[Blue Sky]

Vickers Amphibious Light Tank L1E3



Designed and produced by Vickers, this tank was submitted for trials in June of 1939. Noteworthy is the roadwheels were airtight and hollow to increase buoyancy. The tank was never produced in series.
Specifications

[Blue Sky]

Alvis-Straussler Light Tank



Offered to the War Office in 1937. The vehicle never was equipped with a turret. The design, though novel, was not accepted. Straussler is also noted for the Duplex Drive design that was fitted particularly to the US M4 Sherman tank. This tank was equipped with 2 engines - each drove a track independently.

[Gian Vito]

Ecco invece un microcarro moderno, il Wiesel.

Questo messaggio è stato modificato da gianvito: 21 ottobre 2008 - 21:27

[Blue Sky]

Quota

Ecco invece un microcarro moderno, il Wiesel.

Universal Carrier SPG



During the dark days of 1940, there was a severe shortage of armored vehicles and all sorts of vehicles were made and tested to fill the gap.

Questo messaggio è stato modificato da Blue Sky: 21 ottobre 2008 - 21:29

[Blue Sky]

ADMK Wheel-cum-Track Tankette "Mulus"



First produced in 1935, this wheel-cum-track tank had unique featured an arrangement that was able to swing the front wheels upward via gear-driven arms. They then could be removed and put into brackets on the rear of the vehicle. The rear wheels could also be removed by driving the tracks up on blocks. A strange feature was that the front arms acted as a framework for the driver's seat.

[Blue Sky]

Armored Harley Davidson Motorcycle



The Danish goverment between the wars was not generous with any military budget. So the army came up with the idea of "The Armored Motorbike". The Swedish factory Landsverk AB built the armor to the drawings made by the Danish army, and it was put on top of a Harley Davidson armed with a light machinegun. This was more than even a Harley could cope with. It was difficult to control on ordinary road, and a 3x1 vehicle with overloaded suspension wasn't impressive in terrain. It was decided to abandon the project. However, Danish motorbikes knocking out German armored cars and light tanks shows, the idea wasn't totally without merit. This was built 1932 and and dropped in 1935. After the trials the army decided to purchase the Danish Nimbus (below).

[Blue Sky]

The Soviet Austin-Putilov



Shown above is a (now) Polish Austin-putilov in the 1920. This vehicle was captured from the Soviets in the Russo-polish war of 1920 and renamed from Stenka Razi to Poznanczyk. A point of interest - Poland was the only nation to ever defeat the Red Army. The Austin-Putilov was a British design, though mostly produced and used in Russia. The Russians took the basic chassis (that was all that could be supplied by the over stretched Britsh production lines) and modified it considerably to cope with the harsh Russian conditions. Inprovements included later replacing the rear wheels with tracks and adding additional armor and rear steering. Both in terms of numbers and performance, the Austin/Austin-Putilov is considered by some to be the most important armored car the Russians possessed during WW1. Many saw action in the internal fighting surrounding the October revolution and afterwards in the Russian Civil War. After 1918 some saw service in the Polish and Japanese armies. This vehicle proved itself to be extremely rugged. For specifications go the section on WW1. Poland had more than 20, in different variants. All were captured in 1919-20, during Polish-Soviet war. The last ones were withdrawn in 1931. The name of the vehicle type was "Stenka Razin" or Styenka, depending on the translation.
There were five basic variants of Soviet Austins:- three variants of English-built Austins (mod. 1914 - 48 cars, model 1915 - 60 cars and model 1918 - 60 cars, not all delivered due to the revolution). Maybe there were more Austins sent to Russia - the sources tell different numbers.
- Austin-Putilov, with an armored body built in Russia (33 cars were made in 1919-20) - improved, with thicker armor and diagonal turrets.
-More than 10 Austins of all types were captured by Polish - most of them were used by Polish, at least 5 survived and were used after the war.
- the last variant was Austin-Putilov-Kegresse (only 12 cars built), with half-tracked chassis. It was very rare type, but a few vehicles (at least 2) were captured and used by Polish. They were ex-Soviet: "Ukrainiets" and "Putilovets" vehicles. The picture is depicting damaged Ukrainiets (with a slogan "Vsya Vlast Sovyetam" - All power to the Soviets) , after its capture.

