Difference between revisions of "Maus"
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== Description == | == Description == | ||
<!-- ''In the description, the first part should be about the history of the creation and combat usage of the vehicle, as well as its key features. In the second part, tell the reader about the ground vehicle in the game. Insert a screenshot of the vehicle, so that if the novice player does not remember the vehicle by name, he will immediately understand what kind of vehicle the article is talking about.'' --> | <!-- ''In the description, the first part should be about the history of the creation and combat usage of the vehicle, as well as its key features. In the second part, tell the reader about the ground vehicle in the game. Insert a screenshot of the vehicle, so that if the novice player does not remember the vehicle by name, he will immediately understand what kind of vehicle the article is talking about.'' --> | ||
| − | The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} German heavy tank {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.47 "Big Guns"]] as a main tree vehicle, however in [[Update 1.91 "Night Vision"]] it was shifted to a gift vehicle for players who previously owned it. It was later available for research for a limited time during War Thunder's [[wt:en/news/6907-special-8th-anniversary-of-war-thunder-en|8th]], [[wt:en/news/7408-news-happy-birthday-war-thunder-en|9th]], [[wt:en/news/7945-special-happy-anniversary-war-thunder-en|10th]] | + | The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} German heavy tank {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.47 "Big Guns"]] as a main tree vehicle, however in [[Update 1.91 "Night Vision"]] it was shifted to a gift vehicle for players who previously owned it. It was later available for research for a limited time during War Thunder's [[wt:en/news/6907-special-8th-anniversary-of-war-thunder-en|8th]], [[wt:en/news/7408-news-happy-birthday-war-thunder-en|9th]], [[wt:en/news/7945-special-happy-anniversary-war-thunder-en|10th]], [[wt:en/news/8559-special-war-thunders-11th-birthday-lets-celebrate-together-en|11th]] and [[wt:en/news/9178-special-its-war-thunders-12th-birthday-join-the-celebrations-en|12th]] anniversary events. The Maus is the epitome of the word 'heavy tank' and as such sports one of the thickest raw armour values in the game, alongside a monstrous weight of 188 tons and the size to show for it. The vehicle has various tools to spearhead a charge and lead your team to victory, but if positioned incorrectly or if the tools it has are underutilized players will quickly find that the Maus isn't as easygoing as its armour may suggest. |
| − | The Maus is more than just a mobile pillbox - its size and | + | The Maus is more than just a mobile pillbox - its size and armour commandeer the term 'mobile bunker' instead. The 12.8 cm cannon on the Maus has devastating effectiveness, with options between a higher-filler, lower penetrating round and the 12.8/8.8 APCBC round which has over 300 mm of flat penetration and flies a good 300 m/s faster than the prior round. The vehicle's mobility is limited by the transmission to 20.8 km/h both forwards and backwards, meaning careful planning of the vehicle's path is crucial to avoid downtime by trying to turn the hull. Armour is by far the most notable trait of the vehicle, but with a catch - the Maus straddles the line between Cold War and World War 2 vehicles, and as such the armour can swing wildly between not stopping any rounds or bouncing every enemy shell off the front. Careful positioning and planning is required to excel in the Maus, but if one takes the time to master it it can be nigh impossible to take down outside of a concerted team effort to take it down. |
== General info == | == General info == | ||
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! Armour !! Front !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof | ! Armour !! Front !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof | ||
|- | |- | ||
| − | | Hull || 200 mm (55°) ''Front glacis'' <br> 200 mm (35°) ''Lower glacis'' || 180 mm ''Top'' <br> 100 mm ''Bottom'' <br> 300 mm ''Weld joints''|| | + | | Hull || 200 mm (55°) ''Front glacis'' <br> 200 mm (35°) ''Lower glacis'' || 180 mm ''Top'' <br> 100+80 mm ''Bottom'' <br> 300 mm ''Weld joints''|| 160 mm (37°) ''Top'' <br> 160 mm (9°) ''Bottom'' <br> 160 mm (31°) ''Lower glacis'' || 200 mm (36°) ''Front glacis'' <br> 100 mm ''Driver compartment'' <br> 50 mm ''General area'' <br> 5 mm ''Engine vents'' |
| + | |- | ||
| + | | Turret || 232 mm (cylindrical) ''Turret front'' <br> 240 mm (cylindrical) ''Gun mantlet'' || 205 mm (30°) ''Top'' <br> 205 mm ''Bottom'' | ||
| + | | 205 mm (15°) ''Top'' <br> 200 mm ''Bottom'' || 60 mm <br> 100 mm ''Hatches'' | ||
|- | |- | ||
| − | |||
|} | |} | ||
'''Notes:''' | '''Notes:''' | ||
* The armour on the Maus is quite complex, and definitely does not end with the above-mentioned values | * The armour on the Maus is quite complex, and definitely does not end with the above-mentioned values | ||
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** Behind the frontal upper plate on deck armour, there are many 60 mm highly sloped plates of armour, protecting the engine vents and turret ring from HEAT/HE shells and some small-calibre fire | ** Behind the frontal upper plate on deck armour, there are many 60 mm highly sloped plates of armour, protecting the engine vents and turret ring from HEAT/HE shells and some small-calibre fire | ||
| − | ** | + | ** The belly is also 100 mm thick in the front, with the rest being 50 mm |
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** Even inside the tank there is armour - there are many 20 mm plates inside the tank, separating crew compartments from various modules, and partially protecting the interior from shrapnel that penetrated the tank from other areas | ** Even inside the tank there is armour - there are many 20 mm plates inside the tank, separating crew compartments from various modules, and partially protecting the interior from shrapnel that penetrated the tank from other areas | ||
*** One plate is at the rear of the tank, between the enormous transmission and the fighting compartment | *** One plate is at the rear of the tank, between the enormous transmission and the fighting compartment | ||
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<!-- ''Write about the mobility of the ground vehicle. Estimate the specific power and manoeuvrability, as well as the maximum speed forwards and backwards.'' --> | <!-- ''Write about the mobility of the ground vehicle. Estimate the specific power and manoeuvrability, as well as the maximum speed forwards and backwards.'' --> | ||
| − | The Maus weighs 188 tons. This is more than twice the weight of similar vehicles like it, such as the [[T95]], [[TOG II]], [[M103]] or even the [[M1 Abrams (Family)| M1 Abrams]], and it shows in the tank's mobility. The Maus tops out at a fairly slow 20.8 km/h in both forwards and reverse speed, which is enabled by its electric transmission, although it can easily reach and stay at this speed across most terrain due to strong torque. The tank slows down noticeably when turning, so if the player wishes to reach destinations at a brisker pace it is advised to minimize the number of turns needed to get to a point of interest. | + | The Maus weighs 188 tons. This is more than twice the weight of similar vehicles like it, such as the [[T95]], [[TOG II]], [[M103]] or even the [[M1 Abrams (Family)|M1 Abrams]], and it shows in the tank's mobility. The Maus tops out at a fairly slow 20.8 km/h in both forwards and reverse speed, which is enabled by its electric transmission, although it can easily reach and stay at this speed across most terrain due to strong torque. The tank slows down noticeably when turning, so if the player wishes to reach destinations at a brisker pace it is advised to minimize the number of turns needed to get to a point of interest. |
{{tankMobility|abMinHp=1,549|rbMinHp=1,061}} | {{tankMobility|abMinHp=1,549|rbMinHp=1,061}} | ||
=== Modifications and economy === | === Modifications and economy === | ||
| + | |||
| + | In general, mobility upgrades and the 12.8/8.8 cm APCBC round should be prioritized, but the APCBC round isn't mandatory and should generally be considered the lower lethality but higher penetrating option, not a requirement to do well in the Maus. Between penetration and knock-out potential, it is generally a preferential choice and whichever one you find more consistent should be your go-to choice of ammunition. | ||
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{{Specs-Economy}} | {{Specs-Economy}} | ||
