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The immense, awe-inspiring, Überschwerer Kampfschreitpanzer (Superheavy Armored Walking Tank) is thought to be the brainchild of notorious Nazi (mad) scientist Doctor Siegfried Qual, who built the initial prototype as a gift to Adolph Hitler. However, considering Qual's well-deserved reputation for intellectual prowess, it seems doubtful such an unworkable construct would have been devised by him. Thus, several historians mention the infamous Dr. Clausenhausen (a.k.a. Dr. Klanenhissen) Wehrmacht vunderkind and creator of a number of unique Nazi "wonder weapons" as the true mind behind the Bewegliche Festung's existence.
At any rate, the massive "Thor's Hammers" first appeared on the eve of the German invasion of Russia. Although the Wehrmacht felt they were far too big, slow, and vulnerable to be of any use, they appealed to Hitler's vanity, and he authorized the construction of a series of the enormous walking machines. When finally deployed they initially had quite a demoralizing effect on the Russian forces, since the twin 88mm cannon (mounted in the vehicle's head) were capable of wrecking any Russian tank encountering it.
As the war progressed, the Überschwerer Kampfschreitpanzers became less of an asset and more of a liability. Their height made it nearly impossible to hide them, and at least one was totally destroyed and another wrecked beyond repair by a concentrated rocket attack from the so-called "Stalin's Organs." Several others were damaged from artillery barrages, Russian dive bombers claimed another, and if reports are correct, one of the last Fortresses was taken by several P-38 Lightning pilots, who brought it down with wing-mounted rockets.
The basic shape of a Überschwerer Kampfschreitpanzer was of a huge box-like structure, roughly 10 meters long, 5 meters high and split on the inside into two decks. At one end was a semi-flexable "neck" ending in a heavily armored head. Twin 88mm Flak cannon were mounted under the head. They were aimed by swinging the head from side to side, and were often fired in alternating succession, since the killing power of the 88 was more than enough to take out most tanks with a single shot. On the sides of the head, in blister turrets, was a single trainable machine-gun. Two additional trainable machine-guns were mounted in the sides of the body and fired from pivot points with a small slit for sighting. A fifth gun was set on the roof of the vehicle, as an antiaircraft defense (although it was also useful for strafing tall buildings and the like). The head and body were set on four 10 meter legs, driven by a powerful diesel engine and hydraulic actuators. The entire vehicle weighed around 75 tons and was capable of a top speed of only 25 miles per hour, although to give the Überschwerer Kampfschreitpanzer credit where credit is due, this speed was fairly constant regardless of terrain. Crew consisted of a commander, radioman, two pilots, a gunner (for the 88s), two loaders, and upwards of 40 infantrymen, who would man the machine-guns as well as look after the engine.
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