Re: [DS] Tank designs was Re: [ds] Ogres

On Mon, 16 Nov 1998 12:55:47 -0500 (EST), Kenneth Winland
<kwinland@chass.utoronto.ca> wrote:

>	Wrong.	Many rail bridges would be able to carry it.  The Maus
>was to be carried  by rail to most areas.  This thing was NOT meant to
>truck under its own power to various engagements.  Check out Jentz's
>"Panzerkampfwagon MAUS" and Sawondy and Bracher's "MAUS and other
German
>Armored Projects".  German engineers were NOT idiots.... :)

However, that doesn't escape the fact that the Maus was probably the
WORST
tank of the war.

Oh sure, great anti-armour capability and almost impregnable armour on
its
own.

However, it was SLOWWWWWW. Far, far too easy for infantry to disable it.
No
matter the armour, those treads are just too easy to disable. The thing
was
too slow to be used in a breakout. It was highly susceptible to over
runs.
And, with tactical air support coming into its own, the Maus just
SCREAMED
"bomb me". They might as well have painted concentric circles on the
top. 

Basically, it was a slightly mobile bunker, but required far more
resources to
build. For the resource cost, particularly in fuel, machined parts, and
metal,
you'd be far, FAR better fielding a few Panthers.

If I had to do a one-on-one gunnery duel with any Soviet vehicle, I'd
probably
pick the Maus. If I was in charge of a Panzergruppe, I'd leave the white
elephants behind...

Oh, and DS2 and SG2 wise, it shows the problem with the whole Ogre/Bolo
thing.
Ground pressure. I'd be tempted to add house rules for vehicles of size
5 and
greater for certain terrain types. John A. can probably verify this, but
I
heard that the Abrams had problems with ground pressure in parts of the
desert.

I'd throw in scenario rules for vehicles bogging down in certain places
of the
battlefield if they are too big. Proper recon would be necessary or the
tank
risks finding a soft spot on its own and bogging down (basically, a
mobility
kill).

Allan Goodall	      agoodall@interlog.com
 
"You have to keep your sense of humour... and your thumbs."
- James S. Goodall, 1937 - 1998