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<!-- ''Some tanks are armed with several guns in one or more turrets. Evaluate the additional weaponry and give advice on its use. Describe the ammunition available for additional weaponry. Give advice on about how to use them and how to fill the ammunition storage. If there is no additional weaponry remove this subsection.'' --> | <!-- ''Some tanks are armed with several guns in one or more turrets. Evaluate the additional weaponry and give advice on its use. Describe the ammunition available for additional weaponry. Give advice on about how to use them and how to fill the ammunition storage. If there is no additional weaponry remove this subsection.'' --> | ||
| − | The Maus comes equipped with what is ostensibly the main gun of low | + | The Maus comes equipped with what is ostensibly the main gun of low rank German vehicles - the 75 mm cannon. While the gun is technically slightly different with it being a L/36.5 and not a L/37, performance is near identical. This 75 mm unlike other coaxial guns on other heavy tanks such as the [[M6A1]]/[[T1E1]] has significant utility and without it the Maus would be far worse off. This utility includes being able to quickly load and fire HEAT shells at flanking open top or light vehicles to overpressure them, track or barrel enemies that barrel your main gun and try to push up to you, and creating what is basically a smoke wall by firing smoke rounds in succession as you advance to cover potentially lethal corridors. |
{{main|KwK44 L/36.5 (75 mm)}} | {{main|KwK44 L/36.5 (75 mm)}} | ||
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== Usage in battles == | == Usage in battles == | ||
| − | <!-- ''Describe the tactics of playing in the vehicle, the features of using vehicles in the team and advice on tactics. Refrain from creating a "guide" - do not impose a single point of view but instead give the reader food for thought. Describe the most dangerous enemies and give recommendations on fighting them. If necessary, note the specifics of the game in different modes (AB, RB, SB).'' | + | <!-- ''Describe the tactics of playing in the vehicle, the features of using vehicles in the team and advice on tactics. Refrain from creating a "guide" - do not impose a single point of view but instead give the reader food for thought. Describe the most dangerous enemies and give recommendations on fighting them. If necessary, note the specifics of the game in different modes (AB, RB, SB).'' --> |
| − | The Maus is arguably one of the if not most polarizing vehicles in the game. While other vehicles generally focus on one or two traits from the proverbial | + | The Maus is arguably one of the if not most polarizing vehicles in the game. While other vehicles generally focus on one or two traits from the proverbial "iron triangle" of survivability, mobility and firepower, the Maus is what you get when you drag two of the sliders to the absolute limit. With an imposing silhouette, slow speed, a monstrous cannon and the thickest raw armour plate in the game, the Maus commandeers the attention of both your allies and your enemies alike. There are two main ways to play this vehicle, and here are the pros and cons of each approach: |
'''The Case for Playing With Your Team''' | '''The Case for Playing With Your Team''' | ||
| − | This is the commonly cited strategy of playing the Maus. Stick near your teammates, and play as either a frontline vanguard vehicle or as a second line of defense for your team. These two strategies aren't too far apart, as if you keep pushing from that second line position up to the front lines you become the frontline vanguard instead and vice versa. The Maus has thick | + | This is the commonly cited strategy of playing the Maus. Stick near your teammates, and play as either a frontline vanguard vehicle or as a second line of defense for your team. These two strategies aren't too far apart, as if you keep pushing from that second line position up to the front lines you become the frontline vanguard instead and vice versa. The Maus has thick armour and a large silhouette; you can draw enemy fire your way to let your teammates fire back safely, and your lumbering frame will unless tracked push up to a capture point and act as an irremovable anchor both alive and as artificial cover after destruction. If you try pushing as the vanguard, you will almost certainly sustain some form of damage be it superficial damage to repairable parts to multiple crew members knocked out, and sticking with your team means there's a much higher chance of getting repaired once your team takes the area. It is also beneficial to in general support your team, as you alone can't really win a game by yourself down to your very poor reactivity, long reload and very predictable nature, and you drawing fire helps your team gain an advantage. |
'''The Case for Playing On a Flank''' | '''The Case for Playing On a Flank''' | ||
| − | + | While not ''strictly'' relegated to only flanking, this playstyle is more solitary and generally isn't tied to playing around your team. The disadvantages with this are obvious - if you take damage, you'll have to spend the full duration of the repair immobilized, and if you get overwhelmed by multiple enemies you won't be receiving much assistance if at all compared to playing around teammates. However, there is still most definitely a case to play on the less populated areas of the map as well. The most noticeable of these is definitely the fact that you'll be targeted by CAS far less often. Of course, if someone is intent on revenge bombing your vehicle, you won't be safe from aerial threats, but against someone who is destroyed in the main conflict zone of the match, it could be argued that the chances of being attacked are lower due to two reasons. The first is that those people can also go for their own revenge bombing runs, which is certainly not you! The other is that in general, it's not so simple to find a good target from the air. In aircraft, the best indicator for an airstrike is a scouting marker, followed closely by teammates marking enemies on the map, large groups of enemies and people moving around the map quickly. As the Maus is so slow and in this case not near multiple teammates, it is simply less attractive to bomb and also not as apparent from the air compared to a hot zone of combat, which may definitely lead to better survivability. | |
| − | The other benefits include the unexpected nature of your position, as well as the various tools at your disposal. While 20.8 km/h is certainly not blisteringly fast, if left at this speed the Maus can most certainly reach common map positions not too long after your teammates. Most enemies you face on the flanks will be light tanks such as the [[BMP-1]] or thinly | + | The other benefits include the unexpected nature of your position, as well as the various tools at your disposal. While 20.8 km/h is certainly not blisteringly fast, if left at this speed the Maus can most certainly reach common map positions not too long after your teammates. Most enemies you face on the flanks will be light tanks such as the [[BMP-1]] or thinly armoured MBTs such as the [[AMX-30 (1972)]], and even if you face off against a MBT with more armour such as a [[T-55A]] you have the penetration to go through their turret cheeks and one shot them regardless. People generally gravitate towards the capture points and of those capture points usually a single one that's commonly fought over will attract most people, so you can surprisingly get around the enemy team with minimal resistance fairly often. If an enemy barrels your tank, use your 75 mm HEAT launcher to barrel and/or track them in return. If you see a [[M56]], [[JPz 4-5]] or other lightly armoured SPAAs and light tank/TDs, use your HEAT rounds to save a reload cycle on your main gun. If you have to traverse a heavily defended corridor, use your smoke shells to create confusion and uncertainty before you start advancing. If you're being overwhelmed, your reverse is as fast as your forwards speed so try and create more distance between you and your enemy as you retreat to a better position. As a whole, you possess a lot of utility due to the second gun and if you can utilize it effectively you can become a true one-man army as you pressure the enemy's often undefended flanks. |
'''General Playstyle''' | '''General Playstyle''' | ||
