Panzer VIII Maus
Panzerkampfwagen VIII Maus ("Mouse") was a German World War II super-heavy tank completed in late 1944. It is the heaviest fully enclosed armoured fighting vehicle ever built. Five were ordered, but only two hulls and one turret were completed before the testing grounds were captured by advancing Soviet military forces.
Tanks of the interwar period
The Type 89 Chi-Ro tank was lighter (9.8 tonnes) and shorter than the Chi-I. It contained increased armour (6 to 17 mm) and an improved water-cooled engine. After success in initial tests, the Type 89 became the first mass-produced Japanese tank. The Type 89 had a crew of four, and was armed with a 57 mm Type 90 gun and two 6.5 mm type 91 machine guns. The second version of this tank known as the Type89B Otsu used a diesel engine. The Japanese were among the first to use diesel engines in their tank designs.
During the 1930s, the Japanese began production of tankettes and light tanks, which were used heavily in Manchuria and China. The Type 94 tankette weighed 3.4 tonnes and was generally used as either a tractor to tow an ammunition trailer, or as a patrol/reconnaissance tank. With a crew of two men and a single 6.5 mm type 91 machine gun, 823 units of the Type 94 were produced and they saw widespread service as late as 1945. Over twice as large as the Type 94 at (7.4 tonnes), the Type 95 Ha-Go light tank had a complement of three crewmen, a 37 mm gun and the same 6.5 mm type 91 machine gun, and most importantly a diesel engine which would later greatly influence future tank designs in the Soviet Army. Over two-thousand Type 95 tanks were built, and production continued until 1943.