The VK 30.01 (H) is a German prototype

heavy tank Heavy tank is a term used to define a class of tanks produced from World War I through the end of the Cold War. These tanks generally sacrificed mobility and maneuverability for better armour protection and equal or greater firepower than tanks ...

developed by

Henschel Henschel & Son (german: Henschel und Sohn) was a German company, located in Kassel, best known during the 20th century as a maker of transportation equipment, including locomotives, trucks, buses and trolleybuses, and armoured fighting vehicle ...

in Germany during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. It was rejected for production likely due to being outdated by the time it was meant to be produced. The chassis from this project went on to form the chassis for the Sturer Emil self-propelled anti-tank gun project.

Development

In 1937 the German Army Ordnance Office (''Heereswaffenamt'') had ordered the design of 30-tonne tanks from

, MAN SE, and

Daimler-Benz The Mercedes-Benz Group Aktiengesellschaft, AG (previously named Daimler-Benz, DaimlerChrysler and Daimler) is a German Multinational corporation, multinational automotive corporation headquartered in Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It ...

that would succeed the

Panzer IV The ''Panzerkampfwagen'' IV (Pz.Kpfw. IV), commonly known as the ''Panzer'' IV, was a German medium tank developed in the late 1930s and used extensively during the Second World War. Its ordnance inventory designation was Sd.Kfz. 161. The Panze ...

medium tank for infantry support, and was to be produced by Krupp. To that end it would carry either the same short-barrelled

7.5 cm KwK 37 The 7.5 cm KwK 37 L/24 ''(7.5 cm Kampfwagenkanone 37 L/24)'' was a short-barreled, howitzer-like German 75 mm tank gun used during World War II, primarily as the main armament of the early Panzer IV tank. Slightly modified as Stu ...

gun of the Panzer IV or a tank-mounted version of the 10.5cm leFH18/40 L/28 howitzer. In October 1941, Krupp was asked if the

7.5 cm KwK 40 The 7.5 cm KwK 40 ''(7.5 cm Kampfwagenkanone 40)'' was a German 75 mm Second World War era vehicle-mounted gun, used as the primary armament of the German Panzer IV (F2 model onwards) medium tank and the Sturmgeschütz III (F model ...

could be mounted, but the answer was negative, not without many modifications. Alternatively, the long barreled

5 cm KwK 39 5 (five) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number, and cardinal number, following 4 and preceding 6, and is a prime number. It has attained significance throughout history in part because typical humans have five digits on eac ...

or L/50 was able to be mounted instead of the short 7.5cm cannon or the 10.5cm cannon. The overall scheme of the design was similar to the Panzer IV but larger and it used overlapping wheels. The first VK 30.01 delivered to Henschel was delivered as a hull without a turret.Anderson p10 A further three chassis were completed by 1942 but none received turrets. In 1941, the German Army requirements for armour increased and Henschel redesigned to give the

VK 36.01 (H) 240px, Parts of an unfinished armored vehicle taken at the Krupp steel works in Essen in May 1945 after the war. The VK 36.01's turret is lined up, along with the hull and turret of the Panzer VIII Maus super-heavy tank and the Jagdtiger gun ma ...

. Two of the hulls left from the VK 30 project were reused to construct the ''12.8 cm Selbstfahrlafette auf'' VK 30.01(H) " Sturer Emil" ''

Panzerjäger ''Panzerjäger'' (German language, German "armour-hunters" or "tank-hunters", abbreviated to ''Pz.Jg.'' in German) was a branch of service of the Nazi Germany, German Wehrmacht during the World War II, Second World War. It was an Anti-tank war ...

'' vehicles. In 1942, the development of the type was cancelled in favour of the development of the heavier and more advanced VK 45.01 (H) project, which in turn became the Tiger I prototype. The remaining turretless hulls remained in Henschel's factory in Haustenbek and were used as recovery, training and test vehicles. Six of the proposed VK 30.01 (H) turrets were used in permanent fortifications of the Atlantic and West Wall.

Notes

References

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"VK3001(H) / PzKpfw VI (Ausf A) VK3601(H) / PzKpfw VI (Ausf B)"
www.achtungpanzer.com {{WWIIGermanAFVs Heavy tanks of Germany