[Blue Sky]

Armored Lorry - Dublin Ireland



This remarkable vehicle was constructed during the Irish Easter Rising of 1916. The vehicle was built for the British Army in Dublin. On the morning of 30th April 1916 authority was given to build an armored car for convoy and patrol work. Work was finished by 6:30pm the same day, being done at the Great Southern Railway works at Inchmore. The lorry was a 3-ton Daimler commandeered from the Guinness brewery. The armored body was assembled from locomotive smoke boxes; flat steel plates protected cab and radiator, with a locomotive cab roof as overhead cover. Many of the loopholes in the circular body are actually painted-on dummies, to confuse snipers. The armor was not actually bullet proof at close ranges, but the curve of the body did help deflect bullets. After the Rising, the armor was returned to the railway works and the Daimler returned to the brewery to deliver Guinness.

[Blue Sky]

Type 2 "Ka-Mi" Amphibious Tank









The Japanese began experiments with amphibious armor vehicles as early as 1928, and up to 1940 the Japanese Army undertook most work. After 1940 the Japanese Navy took over development of amphibious vehicles as these were to be used by the Japanese Marines.

The Type 2 used many components of the Type 95 light tank and served as the backbone for the Special Naval Landing Force. The hull was redesigned, and was of all-welded construction and fully sealed. Large pontoons were fitted front and rear to give the vehicle additional buoyancy. These were constructed of 0.12in (3mm) steel plate. The front pontoon was divided into eight compartments to minimize the effects of damage from shellfire. In the water, two propellers driven by the main engine via a transfer case propelled the tank. The Type 2 was steered in the water by two rudders, which were operated by the tank commander from his turret. Once ashore the pontoons were released by operating hand-wheels which controlled split-finger type pincer-clamps. The tank was armed with a 37mm gun in a turret with a traverse of 360 degrees, a 7.7mm machine gun was mounted co-axially with the main gun, and in the bow of the tank on the left. 132 rounds of 37mm and 3,500 rounds of 7.7mm machine gun ammunition were carried.

These tanks were normally launched from ships or landing craft offshore, and they would then head for the shore, cross the reef and, once ashore, discard their pontoons and head inland to their objectives. The Japanese developed their amphibious tanks further than most nations. Some were designed to be carried on the decks of submarines, others could even carry a naval torpedo on each side of the hull!

[Blue Sky]

German Ehrhardt



Originaly this was a truck armed with an AA-gun. It was left behind by it's German crew in 1918. It was given a full armoured body and in 1932 it's 6 cm gun was replaced by a 3,7 cm gun.

[Blue Sky]

CKD Praga TH



Later units were known as Praga T 6. Over 900 of these units were produced and exported widely. Peru obtained 95. The production run was from 1937 - 1944. Though built by the Czech firm of CKD (later BMM), it was never used by the Czechoslovak army.

[Blue Sky]

A list of Chinese tanks and mobile artillery is difficult to assemble. Every sort of import and captured weapon was used. Standardization was almost non-existent. Many local armor versions were assembled from materials on hand. Warlords would take normal trucks and have metal plates bolted to the sides and a machine gun mounted on the top. Any "Joe" Warlord would then own an "armored car." Put a few of these vehicles together, and the Mr. Warlord then commanded an armored unit! For example, In 1932 Marshal Liu Hsiang began putting together the "Armored Car and Tank Corps of Chungking". Armored cars were built in Shanghai based on the GMC 1931 truck with a 37 mm gun and 2 MGs in a crude turret. Exact numbers of this adaptation are unknown and I have yet to locate a photo. At the outset of the conflict with Japan, the Chinese had a variety of antiquated AFV and about 7000 trucks.

[cruise]

Bellissimi!!!!! Lo volgio anche io un carro così! certo che certa gente aveva delle idee così strane......

[Blue Sky]

Fromaget



Experimental armored car project (1936).

[Blue Sky]

Altro Capolavoro dei mangiarane!

Licorne



Voiture amphibie La Licorne, amphibious prototype.

Questo messaggio è stato modificato da Blue Sky: 24 ottobre 2008 - 20:52

[Blue Sky]

TT4



Véhicule de ravitaillement de cavalerie Bernard TT4, a supply véhicule for DLM cavalry built by Bernard, production called for after 1940.

[cama81]

non sarà un tank strambo ma l' aggiungo lo stesso :




ps l' ho trovata su ferrea mole