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Michael Sawodny: German Panzer Rarities 1935-1945 , Podzun-Pallas Verlag, 1982, ISBN 3-79090-173-3 .