The first tanks appeared during the First World War, although the designs of combat vehicles have been encountered before. During the period of the “trench wars”, the idea of ​​​​an armored self-propelled vehicle was remembered, which would be distinguished by firepower and high maneuverability. Today, some countries have succeeded in tank building, they will also be discussed below.

TOP 10 largest tanks in the world

The first tanks appeared almost simultaneously in three countries:

  • Great Britain;
  • Russian empire;
  • France.

IN post-war years, when they began to develop combat vehicles in Germany, they began to classify this technique in this way (in each country, the weight was determined individually):

  • heavy (the Red Army accepted everything that exceeded 30 tons);
  • medium (in the USSR - up to 30 tons);
  • light (all other tanks).

Modern realities have forced us to revise these categories and add another one to them - superheavy. The TOP-10 includes absolute giants.

Panzerkampfwagen VIII Maus

The name of this super-heavy tank with German language translates as "Mouse". Unlike the Rat tank being designed in parallel, it was built and tested. The weight of the car was a record 188.9 tons. Designed during the Second World War in the Third Reich. A copy that has survived to this day is exhibited at the Armored Museum in Kubinka.

Kummersdorf polygon, where soviet soldiers inspect the tank "Maus". 1945

Case dimensions: 9.03*3.67*3.66 meters. Protected by cast steel armor. The Maus project won a competition organized by Hitler to build a machine with the highest possible protection. The development was led by the founder of Porshe, Ferdinand Porsche. Armament:

  • rifled guns of caliber 75 and 128 mm;
  • flamethrower;
  • machine gun.

The crew consisted of 6 people. It is noteworthy that the tank has relatively low ground pressure. It was not used in combat.

Diamond shaped K-Wagen

It is one of the first developments in Germany. The project was approved by the government, in 1918 construction began. Combat weight - 150 tons. It was developed on the basis of the available English drawings, had the shape of a rhombus, the caterpillars covered the hull.

K-Wagen tank drawing

It had rolled steel armor and 4 cannons located in the side sponsons. Already during construction, it became clear that the crew should be expanded to 22 people. Modern Specialist will say that everything in K-Wagen was superfluous: huge size, record crew size. All prototypes of the tank were destroyed and have not survived to this day.

E-100

Ferdinand Porsche, in addition to the "Mouse" project, presented additional drawings for the E-100, which were also approved. In 1943, the design of a super-heavy model began on the basis of the Adler company.

Prototype E-100 in transit to the UK

During the offensive of the Soviet troops, the Fuhrer gave the order to curtail all tank building projects, however, Porsche continued construction, and one of the E-100s was completed. The car was later captured by the British and taken to England. There it was rated as unpromising and dismantled for scrap. The combat weight of the instance was estimated at 140 tons.

During World War II, heavy armored vehicles were being developed in the United States, one of them being the T-28 Turtle. In fact, the machine is powerful tank, but he was conceived as their destroyer or self-propelled artillery mount.

The surviving model of the "Turtle" is on display at the museum at Fort Knox

The combat weight of the American giant is 95 tons, the hull length is 7.5 meters. Equipped with steel homogeneous armor. The main reason for the construction is the use in Europe. The crew included 4 people. Equipped with a T5E1 cannon, with which concrete fortifications were effectively destroyed. In the course of use, interest in the project quickly faded, and work ceased.

tsar tank

Sometimes the name "Mammoth" was used for this combat vehicle. It was a wheeled combat vehicle and was built in Russia in 1915. Designer - Nikolai Lebedenko.

The dimensions of the Tsar Tank in comparison with the height of a person

In those days, this development seemed innovative and ambitious. It was assumed that big wheels will allow the installation to quickly and easily overcome any obstacles. Tsar Nicholas II allocated his own money for the project, impressed by the clockwork toy car donated by Lebedenko. After construction and testing, the machine was declared unusable. Dimensions: 17.8 * 12.0 * 9.0 meters, combat weight - 60 tons. Equipped with two 76 mm cannons.

Char 2C

The French were among the first to design and manufacture tanks. One of them is Char 2C built in 1917. If we talk only about metric sizes, then this is the most big tank in the world of those that entered service with the armies (10.27 * 3.0 * 4.09 m).

Crew Char 2C

The combat weight was 75 tons, 13 people were involved in movement and aimed shooting. He was in service with the French troops until the start of World War II. It was equipped with a 75 mm tank gun and four machine guns. Built for all the time 10 objects.

A-30 Tortoise

The name of the object was translated literally as "turtle". Development was extremely slow due to the outbreak of war with the Third Reich in Europe. After its completion, the project was finally closed.

Heavy and clumsy A-30 Tortoise

The tank justified its name: the speed was 18-19 km/h. He was clumsy with a weight of 78 tons. Tests in 1943 proved the vehicle's vulnerability in open combat.

TOG II

The project of British super-heavy tanks gave the country's army TOG II weighing 82.3 tons. In those days, the typical design suggested the presence of a diamond-shaped track pattern, but here it was decided to abandon it. The tower was copied from the A-30 Challenger model.

You can see TOG2 at the Bovington Museum

Protected by cemented Krupp armor. The tests of the object were successful, but it did not enter the arsenal of the army. Today, only one copy has survived, which can be seen in the Bovington Museum.

FCM F1

This huge tank (140 tons) was developed to replace the Char 2C. Engineers calculated armor, other technical features and built one prototype, which has not survived to this day.

The model has not reached our days

Despite the fact that it was not possible to participate in the battle, the car had a serious impact on the further development of super-heavy equipment in France.

Self-propelled mortar "Karl"

A successful project of the Third Reich weighing 126 tons, 7 pieces were put into service with the army. Technically, it was a heavy fighting vehicle that was used in the assault on fortresses, since a live projectile could break through a concrete wall. Each released model had its own name.

Mortar, german tank and soldiers of the Reich

Equipped with two cannon mortars caliber 600 mm and 540 mm. Fired 4 shots. This is the largest tank of the Second World War actively used. You can look at the preserved copy in Kubinka near Moscow.

The largest tanks of the USSR

Tank building in the Soviet Union developed actively. The new tanks that entered service in the early years of the war with the Third Reich were quickly lost, they did not meet quality standards, burned out quickly, and were vulnerable. Engineers worked on improving the machines in real time.

Under the leadership of the leading designer Troyanov, in 1957, the heavy tank of the USSR "Object 279" was produced. The main military task is to work in hard-to-reach conditions. Combat weight - 60 tons. The frontal part had excellent protection, the KPVT machine gun and a 130-mm cannon were armed.

The largest tank in the USSR

The caterpillar part had flaws, which could not be eliminated. At the same time, the object was moving along the highway at a speed of 55 km / h, the ground pressure was the same as that of light tanks. Did not enter service.

IS-4

The post-war serial IS-4 has been produced in Chelyabinsk since 1947. He replaced the outdated IS-3. Protected by steel cast and rolled armor. During production, they were modernized several times. Main disadvantages:

  • poor maneuverability;
  • low permeability;
  • unreliable transmission.

In the 60s, the 60-ton machine was finally decommissioned.

