Panzer VII Löwe

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:
* "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 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 Königstiger, however, and that model proved to be expensive to produce and too large to fit across small bridges.

External links

* [http://www.achtungpanzer.com/lowe.htm Article about the Lion]