Berlin´s panzers

[hchris]

Hey Pete A. that is a really nice pic, thanks for posting!!

[Pete A.]

hchris,
thanks for the compliment. Here's the hull of a Panther dug in courtesy of Pathe.

Regards

[Panzerkopf]

Could anyone plese tell me what the heck THIS panzer is? It looks like a Waffentrager with a PAK 43 L/71 gun but the gun shield looks to be too high? Could it be something else? Achtung Panzer states that one prototype saw combat at Brandenburg. Could this be it?

TIA

[Panzerkopf]

Could anyone plese tell me what the heck THIS panzer is? It looks like a Waffentrager with a PAK 43 L/71 gun but the gun shield looks to be too high? Could it be something else? Achtung Panzer states that one prototype saw combat at Brandenburg. Could this be it?

TIA

Sorry for the double post, forgot to attach the pic...

[bocchris]

The picture appears in the Wydawnictwo Militaria book 198,Panzerwaffe vol.1.
The accompanying caption states that the vehicle is a Waffentrager auf PzKpfw 38(d) of the 3rd Panzerjager Abteilung Division 'Ulrich von Hutton' in Berlin.
There is a clearer picture elsewhere in the book of what seems to be the same vehicle but in a different location.

[Jan-Hendrik]

Quite interesting caption , as fas as i know ID "Ulrich von Hutten" never reached Berlin ...


Jan-Hendrik

[Panzerkopf]

Thank you gentlemen, quite informative...

[MaisAlto]

From Ebay.

[RB]

What kind of vehicle is in that picture? BIV or Wanze???

RB

[Big Al P]

Looks like a B4

[Homerr]

Here's something I wrote up for another forum:

I've seen in other threads misinformation about the Maus tanks and their fate. Two hulls were completed. V1 had the simulated turret weight and gasoline engines, while V2 was completed with a full turret and diesel engines. Much speculation has been made about thier fate and combat if any. I'd like to clear some of these things up.

First, the Russians did capture both V1 and V2. Neither saw combat. V2 was in process of being evacuated from Kummersdorf and broke down at Stamplager, near Zossen. It was scuttled by the crew. V1 was captured in the vicinity of the western batteries of the Kummersdorf artillery firing grounds. V1 had the simulated turret weight on when captured.



Maus V1 Note the Russian soldiers working on V1 and the hammer and sickle painted on the hull side.



Maus V2 As found by Russians.

The Russian Commander of Armored and Mechanized troops ordered hull V1 to be mated with the turret of V2. The Russians used six 8t half-tracks to pull the 55 ton turret off the burnt out hull. The combined V1/2 vehicle was completed in Germany and sent back to the USSR for further testing. It arrived there on May 4, 1946.



HT's hook up.



Ready to pull turret off.



Turret protruding in upper left corner, soldier is in the rear electric motor compartment, large open area is the fighting compartment, and the cylindrical object down the center is the generator.



Left view of V2.



Maus V1 hull and V2 turret ready for shipment to the USSR.

Further testing was done, and when completed the vehicle was taken over by Kubinka for storage, and where it is now on display.

Kubinka tank museum:
http://www.tankmuseum.ru/

This is by far the best source I've found is this Japanese magazine:

It is in both Japanese and English, and has a 9 page development write up, dozens of photos of the recovery of the two tanks as well as misc. photos of the inside and the automotive components, and many drawings of the mechanicals. If you can find one I would suggest buying it!

Tom Jentz's "Panzerkampfwagen MAUS" is also a must read for more history and technical background.

*cough* search a popular internet auction site and you might find this very source *cough*