Before WW2 in Germany, Porsche and Henschel und Sohn were engaged in the creation of heavy tanks, but no concrete results were achieved, although Porsche had some success. In the spring of 1941, the Tigerprogram was adopted to create a heavy tank by mid-1942. Both companies were required to provide prototypes.
On May 26, 1941, at a meeting devoted to the prospects for the design and creation of new types of weapons and equipment, which Hitler personally attended, Porsche and Henschel were instructed to create prototypes of a heavy tank as soon as possible by mid-1942. Krupp was ordered to make a turret part with a cannon for prototypes. The basis for the new Henschel tank was the development of the VK 3601 (H), for the Porsche VK 3001 (P) Leopard. The heavy tank was supposed to weigh 45 tons and carry an 88 mm KwK L / 56 cannon. The main differences between the prototypes being created are that "Henschel" has 24 rollers, 3 in a row, Porsche has 6 rollers of the support type. In addition, for Porsche, the turret was moved to the bow of the hull, which greatly disrupted the weight distribution. The power plant, located in the stern of the prototype - 2 gasoline engines "Type 101/1" with air cooling. They rotated two electric generators, electricity was supplied to two electric motors, each of which in turn rotated a caterpillar. Instead of the usual gearbox, electric rheostats were installed, with the help of which the speed was adjusted. Here we see an extraordinary approach to completing the assignment by Dr. Porsche. But not everything is as good as it seems. Gasoline engines turned out to be a very unreliable solution for creating a prototype, they quickly broke down, required constant repairs and were highly flammable. The electrical system used required an acutely scarce copper, which is a rare metal for Germany. In mid-April 1942, both prototypes arrive in East Prussia and travel 11 kilometers to Hitler's headquarters. Both prototypes often broke down throughout the run. On his birthday (April 20), A. Hitler is shown prototypes of heavy tanks. Porsche's prototype is VK 4501 (P), Henschel's prototype is VK 4501 (H). The head of Nazi Germany inspected only the VK 4501 (P) car, having spent almost 20 minutes on it, the VK 4501 (H) did not attract, listening to A. Hitler. Everyone knew that Dr. Porsche walked in his favorites. By the way, the prototype VK 4501 (H) then had a turret part borrowed from Porsche. Tests showed the inconsistency of the VK 4501 (P) prototype - in terms of driving performance, it was very clearly inferior to the Henschel prototype. The main test was scheduled after a month and a half at the German Tank School, which is successfully passing the prototype from "Henschel". The obvious disadvantages of the prototype VK 4501 (P):
- low maneuverability;
- too unstable on soft ground;
- imperfect management system;
- longer body in comparison with the competitor.
Photo "Specialized Panther"
A month later, the VK 4501 (H) was put into service and put into mass production. Dr. Porsche's confidence in the victory of his prototype led to the fact that he independently began to mass-produce his sample, even before the main test. In total, Porsche managed to produce about 90 units of the VK 4501 (P) before the adoption of the VK 4501 (H). The manufacturing company tried to use the built machines as equipment for various purposes and thereby rehabilitate its name. In September 1942, it was decided to arm several PzAbts. The used gasoline-type engines helped a lot in solving this issue. But here, too, Porsche suffered a setback - five tanks sent to Austria for testing did not pass it and three tanks were converted into Bergepanzer Tiger (P) repair vehicles. Further efforts by Porsche led to the decision to create a heavy tank destroyer "Ferdinand" on the basis of this small series of tanks. But the turning point in the war, heavy fighting in Stalingrad led the German command to the idea of creating a "Rammtiger" to carry out the tasks of clearing the streets of barricades and temporary structures.
Such a machine was provided with inclined armor plates and a special blade to fulfill the assigned tasks. The technique was armed with MG. By the end of 1943, Porsche had prepared a technical documentation. At the beginning of 1943, A. Hitler decided to convert three VK 4501 (P) into a street armored bulldozer Rammtiger (Raumpanzer). The tanks needed to be changed a little, and they could be used for their intended purpose. Records found indicate that most likely the street cycle bulldozers have been built and are ready for major testing. There is no data on their use in the course of hostilities. There is also no confirmed data on the capture of this equipment by Soviet troops.
