News for all things related to Tanks and Armored Fighting Vehicles
While we realize that today’s POTD is not a very high quality picture, it’s such an odd example of homemade armor we felt it worth posting. We are not certain what happens when the crew try to rotate the turret to the side. The current conflict in Syria has produced many such oddball improvisations.
Nicholas Moran posted this video advertisement for the Polish Military Museum over on his facebook page. Frankly, it’s so damn strange that we felt compelled to share it here. In case anyone is wondering, the Panther tank in the video appears to be a rather well made vismod based on a T-54/55.
When the topic of Sherman tanks in the Middle East comes up, most people generally think about the Israeli “Super Shermans.” However, Egypt also operated a number of Sherman tanks in the period of 1949 – 1973. For those wanting to learn about these Egyptian Sherman tank, author Christopher Weeks has put together a short new book titled “Egyptian Shermans: A Photographic History of the M4 Sherman Tank in Egyptian Service 1949-1973.” This 38 page book includes a variety of photos showing Egyptian Sherman tanks, including the unmodified M4A4 tanks that made up the early 1950’s Egyptian tank force to the M4/FL10 hybrid (AMX-13 style turret) used in the 1967 and 73 wars. This book is available through the self-publishing service Blurb. As such, it’s a bit pricey compared to books from established publishers. That said, this is the only book on the topic and will most likely provide some fresh reading material for even the most well read of Sherman tank fans. The book is available here.
Authors Description:
The M4 Sherman tank is one of the world’s most famous tanks, with a long and storied career with foreign armies well into the post-World War II era. One of the least-well known users was Egypt, which used the tank in combat during its 1956, 1967 and 1973 wars with Israel, including its own unique variation with a French 75mm gun turret.
“Egyptian Shermans” is the most comprehensive work in the English language covering the M4 medium tank in Egyptian Army use. Over 45 photographs are featured, the vast majority of which have never before appeared in an English-language publication, including details of vehicle insignia, and rare photographs of Sexton self-propelled guns and a bridging tank used in the 1973 war.
For anyone that has a spare quarter million dollars and a very large garage, there is a Leopard 1A5BE listed for sale on Ebay right now. The listing states that the vehicle is located in Carlisle Pennsylvania. The Army Heritage & Education Center is located in Carlisle and has several historic tanks in their possession. However, we do not know if this Leopard belongs to them.
Sellers Description:
Up for auction is a very nice Leopard 1A5BE main battle tank. Not often that these come up for sale, be one of a handful of owners of these beautiful pieces of machines. These were designed by Porsche for the German army, this unit is one of the final variations produced with the latest thermal battle sights. Everything is full functional, unit is in good running condition. All of the armament has been removed or demilled to all of the current ATF specs for importation. This unit can be view at the buyers request. Please email me for more photos and questions. We can assist with all import requirements and shipping as we have helped other buyers bring these to the US market.
This photo comes from a foreign language blog. From what we can gather this image is from the 1968 Soviet occupation of Prague.
Tank Nut Dave has posted a number of videos showing Dutch Leopard 2 tanks firing a variety of ammunition types at various targets, including an M113, a Leopard 1 and a car.
World of Tanks researcher Nicholas “The Chieftain” Moran posted this video interview with World War II veteran Tom Sator as part of a Veteran’s Day tribute. Sator served as a tank crewman in the 4th Armored Division.
The Chieftain also posted a youtube video of the raw, unedited interview footage.
It’s been a few days since our last post. Here is a collection of recent articles related to tanks and armored vehicles. Click on the title to go to the full article.
When the German army’s first domestically-built tanks rolled into combat in March 1918 at St. Quentin Canal, the armored beasts looked considerably different from British and French designs — and most post-war tanks to follow. The A7V was a monster, stuffed with 18 crew members and brimming with six machine guns and a 57-millimeter cannon. While certainly terrifying to Allied troops, it was expensive, slow, mechanically troubled and too limited in number to affect the outcome of the war. It was not the worst tank ever, but not exactly good, either. There’s a reason why the bulk of Germany’s World War I tank force was comprised of captured — and superior — French and British designs.
Giving a much-needed boost to the Indian Army’s attack capabilities, Manohar Parrikar-led Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) has cleared a deal for buying upgraded versions of Russia’s powerful T-90 tanks for Rs 13,448 crore. The acquisition of T-90 tanks would not only add a potent weapon in the hands of the Indian Army, but would also send a strong warning to Pakistan. Reports suggest that an initial approval has been given for the procurement of 464 T-90 tanks under the Modi government’s Make in India initiative. The tanks, once the deal with Russia comes through, will be manufactured at the Ordnance Factory Board.
A lost work from author A. A. Milne was discovered this October, championing the British invention of the tank. As a serviceman who served in the First World War, Milne knew the importance of such a feat of British engineering but he could not have predicted the relevance his words would still hold today. One hundred years ago “those wonderful tanks”, as Milne christened them, were being used in active service for the first time during the Battle of the Somme, a battle in which he was wounded and invalided back to the UK. As a former tank commander with the British Army, these last months have had some poignancy for me – as I’m sure they will for many others.
A British Army intelligence report offers an alarmist assessment of Russia’s new T-14 Armata main battle tank. Most U.S. defense analysts, however, are much more measured in their analysis of the new Russian machines. While the T-14 will likely be an excellent tank when it becomes operational, it is not quite the “revolution” that the British claim it to be. Moreover, it is far too expensive to produce in mass numbers. “Without hyperbole, Armata represents the most revolutionary step change in tank design in the last half century,” states a British Army intelligence report cited by The Telegraph.
Most attention regarding China’s recent military modernization and buildup has concentrated on air and naval forces. That’s only natural, since they’re the tip of the spear and the equipment most often seen abroad. It’s easy to forget that China still has the world’s largest army, the 1.6 million strong People’s Liberation Army Ground Forces (PLAGF). The PLAGF has been modernizing at a slower pace than China’s other armed services, but it’s also receiving some brand-new armored vehicles, a number of which were demonstrated at last week’s Zuhai Air Show, including the MBT-300 main battle tank, VN12 infantry fighting vehicle, and a host of smaller, wheeled protected vehicles.
The past couple days have been pretty slow in regards to AFV related news stories. We will return to regular posting tomorrow. In the meantime, for all our readers in the US, don’t forget to vote today.
Tank and AFV News 