army is hard to imagine a country without a tank, this ponderous armored vehicle, "fortress on the tracks."On arms of virtually all developed countries have armored vehicles of different sizes.Very large machines are available in the American and German armies, but the biggest tank was created by Russian engineers, and not one but two versions.
first model was created in 1915th.The car was so outstanding dimensions that received not only the name of the Tsar Tank, but several nicknames such as Mammoth and Mastodon.Called giant and the name of its creator - the car Lebedenco.The world's largest tank was not like a modern car.Instead of our usual tracks Lebedenco Nicholas gave his brainchild huge wheels reminding wheels Central Asian carts.The front wheels of the machine and the diameter of the penalty had consisted of a rim and spokes.Instead, the engineer of the rear wheels used Lebedko half meter rink.The case of the miracle of the tank, too, did not have the usual shape.It was a T-shape, and a length of twelve meters.I had the biggest tank and machine-gun tower.It was stationary and was located on the eight-meter height.Additional guns were placed on the front corners of the body, which were slightly behind the wheel.Speed King-tank reaches 17 km / h.
It is not surprising, fantastic invention Lebedko was approved by the courts, not only near, but also to Nicholas II.At the audience engineer submitted a winding Mammoth model and run it, crawling along the floor with Emperor reception halls.Model overcome all obstacles, and Nicholas II opened financing for further development.Working metal version of Tsar Tank gathered in a forest near Dmitrov, but he did not pass the test.The largest tank in the swamp elm because the front wheels are not able to pull out of the mud of a small-diameter rear roller.In addition to properly distribute the weight, King-tank had many other shortcomings.Huge wheels were too vulnerable during artillery fire and small speed and large size of the car turned into the perfect target.
project failed the test and was closed completely but the biggest tank in the world has not disappeared - he was the founder of modern armored vehicles.Useful experience Mikulin and Stechkin kept the young engineer working with Lebedko.Influenced by the idea and the engineer Pavesi, who created a number of powerful wheeled tractors for the Italian army.Drawings Tsar Tank became the basis for all-terrain vehicle Porohovschikova which, in turn, became a source of ideas for the first French tank.
possible without the ridiculous and absurd mammoth would not be built and the largest tank "number two."It was called the IS-3.This powerful machine Soviet engineers developed in 1945th.In this battle tank did not participate, but at the Berlin parade attended car and made a lasting impression on the allies of the USSR.On other machines this tank differed characteristically elongated body.This form of IS-3 given, based on the experience of the Battle of Kursk.However, despite the powerful equipment and large size, to develop this project further did not.Because of wartime tank developed too quickly, having inherited his technical shortcomings of the IS-2.