IS-7

Experienced tank designed for the army. Technical design solutions were successfully used subsequently. Hull dimensions without gun: 7.38 * 3.4 * 2.48 meters. Technically, it was an improved IS-3.

It was equipped with a large turret and an improved S-70 rifled gun, the prototype of which was a naval firing system.

IS-1 and IS-2

The IP project was created to glorify the name of Joseph Stalin during the war years. Russian heavy tanks of that time had a large number of shortcomings, but they went all the way from Kursk to Berlin, distinguished themselves during the assault battles.

A column of IS-2 tanks of the 1st Ukrainian Front goes to Berlin. 1945

The IS-2 weighing 46 tons was used until 1995. It's legendary fighting machine. In terms of the totality of weapons and armor, it surpassed all vehicles of that time.

KV-1

Named in honor of Kliment Voroshilov, it is equipped with durable steel homogeneous armor. Serial production has been going on since 1940. On the highway, he moved independently at a speed of 30-34 km / h.

KV-1 is one of the successful projects of heavy tanks in the USSR

Had an individual torsion bar suspension, in a battle with the Germans surprised impenetrable armor. Could fire 111 shots from the L-11 cannon.

The biggest tanks in Russia

The Russian Federation surpasses the leading armies of the world in terms of the number of tanks. Some of them are considered the best in the world. Consider the largest modern models.

T-80

The combat vehicle was developed in the USSR and is still in service Russian army. There are 4 modifications with gas turbine and diesel engines. The shortcomings include:

  • high fuel consumption;
  • high production cost;
  • little firepower.

Used in Chechen company. At one time, it became a competitor to the German Leopard-2.

T-90 "Vladimir"

Developed in Soviet times, it has become the best-selling foreign market after the collapse of the USSR. Combat weight 46.5 tons, combined strong armor, 12-cylinder diesel engine and a modern smoothbore gun made the T-90 a universal technique in combat.

T-90 in competition

The undercarriage is movable, borrowed from the T-72B. The only disadvantage of the facility is the vulnerability of the fuel system.

Armata T-14

Russia's latest combat vehicle with an uninhabited turret. This is the first world modification that can be used in reconnaissance and fire adjustment. Equipped with:

  • 360 degree ultraviolet cameras;
  • doppler radar;
  • unmanned reconnaissance vehicle;
  • interceptor of missiles and shells;
  • protective system "Malachite", reflecting blows to the car from the RPG.

T-14 takes part in the rehearsal of the parade on Red Square

Serially produced since 2017. The first models should show the shortcomings of the engineering sense for the timely correction of errors.

The largest German tank

Mechanical engineering and tank building in Germany has attracted the attention of the world since the 1930s. Many self-propelled guns and armored models were among the top most reliable in the world.

E-100

This is the largest designed German tank in the world, photo and short description presented above. The model was characterized by the location of the engine in the stern, and the drive wheels - in front of the hull. The developer was aimed at increasing the speed to 40 km / h, which was impossible with a weight of 140 tons.

conclusions

  1. The creation of super-heavy armored models showed their incompetence and vulnerability. The largest tank ever built is the German Maus. Of all the models ever entered service with regular armies, the largest is the French Char 2C.
  2. The largest tank in the USSR - "Object 279".
  3. The T-80 is the largest armored vehicle in service with the Russian army.
  4. The E-100 tank is a 140-ton prototype of German weapons.

In the 20th century, the types of armed forces developed at great speed. One of major inventions in this area became tanks. It was they who made a revolution in the methods of warfare. This article will talk about the heaviest military vehicles in history.

Pre-tank era

The project of the first prototype of the tank was proposed in 1874 by the French designer Edouard Buyen. He came up with the idea of ​​an all-terrain train that would move due to the built-in railway. military model consisted of 8 sections with 12 guns on the hull. Unfortunately, at that time it was not possible to implement such a project.

Another project was put forward by engineer V. D. Mendeleev in 1916. He designed a model of an armored vehicle with a large-caliber cannon and a machine gun. The project turned out to be difficult to manufacture and did not interest the Russian government.

The era of tank vehicles

The development of the world's first tank immediately followed Mendeleev's project and became famous for its formidable name throughout the world, however, the project was never implemented.

"Tsar Tank"

The car is known to everyone who is interested in tanks. It was designed by engineer Nikolai Lebedenko. On January 8, 1915, the model in the drawings was presented to Nicholas II. The Russian emperor was impressed by the development of the engineer and allocated funds for the project. The tank was nicknamed "The Bat", but it turned out to be unsuitable for war: the wheels quickly failed, the tank got stuck on the road.

The Bat is the largest and longest tank in the world. Because of his size, he became famous:

  • Weight - 60 tons;
  • Height - 9 m;
  • Length - 17.8 m;
  • Width - 12 m.

impossibility practical use"Tsar-tank" predetermined his fate - he stood at the assembly site until the model was disposed of in the 1920s.

The model is the only representative of the type of super-heavy machines put into mass production. The tank was created at the end of the First World War. The purpose of the huge machine was to break through the German defensive fortifications. The manufacturer - the French company FCM, received an order for the production of 300 copies in February 1918.

Interesting!

During the Second World War, one copy of the tank was captured by the Germans, after which nothing is known about it.

During the First World War, the warring states were interested in creating machines capable of breaking through enemy fortifications. Germany was no exception. In 1917, engineer Josef Vollmer was ordered to develop a German tank with such capabilities. Vollmer provided a project for a machine weighing 150 tons and 12.8 m long. The military vehicle was driven by two engines of 650 Horse power. Of the weapons were 4 cannons with a caliber of 77 mm and 7 machine guns.

The K-Wagen was flown by a crew of 22. The designers managed to assemble one model and some components for the second. Due to the approach of the Entente troops, the developments had to be destroyed.

By the 1930s The Char 2C (FCM 2C) has ceased to meet the requirements of modern warfare. The French, guided by the experience of the First World War, decided that they needed a new heavy tank.

In 1938, the French military decided on the vision of model number 2. According to their plan, the tank was supposed to have a powerful cannon and a quick-firing gun. The armor was planned to be made invulnerable to anti-tank guns. The competition for the production of the model was won by FCM. They decided to release the first car by May 1940, but the successes of the German troops prevented these plans.

The tank was built by British developers. The model weighing 64 tons developed a speed of no more than 8 km / h. For a number of reasons, TOG II did not go into mass production.

TOG I

The car was developed simultaneously with TOG II. The first TOG I model was produced in 1940. The main advantage of the tank was the increased cross-country ability with a weight of 82.3 tons. Due to the low speed and outdated design, the military refused to mass-produce the model.

The world's largest heavy tank is also known as the Mouse. The Mouse was made by the Austrian designer Ferdinand Porsche. Despite the grandiose mass of 188 tons, the model has good handling and increased cross-country ability.

By the second half of 1944, two "Mice" were made, but further production was stopped due to a lack of funds from Germany.

Interesting!

During the offensive of the Soviet troops, tank models were captured. One of them is currently on display at the Kubinka Central Museum. Photos and videos about Maus are posted on the Internet.

