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Pilot Accidentally Lands in Enemy Airfield and Other Historic Mistakes

Khalid Elhassan October 5, 2020 31 min

Focke-Wulf Fw 190 Würger - Focke-Wulf — Fw 190 dogfighting a Spitfire over the English Channel. Pintrest

12. Oops – Too Big

Scale comparison of a Panzer VIII Maus vs a Panzer III and Panzer I. Pintrest

The Panzer VIII Maus’ huge size and heavyweight came at a correspondingly heavy price that made it nearly useless. The Germans had their first oops moment with the Maus when they realized that it was too heavy for most bridges. So the giant tank had to resort to crossing rivers either by wading through fords where available, or driving over the river’s bottom while using a snorkel for ventilation.

Additionally, simply getting the Maus moving was a problem. It was difficult to develop an engine and drive train that was powerful enough to propel 200 tons of metal on the ground at any appreciable speed, yet small enough to fit inside the tank. In the end, the maximum speed achieved during trials was a measly 8 miles per hour on a hard surface.

Also Read: 12 WWII Tanks.

Written by

Khalid Elhassan

A lifelong history buff, I developed a particular passion for WW2 history as a child, when I spent hours listening to my grandfather, enraptured, as he recounted his wartime experiences in the British East African Campaign and with the British 8th Army in North Africa.

I graduated with a history BA from George Mason University, then went on to get a JD from the University of Virginia School of Law. After lawyering for a decade, I moved to sunny Rio de Janeiro and a less demanding career, opening a tourism agency in Copacabana.

A big chunk of my free time is spent blogging (you can follow me on Quora https://www.quora.com/profile/Khalid-Elhassan ) or freelance writing, mostly about my favorite subject, history.