German secret tank projects are one of the most compelling themes for factual disputes, the juggling of facts and outright falsifications on the Internet. Some of these were created as a joke, some out of ignorance, but others were imagined with an intention. From all these tanks out there, how can you know if one is fake or real? Let’s have a look at some of the most popular tanks out on the Internet.

Waffenträger auf E 100

One of the most controversial tanks ever introduced to World of Tanks, the Waffenträger auf E 100 was introduced as a Tier X vehicle for the German tech tree, and it’s one hundred per-cent development of the Wargaming Design Bureau. Initially, it was supposed to have a pair of 128mm anti-aircraft guns, but later, due to the lack of multi-gun mechanism in the game, the self-propelled gun received just one 128 mm gun with an autoloading mechanism. It was then replaced by a much more plausible project found in the archives, Grille 15.

Conclusion: Complete fabrication.

GW Tiger (P)

The GW Tiger (P) is the second self-propelled vehicle after the Waffenträger auf E 100, fully developed by Wargaming Design Bureau and had no factual basis too. It first appeared after the expansion of the German self-propelled gun branch up to Tier X. Conceptually, the GW Tiger (P) is a logical predecessor to the GW Tiger, also known as the Grille 17/21. Unlike the Waffenträger auf E 100, this vehicle fits perfectly into its branch and there are no plans to remove this SPG from the game or replace it. Besides, there isn’t a single real-life project that could replace this vehicle in the game.

Conclusion: Complete fabrication.

E 50 Ausf. M

Wargaming Design Bureau was busy developing fake tanks to introduce in World of Tanks, and E 50 Ausf. M was another one of these vehicles, which was patented. However, it isn’t a complete fabrication. The E 50 Ausf. M is a conceptual vision of how further development of the E 50 might have looked. The hull and parts of the turret were developed from ideas from the original E-50 project. According to documents, a rear transmission was planned. After the war, the idea was further developed by the French, who used German designs to create their how medium tank AMX M4.

Conclusion: Fabrication based on real documents.

Jagdpanzer E -100

Unlike the Waffenträger auf E 100, this vehicle wasn’t invented by World of Tanks developers. This self-propelled vehicle was created as a super-heavy tank destroyer, from the preserved blueprint No. BZ 3364 and fragmented archive information, which formed the basis for the Jagdpanzer E-100. Even though the full-fledged drawings of this self-propelled vehicle have not been preserved, its reconstruction closely corresponds to the Krupp design in the summer of 1944.

Conclusion: Design based on real documents.

Jagdpanther II

Some particularly devoted experts attributed the creation of this vehicle to Wargaming Design Bureau, but in fact, this isn’t correct. The creators of the Jagdpanther II were, in fact, Krupp engineers who in November 1944 were working on a project called Panzerjäger Panther mit 12.8 cm L/55 (Pak 80). This project was meant for the creating of a tank destroyer with a rear fighting compartment based on the Pz. Kpfw. Panther chassis. This arrangement made it possible to install a much more powerful gun, namely, the 12.8 cm L/55, which was also used in the Jagdtiger tank destroyer. Since the required chassis rework wasn’t specifically mentioned in the documents, the Panther II suspension was used to create the World of Tanks model.

Conclusion: Design based on real documents.

The VK 72.01 (K) is another vehicle whose creating is attributed to Wargaming Design Bureau, more precisely Yuri Pasholok. While the known Russian tank historian is honoured, it was Krupp engineers who created this spectacular vehicle. The VK 72.01 project appeared at the beginning of 1942, the initial combat requirements for this vehicle limited the weight to 72 tons. But very quickly the mass increased to 90 tons, the same weight of the VK 70.01 project at the very end of 1941. The vehicle was to be a new super-heavy tank and it was to be equipped with either a 105 mm or a 149 mm calibre gun. In the spring of 1942, Krupp engineers began to work on a variant of the VK 72.01 with a turret located in the rear. The project changed for several months and so many times that is very bold to declare the World of Tanks implementation never existed.

Conclusion: Design based on real documents.

E-90 (Pz.Kpfw.Tiger III S)

The product of the rich imagination of Internet “historians”, which appeared in the late 2000s. According to the creators, the Pz. Kpfw. E-90 also know as Tiger III S, is a lightweight variant of the E-100. But the whole idea stumbles on one logical problem: then E-75 was the Tiger II replacement, and the heavier E-100 was planned to be unified with the Tiger II in several components. Why would the Germans have yet another heavy tank, ordinary human logic can not explain; nevertheless, the creation of curious minds managed to break from the Internet and into some printed media.

Conclusion: Complete fabrication.

E-79 Schwarzwolf VK 66.01 (H)

In December 1999, game developer ASCII Corporation released a game called Panzer Front on Sony PlayStation and Dreamcast. The game had real tanks but also fake ones, created for the game, including the E-79. Often, World of Tanks developers are plagued with questions to when or if the E-79 will be introduced to the game, but while the idea is interesting, there are already enough fake vehicles in the game, especially in the German tech tree. This is yet another prime example of how someone creates a fake design together with a fake history, and the Internet believes it’s real.

