Authorities had yet to settle on the tank's primary armament and thought was naturally given to match or surpass existing Soviet designs which had now incorporated the powerful 122mm main gun. As such, the 128mm PaK 44 L/55 series gun system was a frontrunner to be the E-100's main gun armament of choice. However, it was also noted that the 150mm KwK 44 L/38 and 173mm KwK 44 series artillery guns were also being considered during development. Any of these fittings would have given the E-100 a definite edge on the battlefield - in both range and penetration values at any angle of attack. Amazingly, the vehicle was also expected to be outfitted with a 75mmm KwK 44 L/36.5 field gun in a coaxial installation, being able to deal with short-ranged armored targets with relative ease. Infantry threats were to be countered by a 7.92mm MG34 general purpose machine gun, presumably mounted on the turret roof.
Despite best efforts, the E-100's prototype development proceeded at a slow pace and this led to just the single incomplete example being captured by advancing British forces in 1945. At this point, the chassis, hull and wheel system were in place though little else was fabricated by the end of the war. The British loaded the hull onto an awaiting trailer and brought it to engineers for further study. Beyond that, the E-100 was scrapped for its metal and other useful material, formally signaling her end.
Like other German wartime programs, the E-100 was very optimistic in its scope. Such a large tank would have been a tactical liability in the fluid method of waging war during World War 2, particularly in its last months. The initiative once held by German forces was completely lost as it was forced to fight a defensive war since 1944. Its naval power was limited and its aerial prowess held in check, leaving only the fanatical remains of its ground army to provide the maximum thrust in any offensive (of which it did successfully on several occasions). Estimates have given the E-100 design a top speed of 25 miles per hour on ideal road surfaces as well as a 120 mile operational range - though this may have proved wholly optimistic as well. It is worth noting that both the British and the Americans were in the process of developing their own "super heavy tank" breeds by the end of the war, intended tackle the heavily fortified German defense en route to Berlin (neither entered serial production). The Imperial Japanese Army was also in development of a super heavy tank of their own by war's end but to no avail. The Soviets enjoyed success with their IS series tanks and only proposed the KV-4 which was never moved on. The Germans, however, took on active development of both the E-100 "Tiger Maus", the Panzer VIII "Maus" super heavy tanks and entertained the ideas of the massive Landkreuzer P.1000 "Ratte" and the Landkreuzer P.1500 "Monster" - the latter two existing in paper form only.
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