In 1943, the German plant for the production of armored vehicles manufactured Nibelungenwerke 90 chassis for military vehicles, from which the Wehrmacht refused.Porsche Design proved unnecessary, and the question arose of what to do with the supply of undercarriages, which are based on the original plan was supposed to build a new heavy tank."Ferdinand" - self-propelled gun, designed to destroy armored vehicles, were displaced in a raw measure of the deficit for the use already made of assemblies and mechanisms.
The chassis itself was in its own way unique.Blocks (there were three on each side), including the two supporting roller is attached to the hulls by means of trucks equipped with the successful damping system.
power plant consisted of two gasoline engines "Maybach" a total capacity of 600 liters.s., loaded to the generator that produces the energy that comes to two electric motors "Siemens".This solution greatly simplifies the management of the machine and are excluded from the scheme kinematic transmission.It should be noted that German industry has not established throughout the war the engine, which could be equipped with a relatively heavy tank fleet.
«Ferdinand", thus inherited the undercarriage failed masterpiece Porsche Design, previously specialized in designing racing cars.Unique approach was manifested in the fact that virtually ignores manufacturability in production of this chassis was a very complex and expensive.
power plant could provide the speed of 30-35 km / h, if it has been fitted with Porsche conceived the tank."Ferdinand" with 200 mm frontal armor could not move faster than 20 km / h, and then on the hard ground.In essence, self-propelled guns, and is not intended for rapid surges, the main advantage of this class of armored vehicles - a powerful long-range gun.
To place a gun (she weighed more than two tons), needed to completely change the original layout.The barrel 88-millimeter caliber was very heavy, it required support while driving, but thanks to the great length could affect any tank."Ferdinand" in all its slow slowness became a formidable weapon.
crew had to be divided, the gunners were in the aft, while the driver and the commander - in front.The power plant was at the center of the machine.
in war are often unique examples of art are used not for its intended purpose.Self-propelled guns forced the Wehrmacht used in the melee, which would be effective any German tank."Ferdinand", an instrument which could kilometer distance from the armor penetration of 193 mm gun did not have a course that can protect the machine from the advancing infantry.
machine created in a hurry, had to eliminate design flaws in the process of modernization.After surviving the Battle of Kursk 47 self-propelled guns were sent to the factory, which supplied small arms, the commander's turret and armor covered with a special layer that protects against magnetic mines.
After improvements ACS called Elefant (ie "elephant"), perhaps to a greater extent characterized by a heavy machine with a long "trunk".The same troops (both German and Soviet) the old name stuck.
With a huge number of shortcomings, this machine has the main advantage - an instrument could more striking distance of almost any tank."Ferdinand", photos which today surprises angularity, the German command created difficulties in crossing water obstacles, it was almost impossible to be evacuated from the battlefield in the event of loss of speed.
Until the end of the war lived only two "elephants", they burned in Berlin, Soviet infantry.Two captured earlier, and because the surviving instance took their places in museums in Russia and the United States.
