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Ratte (tank)

The Landkreuzer P-1000 "Ratte" (Rat) was to have been an extremely large 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 none were ever completed.

Weighing in at 1000 metric tons (a million kilograms, or 2.2 million pounds), the P-1000 would have been over five times heavier than the Maus, the largest tank ever actually built.

The primary armament was a warship-like turret holding a pair of 280mm naval guns. One such turret was built before the project was canceled, and was installed in a coastal defense battery in Norway. In addition to these guns, the same type used in Scharnhorst and Gneisenau warships, the P-1000 was to have carried a single 128mm gun, eight 20mm Flak 38 anti-aircraft guns and two 15mm Mauser MG 151/15 guns.

An even heavier device, the P-1500 "Monster", was in the very early stages of design when both projects were canceled. It was to have carried an 800mm mortar.

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Last updated: 10-24-2004 05:10:45