Conclusion: Complete fabrication.

E -100 Henschelturm / Adlerturm

Developed in the design office of a Chinese company who creates plastic models, the E -100 Henschelturm / Adlerturm became a popular fake German tank on the Internet. According to them, Henschel developed an alternative turret, and Adlerwerk also developed a turret for the E-100 super heavy tank. The reality is these “engineers” are useless experts on German armoured vehicle history. Henschel never developed turrets for tanks, that was Krupp job, and of course, Adler had nothing to do with the development of the turrets, as they were working on the E-100 suspension. In short, the E-100 Henschelturm and E-100 Adlerturm are products of the rich imagination of people who do not know German tank design.

Conclusion: Complete fabrication.

Sturmgeschütz 40 T -34

Fake vehicles aren’t just created on the Internet; in fact, some were created by skilled individuals who knew how to photoshop. A strange vehicle (picture top vehicle) appeared several decades ago on the pages of magazines and books devoted to the StuG III self-propelled gun. Allegedly, the Germans installed a casemate of a StuG 40 Ausf. F/8 on a captured T-34 chassis and especially dedicated editors even produced a colour scheme for this unique vehicle. The fact is, this is nothing more than a smart photoshop who fooled everyone. The vehicle is, in fact, just a T-34/76 and the original photo can be seen on the bottom area of the above picture.

Conclusion: Complete fabrication.

Flakpanzer T-34

According to unconfirmed information, in April 1945, Kampfgruppe Kienast used a captured T-34 and converted it to fit a 88 mm Flak 18 anti-aircraft gun. A photograph of the vehicle was published and cited as evidence of the alleged conversion. The vehicle often appears on German tank articles who used the loosely available information as a source to claim the vehicle is real, but the fact is a quick and simple search quickly proves the vehicle is nothing more than the product of a photoshop. The original photo used for the creation of the fake one, is, in fact, a captured T-34/85. The Germans did build a vehicle with a 88 mm Flak 18 anti-aircraft gun, but it was on a Pz. Kpfw. IV chassis. The Americans found the vehicle at one of the German vehicle junkyards in the Czech Republic.

Conclusion: Complete fabrication.

Jagdpanzer E -50

The author of this extraordinary design is the French artist Hubert Cance. This, according to the author, it was supposed to be a tank destroyer based on the E-50. However, no self-propelled vehicles were developed based on the E-50, and even the E-50 itself didn’t advance from the concept stage. Note that Hubert Cance placed all crew members in the casemate, in fact, he did the same on his drawings for the Jagdpanther II. In the original factory blueprint of the Panzerjäger Panther mit 12.8 cm L / 55 (Pak 80), the driver and gunner-radio operator seats are clearly in the hull. The place Hubert Cance placed them, is occupied by the cooling system.

Conclusion: Complete fabrication.

15 cm Sturmgeschütz E -75

Another creation of French artist Hubert Cance, published in the Truck & Tranks magazine. The vehicle is based on rumours of a self-propelled gun developed on the chassis of an E-75 heavy tan, equipped with a 149 L/52 gun. Information about this SPG is available in some literature, but in fact, it is a mistake. The installation of such a gun took place, at least on paper, but for the VK 70.01 in early 1942 and the documents talk about a tank, not a self-propelled gun. As for this reconstructions, its realism raises enormous doubts, as the front road wheels load would simply be monstrous.

Conclusion: Complete fabrication.

Sturmgeschütz Maus

The Sturmgeschütz Maus project has a real basis, but this design is yet another creation of French artist Hubert Cance, who has failed us again. It’s completely unclear where the engine, generator or any other components go in this design. A rear fighting compartment would be much more logical for such a project.

Conclusion: Complete fabrication.

Kampfwagenvernichter Ausf . F (E -100) Krokodil

Another creation by Hubert Cance, published in 2007 in the Batailles & Blindes magazine. The concept of a tank destroyer on an E-100 chassis was taken as the basis, and the artist created a vehicle who resembled a Jagdpanther tank destroyer. He clearly didn’t think about the load on the front road wheels, again, or on the suspension. Nevertheless, due to its resemblance to the Jagdpanther, the Crocodile gained popularity on the Internet and is often seen in articles claiming to be real.

Conclusion: Complete fabrication.

Kampfwagenvernichter E -90

The development of the idea Kampfwagenvernichter Ausf. F (E-100) Krokodil, but this time by Internet “historians“. It presents the same flaws as the original Hubert Cance design, but these vehicles were based on the fictional E-90 heavy tank chassis. The design goes even further, as even the suspension has nothing in common with reality.

Conclusion: Complete fabrication.

Geschützwagen E-100

Last but not least and worth the mention, it’s the Geschützwagen E-100 self-propelled gun. The vehicle didn’t come from Wargaming Design Bureau, but in fact, from a scale modeller who made it in the late 2000s. The model was very convincing and some believed it real because it’s in many ways, similar to the Grille 17/21 design. While this vehicle takes the top place in the German SPG branch in World of Tanks, the vehicle has no basis in reality.

Conclusion: Complete fabrication.

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