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Regardless of how you play the Maus, be it spearhead of pushes or as a one-man army, they both benefit heavily from the clever usage of your 75 mm secondary gun. You can for the most part forego the smoke grenades modification early on as you only get 6 charges total from a launcher affixed to the turret, compared to the dozens upon dozens of rounds you can load into the cannon. The HEAT shells allow the Maus to overpressure lightly armoured / open top vehicles, and the aforementioned smoke rounds let you effectively create a wall of smoke for you and your teammates to push through (for example, smoking up the sniping corridors on Port Novorossiysk in its most common Domination layout when you get the A-side spawn can allow your entire team to push up as you constantly blind the enemy from firing back). It is also notable that most people will try and disable your gun breech or barrel on the 12.8 cm cannon, but will very frequently forget about the existence of the 75 mm cannon as they either don't see it as a threat or have simply forgotten in the heat of battle. As such, you can barrel or track your enemies back as they try and attack, buying you precious time as you repair your crippled vehicle. One last tactic with the 75 mm is to bait enemies into pushing you by firing the gun at an enemy or around a corner, making them think you're on reload when in fact you're simply waiting for your prey to peek out. When doing this, you should abstain from firing the 75 mm rapidly as this may alert them to your tricks, and if possible you should try and hit a component (usually the side or exposed track of an enemy) so that the enemy doesn't suspect anything is amiss when they decide to push. Reverse a bit and machine gun them as they push out, and you have now successfully sold the illusion of helplessness and have the advantage positionally against the enemy, who is now advancing to their doom. | Regardless of how you play the Maus, be it spearhead of pushes or as a one-man army, they both benefit heavily from the clever usage of your 75 mm secondary gun. You can for the most part forego the smoke grenades modification early on as you only get 6 charges total from a launcher affixed to the turret, compared to the dozens upon dozens of rounds you can load into the cannon. The HEAT shells allow the Maus to overpressure lightly armoured / open top vehicles, and the aforementioned smoke rounds let you effectively create a wall of smoke for you and your teammates to push through (for example, smoking up the sniping corridors on Port Novorossiysk in its most common Domination layout when you get the A-side spawn can allow your entire team to push up as you constantly blind the enemy from firing back). It is also notable that most people will try and disable your gun breech or barrel on the 12.8 cm cannon, but will very frequently forget about the existence of the 75 mm cannon as they either don't see it as a threat or have simply forgotten in the heat of battle. As such, you can barrel or track your enemies back as they try and attack, buying you precious time as you repair your crippled vehicle. One last tactic with the 75 mm is to bait enemies into pushing you by firing the gun at an enemy or around a corner, making them think you're on reload when in fact you're simply waiting for your prey to peek out. When doing this, you should abstain from firing the 75 mm rapidly as this may alert them to your tricks, and if possible you should try and hit a component (usually the side or exposed track of an enemy) so that the enemy doesn't suspect anything is amiss when they decide to push. Reverse a bit and machine gun them as they push out, and you have now successfully sold the illusion of helplessness and have the advantage positionally against the enemy, who is now advancing to their doom. | ||
| − | + | Much of your time in the Maus will be spent trying to turn the vehicle. While at speed it can initially turn a bit well, it quickly loses all its speed and trying to make this goliath turn while also holding down the W key can feel like a herculean struggle. As such, try and plan routes ahead of time in your head and minimize the time spent turning, as frequent course corrections will be the biggest time sink you can avoid just with some simple planning. When turning, after the initial slight turn at speed it's generally faster to just use the neutral steering and wait a while, before advancing again towards your enemies. Your turret speed, while not slow for its immense size and weight, also very much isn't as fast as contemporary tanks at this rank, so if you want to get your gun on target it may sometimes be necessary to turn the entire hull a bit to gain some extra horizontal guidance speed. It is also handy to note that as the vehicle is usually traveling slowly, unless on bumpy terrain or an incline, you have the ability to fire forwards fairly accurately on the move. If your aim doesn't work out for this technique, don't sweat it, but if you can master this skill it may let you destroy a vehicle or two that you'd have been more reserved about firing at prior to practicing. | |
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| − | Much of your time in the Maus will be spent trying to turn the vehicle. While at speed it can initially turn a bit well, it quickly loses all its speed and trying to make this goliath turn while also holding down the W key can feel like a herculean struggle. As such, try and plan routes ahead of time in your head and minimize the time spent turning, as frequent course corrections will be the biggest time sink you can avoid just with some simple planning. When turning, after the initial slight turn at speed it's generally faster to just use the neutral steering and wait a while, before advancing again towards your enemies. Your turret speed, while not slow for its immense size and weight, also very much isn't as fast as contemporary tanks at this | ||
| − | '''Potential | + | '''Potential Dangers''' |
| − | The Maus is one of the most iconic tanks in the game and in military history both for its immense and in many ways super-sized nature. As such, your | + | The Maus is one of the most iconic tanks in the game and in military history both for its immense and in many ways super-sized nature. As such, your weak spots from the front are generally well understood and even your ammo rack locations in the side of your vehicle are somewhat public knowledge as well. The biggest priority against many enemies would be to angle; If a [[M41A1]] gets on your side and fires an APDS round into your ammunition rack, you may sometimes find yourself detonating instantly and wondering what in the world went wrong. Angling the hull as a whole generally does greatly increase your overall armour effectiveness from most AP and APDS rounds, so against enemies that fire these rounds this may help. |
| − | The more pressing concern for the Maus, however, is chemical ammunition. HEATFS rounds and HEAT grenades start becoming very common past 6.7, and as a 7.7 vehicle you will very much see these tanks in every game. From tiny, mobile vehicles such as the [[M56]], [[M50]], [[JPz 4-5]] and [[Type 60 SPRG (C)]] all the way up to fairly | + | The more pressing concern for the Maus, however, is chemical ammunition. HEATFS rounds and HEAT grenades start becoming very common past 6.7, and as a 7.7 vehicle you will very much see these tanks in every game. From tiny, mobile vehicles such as the [[M56]], [[M50]], [[JPz 4-5]] and [[Type 60 SPRG (C)]] all the way up to fairly armoured, high calibre chemical round slingers like the [[SU-122-54]], [[M47]], [[M103]] and many, many more, these rounds generally care little for your armour with at least 300 mm of chemical penetration. Some even stretch as high as the 400 mm mark, and as your armour scheme was designed prior to the existence of ERA or composites this can be deadly if not outright fatal. Against these vehicles the best defense is sadly a strong offense, as your tank's armour should not be relied upon to survive a shot with no damage taken. If it's a lightly armoured vehicle your 75 mm may be able to take them out, but if you do not have your weapon selection keys bound or aren't too confident with your aim it is more than justified to use your main gun at these enemies. Better to be on reload than missing your 75 mm secondary gun and dying a slow, painful death to the M56 300 m away chipping at your turret crew after all. More heavily armoured vehicles such as the [[SU-122-54]] and similar vehicles like it can generally be penetrated with your main gun, but if your aim is off or the angle unideal there is a chance of your shell not doing meaningful damage. High Explosive (HE) shells are also a minor threat this BR if they hit your turret or hull roof, and you should definitely keep an eye out for it, but for the most part you need not worry too much about it unless you're on a downwards slope facing a howitzer. |
| − | Another very dangerous shell type the Maus can see is the much-feared | + | Another very dangerous shell type the Maus can see is the much-feared dart round, also known as APFSDS. A much more lethal version of APDS, this shell type includes a fin stabilized shell inside a discarding sabot that makes the shell fly even faster, penetrate even thicker armour, and almost never ricochet on all but the harshest angles. While the spall cone narrows significantly and the shell has no explosive filler, most dart rounds can easily go through your armour without a care in the world and detonate your ammunition. The one saving grace is that it's a round you will only really see in uptiers, should you choose to take the Maus out in one. Most dart carrying vehicles are generally 8.0 or above, such as the [[M41D]], [[T-55A]], [[T-55AM-1]], [[T95E1]] and many others, meaning it is in a way partially your choice to see them as the Maus isn't a very reliable vehicle in uptiers and isn't the first choice for many players in this situation. |
