Today we present an article from the July-August 2002 issue of ARMOR magazine titled “Red Star – White Elephant?” This article, written by Stephen “Cookie” Sewell, casts a critical eye on post WW2 Soviet heavy tank design, in particular the IS-3 and T-10. Sewell notes that much of the information he is basing his conclusions on comes from research done after the collapse of the Soviet Union. In the 1990s, access to the Soviet era archives opened up, allowing a new generation of Soviet armor authors to research and write. Many of these names show up in the bibliography of this article, including Svirin, Baryatinskiy, and Kolomiets. Unfortunately for western audiences, these Russian author’s works have not, for the most part, been published in English.
Tank Biathlon drift flip video
A video shot with a phone has been making the rounds recently showing a T-72 flipping over during the 2015 Tank Biathlon in Russia. The accident involved a Kuwaiti crew who roll their T-72 over while practicing taking a corner in the style of a drift racer. The flip occurs at 1:55 into the clip. Earlier in the clip can be seen an Armenian crewed T-72 stalling out after passing through a water obstacle.
Jane’s article on IDF M48 Tamuz missle launcher
Jane’s has posted an article about the IDF missle-firing Peres artillery vehicle. Details of the vehicle have only recently released, despite the fact that it entered service in 1982. This vehicle has generated a great deal of discussion recently, as the true purpose of the vehicle has been revealed.
Interesting details from the article:
The manual guidance system restricts each Pere to having only one missile in the air at any given time, although a battalion of vehicles working together could potentially fire volleys at an enemy tank formation.- The Pere vehicles are now linked to the IDF’s Torch command-and-control system, allowing them to receive intelligence on the co-ordinates of targets from a range of sources.
- Unlike the IDF’s Merkava Mk 4 tanks, the Peres have not been fitted with Rafael’s Trophy active protective system.
- The Peres can be used to fire either Tamuz 2 missiles with a 15 km range or Tamuz 4 missiles with a range of 30 km. The Tamuz 4 is similar to the Tamuz 5, which is the IDF’s name for the Spike NLOS missile that the company has marketed internationally since 2009. The main difference is that the Tamuz 5 has advanced day/night capabilities and can be used with a semi-active laser guidance system.
- The Pere’s first operational use was not until 2005, when it returned fire on Palestinian attackers in the Gaza Strip. It then participated in the July-August 2006 war with Hizbullah, during which Pere units fired 527 missiles. In the 2008-09 Operation ‘Cast Lead’ against Hamas in the Gaza Strip, Peres fired 26 Tamuz missiles.
Tank Chats #8 Renault FT-17
The Tank Museum has released the eighth video in their Tank Chats series staring David Fletcher. This episode focuses on the Renault FT-17
Conceived by General Jean-Baptiste Estienne and manufactured under the control of the Renault Company this was the world’s first mass-produced tank, 3800 being built in all.
They went into action for the first time on 31 May 1918 near Ploissy-Chazelle and proved very successful when they were used in numbers. British forces used a few Renaults as liaison vehicles while the United States Army used them in combat and copied the design.
Civilian Sherman Photo Gallery
War History Online has posted some interesting photos of Sherman tanks converted into civilian work machines after the war. Most of these pictures show vehicles in which the turret and upper hull were removed and then used as the basis of a heavy vehicle for construction, forestry or mining. Some of the pictures show rather extensive modification to the hulls, including at least one example where a fourth suspension station was added (see picture to the left.) A couple photos also show vehicles based on M3/M5 light tanks, although this is not noted in the original article. The three page gallery may be viewed here.
From the Vault: British Report on Soviet V-2 Diesel Engine
Today we present one more English 1944 report on Soviet equipment posted on Scribd. This report examines the V-2 12 cylinder diesel tank engine used in both the T-34 and the KV-1. This is a very thorough report, being almost as long as the similar reports on the vehicles themselves (posted here and here.) Detailed information on the V-2 engine is not all that easy to find in English, so this report should prove quite useful to those with a particular interest in the V-2 diesel. Click on the image below to view the report at Scribd.