In 1943, British engineers began to develop a heavy tank. As planned by the designers, it was supposed to be equipped with powerful armor and combat systems. Therefore, the model began to be called Tortoise - "land turtle".

In 1944, the manufacturer received an order for the production of 25 vehicles, but in May 1945 the Second World War, and the need for a "turtle" has disappeared. As a result, 5 models were released.

In essence, the "land turtle" was a self-propelled artillery mount, and not a tank, but due to its weight of 89 tons, it was assigned to the family of tanks. Of the weapons, the "land turtle" had a 94-mm cannon and 3 machine guns. The model was discontinued when it turned out that the tank was inferior to Soviet heavy vehicles in terms of technical specifications.

The developer - Heinrich Ernst Knipkamp considered the E-100 as a universal combat vehicle. armored tank was supposed to displace the "Mouse" and other tracked vehicles. In terms of armor power, the E-100 was not inferior to the Mouse, but had a lower weight (140 tons).

The project was not completed. The developers managed to make only the chassis, which later fell into the hands of the British military.

In the 20th century, Soviet enterprises produced the largest number of tanks in the world. The government paid attention to the production of medium and light vehicles, and there were not enough resources for super-heavy ones. Before the start of the Great Patriotic War they worked on the creation of a copy of a heavy tank at the Kirov plant, but the offensive of the German troops forced them to curtail the research.

When the Second World War ended, the production of heavy tanks was recognized as unprofitable. Designers focused on the invention of machines capable of fighting in conditions nuclear war. In 1957, the design bureau of Zh. Ya. Kotin produced a model of a special tank. The size of the turret armor was 305 mm with a tank weight of 60 tons, but due to poor maneuverability, the project did not pass the test.

The development belongs to the German engineer Edward Grotte. As planned, the weight of the vehicle was to be 1000 tons. At the same time, the tank would accelerate to 35 km/h. In 1942, the drawings were presented to Hitler and he gave the go-ahead for the construction of the machine. Work on the project was stopped a year later - there were not enough materials for its implementation.

The project was developed in the early 1930s. in KB "Bolshevik". Remarkably, its author was the already well-known Edward Grotte. The thousand-ton vehicle was to be equipped with six turrets with a dozen guns. According to engineers maximum speed car was 60 km / h. As a result of the survey, the construction of the TG-5 was recognized as impossible.

Finally

Heavy tanks enjoyed relatively little popularity among the military. They were difficult to manufacture and rarely justified their cost. Therefore, today medium and light models are popular in the armed forces. For example, the most powerful tank in the world weighs less than 70 tons.

Related video

With the advent of tanks, many designers had a completely logical idea that the large size of the tank would allow it to be armored to the maximum and make it invulnerable to enemy fire, and the large carrying capacity would strengthen its armament. Such tanks could actually become mobile forts supporting the infantry in breaking through the enemy's defensive formations. In the conditions of the First World War (hereinafter - WWI), when the governments of the countries of the world directed multimillion-dollar funds to supply the rapidly growing armies, the financing of the most fantastic projects that promised a quick victory also grew.

Starting from WWI and until the very end of World War II (hereinafter referred to as WWII), hundreds of the most unimaginable armored monsters were developed, of which only a few reached embodiment in metal. This article provides an overview of ten of the heaviest, largest and most incredible armored vehicles from around the world that have been partially or fully brought to life.

"Tsar Tank"

The largest in size was the Russian "Tsar-tank". Its developer Nikolai Lebedenko (in honor of him, the car is also sometimes called the "Lebedenko tank" or "Lebedenko machine"), through unknown ways, achieved an audience with Emperor Nicholas II, which took place on January 8 (according to the new style - January 21) 1915. For the audience, the engineer brought a skillfully made wooden self-propelled model of his offspring, which started and moved thanks to a gramophone spring. According to the memoirs of the courtiers, the designer and the tsar fiddled with this toy “like little children” for several hours, creating artificial obstacles for it from improvised means - volumes of the Code of Laws of the Russian Empire. The tsar was so impressed with the model, which Lebedenko eventually gave him, that he approved the financing of the project. With its design, the tank resembled a huge artillery carriage with two large front wheels. If the model was held by the back of the "carriage" with the wheels down, then it looked like a bat sleeping under the ceiling, which is why the car received the nickname " Bat"and" Bat.

Initially, it was clear that the project was not viable. The largest and most vulnerable element of the new tank was the huge 9-meter wheels, the supporting structure of which was the spokes. They were created in such a way as to increase the maneuverability of the tank, but they were easily disabled even by artillery shrapnel, not to mention high-explosive or armor-piercing shells. There were problems with the cross-country ability of the car. Nevertheless, thanks to the royal patronage, the tank was quickly built. Already in August 1915, it was assembled at a makeshift training ground near the city of Dmitrov, Moscow Region, however, due to poor cross-country ability, it remained to rust under open sky until the early 20s, until it was dismantled for scrap. As a result, thousands of rubles public funds were wasted.

The fighting compartments of the tank were housed in a hull located between its giant wheels. The armament was located in a machine-gun turret for six machine guns, built on top of the hull, as well as in sponsons located at its ends, protruding beyond the wheels. The sponsons could accommodate both machine-gun and artillery weapons. It was envisaged that the crew of the tank would be 15 people. Perpendicular to the hull was a "carriage carriage", the main purpose of which was to create a stop when firing. On the "gun carriage" the crew got into the fighting compartments of the tank.

The dimensions of the Tsar Tank were amazing - its length was 17.8 meters, width - 12, height - 9. It weighed 60 tons. This machine became the largest and most ridiculous tank in world history.

Char 2C (FCM 2C)

This French tank became the largest and heaviest mass-produced tank in the entire world history of tank building. It was created by the FCM shipbuilding company at the very end of WWI, but never took part in hostilities. As conceived by the designers, the Char 2C was supposed to be a breakthrough tank that could effectively overcome German trenches. The French military liked this idea, and on February 21, 1918, 300 vehicles were ordered from FCM. However, while shipbuilders launched production, the war ended. The tank turned out to be low-tech and expensive, and the manufacture of each of its units took a long time. As a result, until 1923, only 10 machines were manufactured. Since the French government experienced certain financial difficulties after the WWII, and the Char 2C was very expensive, it was decided to stop its production.

The Char 2C weighed 75 tons and had a crew of 13. It was armed with one 75 mm cannon and 4 machine guns. Tank engines "ate" an average of 12.8 liters per kilometer covered by the car, so a tank with a capacity of 1280 liters was enough for a maximum of 100-150 kilometers, and on rough terrain this distance was even less.

Char 2C were in service French army until 1940. With the outbreak of hostilities in France during WWII, a battalion of these already obsolete tanks was sent to the theater of operations. On May 15, 1940, the train with the materiel of the battalion got into a traffic jam while proceeding to the places of unloading near the city of Nechâteau. Since it was not possible to unload such heavy tanks from the platforms, and German troops were approaching the station where the train was stuck, the French crews destroyed their armored vehicles and retreated. However, as it soon became clear, not all Char 2Cs were destroyed. In particular, car No. 99 fell into the hands of the Germans intact and was tested by them at the Kummersdorf training ground. Her further fate is unknown.

