From the Vaults: Army Research, Development & Acquisition Magazine

March 29, 2015 by Leave a Comment

tank history 1 Sept Oct 1978Today we are presenting some tank related articles from the Army R,D&A (Research, Development and Acquisition) magazine.  This publication started in 1960 and is still being produced, although the name has changed to AL&T (Acquisition, Logistics and Technology).   For most of it’s history, the magazine was published bi-monthly and featured articles on new army technology and research programs.  Fortunately, a complete set of back issues is available here.  Tank and AFV News has gone through these back issues and picked out a selection of articles which may be of interest to the tank and AFV enthusiast or researcher.

We start with the Sept-Oct 1978 issue which features an article titled “Tank Development Traced to Royal Naval Air Service Early Efforts.”

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From the Vault: German comment on enemy tanks

March 2, 2015 by Leave a Comment

coverWhat did Germany think of the tanks fielded by the Allies in WWII?  This article from Tactical and Technical Trends Number 35, October 7, 1943 should give a few clues to the answer to that question.  The piece in Tactical and Technical Trends is an English translation of a German language article that appeared in the June 27 1943 edition of Das Reich.  Oddly enough, the article has very little to say about German tank design but rather spends quite a few words praising the M4 Sherman.  For example, the article points out the M4 “represents one of the special accomplishments of the North American laboratories.  With its turtle-shaped crown rising in one piece above the “tub” and turret it must be regarded as quite a praiseworthy product of the North American steel industry.”

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From the Vault: Report of the New Weapons Board Jan 17, 1944

March 1, 2015 by Leave a Comment

report coverOn January 17, 1944, the US Secretary of War directed the formation of the New Weapons Board. The mission of the board was to: 1. Disseminate among the theaters information concerning successful solutions to problems encountered in the theaters; 2. Obtain advice concerning the performance and suitability of standard weapons and equipment now in use in the theaters and assist in on-the-spot corrections of defects; 3. Introduce and demonstrate in the theaters new standard weapons and equipment which are available but are not in the theaters and new items which may be available within the following eight months, and to determine the requirements for the various items and; 4. Assist in increasing the effective use of weapons and equipment now in theaters. The entire report can be downloaded in PDF form here.  

A good deal of the report deals with tanks and armored vehicles.  We have selected the parts of the report that focus on tanks and AFVs and have posted them below with comments.

We will start with the introduction page.  Of particular interest are the comments that “there should be a progressive increase in fire power, such as 90mm guns in the T20 series tanks…and 90mm and 105mm guns in self-propelled mounts.”

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From the Vault: Vulnerability of German Panzer III, IV and VI

February 27, 2015 by Leave a Comment

Figure 39The following charts are taken from the document Terminal ballistic data, volume II, artillery fire released August 1944.  These charts (pages 31 -51 in the report) show what the US Army thought at the time regarding the effectiveness of their tank and anti-tank guns versus German armor (Panzer III, IV and Tiger I).  It is worth noting that according to the report, this data was gained by firing US projectiles at captured German tanks.  They note that “the plates in many cases were completely defeated and whole sections dropped out of the tank.  This was caused by failure of welds and cracking and spalling of the plate.  Thus, many plates failed under the impact shock of the hit, as well as from actual penetration.”

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From the Vault: Project #47 German Tank Losses

February 27, 2015 by 2 Comments

German Tank LossesToday we present document MS # P-059 Project # 47 German Tank Losses published on Nov 7, 1950.  This document was compiled by former Generalmajor Herman Burkhart Meuller-Hillebrand, who served as the chief of staff to the Third Panzer Army.  The document includes lists of German tank types with quantities in service by date.  There is also included a penetration chart for KwK and Pak guns.  Also included are stats for tank strength for a given date by front.  At the end of the report are three detailed charts showing tank strength, tank losses and tank production by vehicle type and month.

Download the PDF document here.

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From the Vault: Korean War tanker memoirs

February 26, 2015 by Leave a Comment

header_main_570x78The website Korean War Educator hosts an impressive number of written memoirs from Korean war veterans.  Several of these memoirs are from veterans that served with armored units.  These are all well written and worth a read, providing interesting details on Korean War tanks as well as insights into the experiences of the men who served in these vehicles.  Some of the entries also have photo galleries.  We have listed the tank related entries below with links.

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From the Vault: Yank Magazine on Axis Vehicles

February 13, 2015 by Leave a Comment

yank1smLone Sentry.com has a nice photo gallery and transcription of an article from Yank magazine from January 21, 1944.  The article is about captured axis tanks and equipment being examined at Aberdeen Proving Grounds.

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At Aberdeen’s Ordnance Research Center, inquisitive experts finds what makes an Axis vehicle tick, and their tests produce facts worth remembering.

By Sgt. MACK MORRISS and Sgt. RALPH STEIN, YANK Staff Correspondents

Aberdeen, Md. — The first thing you learn at the Foreign Material outfit here is never, ever, to call a Nazi tank a “Mark Six” or a “Mark Four.” The correct designation is PzKW VI or PzKW IV. “Mark” is a British way of saying model, whereas PzKW means what it says: Panzer Kampfwagen, or armored battlewagon.

For more than a year captured enemy vehicles have been arriving here from every battle front on earth. The first was a half-track prime mover that came in sections and required three months of trial-and-error tinkering to be completely reconstructed. Missing parts, which were requisitioned from North Africa, never arrived; mechanics in the Base Shop section made their own.

To read the rest of the article, please click here to go to Lone Sentry.com.

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From the Vault: Patton defends the M4 Sherman

February 9, 2015 by Leave a Comment

patton tank cartoonDuring the drive into Germany in early 1945, the American press broke the story that American tanks, in particular the M4 Sherman, were inferior to those of their German adversary, in particular the Panther and the Tiger.  News of the articles travelled to Europe where troops heard them.  At a press conference in March of 1945, General Patton was questioned about the quality of US tanks and publicly defended them.  Patton also wrote a letter to Lt. Gen, Thomas T. Handy, Deputy Chief of Staff, which was released by the War Department to the American press.  In the letter Patton points out that while the Sherman “would not last” in a straight forward slugging match with a German Tiger, “the great mobility of the M-4 usually enables it to circumvent the slow and unwieldy Tigers and not to engage in a slugging match but to attack them from the rear.” [Read more…]

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From the Vault: Detroit Tank Arsenal

February 6, 2015 by Leave a Comment

We are introducing a new catagory to the menu bar of Tank and AFV News called “From the Vault.”  This section will feature videos, pictures and documents that are not “news” yet which we still thing people will find interesting.

We will kick things off with a collection of materials about the Detroit Tank Arsenal.  First, here are two wartime videos about the Tank Arsenal.

Assembly Lines of Defense 20:15

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