🇩🇪 War Elefant for Germany! New Battle Pass Devblog [War Thunder]

Pack up your trunk and paint the tank grey because the Elefant is coming to War Thunder! The battle pass tank prize looks like a beefy piece of Elefant stew to chow down on. Check out the details here:

https://warthunder.com/en/news/7659-development-battle-pass-vehicles-spg-elefant-en

Ever wonder what hardware and software I'm using to game? Me, too! Check out the details (still in progress) here: https://odmgaming.com/what-i-game-with

Check out the United Kingdom discord here: https://discord.gg/FGaYxBSHv8

The Elefant was a tank destroyer designed and built by the German military during World War II. Originally built as the Ferdinand, 91 were constructed in 1943 using the unsuccesful Porsche-designed hull for the Tiger I. Modifications and upgrades were completed in April 1944, after which the unit was renamed the "Elefant", though the official designation remained the Panzerjager Tiger (P) or Sd.Kfz. 184. The design eliminated the turret, allowing the petrol-electric drivetrain to be mounted, effectively, anywhere in the chassis with the change of electrical cables. This allowed the engine to be mounted forward in the tank with just enough room ahead of the engine for the driver and assistant driver. The fighting compartment in the rear was relatively spacious for certain generous assessments of the word due to this engine arrangement. The Ferdinands fought at Kursk and then various rear-guard actions into 1943 before being recalled to the factory for upgrades. These upgrades included adding an MG34, a new commander's cupola, redesigned armored engine grates and adding the Zimmerit anti-magnetic mine paste. Only 48 units survived to receive these upgrades.

In an interesting twist on the story, the Elefant was NOT renamed due to the upgrade package. Instead, the German Army High Command issued an order that changed the name Ferdinand to Elefant... then outright forbade the use of the Ferdinand name, including changing their previous records to the new name. Thus, no Ferdinands were ever made... just Elefants, according to German High Command. In the end, only two survived World War II, with one on display at the Kubinka Tank Museum and the second part of the US Army Ordnance Training Support facility's collection. It was loaned to the Bovington Tank Museum in Dorset, UK from April 2017 to January 2019... marking the only successful German invasion of the British Isles.

The Elefant was 8.1 meters long, 3.4 meters wide, 3 meters tall and weighed in at a 65 tons, or just a touch heavier than a US M1A3 Abrams tank. The twin Maybach HL120 TRM Petrol engines generated 692 horsepower for a top speed of 30 kilometers per hour... though the operational range was only 150 kilometers assuming it could find a road that would take the load. The 8.8cm Pak 32/2 L/71 main gun was supplemented with a 7.92 mm MG 34 machine gun. This beast of a vehicle was crewed by 6 men.

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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elefant#:~:text=The%20Elefant%20(German%20for%20%22elephant,favour%20of%20a%20Henschel%20design.

Description
English: Panzerjäger Tiger Elefant tank destroyer used by German Wehrmacht in WWII. Restored by and on display at US Army Ordnance Museum, Aberdeen, Maryland. Photograph taken by Scott Dunham, April 23, 2009.
Date 23 April 2009
Source Own work
Author Scott Dunham

Description
English: Bovington Tank Museum: Panzerjäger Tiger (P) Elefant
Date 17 March 2017
Source Own work
Author Morio

Photographer
Koch
Archive description
Description provided by the archive when the original description is incomplete or wrong. You can help by reporting errors and typos at Commons:Bundesarchiv/Error reports.
Italien bei Nettuno.- deutsche Infanterie beim Marsch auf regennasser, schlammiger Straße, Panzer V "Panther", im Graben ein Panzerjäger Ferdinand/Elefant; PK 699
Title
Italien, Infanterie auf Straße, Panzer V (Panther) Info non-talk.svg
Depicted place Nettuno
Date March 1944
Collection
German Federal Archives Blue pencil.svg wikidata:Q685753
Current location
Propagandakompanien der Wehrmacht - Heer und Luftwaffe (Bild 101 I)
Accession number
Bild 101I-311-0940-33

Description Sau "Ferndinand" 1943-"Elefant"
Date 29 April 2010, 14:38
Source Sau "Ferndinand" 1943-"Elefant"
Author
English: Aleksandr Markin
Русский: Александр Маркин

Description
Русский: Немецкая САУ Ferdinand в Кубинке
Date March 2009
Source фотоаппарат
Author Галин Владимир Петрович

Description
English: Panzerjäger Tiger Elefant tank destroyer used by German Wehrmacht in WWII. Restored by and on display at US Army Ordnance Museum, Aberdeen, Maryland. Photograph taken by Scott Dunham, April 23, 2009.
Date 23 April 2009
Source Own work
Author Scott Dunham