The Russian Earth Battleship: A Land Dreadnought That Never Was

History is littered with ambitious prototypes and sketches that aimed to bring naval firepower onto the battlefield. Among the most striking of these was the so-called “Earth Battleship” (Земной броненосец), a concept drawn up in the Russian Empire during the First World War. While it never left the drafting board, its sheer size and audacity captured the imagination of many enthusiasts of armored warfare.

One of the clearest depictions of this behemoth comes from TopWar.ru, where the design is illustrated in detail (see above). The image shows a colossal vehicle supported by a series of massive wheels, with gun turrets at both ends, and a central superstructure for engines and command staff.

Porokhovshchikov’s Vision

The concept is often linked to Alexander A. Porokhovshchikov, the Russian engineer behind the Vezdekhod (“all-terrain vehicle”). While his earlier work focused on smaller tracked machines, some proposals imagined a far larger war machine, more akin to a rolling fortress than a tank.

The “Earth Battleship” was to be driven by enormous wheels rather than tracks, spanning a length comparable to a train carriage. Armed turrets on either side gave it the silhouette of a land-based dreadnought, meant to terrify infantry and smash through trench lines.

Yet, as with many such bold projects of the era, there were glaring challenges:

• Steering such a massive machine would have been nearly impossible.

• The weight of armor and weaponry would quickly outstrip the engine power available in 1915.

• Vulnerabilities in the wheel system made it prone to artillery fire or mechanical breakdown.

In reality, the “Earth Battleship” remained nothing more than a sketch — an impossible dream of land dominance.

Myths and Misconceptions

Later retellings often blurred the lines between fact and fiction. Some claimed the machine was built in secret, others that it was suppressed by conservative generals fearful of radical change. Most likely, the idea never advanced beyond paper, as resources and industrial priorities in wartime Russia were already stretched thin.

Still, the legend of the Earth Battleship fits neatly into the wider story of super-heavy land warship designs. Just as the British experimented with “Landships” and the Germans tinkered with A7V prototypes, Russia’s draftsmen and engineers dreamed of machines that could decide a war with sheer bulk.

The Earth Battleship in Trench 1915: Volume 2

While history dismissed the Earth Battleship as impractical, in the fictional world of Trench 1915: Volume 2 – Eastern Storm, this giant received new life. During the climactic confrontation between two elite secret factions — the Kaiserliche Waffenspezialisten (K.W.S.) of Germany and the Imperskiy Tayna Brigada (I.T.B.) of Russia — the Earth Battleship rolls out onto the battlefield.

In this alternate vision, the I.T.B. unearths Porokhovshchikov’s lost blueprints and brings them to life with wartime improvisation. What emerges is not just a symbol of Russian ingenuity, but a weapon designed to overwhelm both man and machine.

As it creaks forward across No Man’s Land, its massive wheels crush trenches underfoot, while its turrets unleash fire on advancing infantry. The K.W.S., masters of experimental weaponry in their own right, are forced to deploy every trick in their arsenal, explosives, heavy cannons, and shock tactics, to bring down the iron colossus.

This battle highlights one of the recurring themes of the Trench series: the clash between imagination and reality. Even if machines like the Earth Battleship could never truly exist, their presence in the fog of war raises the stakes, turning each battle into both a physical and psychological struggle.

Conclusion

The Russian Earth Battleship was never more than a dream, but dreams have power. They show us what engineers, soldiers, and visionaries hoped for in desperate times. They remind us that World War I was not only a war of attrition, but also a crucible of innovation, where wild ideas were sketched in the margins of history.

In truth, the Earth Battleship was too unwieldy and impractical to ever see combat. But in Trench 1915, it thunders onto the battlefield in one unforgettable scene — proving that sometimes, fiction can make the impossible come alive.

Image Source: TopWar.ru