| − | Some dart rounds, such as the [[Type 69]]'s stock APFSDS, pose little to no threat to you. The round has less penetration than the German 88, and frequently non-pens or ricochets off fairly shallow angles for a dart. Darts like the [[Object 120]]'s, however, will easily cut through your | + | Some dart rounds, such as the [[Type 69]]'s stock APFSDS, pose little to no threat to you. The round has less penetration than the German 88, and frequently non-pens or ricochets off fairly shallow angles for a dart. Darts like the [[Object 120]]'s, however, will easily cut through your armour like butter. The Object 120 is a notable (albeit somewhat rare these days) threat in that it has both HEATFS and APFSDS on a 10-second autoloader with a 152 mm (contrary to its name its cannon is, in fact, a 152) cannon, akin to a railgun at these ranks. It is however extremely large and poorly armoured, so a single shot into it will generally be the end of your problems. Other darts such as the ones mentioned above will rarely (unless hitting ammunition) destroy you in a single shot, but they can all generally go through your turret cheeks which means you can very often expect them to constantly knock out your breech and gunner as you eventually die of crew loss. |
| − | ATGMs (Anti-Tank Guided Missiles) are also an emerging threat this | + | ATGMs (Anti-Tank Guided Missiles) are also an emerging threat this rank, but are generally not your biggest threat. Many are manually guided (MCLOS), and the ones that aren't are generally less of a threat than darts and contemporary cannons firing HEATFS at you. Vehicles like the [[Shturm-S]] pack a big punch and will do critical damage to you frontally, but smaller ATGMs such as the [[BMP-1]]'s Konkurs and the MILAN/TOW on NATO vehicles will usually only knock out a few crew members and occasionally your breech / transmission. Most missile carriers and IFVs cannot fire their missiles on the move and lack armour, so you can quickly dispatch them before they come to a halt and it will be a victorious encounter for you. |
| − | In summary, the Maus is both extremely | + | In summary, the Maus is both extremely armoured and at the same time not armoured enough. It has a strong gun, but is held back by a fairly long reload, slow traverse and lack of filler on the APCBC round. It is also the size of a barn, has flat sides and is also slower than almost all other tanks in the game. While downtiers in the Maus will always be more enjoyable, when playing it you should always be vigilant, as even at your rank and below there are many, many vehicles that carry either chemical rounds capable of going through your entire front profile or are able to go through your sides at medium range with enough spall to one-shot your vehicle. The two guns and high utility they provide as well as the ability to draw enemy fire to help a team push forwards can be invaluable, even in full uptier games, and ultimately once you master the playstyle of the Maus you may be surprised at your ability to dish back punishment just as hard as the 8.7 enemies can to you, and you can be happy knowing that this isn't the tank doing it for you, it's your mastery of the Maus and its many tools and tricks. The best way to find out if the Maus is for you, is at the end of the day, trying it out for yourself and being patient. The vehicle isn't fast, but it doesn't have to be, and it helps to take it easy sometimes in a game where everything seems to get faster and faster. |
=== Pros and cons === | === Pros and cons === | ||
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'''Pros:''' | '''Pros:''' | ||
| − | * Nigh | + | * Nigh indestructible tank against many guns when angled and at range |
* Capable of soaking a large amount of damage and very resilient to bombs and rockets | * Capable of soaking a large amount of damage and very resilient to bombs and rockets | ||
* Turret sides are as strong as, if not stronger than, the front of the turret | * Turret sides are as strong as, if not stronger than, the front of the turret | ||
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* Easily damageable ammunition racks in the sides of the vehicle | * Easily damageable ammunition racks in the sides of the vehicle | ||
* Gargantuan profile; Easily spotted from long range | * Gargantuan profile; Easily spotted from long range | ||
| − | * | + | * Armour is insufficient against modern rounds and missiles |
* Big size makes it an easy target to cripple using CAS | * Big size makes it an easy target to cripple using CAS | ||
* Optics have low zoom, making it hard to spot targets at range | * Optics have low zoom, making it hard to spot targets at range | ||
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This monster of a tank started development in 1942 on the suggestion of Ferdinand Porsche to Hitler, which was approved. The first prototype was to be completed by 1943 and the project vehicle was designated the ''Mammut'' (Mammoth). The name changed in December 1942 to ''Mäuschen'' (Little Mouse), then once more to the '''Maus''' (Mouse) in February 1943, which stayed as its designation (and perhaps proving that Germany does have a sense of humour). | This monster of a tank started development in 1942 on the suggestion of Ferdinand Porsche to Hitler, which was approved. The first prototype was to be completed by 1943 and the project vehicle was designated the ''Mammut'' (Mammoth). The name changed in December 1942 to ''Mäuschen'' (Little Mouse), then once more to the '''Maus''' (Mouse) in February 1943, which stayed as its designation (and perhaps proving that Germany does have a sense of humour). | ||
| − | The prototype used Ferdinand's "electric transmission" that was previously used on the rejected [[VK 45.01 | + | The prototype used Ferdinand's "electric transmission" that was previously used on the rejected [[VK 45.01 (P)]], the vehicle would be powered by an MB 517 diesel engine. The Maus has a suspension design with 24 wheels on each side, 2 per bogie with two bogies side by side and six bogies lining up from front and back. The armour was perhaps the most defining feature at 220 mm thick at the hull front, the sides and rear were 190 mm thick. The turret was even thicker at 240 mm on the front and 200 mm on the sides and rear. The vehicle was to also have a 128 mm KwK44 main gun with a 75 mm KwK44 gun as a coaxial. The overwhelming design was approximated to weight 100 tons. |
The production plan was to have the prototype completed by mid-1943 and for 10 vehicles per month after the prototype delivery. Work would be divided between Krupp and Alkett for the production of the machine. The wooden model of the tank was presented on May 1943 to Hitler. It was then approved for production and 150 of them were to be built. With the final design finished, it was estimated to weight 188 tons now. Though Hitler and his peers saw it with much favour, Heinz Guderian criticised the Maus design because there was a lack of machine guns, thus it was extremely vulnerable to infantry attacks at close-quarters for the same reason as the [[Ferdinand|Ferdinand tank destroyer]]. The anti-infantry problem was solved with the addition of a coaxial machine gun and a "Nahverteidigungswaffe" dischargers, firing smoke or high-explosive shells in its surrounding area, installed on the turret. | The production plan was to have the prototype completed by mid-1943 and for 10 vehicles per month after the prototype delivery. Work would be divided between Krupp and Alkett for the production of the machine. The wooden model of the tank was presented on May 1943 to Hitler. It was then approved for production and 150 of them were to be built. With the final design finished, it was estimated to weight 188 tons now. Though Hitler and his peers saw it with much favour, Heinz Guderian criticised the Maus design because there was a lack of machine guns, thus it was extremely vulnerable to infantry attacks at close-quarters for the same reason as the [[Ferdinand|Ferdinand tank destroyer]]. The anti-infantry problem was solved with the addition of a coaxial machine gun and a "Nahverteidigungswaffe" dischargers, firing smoke or high-explosive shells in its surrounding area, installed on the turret. | ||