German soldiers posing against the backdrop of the captured French giant tank Char 2C No. 99 Champagne.
Next to the tank are disassembled parts of its engine.

K-Wagen

At the end of March 1917, the Inspectorate of the Automobile Troops of Kaiser Germany instructed the chief engineer of its experimental department, Josef Volmer, to create a tank that, in its own way, technical parameters would be able to break through enemy lines of defense.

In the event of its successful and timely completion, this tank would become the most heavy tank WWI - its weight would reach 150 tons. As power plants for him, two six-cylinder gasoline engines from Daimler with a capacity of 650 hp were chosen. every. The tank was to be armed with 4 77 mm guns placed in sponsons and 7 7.92 mm MG.08 machine guns. Of all the heavy tanks, the K-Wagen had the most numerous crew - 22 people. The length of the tank reached 12.8 meters, and if not for the Russian Tsar Tank, it would have become the longest super-heavy tank in the history of tank building. In the design documentation, the tank was called Kolossal-Wagen, Kolossal or K. The use of the index "K-Wagen" is generally accepted.

In April 1918, the construction of these machines began, but the rapid end of the war stopped all work. The German tank builders had almost finished assembling the first copy of the tank, and for the second, the armored hull and all the main units, except for the engines, were ready. But the Entente troops were approaching German enterprises, and everything manufactured was destroyed by the manufacturers themselves.

FCM F1

In the early 30s, it became clear to French military functionaries that the FCM 2C tank was hopelessly outdated. Since French military thought believed that future wars would be of the same positional nature as the WWII, it was decided in Paris that the army needed new heavy breakthrough tanks.

In February 1938, the Armaments Advisory Board, headed by General Duflo, determined the main performance characteristics of the future tank to announce a design competition. The Council put forward the following requirements for the armament of the vehicle: one large-caliber cannon and one rapid-fire anti-tank gun. Besides, new tank was supposed to be equipped with anti-shell armor that could withstand the hit of shells of all anti-tank shells known at that time artillery systems.

The largest French tank builders (FCM, ARL and AMX) participated in the competition, but only FCM was able to start creating a prototype. Its engineers designed a tank with two turrets arranged like battleships on different levels so that they do not interfere with each other to conduct circular fire. In the rear (higher) tower, a 105-mm main-caliber gun was to be installed. In the front turret, a 47-mm rapid-fire anti-tank gun was mounted. The thickness of the frontal reservation of the car was 120 mm. It was assumed that the prototype would be ready by the end of May 1940, but this was prevented by the rapid German offensive in France. Further fate semi-finished prototypes is unknown.

TOG II

In October 1940, the first copy of an experienced British tank TOG І was created. Its name, which stands for "The Old Gang" (English - "old gang"), hinted at the considerable age and experience of its creators. The old principles of tank building manifested themselves in the layout and appearance this combat vehicle, as well as in its characteristics. TOG I had a typical WWI layout and had a low speed of 5 mph (8 km/h). The guns and machine guns, originally placed in sponsons, were eventually replaced by a turret from the Matilda II tank, mounted on the roof of the hull. Its tracks, like those of other WWI tanks, covered the hull, and were not placed on the sides of it, like modern tanks. Since the weight of the vehicle was 64.6 tons, it is difficult to attribute it to super-heavy tanks. The tank was modernized several times until 1944, but it never went into production.

In 1940, in parallel with TOG I, the creation of TOG II began. In metal, it was implemented by the spring of 1941. This tank was made heavier than the previous model - it weighed 82.3 tons. Due to its long length, independent torsion bar suspension, and the fact that each caterpillar was driven by a separate electric motor, this tank had increased cross-country ability. The electric motors were powered by a generator driven by a diesel power plant. Therefore, despite the heavy weight, the tank could overcome walls 2.1 meters high and ditches 6.4 meters wide. His negative qualities were low speed(maximum 14 km / h) and the vulnerability of caterpillars, the design of which is hopelessly outdated. The tank received a specially designed turret, which housed the only tank gun of 76.2 mm caliber and a machine gun. Subsequently, design upgrades continued, the TOG II (R) and TOG III projects appeared, but none of them was put into serial production.

Pz.Kpfw VIII Maus

In December 1942, Ferdinand Porsche was summoned to an audience with Hitler, whose company's designers completed the design of the Maus super-heavy tank (German - "mouse"). A year later, on December 23, 1943, the first prototype of the tank came out of the gates of the Alkett tank building enterprise (Almerkishe Kettenfabrik GmbH), which was part of the Reichswerke state concern. It was the heaviest manufactured tank in the history of world tank building - its weight reached 188 tons. The frontal armor plate reached a thickness of 200 mm, and the stern - 160 mm. Despite the fact that the tank had a huge mass, during its testing it turned out that it is very maneuverable, easy to control and has high maneuverability. The tank was modified, passed field tests, and its second copy was made. But in the second half of 1944, Germany ran out of funds to ensure regular supplies of even production tanks, not to mention the launch of new expensive machines.

In mid-April 1945, the Kummersdorf test site was captured Soviet troops. Both copies of the tank, which were disabled during the battles for the training ground, were sent to the USSR. There, from two damaged vehicles, one whole was assembled, which to this day is on display at the Central Museum of Armored Weapons and Equipment in Kubinka.


Pz.Kpfw VIII Maus Porsche Type 205/1 with Krupp turret at the Böblingen factory, April 9 or 10, 1944

A39 Tortoise

From the beginning of 1943, the development of a new breakthrough tank began in the UK. The project was called Tortoise (English - "land turtle"), as it provided that future tank will have thick armor, powerful weapons and is unlikely to be able to high speed. As a result of design research, a number of projects of machines with the “AT” index were born, which never went into production. In the end, designers and customers from the Committee for the Development of Special Equipment of the Ministry of Supply of Great Britain settled on the AT-16 model, which received the official index "A39". In February 1944, 25 units were ordered for production, which were to be completed by September 1945. However, in May 1945, the fighting in Europe ended, and the committee reduced the order to 12 vehicles. In February 1946, the order was halved again, and as a result, only 5 vehicles were manufactured. The units of the sixth copy of the A39 were used as a source of spare parts.


Super-heavy assault self-propelled artillery mount (according to the British classification - a tank)
A39 project "Tortoise"

In fact, the Tortoise was not a tank, but an SPG, since the A39 did not have a turret, and the 94-mm cannon was placed right in the frontal part of the conning tower. However, according to the British classification, the self-propelled guns could not be so heavy (the weight of the A39 reached 89 tons), and it was decided to classify it as a tank. To the left of the gun was a BESA machine gun (the English version of the Czechoslovak ZB-53), and two more such machine guns were mounted in a turret on the roof of the vehicle. The self-propelled guns did not go into a large series, since against the background of modern heavy Soviet tanks(after the war, Britain considered the USSR as the main potential enemy) it was outdated both in mobility (maximum speed - 19 km / h) and in armament, although its powerful frontal armor 228 mm thick impressed contemporaries.


