Panzer VII Löwe
Encyclopedia
The Panzerkampfwagen VII Löwe (Lion) was a design for a Super Heavy Tank created by Krupp
for the Nazi German
government during World War II
. The project never left the drawing board, and was dropped in late 1942 in favor of the Panzer VIII Maus
.
The Löwe was designed in two variants:
When shown the designs, German Führer
Adolf Hitler
ordered the Leichter Löwe dropped and the Schwerer Löwe re-designed with a 150-mm main gun, 140-mm frontal armor, and a top speed of 30 km/h.
No prototype of either design was ever built. Some elements of the Schwerer Löwe design were used in the Tiger II, however, and that model proved to be expensive to produce and too large to fit across small bridges.
Krupp
The Krupp family , a prominent 400-year-old German dynasty from Essen, have become famous for their steel production and for their manufacture of ammunition and armaments. The family business, known as Friedrich Krupp AG Hoesch-Krupp, was the largest company in Europe at the beginning of the 20th...
for the Nazi German
Nazism
Nazism, the common short form name of National Socialism was the ideology and practice of the Nazi Party and of Nazi Germany...
government during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. The project never left the drawing board, and was dropped in late 1942 in favor of the Panzer VIII Maus
Panzer VIII Maus
Panzerkampfwagen VIII Maus 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.These two...
.
The Löwe was designed in two variants:
- Leichter Löwe – crew of five, 1000-hp engine, weight of 76 tons, 100-mm frontal armor, rear-mounted turret, 105 mm L/70 high velocity gun and a coaxial machine gun, top speed 27 km/h.
- Schwerer Löwe – crew of five, 1000-hp engine, weight of 90 tons, 120-mm frontal armor, center-mounted turret, 105 mm L/70 high velocity gun and a coaxial machine gun, top speed 23 km/h.
When shown the designs, German Führer
Führer
Führer , alternatively spelled Fuehrer in both English and German when the umlaut is not available, is a German title meaning leader or guide now most associated with Adolf Hitler, who modelled it on Benito Mussolini's title il Duce, as well as with Georg von Schönerer, whose followers also...
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...
ordered the Leichter Löwe dropped and the Schwerer Löwe re-designed with a 150-mm main gun, 140-mm frontal armor, and a top speed of 30 km/h.
No prototype of either design was ever built. Some elements of the Schwerer Löwe design were used in the Tiger II, however, and that model proved to be expensive to produce and too large to fit across small bridges.