Over at the WoT discussion forum, someone started a thread about the Abrams TTB (tank test bed). That thread reminded us of this article from the Mar-Apr 1995 issues of ARMOR. We have posted the article below as an image gallery. For those that prefer PDF, you can download the entire issue here.
Photo of the Day: Carden Loyd Light Tractor
March 12, 2016 by 1 Comment
Today’s photo is of a British Carden Loyd Light Tractor. This particular example has, rather amusingly, been armed with a light machine gun. One would think that they might have at least provided the poor gunner with a gun shield of some sort…
This photo comes from Tanks and Armored Vehicles 1900-1945 by Col. Robert J. Icks, published in 1945 and reissued in 1970.
From the Vault: WO 291-1186 – Comparative performance of German anti-tank weapons in WW2
March 12, 2016 by Leave a Comment
Today we present some photos of a British report titled “WO 291-1186 – Comparative performance of German anti-tank weapons in WW2.” The title is somewhat misleading as the report is primarily focused on the effectiveness of German anti-tank mines. The photos are not of the best quality but are legible. There are some very nice charts in this report showing British tank losses broken down by enemy weapon type and theater of operation as well as a breakdown of British tank personnel loses by tank type and enemy weapon. According to the summary of the report:
Tank losses due to mines (22%) were generally less than those due to anti-tank guns (30%) and tanks + SP guns (39%), nevertheless they were appreciable, amounting to between a quarter and one fifth of the total losses.
Also, the report points out that:
It is concluded that nearly 2000 enemy mines were required to cause the loss of one British tank, on the assumption that equal numbers f mines went to each mile of the German front line.
North Korea holds tank biathlon style competition
March 11, 2016 by Leave a Comment
NKnews.org is reporting that North Korea recently held a tank competition event similar to the Russian Tank Biathlon. The event was attended by dictator Kim Jong Un and featured a variety of different tank types. According to Kim Min-seok, senior researcher at the Korea Defense and Security Forum, the majority of the North Korean tanks observed at the event our outdated types no match for modern South Korean armor.
“Most of the tanks seen in the pictures are outdated models,” said Kim. “The tanks in pictures are Chonma-ho Ga(Na) type, PT-72 the amphibious tank and Chonma-ho Ma type. Except for the Chonma-ho Ma type, all the rest are outdated by today’s standards.”
Nonetheless, Kim believes that the Pokpung-ho, the tank shown in the red circle of the photo is formidable adversary.
“This Pokpung-ho Tanks have gone through many phase of modifications to upgrade its defense. Such a model will be able to fight evenly against South Korea’s old tanks such as M4845, however its firepower will still not match that of South Korea’s main tanks such as the K-1 or K1a1.”
Despite the outdated tanks, the rules introduced in this first North Korean tank competition look very similar to the the Tank Biathlon, the Russian tanks competition, Kim said.
Photo/Video of the Day 3/11/2016
March 11, 2016 by 1 Comment
We have no idea what the story behind this weird T-55 based creation is.
Stars and Stripes: 100 Years of Tanks
March 9, 2016 by Leave a Comment
Stars and Stripes has posted a page devoted to “Tanks: from Novelty to Necessity in 100 years.” The page is intended for those that are not particularly familiar with the topic so the information is pretty basic. That said, it’s a very sharp looking page with some nice photos and videos. Our favorite image in the article is this one from 1921 showing the US Tank Corps stationed at Camp Meade.
The two men circled in red are Maj. George S. Patton (left) and Capt. Dwight D. Eisenhower (right).
Photo of the Day: Cunningham tank a hit with the Ladies
March 9, 2016 by Leave a Comment
This photo from 1931 shows a Cunningham T1E3 light tank accompanied by the wives of US Mechanized Force officers. The image is borrowed from the book “Camp Colt to Desert Storm” which we highly recommend to anyone interested in the history of the US Armored Force (used copes go for as little as a dollar on Amazon!)
From Our Readers: Reading Between the Lines: Estimating Tiger Tank Production
March 8, 2016 by 4 Comments
Today we present an original article written by Matt Dedrick titled “Reading Between the Lines: Estimating Tiger Tank Production.” Mr. Dedrick has spent a good deal of time wrestling with the topic of Tiger tank production during WW2, particularly the effects on Tiger 1 production caused by the strategic bombing of Kassel on October 22,23, 1943.
Excerpt:
This is the first of a series of articles intended to explore the effects on Tiger 1 production caused by the Royal Air Forces’s area fire-bombing of the medieval City of Kassel on the night of October 22,23, 1943. Though the bombing of Kassel was regarded by Henschel management and the Heereswaffenamt to have been the singular event most affecting Tiger 1 production, it has been virtually ignored in the available literature As a result, the production of Tiger 1 tanks during the four months following the bombing of Kassel has been poorly understood by modellers and tank historians alike.
Most of the data and documents on Tiger 1 production was lost during the war. Much of what is available has been researched, interpreted and published in the many books compiled by those two remarkable research-historians, the late Mr. Tom Jentz and the late Mr. Walter Spielberger The data found in their books has been largely based on Henschel monthly production statistics, wartime documents, minutes from the Heereswaffenamt /Henschel meetings, post war interviews, photographs as well as the data found in the various army manuals, journals and publications.
Photo of the Day: Starship in the Mud
March 7, 2016 by 5 Comments
Today’s Photo of the Day is of an M60A2 “Starship” tank. Or is it? Eagle-eyed viewers may notice that the rear engine deck is not of an M60 but rather an M48 or M48A1. As we understand it, this Frankenstein of a tank was used at Fort Knox for training exercises.
Tank and AFV News 