The heaviest British tank A39 of the Tortoise project at the Bovington Tank Museum

Pz.Kpfw. E-100

T28-T95 (Turtle)

Overseas, too, did not sit idly by. In September 1943, the United States began work on its own breakthrough tank. The states were preparing to enter the war in Europe and feared that it would not be easy to overcome the “Atlantic Wall”, built by the Germans on the coast, and then the Siegfried Line. But, as is often the case, the army functionaries came to their senses quite late (apparently, forgetting to take into account that the creation of fundamentally new tanks is a lengthy process).

It was planned to install a 105-mm T5E1 cannon as the main armament on the tank. The initial speed of her projectile, as military functionaries believed, was sufficient to break through the concrete walls of pillboxes. The gun was supposed to be placed in the frontal armor plate of the vehicle - this decision was made in order to reduce the silhouette of the T-28. In fact, the new car was not a tank, but a breakthrough self-propelled gun - the US military eventually realized this, and the car was renamed the T-95 self-propelled guns. As the Americans like to do, at the same time she was given the nickname "Turtle" (English - "turtle"). The self-propelled guns were equipped with an electric transmission designed for installation on T1E1 and T23 tanks.

Design studies and bureaucratic delays led to the fact that the decision to manufacture prototypes was made only in March 1944. But the military rejected finished project and ordered three cars, the frontal reservation of which was to reach 305 mm, which was one and a half times higher than the previously planned 200 mm. After the changes made, the weight of the car increased to 86.3 tons. To reduce the pressure on the ground and increase the cross-country ability of the self-propelled guns, it was decided to make its tracks double. As a result, the new project was ready only by March 1945, when the fighting in Europe and the Pacific front was drawing to a close. The first prototype was shipped to the Aberdeen Proving Ground when it was no longer needed, on December 21, 1945. The production of the second copy was completed on January 10, 1946.

As a result of lengthy tests conducted in 1947, the US military again renamed the T95 into the T28 breakthrough tank, since, in their opinion, the self-propelled guns could not weigh so much. Almost simultaneously with this, they came to the conclusion that the low speed of the machine does not meet the modern conditions of warfare. As a result, the T28 (T95) was abandoned, but perhaps the American bureaucrats were simply tired of puzzling over the classification of this machine.

"Object 279"

It would be unfair to ignore the USSR - a country that can rightfully be called the most "tank" power of the 20th century. In the last century, Soviet enterprises produced the largest number tanks and designed the largest number of their models. However, super-heavy tanks were not carried away in the country of the Soviets. Before the start of WWII, they simply did not have enough funds, and during the war, there was also time. So, in the summer of 1941, at the Leningrad Kirov Plant, they developed a project for a super-heavy KV-5 tank, the weight of which would reach 100 tons, but in August German troops approached Leningrad, and work on this project was stopped.

After the end of WWII, with the advent of cumulative ammunition, it became clear to all tank designers that it was irrational to create combat vehicles heavier than 60 tons. With such big weight they cannot be made fast and maneuverable, which means that, despite the most powerful armor, they will be quickly knocked out. But the specter of nuclear war loomed on the horizon, and the designers began to develop machines that were supposed to fight in hitherto unseen conditions.

In 1957, an amazing tank was created in the Design Bureau of Zh. Ya. Kotin of the Leningrad Kirov Plant under the leadership of L. S. Troyanov. Although it weighed only 60 tons, and by weight it cannot claim the title of a super-heavy tank, but in terms of the level of armor, it is quite. The wall thickness of its cast tower along the perimeter was 305 mm. At the same time, the thickness of the frontal armor reached 269 mm, the sides - 182 mm. This thickness of armor was obtained due to the original shape of the hull, more like a flying saucer than a tank. An unusual product was assigned the index "Object 279". The experimental armored vehicle was armed with a 130-mm M-65 rifled gun with a barrel blowing system. Of all the super-heavy tanks realized in metal, the caliber of the main gun of the Object 279 is the largest.

The machine was equipped with a complex system of non-adjustable hydropneumatic suspension and double tracks. This technical solution made it possible to reduce the pressure on the ground, increase the tank's maneuverability, but seriously impair its maneuverability. This factor, as well as the complexity of the machine to maintain, was the reason that the project did not go beyond the creation and testing of a prototype.


"Object 279" in the exposition of the Central Museum of armored weapons and equipment in Kubinka

With the advent of tanks, many designers had a completely logical idea that the large size of the tank would allow it to be armored to the maximum and make it invulnerable to enemy fire, and the large carrying capacity would strengthen its armament. Such tanks could actually become mobile forts supporting the infantry in breaking through the enemy's defensive formations. In the conditions of the First World War (hereinafter - WWI), when the governments of the countries of the world directed multimillion-dollar funds to supply the rapidly growing armies, the financing of the most fantastic projects that promised a quick victory also grew.
Starting from WWI and until the very end of World War II (hereinafter referred to as WWII), hundreds of the most unimaginable armored monsters were developed, of which only a few reached embodiment in metal. This article provides an overview of ten of the heaviest, largest and most incredible armored vehicles from around the world that have been partially or fully brought to life.

"Tsar Tank"
The largest in size was the Russian "Tsar-tank". Its developer Nikolai Lebedenko (in honor of him, the car is also sometimes called the "Lebedenko tank" or "Lebedenko machine"), through unknown ways, achieved an audience with Emperor Nicholas II, which took place on January 8 (according to the new style - January 21) 1915. For the audience, the engineer brought a skillfully made wooden self-propelled model of his offspring, which started and moved thanks to a gramophone spring. According to the memoirs of the courtiers, the designer and the tsar fiddled with this toy “like little children” for several hours, creating artificial obstacles for it from improvised means - volumes of the Code of Laws of the Russian Empire. The tsar was so impressed with the model, which Lebedenko eventually gave him, that he approved the financing of the project. With its design, the tank resembled a huge artillery carriage with two large front wheels. If the model was held by the back of the “carriage” with the wheels down, then it looked like a bat sleeping under the ceiling, which is why the car received the nicknames “Bat” and “Bat”.

Initially, it was clear that the project was not viable. The largest and most vulnerable element of the new tank was the huge 9-meter wheels, the supporting structure of which was the spokes. They were created in such a way as to increase the maneuverability of the tank, but they were easily disabled even by artillery shrapnel, not to mention high-explosive or armor-piercing shells. There were problems with the cross-country ability of the car. Nevertheless, thanks to the royal patronage, the tank was quickly built. Already in August 1915, it was assembled at a makeshift training ground near the city of Dmitrov, Moscow Region, however, due to poor cross-country ability, it remained to rust in the open air until the early 1920s, until it was dismantled for scrap metal. As a result, thousands of rubles of public funds were wasted.