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Two prototypes of the Maus were made in 1943 and 1944. The first one, called ''V1'' was turretless and assembled by Alkett in December 1943, it was fitted with a mock turret that helped finalise the turret design in 1944. Here they determine the Maus was definitely too heavy for any bridges in existence so the Maus would ford rivers with a snorkel. The second prototype called ''V2'' by Alkett again had the first produced Maus turret attached with the 128 mm gun, coaxial 75 mm gun, and coaxial machine gun. In July 1944, Krupp was producing four more hulls, but these were scrapped and the whole project stopped on August 1944, though tests with the ''V2'' continued. The weight of the tank meant that the power-to-weight ratio was extremely poor, resulting in the Maus' ideal speed of about 8 miles per hour maximum in ideal conditions. | Two prototypes of the Maus were made in 1943 and 1944. The first one, called ''V1'' was turretless and assembled by Alkett in December 1943, it was fitted with a mock turret that helped finalise the turret design in 1944. Here they determine the Maus was definitely too heavy for any bridges in existence so the Maus would ford rivers with a snorkel. The second prototype called ''V2'' by Alkett again had the first produced Maus turret attached with the 128 mm gun, coaxial 75 mm gun, and coaxial machine gun. In July 1944, Krupp was producing four more hulls, but these were scrapped and the whole project stopped on August 1944, though tests with the ''V2'' continued. The weight of the tank meant that the power-to-weight ratio was extremely poor, resulting in the Maus' ideal speed of about 8 miles per hour maximum in ideal conditions. | ||
| − | However, the Maus was never fully produced because it was the only tank that ceased production because of a strategic bombing campaign that would ruin its production facilities. Adding to this, by 1944, the Red Army was advancing deeper and deeper into what was previously German-controlled territory. The vision that the Red Army might capture the testing grounds of the Maus prototypes and the prototypes themselves seem to come closer to reality. The Germans were forced to destroy the prototypes to prevent their capture by the Soviets, placing charges onto the ''V2'' prototype (the ''V1'' was only a hull so it wasn't combat-effective). The second prototype had the entire hull damaged as there was ammunition still in the tank when the charges went off, but the turret was mostly intact. The Soviets captured the damaged prototypes and held them until the end of the war. After World War II, the Soviet Commander of Armoured and Mechanized troops ordered for the V1 hull to be attached with the turret from the V2 prototype. They had to use six ''Sd.Kfz. 9'', the largest half-track vehicles produced by Germany, to move the 55-ton turret to the hull. The fixed prototype was sent back to the Soviet Union for testing and arrive on May 4, 1946. Once this is done, the prototype was sent to Kubinka Tank museum in Russia where it lays today on display for the public. | + | However, the Maus was never fully produced because it was the only tank that ceased production because of a strategic bombing campaign that would ruin its production facilities. Adding to this, by 1944, the Red Army was advancing deeper and deeper into what was previously German-controlled territory. The vision that the Red Army might capture the testing grounds of the Maus prototypes and the prototypes themselves seem to come closer to reality. The Germans were forced to destroy the prototypes to prevent their capture by the Soviets, placing charges onto the ''V2'' prototype (the ''V1'' was only a hull so it wasn't combat-effective). The second prototype had the entire hull damaged as there was ammunition still in the tank when the charges went off, but the turret was mostly intact. The Soviets captured the damaged prototypes and held them until the end of the war. After World War II, the Soviet Commander of Armoured and Mechanized troops ordered for the V1 hull to be attached with the turret from the V2 prototype. They had to use six ''Sd.Kfz.9'', the largest half-track vehicles produced by Germany, to move the 55-ton turret to the hull. The fixed prototype was sent back to the Soviet Union for testing and arrive on May 4, 1946. Once this is done, the prototype was sent to Kubinka Tank museum in Russia where it lays today on display for the public. |
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Revision as of 22:19, 6 November 2024
Contents
Description
The Pz.Kpfw. VIII Maus is a rank V German heavy tank with a battle rating of 8.0 (AB) and 7.7 (RB/SB). It was introduced in Update 1.47 "Big Guns" as a main tree vehicle, however in Update 1.91 "Night Vision" it was shifted to a gift vehicle for players who previously owned it. It was later available for research for a limited time during War Thunder's 8th, 9th, 10th, 11th and 12th anniversary events. The Maus is the epitome of the word 'heavy tank' and as such sports one of the thickest raw armour values in the game, alongside a monstrous weight of 188 tons and the size to show for it. The vehicle has various tools to spearhead a charge and lead your team to victory, but if positioned incorrectly or if the tools it has are underutilized players will quickly find that the Maus isn't as easygoing as its armour may suggest.
The Maus is more than just a mobile pillbox - its size and armour commandeer the term 'mobile bunker' instead. The 12.8 cm cannon on the Maus has devastating effectiveness, with options between a higher-filler, lower penetrating round and the 12.8/8.8 APCBC round which has over 300 mm of flat penetration and flies a good 300 m/s faster than the prior round. The vehicle's mobility is limited by the transmission to 20.8 km/h both forwards and backwards, meaning careful planning of the vehicle's path is crucial to avoid downtime by trying to turn the hull. Armour is by far the most notable trait of the vehicle, but with a catch - the Maus straddles the line between Cold War and World War 2 vehicles, and as such the armour can swing wildly between not stopping any rounds or bouncing every enemy shell off the front. Careful positioning and planning is required to excel in the Maus, but if one takes the time to master it it can be nigh impossible to take down outside of a concerted team effort to take it down.
General info
Survivability and armour
Armour type:
- Rolled homogeneous armour
- Cast homogeneous armour (Gun mantlet)
| Armour | Front | Sides | Rear | Roof |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hull | 200 mm (55°) Front glacis 200 mm (35°) Lower glacis |
180 mm Top 100+80 mm Bottom 300 mm Weld joints |
160 mm (37°) Top 160 mm (9°) Bottom 160 mm (31°) Lower glacis |
200 mm (36°) Front glacis 100 mm Driver compartment 50 mm General area 5 mm Engine vents |
| Turret | 232 mm (cylindrical) Turret front 240 mm (cylindrical) Gun mantlet |
205 mm (30°) Top 205 mm Bottom |
205 mm (15°) Top 200 mm Bottom |
60 mm 100 mm Hatches |
Notes:
- The armour on the Maus is quite complex, and definitely does not end with the above-mentioned values
- Behind the frontal upper plate on deck armour, there are many 60 mm highly sloped plates of armour, protecting the engine vents and turret ring from HEAT/HE shells and some small-calibre fire
- The belly is also 100 mm thick in the front, with the rest being 50 mm
- Even inside the tank there is armour - there are many 20 mm plates inside the tank, separating crew compartments from various modules, and partially protecting the interior from shrapnel that penetrated the tank from other areas
- One plate is at the rear of the tank, between the enormous transmission and the fighting compartment
- The second plate is more to the front, separating fighting compartment from the middle-mounted Engine and its radiators
- The third plate is in the front between the driver's compartment and the engine
- Around the driver there are many more 20 mm plates, adding some protection to fuel tanks located there
Mobility
The Maus weighs 188 tons. This is more than twice the weight of similar vehicles like it, such as the T95, TOG II, M103 or even the M1 Abrams, and it shows in the tank's mobility. The Maus tops out at a fairly slow 20.8 km/h in both forwards and reverse speed, which is enabled by its electric transmission, although it can easily reach and stay at this speed across most terrain due to strong torque. The tank slows down noticeably when turning, so if the player wishes to reach destinations at a brisker pace it is advised to minimize the number of turns needed to get to a point of interest.
| Game Mode | Max Speed (km/h) | Weight (tons) | Engine power (horsepower) | Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Forward | Reverse | Stock | Upgraded | Stock | Upgraded | ||
| Arcade | 22 | 22 | 188 | 1,549 | 2,290 | 8.24 | 12.18 |
| Realistic | 21 | 21 | 1,061 | 1,200 | 5.64 | 6.38 | |
Modifications and economy
In general, mobility upgrades and the 12.8/8.8 cm APCBC round should be prioritized, but the APCBC round isn't mandatory and should generally be considered the lower lethality but higher penetrating option, not a requirement to do well in the Maus. Between penetration and knock-out potential, it is generally a preferential choice and whichever one you find more consistent should be your go-to choice of ammunition.
