The Biggest and Baddest...or The Mouse and Cheese

[Mad Russian]

We did a tremendous amount of research on the Maus scenario. Stridor asked for that battle specifically and after all he did I wanted to make that scenario special.

First I made it a one battle scenario campaign, so I could add the map to the screen. I like that and wish we could do it with battles too and not just campaigns. When you go looking for the Maus it's in the campaigns not the battles.

I took a lot of flak from those making comments when we put out the full features list about making a fictional battle for the Maus.

Actually, if the Maus wasn't in combat, it was only ever minutes away. There are wild accounts of the Maus' last and only operational mission. The Maus was ordered to move to Berlin to defend the capital. But the Maus was so big it had to use only heavier bridges to get there and couldn't move by rail. That all conspired against the tank and it ended up having to go east from the Kummersdorf Proving Grounds to get to a road that it could use to get to Berlin.

All of this was researched down to a fine detail by myself and nilhobsp. Nilhobsp is by far and away the best researcher I know. With few peers even at a professional level.

We looked over every single piece of text and documents that we could get our hands on. We spent almost every waking moment for the better part of 3 weeks pouring over ever word of all the accounts. We were looking for one engagement. A single tank on the entire Eastern Front. Of course that tank is famous and we found plenty written on it. The trick is to separate what did happen, or what could actually have happened, from what is pure fiction.

What you see in the Biggest and Baddest is our best idea where the Maus started to turn north to Berlin. It was here near this village that the Maus ended up. Our best guess after all the research is that the Maus threw a track and was destroyed.

BUT that means nothing. The Maus was within MINUTES of engaging Soviet tanks if it didn't and I can't say for 100% certain that it never fired on a Soviet tank. Our best guess is that it didn't but there were about 50 T-34's within 5km's of the Maus at any given time.

We give you the Maus and you are ordered to go to Berlin.

Will you throw a track? You could. I have.

Will you engage T-34's? You could. I have.



How will your engagement with the Maus turn out? I'm sure you'll let us know.

Good Hunting.

MR