The fighting compartments of the tank were housed in a hull located between its giant wheels. The armament was located in a machine-gun turret for six machine guns, built on top of the hull, as well as in sponsons located at its ends, protruding beyond the wheels. The sponsons could accommodate both machine-gun and artillery weapons. It was envisaged that the crew of the tank would be 15 people. Perpendicular to the hull was a "carriage carriage", the main purpose of which was to create a stop when firing. On the "gun carriage" the crew got into the fighting compartments of the tank.
The dimensions of the Tsar Tank were amazing - its length was 17.8 meters, width - 12, height - 9. It weighed 60 tons.
This machine became the largest and most ridiculous tank in world history.

Char 2C (FCM 2C)
This French tank became the largest and heaviest mass-produced tank in the entire world history of tank building. It was created by the FCM shipbuilding company at the very end of WWI, but never took part in hostilities. As conceived by the designers, the Char 2C was supposed to be a breakthrough tank that could effectively overcome German trenches. The French military liked this idea, and on February 21, 1918, 300 vehicles were ordered from FCM. However, while shipbuilders launched production, the war ended. The tank turned out to be low-tech and expensive, and the manufacture of each of its units took a long time. As a result, until 1923, only 10 machines were manufactured. Since the French government experienced certain financial difficulties after the WWII, and the Char 2C was very expensive, it was decided to stop its production.

The Char 2C weighed 75 tons and had a crew of 13. It was armed with one 75 mm cannon and 4 machine guns. Tank engines "ate" an average of 12.8 liters per kilometer covered by the car, so a tank with a capacity of 1280 liters was enough for a maximum of 100-150 kilometers, and on rough terrain this distance was even less.
Char 2Cs were in service with the French army until 1940. With the outbreak of hostilities in France during WWII, a battalion of these already obsolete tanks was sent to the theater of operations. On May 15, 1940, the train with the materiel of the battalion got into a traffic jam while proceeding to the places of unloading near the city of Nechâteau.


(German soldiers pose against the backdrop of a captured French giant tank
Char 2C #99 Champagne. Dismantled parts of its engine lie next to the tank.)

Since it was not possible to unload such heavy tanks from the platforms, and German troops were approaching the station where the train was stuck, the French crews destroyed their armored vehicles and retreated. However, as it soon became clear, not all Char 2Cs were destroyed. In particular, car No. 99 fell into the hands of the Germans intact and was tested by them at the Kummersdorf training ground. Her further fate is unknown.


K-Wagen
At the end of March 1917, the Inspectorate of the Automobile Troops of Kaiser Germany instructed the chief engineer of its experimental department, Josef Volmer, to create a tank that, according to its technical parameters, would be capable of breaking through enemy defense lines. In the event of its successful and timely completion, this tank would have become the heaviest tank of the WWII - its weight would have reached 150 tons. Two six-cylinder Daimler gasoline engines with a capacity of 650 hp each were chosen as power plants for it. every. The tank was to be armed with 4 77 mm guns placed in sponsons and 7 7.92 mm MG.08 machine guns. Of all the heavy tanks, the K-Wagen had the most numerous crew - 22 people. The length of the tank reached 12.8 meters, and if not for the Russian Tsar Tank, it would have become the longest super-heavy tank in the history of tank building. In the design documentation, the tank was called Kolossal-Wagen, Kolossal or K. The use of the index "K-Wagen" is generally accepted. In April 1918, the construction of these machines began, but the rapid end of the war stopped all work. The German tank builders had almost finished assembling the first copy of the tank, and for the second, the armored hull and all the main units, except for the engines, were ready. But the Entente troops were approaching German enterprises, and everything manufactured was destroyed by the manufacturers themselves.

FCM F1
In the early 30s, it became clear to French military functionaries that the FCM 2C tank was hopelessly outdated. Since French military thought believed that future wars would be of the same positional nature as the WWII, it was decided in Paris that the army needed new heavy breakthrough tanks.
In February 1938, the Armaments Advisory Board, headed by General Duflo, determined the main performance characteristics of the future tank to announce a design competition. The Council put forward the following requirements for the armament of the vehicle: one large-caliber cannon and one rapid-fire anti-tank gun.

In addition, the new tank had to be equipped with anti-cannon armor that could withstand the hit of shells from all anti-tank artillery systems known at that time. The largest French tank builders (FCM, ARL and AMX) participated in the competition, but only FCM was able to start creating a prototype.
Its engineers designed the tank with two turrets, arranged like battleships at different levels, so that they would not interfere with each other in a circular fire. In the rear (higher) tower, a 105-mm main-caliber gun was to be installed. In the front turret, a 47-mm rapid-fire anti-tank gun was mounted. The thickness of the frontal reservation of the car was 120 mm. It was assumed that the prototype would be ready by the end of May 1940, but this was prevented by the rapid German offensive in France. The further fate of semi-finished prototypes is unknown.

TOG II
In October 1940, the first copy of an experienced British tank TOG І was created. Its name, which stands for "The Old Gang" (English - "old gang"), hinted at the considerable age and experience of its creators. The old principles of tank building were manifested in the layout and appearance of this combat vehicle, as well as in its characteristics. TOG I had a typical WWI layout and had a low speed of 5 mph (8 km/h).
The guns and machine guns, originally placed in sponsons, were eventually replaced by a turret from the Matilda II tank, mounted on the roof of the hull. Its tracks, like those of other tanks of the WWII era, covered the hull, and were not placed on the sides of it, like modern tanks. Since the weight of the vehicle was 64.6 tons, it is difficult to attribute it to super-heavy tanks. The tank was modernized several times until 1944, but it never went into production. In 1940, in parallel with TOG I, the creation of TOG II began. In metal, it was implemented by the spring of 1941. This tank was made heavier than the previous model - it weighed 82.3 tons. Due to its long length, independent torsion bar suspension, and the fact that each caterpillar was driven by a separate electric motor, this tank had increased cross-country ability. The electric motors were powered by a generator driven by a diesel power plant.

Therefore, despite the heavy weight, the tank could overcome walls 2.1 meters high and ditches 6.4 meters wide. Its negative qualities were low speed (maximum 14 km / h) and the vulnerability of tracks, the design of which was hopelessly outdated. The tank received a specially designed turret, which housed the only tank gun of 76.2 mm caliber and a machine gun.
Subsequently, design upgrades continued, the TOG II (R) and TOG III projects appeared, but none of them was put into serial production.

Pz.Kpfw VIII Maus
In December 1942, Ferdinand Porsche was summoned to an audience with Hitler, whose company's designers completed the design of the Maus super-heavy tank (German - "mouse"). A year later, on December 23, 1943, the first prototype of the tank came out of the gates of the Alkett tank building enterprise (Almerkishe Kettenfabrik GmbH), which was part of the Reichswerke state concern. It was the heaviest manufactured tank in the history of world tank building - its weight reached 188 tons. The frontal armor plate reached a thickness of 200 mm, and the stern - 160 mm. Despite the fact that the tank had a huge mass, during its testing it turned out that it is very maneuverable, easy to control and has high maneuverability. The tank was modified, passed field tests, and its second copy was made. But in the second half of 1944, Germany ran out of funds to ensure regular deliveries of even serial tanks, not to mention the launch of new expensive vehicles.