| Mobility | Protection | Firepower | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|
Armaments
Main armament
| 128 mm KwK44 | Turret rotation speed (°/s) | Reloading rate (seconds) | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mode | Capacity | Vertical | Horizontal | Stabilizer | Stock | Upgraded | Full | Expert | Aced | Stock | Full | Expert | Aced |
| Arcade | 68 | -7°/+23° | ±180° | N/A | 6.6 | 9.0 | 10.9 | 12.0 | 12.8 | 23.66 | 20.93 | 19.30 | 18.20 |
| Realistic | 4.8 | 5.6 | 6.8 | 7.5 | 8.0 | ||||||||
Ammunition
| Penetration statistics | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ammunition | Type of warhead |
Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm) | |||||
| 10 m | 100 m | 500 m | 1,000 m | 1,500 m | 2,000 m | ||
| Sprgr. L/5 | HE | 37 | 37 | 37 | 37 | 37 | 37 |
| PzGr | APC | 252 | 249 | 237 | 222 | 208 | 195 |
| PzGr 43 | APCBC | 272 | 269 | 257 | 242 | 228 | 215 |
| 12,8/8,8 Pzgr.TS | APCBC | 312 | 307 | 288 | 266 | 245 | 226 |
| Shell details | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ammunition | Type of warhead |
Velocity (m/s) |
Projectile mass (kg) |
Fuse delay (m) |
Fuse sensitivity (mm) |
Explosive mass (TNT equivalent) (g) |
Ricochet | |||||
| 0% | 50% | 100% | ||||||||||
| Sprgr. L/5 | HE | 750 | 28 | 0 | 0.1 | 3,700 | 79° | 80° | 81° | |||
| PzGr | APC | 930 | 26.35 | 1.2 | 19 | 786.5 | 48° | 63° | 71° | |||
| PzGr 43 | APCBC | 940 | 28.3 | 1.2 | 19 | 786.5 | 48° | 63° | 71° | |||
| 12,8/8,8 Pzgr.TS | APCBC | 1,230 | 9.85 | 1.2 | 19 | 108.8 | 48° | 63° | 71° | |||
Ammo racks
| Full ammo |
Ammo parts |
1st rack empty |
2nd rack empty |
3rd rack empty |
4th rack empty |
5th rack empty |
6th rack empty |
Visual discrepancy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 68 | Projectiles Propellants |
55 (+13) 57 (+11) |
33 (+35) 45 (+23) |
25 (+43) 37 (+31) |
17 (+51) 23 (+45) |
9 (+59) 15 (+53) |
1 (+67) 1 (+67) |
No |
Notes:
- The Maus uses two-piece ammunition, composed of projectiles (yellow) and propellant charges (orange). Both have separate racks.
- Projectiles and propellants are modeled by sets of 2 which disappear once both in the set have been fired.
- Turret empty: 45 (+23) shells.
Additional armament
The Maus comes equipped with what is ostensibly the main gun of low rank German vehicles - the 75 mm cannon. While the gun is technically slightly different with it being a L/36.5 and not a L/37, performance is near identical. This 75 mm unlike other coaxial guns on other heavy tanks such as the M6A1/T1E1 has significant utility and without it the Maus would be far worse off. This utility includes being able to quickly load and fire HEAT shells at flanking open top or light vehicles to overpressure them, track or barrel enemies that barrel your main gun and try to push up to you, and creating what is basically a smoke wall by firing smoke rounds in succession as you advance to cover potentially lethal corridors.
| 75 mm KwK44 L/36.5 | Reloading rate (seconds) | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Capacity | Vertical | Horizontal | Stabilizer | Stock | Full | Expert | Aced |
| 100 | N/A | N/A | N/A | 5.20 | 4.60 | 4.24 | 4.00 |
Ammunition
| Penetration statistics | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ammunition | Type of warhead |
Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm) | |||||
| 10 m | 100 m | 500 m | 1,000 m | 1,500 m | 2,000 m | ||
| Sprgr. 34 | HE | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 |
| Hl.Gr 38B | HEAT | 80 | 80 | 80 | 80 | 80 | 80 |
| Hl.Gr 38C | HEAT | 115 | 115 | 115 | 115 | 115 | 115 |
| Shell details | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ammunition | Type of warhead |
Velocity (m/s) |
Projectile mass (kg) |
Fuse delay (m) |
Fuse sensitivity (mm) |
Explosive mass (TNT equivalent) (g) |
Ricochet | |||||
| 0% | 50% | 100% | ||||||||||
| Sprgr. 34 | HE | 420 | 5.74 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 686 | 79° | 80° | 81° | |||
| Hl.Gr 38B | HEAT | 450 | 4.4 | 0.05 | 0.1 | 872.1 | 62° | 69° | 73° | |||
| Hl.Gr 38C | HEAT | 450 | 4.8 | 0.05 | 0.1 | 875.5 | 62° | 69° | 73° | |||
| Smoke shell characteristics | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ammunition | Velocity (m/s) |
Projectile mass (kg) |
Screen radius (m) |
Screen deploy time (s) |
Screen hold time (s) |
Explosive mass (TNT equivalent) (g) |
| K.Gr.Rot Nb. | 423 | 6.2 | 9 | 5 | 20 | 50 |
Ammo racks
| Full ammo |
1st rack empty |
2nd rack empty |
3rd rack empty |
4th rack empty |
Visual discrepancy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 100 | 76 (+24) | 51 (+49) | 26 (+74) | 1 (+99) | No |
Notes:
- Racks are modelled by sets of 5 shells. The sets disappear from the rack once all shells in the set have been loaded/fired.
- Turret empty: 76 (+24) shells.
Machine guns
| 7.92 mm MG34 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mount | Capacity (Belt) | Fire rate | Vertical | Horizontal |
| Coaxial | 1,000 (150) | 900 | -7°/+23° | N/A |
Usage in battles
The Maus is arguably one of the if not most polarizing vehicles in the game. While other vehicles generally focus on one or two traits from the proverbial "iron triangle" of survivability, mobility and firepower, the Maus is what you get when you drag two of the sliders to the absolute limit. With an imposing silhouette, slow speed, a monstrous cannon and the thickest raw armour plate in the game, the Maus commandeers the attention of both your allies and your enemies alike. There are two main ways to play this vehicle, and here are the pros and cons of each approach:
The Case for Playing With Your Team
This is the commonly cited strategy of playing the Maus. Stick near your teammates, and play as either a frontline vanguard vehicle or as a second line of defense for your team. These two strategies aren't too far apart, as if you keep pushing from that second line position up to the front lines you become the frontline vanguard instead and vice versa. The Maus has thick armour and a large silhouette; you can draw enemy fire your way to let your teammates fire back safely, and your lumbering frame will unless tracked push up to a capture point and act as an irremovable anchor both alive and as artificial cover after destruction. If you try pushing as the vanguard, you will almost certainly sustain some form of damage be it superficial damage to repairable parts to multiple crew members knocked out, and sticking with your team means there's a much higher chance of getting repaired once your team takes the area. It is also beneficial to in general support your team, as you alone can't really win a game by yourself down to your very poor reactivity, long reload and very predictable nature, and you drawing fire helps your team gain an advantage.
The Case for Playing On a Flank
While not strictly relegated to only flanking, this playstyle is more solitary and generally isn't tied to playing around your team. The disadvantages with this are obvious - if you take damage, you'll have to spend the full duration of the repair immobilized, and if you get overwhelmed by multiple enemies you won't be receiving much assistance if at all compared to playing around teammates. However, there is still most definitely a case to play on the less populated areas of the map as well. The most noticeable of these is definitely the fact that you'll be targeted by CAS far less often. Of course, if someone is intent on revenge bombing your vehicle, you won't be safe from aerial threats, but against someone who is destroyed in the main conflict zone of the match, it could be argued that the chances of being attacked are lower due to two reasons. The first is that those people can also go for their own revenge bombing runs, which is certainly not you! The other is that in general, it's not so simple to find a good target from the air. In aircraft, the best indicator for an airstrike is a scouting marker, followed closely by teammates marking enemies on the map, large groups of enemies and people moving around the map quickly. As the Maus is so slow and in this case not near multiple teammates, it is simply less attractive to bomb and also not as apparent from the air compared to a hot zone of combat, which may definitely lead to better survivability.
