From the Vault: WW2 US Armor Force Pictures

Here is a photo gallery of images taken from the book “He’s in the Armored Force Now.”  This book was published in 1942 and was written by Captain Addison R. McGhee Jr., and it follows the experiences of some typical trainees in the US armored force in the early part of WW2.  This book is long out of print, having been published in 1942.  Those looking for photos of early war US tanks such as the M2 light or M3 medium will find these pictures of interest.  The photos are posted in slideshow format below.

 

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Here are the photos in regular gallery format.

M24 Tank Wrecks on Rhodes, Greece

This video of M24 tank wrecks on the Greek island of Rhodes appeared on Youtube yesterday.  No information is provided as to how these tanks got there or why they were abandoned.

Tanks on Tarawa

Those interested in the battle of Tarawa and the role that armor played in that battle, be sure to check out the website “Tanks on Tarawa.”  Tanks on Tarawa is a website dedicated to Charlie Company I Corps Medium Tank Battalion.  The site includes maps, photos, videos and detailed descriptions of the history of the unit.  Well worth checking out by anyone with an interest in the Pacific Campaign.  Click on the image below to visit the site.

 

 

 

Saudi to by LAVs with Cockerill Turrets

b-1024x768-CMI-Defence-Cockerill-CT-CV_04Jane’s is reporting that Saudi Arabia will be purchasing fire support and infantry fighting vehicle (IFV) variants of the General Dynamics Lands Systems (GDLS) 8×8 Light Armored Vehicle (LAV).  The deal is reported to be worth $10 billion and that the vehicles will be produced by GDLS Canada.  Belgium’s Belga news agency reported that GDLS Canada had awarded a EUR3.2 billion contract to Belgium’s CMI group to provide turrets for the  vehicles ordered by Saudi Arabia.  The turret that CMI will be providing is believed to be the Cockerill CT-CV 105HP.  This turret is equipped with a 105 mm high-pressure rifled gun with an autoloader and can also fire the laser-guided Falarick Gun-Launched Anti-Tank Guided Missile (GLATGM) that was developed by CMI and the Ukraine’s State Kyiv Design Bureau (Luch).  According to Jane’s, the CT-CV turret  uses the same 3000 Series architecture as the Cockerill Medium Caliber Turret (CMCT) which is available with a range of 25-40 mm cannons made by the US company Orbital ATK and a 7.62 mm coaxial machine gun, with anti-tank missiles, remote control weapon stations, and various defensive aids being options.

Operation Priority: Renault FT document

World of Tanks forum member “Amazing_Ace” has put together “Operation Priority“, a downloadable PDF guide to the many variants of the Renault FT.

No Renault FT Left Behind

FT mockupOperation Priority is a project to discover every French Renault FT variant, from the original prototype to the more modern designs. This famous tank sprouted numerous variants, and every one of them is identified in this informational guide. Despite the FTs significance, many designs are hidden and obscure. Each page will feature a variant and the vehicle will be described in a few small, yet detailed, statements. These statements are listed as vehicle name, vehicle type, and background details. They are accompanied by images of a vehicle sprite and an actual picture or illustration.

Read more by downloading or viewing the guide below! A unique feature is that this guide is open to change forever. If you discover any errors or like to add information, tell me below in the Operation Priority Tip Box section. The current version of the guide is below, the version number is also located in the Guide under the contents page:

Download the PDF here.

From the Vault: Ogorkiewicz on Swiss tanks

From the Jan-Feb 1967 issue of ARMOR is this article on Swiss armor by British tank expert Richard Ogorkiewicz.  A good deal of the article focuses on the Swiss Pz.61, a vehicle that was relatively new when the article was published.

 

Tank Chats #13 Praying Mantis

From The Tank Museum at Bovington.

Number 13 in the series of David Fletcher’s Tank Chats, the Praying Mantis is an experimental machine-gun carrier manufactured in 1943.

Praying Mantis was designed by Mr E J Tapp of County Commercial Cars and the original patent dates from 1937. Two prototypes were built of which this is the second. The idea was to create a low profile weapon carrier which could take advantage of natural cover but raise itself up, as necessary, to shoot over walls or other obstacles.

From the Vault: British WW2 tank gun effectiveness report

Here is a short report that was found by a friend of the site while archive digging on “Estimation of the Chances of Defeating Enemy A.F.Vs. with British Tank and Anti-Tank Guns” created by Armor Operation Research Group.  No date is included in the report, but it is reasonable to assume it was written during the latter part of WW2.  This report was photographed quickly by hand, so please excuse the quality of the pictures.  It is probably best not to take the figures provided in this report as gospel since the report clearly states that it is providing estimates, not test results.  To quote the report itself:

The estimates have little meaning as isolated absolute values and are to be interpreted on a comparative basis only.  Even with this proviso they are not fully reliable owing to paucity of information regarding such subjects as German armour performance and behavior of capped shot at high angles of attack.  It is pointed out in particular that the estimates probably tend to overvalue gun performances at longer ranges, owing to the method us for assessing accuracy of fire, and that they are not sufficiently reliable for fine comparisons to be drawn between performances of A.P. and A.P.C.B.C. shot of the same calibre.

That said, the report is interesting as it shows what the British Army assumed was the effectiveness of their tank and anti-tank weapons versus late war German armor.

Panzerpicture Youtube channel

People looking for video footage of historic WW2 era tanks may enjoy the Panzerpicture youtube channel.  This channel features over a hundred videos of tanks and armored vehicles, typically filmed in a “walk around’ fashion with a hand held camera.  The channel also features videos from WW2 reenactment events.

View the channel here.

Most recent video:

Poland orders Leopard 2PL upgrade

1646417_-_mainJane’s IHS has posted an article providing some details about the upgrade Poland is planning for 128 of their Leopard 2 tanks.  Poland has signed a $605.7 million contract with prime contractor Polska Grupa Zbrojeniowa (PGZ) and integrator ZM Bumar-Labedy by the Polish Armament Inspectorate to upgrade its 128 Leopard 2A4 tanks to a new standard called Leopard 2PL.  Poland has 128 Leopard 2A4s purchased from Germany in 2002, all of which are intended to receive the 2PL upgrade by the year 2020.   Currently these vehicles are part of the 10th Armored Cavalry Brigade, based in Swietoszow.

According to Janes, the upgrade will include:

  • Turret armor to a level at least that of the Leopard 2A5 variant.
  • Spall liners will  be added in the crew compartment of the turret, while internal storage and stowage capabilities will be extended.
  • L44 120 mm gun and its fire control system will be upgraded for compatibility with the newest DM11 and DM63-type armor-piercing ammunition.
  • New commander and gunner sights incorporating the Polish PCO KLW-1 thermal imager, while the gun and turret stabilizer systems will be changed from hydraulic to electric.