In mid-April 1945, the Kummersdorf test site was captured by Soviet troops. Both copies of the tank, which were disabled during the battles for the training ground, were sent to the USSR. There, from two damaged vehicles, one whole was assembled, which to this day is on display at the Central Museum of Armored Weapons and Equipment in Kubinka.


(Pz.Kpfw VIII Maus Porsche Type 205/1 with Krupp turret at the Böblingen factory, April 9 or 10, 1944)

A39 Tortoise
From the beginning of 1943, the development of a new breakthrough tank began in the UK. The project was called Tortoise (English - "land turtle"), as it envisaged that the future tank would have thick armor, powerful weapons and would hardly be able to have high speed. As a result of design research, a number of projects of machines with the “AT” index were born, which never went into production.


(Super-heavy assault self-propelled artillery mount (according to the British classification - a tank) A39 of the Tortoise project)

In the end, designers and customers from the Committee for the Development of Special Equipment of the Ministry of Supply of Great Britain settled on the AT-16 model, which received the official index "A39". In February 1944, 25 units were ordered for production, which were to be completed by September 1945. However, in May 1945, the fighting in Europe ended, and the committee reduced the order to 12 vehicles. In February 1946, the order was halved again, and as a result, only 5 vehicles were manufactured. The units of the sixth copy of the A39 were used as a source of spare parts. In fact, the Tortoise was not a tank, but an SPG, since the A39 did not have a turret, and the 94-mm cannon was placed right in the frontal part of the conning tower. However, according to the British classification, the self-propelled guns could not be so heavy (the weight of the A39 reached 89 tons), and it was decided to classify it as a tank.

To the left of the gun was a BESA machine gun (the English version of the Czechoslovak ZB-53), and two more such machine guns were mounted in a turret on the roof of the vehicle. The self-propelled guns did not go into a large series, since against the background of modern heavy Soviet tanks (after the war, Britain considered the USSR as the main potential enemy), it was outdated both in mobility (maximum speed - 19 km / h) and in armament, although its powerful frontal armor with a thickness of 228 mm impressed contemporaries.

Pz.Kpfw. E-100
This machine was created as an alternative to the Pz.Kpfw VIII Maus tank, designed by Porsche. In fact, Ferdinand Porsche took advantage of his position, being a good acquaintance of the Reich Armaments Minister Todt and being on friendly terms with Hitler himself. Using his connections, Porsche contributed to the closure of the project of another super-heavy tank VK 7201 "Heavy Lion" (Schwere Löwe) produced by the Krupp concern. Meanwhile, another German tank designer and functionary, Heinrich Ernst Knipkamp, ​​in defiance of Porsche, initiated the development of a whole series of tanks that were supposed to replace all types of armored combat tracked vehicles in the troops, from reconnaissance tanks to super-heavy breakthrough tanks. The last one was supposed to be the E-100.

Of all the E-Series vehicles, the development of the E-100 tank has advanced the farthest. This tank was supposed to be lighter than the Maus (140 tons versus 188), and at the same time armored at the same level. It was designed in such a way that the armor plates had as few right angles as possible (unlike the Maus tank, whose sides were almost vertical). Three versions of the turret of this tank were developed, the first of which was the turret of the Maus tank with a 128-mm gun. True, in the version for the E-100 tank, they decided to replace the 128-mm cannon with a 150-mm one.

The turret was to be manufactured by the enterprises of the Krupp concern, and they also had to develop a method for installing the gun. This option turned out to be more preferable than the other two, but none of them was implemented in the metal. If the Germans still had enough time, the E-100 would have received the most powerful gun in the history of the creation of super-heavy tanks. Only one copy of the chassis of this tank was created, which was tested at the Heistenbeck training ground with a dummy turret.
At the end of the war, this chassis came to the English troops in the form of a trophy and was later taken to the UK, where it was carefully studied by local engineers.


(Pz.Kpfw. E-100 tank loaded onto a transport platform with a British soldier posing on top)

T28-T95 (Turtle)
Overseas, too, did not sit idly by. In September 1943, the United States began work on its own breakthrough tank. The states were preparing to enter the war in Europe and feared that it would not be easy to overcome the “Atlantic Wall”, built by the Germans on the coast, and then the Siegfried Line. But, as is often the case, the army functionaries came to their senses quite late (apparently, forgetting to take into account that the creation of fundamentally new tanks is a lengthy process). It was planned to install a 105-mm T5E1 cannon as the main armament on the tank. The initial speed of her projectile, as military functionaries believed, was sufficient to break through the concrete walls of pillboxes. The gun was supposed to be placed in the frontal armor plate of the vehicle - this decision was made in order to reduce the silhouette of the T-28. In fact, the new car was not a tank, but a breakthrough self-propelled gun - the US military eventually realized this, and the car was renamed the T-95 self-propelled guns. As the Americans like to do, at the same time she was given the nickname "Turtle" (English - "turtle"). The self-propelled guns were equipped with an electric transmission designed for installation on T1E1 and T23 tanks.

Design studies and bureaucratic delays led to the fact that the decision to manufacture prototypes was made only in March 1944. But the military rejected the finished project and ordered three vehicles, the frontal reservation of which was to reach 305 mm, which was one and a half times higher than the previously planned 200 mm. After the changes made, the weight of the car increased to 86.3 tons. To reduce the pressure on the ground and increase the cross-country ability of the self-propelled guns, it was decided to make its tracks double. As a result, the new project was ready only by March 1945, when the fighting in Europe and the Pacific front was drawing to a close. The first prototype was shipped to the Aberdeen Proving Ground when it was no longer needed, on December 21, 1945. The production of the second copy was completed on January 10, 1946. As a result of lengthy tests conducted in 1947, the US military again renamed the T95 into the T28 breakthrough tank, since, in their opinion, the self-propelled guns could not weigh so much. Almost simultaneously with this, they came to the conclusion that the low speed of the machine does not meet the modern conditions of warfare. As a result, the T28 (T95) was abandoned, but perhaps the American bureaucrats were simply tired of puzzling over the classification of this machine.

"Object 279"
It would be unfair to ignore the USSR - a country that can rightfully be called the most "tank" power of the 20th century. In the last century, Soviet enterprises produced the largest number of tanks and designed the largest number of their models. However, super-heavy tanks were not carried away in the country of the Soviets. Before the start of WWII, they simply did not have enough funds, and during the war, there was also time. So, in the summer of 1941, at the Leningrad Kirov Plant, they developed a project for a super-heavy KV-5 tank, the weight of which would reach 100 tons, but in August German troops approached Leningrad, and work on this project was stopped.
After the end of WWII, with the advent of cumulative ammunition, it became clear to all tank designers that it was irrational to create combat vehicles heavier than 60 tons. With such a large weight, it is impossible to make them fast and maneuverable, which means that, despite the most powerful armor, they will be quickly knocked out. But the specter of nuclear war loomed on the horizon, and the designers began to develop machines that were supposed to fight in hitherto unseen conditions. In 1957, an amazing tank was created in the Design Bureau of Zh. Ya. Kotin of the Leningrad Kirov Plant under the leadership of L. S. Troyanov. Although it weighed only 60 tons, and by weight it cannot claim the title of a super-heavy tank, but in terms of the level of armor, it is quite. The wall thickness of its cast tower along the perimeter was 305 mm. At the same time, the thickness of the frontal armor reached 269 mm, the sides - 182 mm. This thickness of armor was obtained due to the original shape of the hull, more like a flying saucer than a tank.

