Panzerkampfwagen VIII Maus (English: 'mouse') was a German World War II super-heavy tank completed in July of 1944. As of 2025, it is the heaviest fully enclosed armored fighting vehicle ever built.

At 188 tonnes, it is the heaviest operational tank ever made by any nation at any time in any war and was made despite the shortages of raw materials, industrial capacity, and manpower at the time in Nazi Germany.

Hitler’s ego spawned the Panzer VIII Maus, the largest (and most futile) tank design ever built. It became the "maus that never roared."

Jul 10, 2023 · The German Panzerkampfwagen VIII Maus was the heaviest tank ever created, weighing in at 188 tonnes. Armed with a powerful gun, protected by thicker armour, and powered by an engine created by Porsche, the Panzer VIII was the secret monster tank that never was.

In the straight line of the panzer tree, this was to be the number VIII. It came after a constant upsizing of existing tanks, and the latest which was also the biggest operational tank in 1945, the Panzer VII Jagdtiger, based on the Königtiger.

May 27, 2024 · The Panzer VIII Maus was the German last and only super heavy tank built during WWII. It was the heaviest fully enclosed armored fighting vehicle ever built and was planned to be employed as a “break through” panzer.

Panzer Maus, armed with 12.8-cm-KwK L/55 as well as a 75-mm-L/36 and a 20-mm cannon coaxial. The prototype V2 without a turret, called Maus II, started trials in September 1944, but the engine was destroyed in an accident and could not be replaced before April 1945.

Panzerkampfwagen VIII Maus (Mouse) was a German World War II super-heavy tank completed in late 1944. It is the heaviest fully enclosed armoured fighting vehicle ever built. Only two hulls and one turret were completed before the testing grounds were captured by the advancing Soviet forces. An incomplete tank was captured by British forces.

May 22, 2018 · Hitler's design requirements emphasized heavy armor and a high-velocity gun, accepting poor mobility, creating a moving fortress. The Maus would have been escorted by lighter tanks, presumably Tiger IIs, the two of which were thought to replate the Tiger I and Panther. In March 1942, Porsche was awarded a contract for developing a 100 ton tank.

Feb 8, 2019 · The German Panzer VIII tank of World War II, codenamed the Maus tank, was intended to be the biggest, best-armored and most powerful tank ever built – and the prototypes that were built succeeded in achieving these goals.