K-Wagen (Großkampfwagen)

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I would like to sugges the K-Wagen / Großkraftwagen from the late perod of WW1, which at the end were still incomplete, but could be conciddered the Maus of WW1, beeing also in the 120ton class, armed with 4x cannons and lots of MGs.

With the addition of the Char 2C beeing also from the time frame, and the great Maus beeing in game, it would be nice to have the WW1 K-Wagen (for normal WT but also interesting for a WW1 mode) in game, offering a horribly low speed of 7,5 km/h, but frontally 40mm armor, with adequat firepower of 4x 7,7 guns with adequat Low BR Performance.

History:
Allready in June 1917 even befor the A7V tanks were completed, another class of Superheavy Tanks for breakthrough situations were tasked to be developed. Joseph Vollmer was tasked with such.

On 28th June 1917 approved of the designe and ordered 10 Prototypes, 5 by Riebe Ball bearing factory in berlin and 5 by Wegmann & Co in Kassel to be produced.

It originally was of the 165 ton calss, but by shortening the design this was reduced to “just” 120ton.
Cince such a huge and heavy vehicle was impossible to transport, as such it was designed to be spit into 4 sections and transported each by rail and then reassembled.

At the end of the war 2 prototypes were still in construction (duo to great delays because of the war situation and raw material was missing) in Hindenburg. 1 tank (the 3rd) was finished at the end of the war, called “Ribe”, however it was scrapped again befor it even left the factory, duo to the armistice of Germany.

Overall it consisted of 6 Modules to be transported seperatly:
Controll room, Fighting room, Engine room and the 2 sponsen.

It was armed with 4x 7,7 cm L/27 guns and 7x Mg 08 Mgs, however not the 7,7 cm FK 1896 n.A. L/27 nor the more powerfull new 7,7 cm Fk 16 L/35, as the recoil length was too long, instead these 7,7 cm Festungsgeschütze of identical performance to the 96 n.A. were used as they only had a 40 cm recoil length. These were overall with a crew of 27 people. 1 Commander, 2 drivers, a signlaer, artillery officer, 12 gunners, 8 machine gunners and 2 mechanics.

It was also intendet to have a Flamethrower, but that was abandoned early on.


Pictures:(Click to show)


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The Armarment:


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The Guns:
4x 7,7 cm FG L/27 (Festungsgeschütz)
800 rounds storage
-15/-10° to 30° Elevation Traverse unknown but with all guns a complete 360° traverse.

7x 7,92 mm Mg 08/15 with 21000 rounds storage,
these could be given K-Geschoss with 16mm Penetration, which would be a further adequat armarment.


Ammo:(Click to show)

AP:


K.Gr. 15 m.P. (Aphe (No Tracer)) 6,85 kg 230g Fp.02 470m/s 52mm/10m penetration

Screenshot 2023-07-26 185616
Screenshot 2024-07-26 150837
Screenshot 2024-08-05 184523
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K.Gr. 15 m.P. m.L. (Aphe) 7 kg 230g Fp.02 465m/s 52mm/10m penetration

Screenshot 2023-07-26 184846


K.Gr.16 (Saphe (No Tracer)) 6,25 kg 700g Amatol 480m/s 30+mm/10m(Historical 20mm/600m)

With Lg.K.Z.m.V., also available as pure HE with E.K.Z. 16/23 fuze (see below under HE)
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HE:


K.Gr. 15 (He-TF (No Tracer)) 7,1 kg 380g amatol or 270g Pieric acid 465m/s

(TNTa for the Pieric Acid In Game x1,1, IRL x1,2, for the Amatol x1,26)
Screenshot 2023-07-26 184237
Screenshot 2024-08-05 184353
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K.Gr.16 (He-TF (No Tracer)) 6,25 kg 700g Amatol 480m/s

With E.K.Z. 16/23, also available as SAHPE with the Lg.K.Z.m.V. (see above under AP)
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Screenshot 2024-08-05 182722
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L.F.K.Gr. (He-TF (No Tracer)) 7,18 kg 930g amatol (1,172 kg TnTa) 465m/s

(Pieric Acid ig x1,1=770g, IRL x1,2=840g) other fillers are 700g Pieric acid or 820g amatol with 75g Pieric acid.
Screenshot 2023-07-26 184253
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Utility:


Kt. (Canister Shot (No Tracer)) 6,65 kg Steel/Leadballs 475m/s

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F.Schr.96 (umg.) (Shrapnell-TF (No Tracer)) 7 kg 0,1 kg Blackpowder 465m/s

Works like a Crude WW1 AHEAD round, with a timed fuze mid flight ejecting the Steel/Leadballs, against Infantry and planes.
Filling of x300 10g Lead Balls or 220 Steel Balls (with steel balls 6,85 kg)
Some incendary effect by the pitch around the balls.
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Screenshot 2024-07-26 201036
Screenshot 2024-07-26 201049


Br.Schr.Gr. (Incendary Shrapnell-TF (No Tracer)) 6,8 kg 0,167 kg Blackpowder 470m/s

6 Rows of 5 Segments of Incendary Pellets, Made of Bariumnitrate-Magnesium-Resin of 13g each.
Works like a Crude WW1 AHEAD round, with a timed fuze mid flight ejecting the Incendary Pellets onto the Airtarget.
Screenshot 2024-08-09 205639


K.Gr.16 (N) (Smoke (No Tracer)) 6,25 kg 0,4 kg Fp.02 and 0,1 kg Smoke mixture 480m/s

Screenshot 2024-08-05 182733
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The Vehicle:
K-Wagen / Großkampfwagen
Armor:
Front: 2x 20mm (40mm)
Sides 30mm and back 20mm
Roof and bottom 10mm
Weight: 120 ton
Engines: 2x Daimler Benz 6 Cylinder Naval Diesel Engines, 650 Ps each (1300 Ps overall)
With an Electromagnetic clutch transmission.
Dimensions: 13 m x 6 m x 2,7-3 m
Speed: 7,5 km/h

Source:
Super heavy tanks of WW II (Kenneth W Estes)
German tanks and armored vehicles 1914-1945 (B.T. White)
German Panzers 1914-18 (Steven J Zaloga)
Notes German Shells 1918 (second edition)
Geschossringbuch I
Waffen Revue Nr.52

3 Likes

+1

Definitely won’t be meta or anything, but certainly fun to play around with!

1 Like

I’m neutral but I don’t know why people’s so obsessed with WW1 vehicles, like a M2A2 wouldn’t be a problem just to 50 cal it to death.

The K-Wagen would be pretty much immune.
But for the rest, there would of course be different ballancing, or a even a secondary mode with own Brs.
Where the M2A2 would be higher in, duo to speed.

1 Like

+1, Would be good for a ww1 update