How Germany Built the Biggest Tanks of all Time

By late 1943 Germany was losing the war... They needed tanks, and lots of them, if they were going to wrestle back the initiative. Instead, they became obsessed with wonder weapons they hoped could change their fate From the logistical paralysis of King Tiger, growing ever bigger and more unwieldy with the Maus, ultimately reaching the madness of the thousand tonne Ratte. Like Augustus Gloop, German tank development in the Second World War greedily ate up more and more resources. While an absolute boon for historians working at The Tank Museum, it made no logical sense…. What were they thinking? This is the bewildering story of the “Super Heavies” If you're seeing this, why not leave a comment telling us if you think any of the German super heavy tanks could have actually worked? Or, if you loved the video, give us a like! Interested in learning about tanks? Subscribe to The Tank Museum and enjoy hours of FREE tank content at your fingertips. And if you're a real Tank Nut, why not consider becoming a channel member or joining our community on Patreon https://www.patreon.com/c/tankmuseum Looking for some amazing gifts for the tank nut in your life? Shop our wide range of tank products at our online shop https://tankmuseumshop.org/ 00:00 | Introduction 00:48 | The Panther Problem 02:27 | Bigger is Better 05:42 | Pushing the Limits 09:19 | Gigantic Fantasies 12:03 | Losing the War (and the Plot) This video features archive footage courtesy of British Pathé. This video features: - Maus Model by Gerhald: https://skfb.ly/pCBCI - Jagdtiger Model by Adipriatna: https://skfb.ly/6xrL9 - Ratte Model by Herdyn: https://skfb.ly/6VxCV - German Soldier Model by Vr-cvantorium: https://skfb.ly/6V9BY - Stuka Plane Model by scorpion81: https://skfb.ly/LULF - Photorealistic Bush Model by Adrian Sheremet: https://skfb.ly/6RntG In this film, Paul Famojuro and James Donaldson step into the gigantic world of German tank development, and the pursuit of super heavy tanks. Instead of refining and beefing up their existing designs, the Germans would start again from scratch – coming up with some of the most bizarre and overblown ideas ever committed to paper. This obsession only served to use up time and resources that simply weren’t available – so what were they thinking? Want to learn more about the German super heavy tanks of WWII? Here are some of the sources we used to make this film: ‘A Maus Tale’, Willey, https://tankmuseum.org/article/a-maus-tale ‘American Tanks and AFVs of WW2’, Green, 2018 ‘Building a Tiger Tank’, Hudson, https://tankmuseum.org/article/building-a-tiger-tank ‘German Tanks of WW2’, Gander and Chamberlain, 1975 ‘Paper Panzers’, Panzer Tracts (20-1, 20-2), Doyle and Jentz, 2002 ‘Red Army Tanks of World War II: A Guide to Soviet Armoured Fighting Vehicles’, Bean and Fowler, 2017 ‘Super Heavy Tanks of WW2’, Estes, 2014 ‘Tanks in Detail – Panzer VI Tiger I & II’, Gander, 2003 Support The Tank Museum! - Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/tankmuseum - Membership: https://www.youtube.com/@thetankmuseum/community - Friends: https://tankmuseum.org/support-us/friends-of-the-tank-museum - Online Shop: https://tankmuseumshop.org/ - Workshops Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@TankMuseumWorkshop #tankmuseum