Who canceled the project for the Landkreuzer P. 1000 Ratte, which would have surpassed the Panzer VIII Maus as being the heaviest fully enclosed armoured fighting vehicle ever built?
Landkreuzer P. 1000 Ratte The "Landkreuzer" P. 1000 "Ratte" (English: "Land Cruiser P. 1000 "Rat"") was a design for a super-heavy tank for use by Nazi Germany during World War II, proposed by Krupp director Edward Grotte in June 1942, who had already named it ""Landkreuzer"". Submitted designs and drawings of the tank went under the names "OKH Auftrag Nr. 30404" and "E-30404/1", which were presented in December 1942. The tank was planned to be 1000 metric tonnes, being far heavier than the Panzer VIII "Maus", the heaviest tank ever built (weighing 188 tonnes). The project gained the approval of Adolf Hitler, who had expressed interest in the development of the tank, but was canceled by Minister of Armaments Albert Speer in early 1943.
Main battle tank A main battle tank (MBT), also known as a battle tank or universal tank, is a tank that fills the armor-protected direct fire and maneuver role of many modern armies. Cold War-era development of more powerful engines, better suspension systems and lightweight composite armour allowed a tank to have the firepower of a super-heavy tank, armor protection of a heavy tank, and mobility of a light tank all in a package with the weight of a medium tank. Through the 1960s, the MBT replaced almost all other tanks, leaving only some specialist roles to be filled by lighter designs or other types of armoured fighting vehicles.