In our research we have uncovered lots of really interesting experimental tanks. Some were just designs that were never completed. Others were completed as prototypes, and some even saw small-scale field testing!
These tanks were weird and wonderful, ranging from a 100-ton monster and a First World War relic, to a tank with two side-by-side main guns, an armoured car weighing more than a tank, and a machine-gun armed light tank with the armour of a heavy tank!
We wanted to try them all out to see how they might have performed if they had actually been built, so we decided to write some briefings for them, just for the fun of it!
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When the VK3001(H) heavy tank project was dropped in favour of the VK4501 that would eventually become the Tiger tank, two of the prototype chassis were used to produce the most powerfully armed self-propelled gun of the war.
The 12.8 cm Selbstfahrlafette L/61 (12.8cm L/61 Self-propelled Mounting) or Panzerselbst-lafette V (Armoured Self-propelled Mounting V) was armed with a Rheinmetall 12.8 cm K L/61 gun (based on the 12.8 cm FlaK 40).
The unofficial nickname of this design was ‘Sturer Emil’ (Stubborn Emil), and the two vehicles were named Max and Moritz after the naughty boys in Busch’s famous German children’s tale.
Interestingly Moritz, the first prototype, had a second dummy driver’s compartment on the right of the hull while Max had just the driver’s compartment on the left side.
The Sturer Emil was slow and its lack of compatibility with other equipment caused logistical problems. These problems paled in comparison with the outstanding performance of its gun. It could easily engage targets at extreme ranges unmatched by any Soviet tank or anti-tank guns.
This item is in Very Good condition. There is some minor shelf wear. The item shown is the one you will receive.