Blitzkrieg Alternate 09 Falling Europa by Max Lamirande

Author:Max Lamirande [Lamirande, Max]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9798417711664
Google: qVb5zgEACAAJ
Publisher: Independently Published
Published: 2022-01-01T22:00:00+00:00

Weapon development – Germany

Tiger III, Maus II, ME 262.b

By late 1946 and as its empire dwindled (so resources were scarcer), Germany was beyond making new weapons that diverged too far from what was already being built. It simply couldn’t stop production lines to meddle with new projects. But the Reich already had great platforms in tanks and aircraft, so it opted for improving its existing weapons.

The first to be improved was the Tiger II. The tank had become, by mid-1946, the Panzerwaffe main workhorse. The Konigstiger was present on every battlefield, but it had been noted that the 88mm gun shot glanced on sloped armor at greater range. Also, some of the heavier Russian tanks (IS-2, KV-2) were quite resistant since they were equipped with hefty frontal plates. So it was decided to make a running change on the Panzer with a new, more powerful weapon, the 128mm PAK44, that would significantly increase armor penetration from all ranges. Added with the new Simmering Sla.16 engine and transmission that solved the mobility issue, the Tiger II.b (or more commonly called the Tiger III) represented an even more potent threat for the Allies (as if it wasn’t already the king of the battlefield!). The machines were present in ever-increasing numbers by middle February 1947, and the ministry of Armament and Production planned on replacing most Tigers with the new models by mid-1948.

Then came the Maus II, another incredible improvement over the first version of the super-heavy tank. The Maus’ great mass (180 tons!!!) had made it as slow as a snail, and its engine/transmission had been totally underpowered for its size (20km/hour speed). So the machine had only been suitable for static defensive warfare. That major flaw rendered the tank un-useable in any type of offensive movement. So, the Porsche company designers worked hard in 1945 and 1946 to get a better engine, and they found one in the 1000hp+ Simmering Sla.16 engine that was also installed in the Tiger III. With the modification, the tank was still slow (35km/hour) but could be considered for more than just an incredibly well-armored static gun. Its 12.8 cm Pak 44 anti-tank gun was the most powerful gun on any German armored vehicle, so it was hoped that the Maus would have a tangible impact on a battlefield where narrow movement was expected, like on the Western Front. The Pak 44 had short to medium-range performance similar to the 8.8 cm Pak 43. Still, the 12.8 cm Pak 44 better maintained its anti-tank performance over long to extreme-long ranges - 1,800–2,700 m (2,000–3,000 yd) and beyond - while also doubling as an effective field gun when firing high-explosive shells. Due to planned steel shortage, not as many Maus IIs were built by early 1947, but the Reich was still able to equip several heavy Panzer Battalions with it.

Overall, the Reich still felt quite confident that its incredible tank force (Panzerwaffe) would do a carnage on the frontlines. With the amazing air cover that the Luftwaffe

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