The other benefits include the unexpected nature of your position, as well as the various tools at your disposal. While 20.8 km/h is certainly not blisteringly fast, if left at this speed the Maus can most certainly reach common map positions not too long after your teammates. Most enemies you face on the flanks will be light tanks such as the BMP-1 or thinly armoured MBTs such as the AMX-30 (1972), and even if you face off against a MBT with more armour such as a T-55A you have the penetration to go through their turret cheeks and one shot them regardless. People generally gravitate towards the capture points and of those capture points usually a single one that's commonly fought over will attract most people, so you can surprisingly get around the enemy team with minimal resistance fairly often. If an enemy barrels your tank, use your 75 mm HEAT launcher to barrel and/or track them in return. If you see a M56, JPz 4-5 or other lightly armoured SPAAs and light tank/TDs, use your HEAT rounds to save a reload cycle on your main gun. If you have to traverse a heavily defended corridor, use your smoke shells to create confusion and uncertainty before you start advancing. If you're being overwhelmed, your reverse is as fast as your forwards speed so try and create more distance between you and your enemy as you retreat to a better position. As a whole, you possess a lot of utility due to the second gun and if you can utilize it effectively you can become a true one-man army as you pressure the enemy's often undefended flanks.
General Playstyle
Regardless of how you play the Maus, be it spearhead of pushes or as a one-man army, they both benefit heavily from the clever usage of your 75 mm secondary gun. You can for the most part forego the smoke grenades modification early on as you only get 6 charges total from a launcher affixed to the turret, compared to the dozens upon dozens of rounds you can load into the cannon. The HEAT shells allow the Maus to overpressure lightly armoured / open top vehicles, and the aforementioned smoke rounds let you effectively create a wall of smoke for you and your teammates to push through (for example, smoking up the sniping corridors on Port Novorossiysk in its most common Domination layout when you get the A-side spawn can allow your entire team to push up as you constantly blind the enemy from firing back). It is also notable that most people will try and disable your gun breech or barrel on the 12.8 cm cannon, but will very frequently forget about the existence of the 75 mm cannon as they either don't see it as a threat or have simply forgotten in the heat of battle. As such, you can barrel or track your enemies back as they try and attack, buying you precious time as you repair your crippled vehicle. One last tactic with the 75 mm is to bait enemies into pushing you by firing the gun at an enemy or around a corner, making them think you're on reload when in fact you're simply waiting for your prey to peek out. When doing this, you should abstain from firing the 75 mm rapidly as this may alert them to your tricks, and if possible you should try and hit a component (usually the side or exposed track of an enemy) so that the enemy doesn't suspect anything is amiss when they decide to push. Reverse a bit and machine gun them as they push out, and you have now successfully sold the illusion of helplessness and have the advantage positionally against the enemy, who is now advancing to their doom.
Much of your time in the Maus will be spent trying to turn the vehicle. While at speed it can initially turn a bit well, it quickly loses all its speed and trying to make this goliath turn while also holding down the W key can feel like a herculean struggle. As such, try and plan routes ahead of time in your head and minimize the time spent turning, as frequent course corrections will be the biggest time sink you can avoid just with some simple planning. When turning, after the initial slight turn at speed it's generally faster to just use the neutral steering and wait a while, before advancing again towards your enemies. Your turret speed, while not slow for its immense size and weight, also very much isn't as fast as contemporary tanks at this rank, so if you want to get your gun on target it may sometimes be necessary to turn the entire hull a bit to gain some extra horizontal guidance speed. It is also handy to note that as the vehicle is usually traveling slowly, unless on bumpy terrain or an incline, you have the ability to fire forwards fairly accurately on the move. If your aim doesn't work out for this technique, don't sweat it, but if you can master this skill it may let you destroy a vehicle or two that you'd have been more reserved about firing at prior to practicing.
Potential Dangers
The Maus is one of the most iconic tanks in the game and in military history both for its immense and in many ways super-sized nature. As such, your weak spots from the front are generally well understood and even your ammo rack locations in the side of your vehicle are somewhat public knowledge as well. The biggest priority against many enemies would be to angle; If a M41A1 gets on your side and fires an APDS round into your ammunition rack, you may sometimes find yourself detonating instantly and wondering what in the world went wrong. Angling the hull as a whole generally does greatly increase your overall armour effectiveness from most AP and APDS rounds, so against enemies that fire these rounds this may help.
The more pressing concern for the Maus, however, is chemical ammunition. HEATFS rounds and HEAT grenades start becoming very common past 6.7, and as a 7.7 vehicle you will very much see these tanks in every game. From tiny, mobile vehicles such as the M56, M50, JPz 4-5 and Type 60 SPRG (C) all the way up to fairly armoured, high calibre chemical round slingers like the SU-122-54, M47, M103 and many, many more, these rounds generally care little for your armour with at least 300 mm of chemical penetration. Some even stretch as high as the 400 mm mark, and as your armour scheme was designed prior to the existence of ERA or composites this can be deadly if not outright fatal. Against these vehicles the best defense is sadly a strong offense, as your tank's armour should not be relied upon to survive a shot with no damage taken. If it's a lightly armoured vehicle your 75 mm may be able to take them out, but if you do not have your weapon selection keys bound or aren't too confident with your aim it is more than justified to use your main gun at these enemies. Better to be on reload than missing your 75 mm secondary gun and dying a slow, painful death to the M56 300 m away chipping at your turret crew after all. More heavily armoured vehicles such as the SU-122-54 and similar vehicles like it can generally be penetrated with your main gun, but if your aim is off or the angle unideal there is a chance of your shell not doing meaningful damage. High Explosive (HE) shells are also a minor threat this BR if they hit your turret or hull roof, and you should definitely keep an eye out for it, but for the most part you need not worry too much about it unless you're on a downwards slope facing a howitzer.
Another very dangerous shell type the Maus can see is the much-feared dart round, also known as APFSDS. A much more lethal version of APDS, this shell type includes a fin stabilized shell inside a discarding sabot that makes the shell fly even faster, penetrate even thicker armour, and almost never ricochet on all but the harshest angles. While the spall cone narrows significantly and the shell has no explosive filler, most dart rounds can easily go through your armour without a care in the world and detonate your ammunition. The one saving grace is that it's a round you will only really see in uptiers, should you choose to take the Maus out in one. Most dart carrying vehicles are generally 8.0 or above, such as the M41D, T-55A, T-55AM-1, T95E1 and many others, meaning it is in a way partially your choice to see them as the Maus isn't a very reliable vehicle in uptiers and isn't the first choice for many players in this situation.
Some dart rounds, such as the Type 69's stock APFSDS, pose little to no threat to you. The round has less penetration than the German 88, and frequently non-pens or ricochets off fairly shallow angles for a dart. Darts like the Object 120's, however, will easily cut through your armour like butter. The Object 120 is a notable (albeit somewhat rare these days) threat in that it has both HEATFS and APFSDS on a 10-second autoloader with a 152 mm (contrary to its name its cannon is, in fact, a 152) cannon, akin to a railgun at these ranks. It is however extremely large and poorly armoured, so a single shot into it will generally be the end of your problems. Other darts such as the ones mentioned above will rarely (unless hitting ammunition) destroy you in a single shot, but they can all generally go through your turret cheeks which means you can very often expect them to constantly knock out your breech and gunner as you eventually die of crew loss.
ATGMs (Anti-Tank Guided Missiles) are also an emerging threat this rank, but are generally not your biggest threat. Many are manually guided (MCLOS), and the ones that aren't are generally less of a threat than darts and contemporary cannons firing HEATFS at you. Vehicles like the Shturm-S pack a big punch and will do critical damage to you frontally, but smaller ATGMs such as the BMP-1's Konkurs and the MILAN/TOW on NATO vehicles will usually only knock out a few crew members and occasionally your breech / transmission. Most missile carriers and IFVs cannot fire their missiles on the move and lack armour, so you can quickly dispatch them before they come to a halt and it will be a victorious encounter for you.