Blog Profile: Tankograd
People interested in Soviet tanks and armor may find the blog “Tankograd” worth checking out. Authored by Tiles Murphy, this blog features extremely long and detailed posts focused on a specific Soviet vehicle. So far the author of the blog has posted three entries, looking at the BMP-3, BTR-80, and the T-72. These posts are quite possibility the most detailed and extensive descriptions of these particular vehicles on the internet in English. In fact, they probably contain as much or more information than many of the books written on these vehicles. If ever a blog entry could rightfully be called “epic”, this is it.
Fv3805 Restoration Project
The Wright military and Heritage Museum on the Isle of Wright in the UK has announced that they have started a restoration project of a Fv3805. The Fv3805 was a British self propelled gun design, of which only two prototypes were built. One of these prototypes still exists and is at the Wright museum. A kickstarter campaign has been launched to support the project. Here is the project description from the kickstarter site.
About this project
Our project is to raise fund and restore the only FV3805 vehicle left in the world with the aim to have it driving at Bovington tank museum by 2017. The vehicle will be restored by volunteers and disabled ex-servicemen and women and when running will be the first vehicle in the UK specifically restored to carry wheel chairs and have access to the insides.
This project will allow anyone with the suitable training which can be provided for free to access the vehicle regardless of gender or ability and will be shown at tankfest 2017 by the female staff and volunteers from the museum” ‘With your help and support this machine can once again be returned to a working condition and find a role far more peaceful than for what she was designed for.
Risks and challenges
The Vehicle current is sitting outside the back of a museum workshop as it’s the safest place to store her, the crew that work on her in their free time are from a variety of engineering backgrounds and almost all have been involved in restoration projects before. Each member is H&S trained and each has extensive knowledge in their own fields, the only obstacle is time and money.
The project is described further in this “Mingles with Jingles” video.
The sad story of the M73 coax machine gun
One of the more surprising stories of cold war US tank development is the M73/M219 machine gun. Developed for use in US armored vehicles, the M73 served most prominently as the coax machine gun in the M48/M60 “Patton” series of tanks and the M551 Sheridan light tank. During its time of service, the M73 distinguished itself as one of the worst machine guns ever adopted by the US military, suffering from numerous malfunctions which lead to frequent jamming. This was particularly frustrating for US tankers who were accustomed to the reliability of the .30 and .50 cal machine guns designed by John Browning which equipped US tanks during WW2 and the early cold war period.
A nice overview of the sad history of the M73/M219 is provided by an article over at the small arms review. The article sums up the M73/M219 saying:
In retrospect, the design of the M73/M219 was an accumulation of novel concepts that should have been thoroughly tested in the application before finalizing the design. The off and on development program challenged the ever-changing design teams with a new learning curve every time the project was restarted. It was a costly program in time, assets, money and loss of face. She was an ugly little baby and somebody should have told her Mama so.
For those interested in primary documents, here is a link to a government report from 1975 detailing tests to find a suitable replacement for the M73/M219. Interestingly, the guns tested include not just US designs, but also the Canadian C1, the German MG3, the MAG58 from Belguim, the British L8A1, the French AAT52 and even the Soviet PKM.
Attribute Analysis of the Armor Machine Gun Candidates (PDF)
Here is a video showing the operation of the M73.
And finally, here are a couple PS Magazine articles on The M73. These are part of the “Be Your Own Inspector” series aimed at helping train soldiers properly maintain their equipment.
Issue 130 (1963)
Issue 200 (1969)
Sentinel Cruiser footage at Fishermans Bend
A new video has appeared showing the Australian Sentinel Cruiser along with other tracked and wheeled vehicles being put through their paces at a test sight in Australia. The date and location of the vehicles is listed as Fishermans Bend 1942. The video is featured in a news article in The Age Victoria, pointing out that the Fisherman’s Bend facility where these vehicles were manufactured is planned to become Melbourne’s newest high-rise apartment precinct. According to a report commissioned by the Nation Trust, the 19 Salmon Street factory was an experimental tank depot which produced fully sized timber mock-ups of what would become the Sentinel Cruiser from 1941 to 1943. A plan has been submitted to demolish the original factory and replace it with townhouses. The National Trust is calling for the original Art Deco style administration building to be retained, as well as a sample of the factory. Fishermans Bend was also a large car manufacturing area, from 1946 to 1972 being home to Rootes and later Chrysler car factories.
Tank and AFV News 