Panzerkampfwagen VIII Maus (English: 'mouse') was a German World War II super-heavy tank completed in July of 1944. As of 2025, it is the heaviest fully enclosed armored fighting vehicle ever built.

At 188 tonnes, it is the heaviest operational tank ever made by any nation at any time in any war and was made despite the shortages of raw materials, industrial capacity, and manpower at the time in Nazi Germany.

Hitler’s ego spawned the Panzer VIII Maus, the largest (and most futile) tank design ever built. It became the "maus that never roared."

Sep 21, 2018 · Panzer VIII Maus at Boblingen 17 March 1944. Assembly of all components of the tank took place at the factory of the firm Alkett. The project was developed by the engineer Ferdinand Porsche, and was partially implemented in the form of two prototypes of the Maus tank (205/2 and 205/1) in 1944.

Feb 8, 2019 · The German Panzer VIII tank of World War II, codenamed the Maus tank, was intended to be the biggest, best-armored and most powerful tank ever built – and the prototypes that were built succeeded in achieving these goals.

May 27, 2024 · The Panzer VIII Maus was the German last and only super heavy tank built during WWII. It was the heaviest fully enclosed armored fighting vehicle ever built and was planned to be employed as a “break through” panzer.

Feb 15, 2025 · The Panzerkampfwagen VIII Maus, is infamous among WW2 tank historians. Designed by Ferdinand Porsche and manufactured by Krupp, this super-heavy tank was intended by Hitler to be the ultimate armored fighting vehicle.

Jun 8, 2021 · The German Panzer VIII Maus ended up being 10.2 m (33 ft) long, 3.71 m (12.2 ft) wide, and 3.63 m (11.9 ft) tall. It weighed 188 tons making it the heavier tank ever built!

Panzerkampfwagen VIII Maus (Mouse) was a German World War II super-heavy tank completed in late 1944. It is the heaviest fully enclosed armoured fighting vehicle ever built.

In the straight line of the panzer tree, this was to be the number VIII. It came after a constant upsizing of existing tanks, and the latest which was also the biggest operational tank in 1945, the Panzer VII Jagdtiger, based on the Königtiger.