An unusual product was assigned the index "Object 279". The experimental armored vehicle was armed with a 130-mm M-65 rifled gun with a barrel blowing system. Of all the super-heavy tanks realized in metal, the caliber of the main gun of the Object 279 is the largest.
The machine was equipped with a complex system of non-adjustable hydropneumatic suspension and double tracks. This technical solution made it possible to reduce the pressure on the ground, increase the tank's maneuverability, but seriously impair its maneuverability. This factor, as well as the complexity of the machine to maintain, was the reason that the project did not go beyond the creation and testing of a prototype.

By the beginning of the 20th century, military art had reached a dead end. The defense became so strong that it was unrealistic to break through it without huge casualties. The war between two equal opponents threatened to turn into months of trench sitting, without any hope of a positive result. It was then that a weapon appeared on the scene that could crack any, even the strongest defense - tanks. Ideas about the creation of such machines have been in the air for a long time, but they were constructively formalized only in the first decade of the last century, and by the beginning of the First World War they also received a real embodiment.

Russian hero

Almost all the leading world powers of that time began the development of tanks. Russia did not stand aside either. Two machines were designed at once - one of them was created by the master of the Porokhovshchikov machine-building plant, and the second came from an experimental laboratory of the military ministry, the head of which was captain N. N. Lebedenko. And if Porokhovshchikov's tank, having undoubted advantages, nevertheless remained an ordinary vehicle, then Lebedenko's brainchild went down in military history as the largest tank in the world.

Due to its size and original shape, the tank had several nicknames: Mammoth, Mastodon, Bat, Bat, Lebedenko's car, and, finally, the most accustomed - Tsar Tank. The dimensions of this armored monster are truly amazing:

  • length 17.8 m;
  • width 12 m;
  • height 9 m;
  • weight 60 tons.

In general, the tank looked more like a small mobile fortress than a weapon designed to attack, break into the enemy’s defenses. Unfortunately, a number design flaws, which were revealed during sea trials in 1915, nullified all the efforts of Russian tank builders. The main ones are associated primarily with the gigantic size of the machine.

  1. Vulnerability. Huge wheels were an excellent target. A single successful hit on them led to the complete incapacity of this monster. First, he lost the ability to move. Secondly, he lay down on the ground at such an angle that there was no need to talk about some kind of aimed shooting from the tank.
  2. patency. Due to its immensity, the Tsar Tank was not able to go far everywhere. That is, it could only be used on fairly flat and rough terrain. Such selectivity is a big minus for military offensive equipment.
  3. stealth. One of the important tactical elements in the success of many combat operations is the stealthy entry into a position, followed by a surprise attack. The Tsar Tank was not even close to possessing such qualities. The defenders would have learned about his appearance at the line of attack at the same time as the attackers. He was too big and noticeable.
  4. Engine. The supertank was the owner of the two most powerful engines (at that time) from the German company Maybach, 240 hp each. With. every. But they were not enough! In order to pull this Goliath out of a muddy rut or drag him up a steep hill, something much more powerful was required.

Therefore, Lebedenko's car was never put into production. The king of all tanks until the end of his days remained in a single copy, which was quietly and peacefully dismantled for scrap in 1923.

Mighty Frenchman

In 1917, the French began to develop a heavy tank, called the CHAR 2C. Two years later (in 1919), the development was completed, but the new technology did not have a chance to participate in the hostilities. France withdrew from the war. A total of 10 units of this machine were produced. Today, it occupies the 2nd place in the ranking of "the world's largest tank", which, unlike its Russian counterpart, was put into service and was included in the French army until 1940. Here are its characteristics:

  • weight - 75 tons;
  • hull length - 10.27 m;
  • width - 3 m;
  • height - 4.09 m.

Monsters of World War II

Imagine the two largest tanks that fought on the fronts of World War II.

T-35

The famous Soviet tank-fortress. Neither before nor after in the USSR, and then in Russia, nothing similar in size and quantity of weapons was produced. The T-35 went into production in 1934 (model T-35A). A total of 59 cars were produced. It was the first Soviet heavy tank. Detailed history The T-35 is well shown in the following video:

Dimensions:

  • combat weight T-35A - 50 tons;
  • hull length - 9.72 m;
  • width - 3.2 m;
  • height - 3.43 m.

TIGER II

The legendary "Royal Tiger". It is still the object of worship for lovers of the German military equipment those distant times. And I must admit that this fighter deserved the honor of being called the best heavy tank of the Second World War. The Germans began to produce it since 1944. In total, 489 units of this formidable weapon rolled off the assembly line. Even just looking at the photo of the "Royal Tiger", you can feel the power and threat emanating from it. What was it like for our fighters who repelled their attacks? Fortunately, by this time the Soviet army was already invincible, and the “armored death machines” could not make any tangible turning point in the war.

External characteristics:

  • combat weight of the vehicle - 70 tons;
  • hull length - 7.38 m;
  • width - 3.75 m;
  • height - 3.09 m.

Supertanks of recent history

In the newest tank history it is difficult to single out any particular model of the tank. For various reasons, gigantomania has given way to practicality and maximum versatility, the ability to lead tank battle in any conditions. Here are the characteristics of the three best and largest tanks to date.

Leopard 2A7 (Germany)

Universal combat vehicle - the top lines of the tank ratings are firmly assigned to this German "predator". Dimensions, armament, chassis, protection, comfort, computerization - everything is very balanced, there are no distortions into individual blocks.

Brief characteristics:

  • hull length - 7.7 m;
  • length with gun forward - 9.67 m;
  • hull width - 3.7 m;
  • height - 2.79 m.

M1A2 "Abrams" (USA)

The most massive US tank. A total of 9 thousand tanks were produced (as of 2012). Much emphasis is placed on the computer component. In the ratings, it usually takes 2nd place after the Leopard.

Brief characteristics:

  • tank weight - 61.4-70 tons;
  • length with gun - 9.77 m;
  • hull length - 7.93 m;
  • width - 3.66 m;
  • height - 2.44 m.

Challenger 2 (UK)

The third line in all sorts of classifications is at the mercy of this representative of the "British lion". One of the most protected tanks. Adapted to work in tough climatic conditions. The video clearly shows how powerful weapon is this "English gentleman".

Brief characteristics:

  • tank weight - 62.5 tons;
  • hull length - 8.3 m;
  • length with gun forward - 11.57 m;
  • hull width - 3.52 m;
  • height - 2.49 m.

As you can see, the title of "the biggest modern tank in the world” claims several fighters at once. And it is impossible to unambiguously give such a title to a certain machine. All of them are approximately equal. If, for example, Challenger 2 has the longest hull (8.3 m), then in width it is inferior to the same Leopard and Abrams. Perhaps someday another giant tank will appear, but it is safe to say that this is not foreseen in the foreseeable future.