In summary, the Maus is both extremely armoured and at the same time not armoured enough. It has a strong gun, but is held back by a fairly long reload, slow traverse and lack of filler on the APCBC round. It is also the size of a barn, has flat sides and is also slower than almost all other tanks in the game. While downtiers in the Maus will always be more enjoyable, when playing it you should always be vigilant, as even at your rank and below there are many, many vehicles that carry either chemical rounds capable of going through your entire front profile or are able to go through your sides at medium range with enough spall to one-shot your vehicle. The two guns and high utility they provide as well as the ability to draw enemy fire to help a team push forwards can be invaluable, even in full uptier games, and ultimately once you master the playstyle of the Maus you may be surprised at your ability to dish back punishment just as hard as the 8.7 enemies can to you, and you can be happy knowing that this isn't the tank doing it for you, it's your mastery of the Maus and its many tools and tricks. The best way to find out if the Maus is for you, is at the end of the day, trying it out for yourself and being patient. The vehicle isn't fast, but it doesn't have to be, and it helps to take it easy sometimes in a game where everything seems to get faster and faster.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Nigh indestructible tank against many guns when angled and at range
- Capable of soaking a large amount of damage and very resilient to bombs and rockets
- Turret sides are as strong as, if not stronger than, the front of the turret
- Good traction, will reach its top speed consistently on almost all terrain
- Very difficult to immobilize, due to extremely thick track skirts
- Powerful 128 mm cannon and rounds
- Secondary 75 mm coaxial cannon offers extreme utility without sacrificing your 128 mm gun's reload
- Has commander sights, useful for looking around without moving the turret
Cons:
- Slow at everything, struggles to crest hills quickly, turn the hull or turn the turret quickly
- Fairly easy to take on without any team support
- Easily damageable ammunition racks in the sides of the vehicle
- Gargantuan profile; Easily spotted from long range
- Armour is insufficient against modern rounds and missiles
- Big size makes it an easy target to cripple using CAS
- Optics have low zoom, making it hard to spot targets at range
- Secondary 75 mm has high drop and needs keys bound to it for effective use
History
Development
This monster of a tank started development in 1942 on the suggestion of Ferdinand Porsche to Hitler, which was approved. The first prototype was to be completed by 1943 and the project vehicle was designated the Mammut (Mammoth). The name changed in December 1942 to Mäuschen (Little Mouse), then once more to the Maus (Mouse) in February 1943, which stayed as its designation (and perhaps proving that Germany does have a sense of humour).
The prototype used Ferdinand's "electric transmission" that was previously used on the rejected VK 45.01 (P), the vehicle would be powered by an MB 517 diesel engine. The Maus has a suspension design with 24 wheels on each side, 2 per bogie with two bogies side by side and six bogies lining up from front and back. The armour was perhaps the most defining feature at 220 mm thick at the hull front, the sides and rear were 190 mm thick. The turret was even thicker at 240 mm on the front and 200 mm on the sides and rear. The vehicle was to also have a 128 mm KwK44 main gun with a 75 mm KwK44 gun as a coaxial. The overwhelming design was approximated to weight 100 tons.
The production plan was to have the prototype completed by mid-1943 and for 10 vehicles per month after the prototype delivery. Work would be divided between Krupp and Alkett for the production of the machine. The wooden model of the tank was presented on May 1943 to Hitler. It was then approved for production and 150 of them were to be built. With the final design finished, it was estimated to weight 188 tons now. Though Hitler and his peers saw it with much favour, Heinz Guderian criticised the Maus design because there was a lack of machine guns, thus it was extremely vulnerable to infantry attacks at close-quarters for the same reason as the Ferdinand tank destroyer. The anti-infantry problem was solved with the addition of a coaxial machine gun and a "Nahverteidigungswaffe" dischargers, firing smoke or high-explosive shells in its surrounding area, installed on the turret.
Production and cancellation
Two prototypes of the Maus were made in 1943 and 1944. The first one, called V1 was turretless and assembled by Alkett in December 1943, it was fitted with a mock turret that helped finalise the turret design in 1944. Here they determine the Maus was definitely too heavy for any bridges in existence so the Maus would ford rivers with a snorkel. The second prototype called V2 by Alkett again had the first produced Maus turret attached with the 128 mm gun, coaxial 75 mm gun, and coaxial machine gun. In July 1944, Krupp was producing four more hulls, but these were scrapped and the whole project stopped on August 1944, though tests with the V2 continued. The weight of the tank meant that the power-to-weight ratio was extremely poor, resulting in the Maus' ideal speed of about 8 miles per hour maximum in ideal conditions.
However, the Maus was never fully produced because it was the only tank that ceased production because of a strategic bombing campaign that would ruin its production facilities. Adding to this, by 1944, the Red Army was advancing deeper and deeper into what was previously German-controlled territory. The vision that the Red Army might capture the testing grounds of the Maus prototypes and the prototypes themselves seem to come closer to reality. The Germans were forced to destroy the prototypes to prevent their capture by the Soviets, placing charges onto the V2 prototype (the V1 was only a hull so it wasn't combat-effective). The second prototype had the entire hull damaged as there was ammunition still in the tank when the charges went off, but the turret was mostly intact. The Soviets captured the damaged prototypes and held them until the end of the war. After World War II, the Soviet Commander of Armoured and Mechanized troops ordered for the V1 hull to be attached with the turret from the V2 prototype. They had to use six Sd.Kfz.9, the largest half-track vehicles produced by Germany, to move the 55-ton turret to the hull. The fixed prototype was sent back to the Soviet Union for testing and arrive on May 4, 1946. Once this is done, the prototype was sent to Kubinka Tank museum in Russia where it lays today on display for the public.
| Archive of the in-game description | |
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An experimental super-heavy tank built in Germany towards the end of the war. The project was developed by Ferdinand Porsche. The first tank was assembled at the Alkett factory in Berlin on August 1, 1943. The first trial run of the Type 205/1 tank was conducted on December 24, 1943. The turret still wasn't ready, so a load equal to the weight of the turret was placed on top of the tank. The prototype turned out to be quite manoeuvrable once it was able to leave the assembly area, where it had been rather cramped. According to those who had the opportunity to drive the tank, the Maus was easier to drive than the Pz.Kpfw. IV. In November, 1943 a 44 calibre, 128 mm KwK44 cannon was built that was intended for the tank. The cannon's designation was later changed to 12.8 cm KwK82. The weapon was tested at the Meppen training ground. The turret was installed on the 205/1 prototype on July 6, 1944, and on October 3, 1944 the armament was installed and the fully-outfitted tank was tested at the training ground in Kummersdorf. Both prototypes were tested in Kummersdorf, but no reliable information on these tests is available. Whether or not experimental firing was conducted is also unknown. Toward the end of the war, bodies and turrets had begun to be produced in addition to the prototypes that had been built. As the Soviet troops were approaching in 1945 both prototypes were blown up. Soviet specialists were able to reconstruct one Maus from the wreckage. This rebuilt tank was delivered to the training ground in Kubinka in 1946, where various tests were performed. The Panzerkampfwagen Maus can currently be viewed on display at the tank museum in Kubinka. | |
Media
- Skins
- Images
- Videos
See also
Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:
- reference to the series of the vehicles;
- links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.
External links
- [Devblog] Panzerkampfwagen VIII «Maus»
- [Historical] Panzerkampfwagen VIII "Maus", Part I, Part II, and Part III
| Germany heavy tanks | |
|---|---|
| Tiger 1 (Henschel) | Tiger H1 · Tiger E · ␠Tiger |
| Tiger 1 (Porsche) | VK 45.01 (P) · Pz.Bef.Wg.VI P |
| Tiger 2 | Tiger II (P) · Tiger II (H) · Tiger II (H) Sla.16 · Tiger II (10.5 cm Kw.K) |
| Super heavy tanks | Maus · E-100 |
| Trophies | |
| Great Britain | ▀Pz.Kpfw. Churchill |
| USSR | ▀KV-IB · ▀KW I C 756 (r) · ▀KW II 754 (r) |
