Claymore's AH AFVs: Take 2

[Claymore]

Something nasty happened a couple of weeks back and my AH AFV thread disappeared from the forum.  Apparently, I pressed something I shouldn't have and before you could say 'eh?', I had committed virtual hara-kiri - although I have no recollection of doing so.  Sadly, the end result is that 57-odd pages of posts, general discussion and banter, not to mention 97,000 views, has slipped into the shadowy realms of internet oblivion. 

I turned to a fresh page in my diary and made a new entry; it simply said, "Bugger..."

Whilst I have made offerings to the gods and called upon the mystical powers of the Admin gurus, it would seem that the devil has indeed farted in my face once again and there is nothing that can be done save start again...

So, with a word of caution against the inbuilt self destruct button, I present my collection of Alternative History AFVs: Take 2...

[Claymore]

Panther III

This design started as a concept within an AH wargame that I designed way back in 2002 and which saw a Nazi Germany survive WW2 only to be embroiled in WW3 later in the early 1990s. I needed an AFV that filled the gap between the Panther I / Panther II and the Leopard I where IOTL the Germans used the US M-47 and M-48. (Note: I also posted this design as a suggestion for CalBear’s The Anglo-American - Nazi War Panther III)

 The logic for my design is as follows:

· The original Panther's excellent combination of firepower, mobility, and protection served as a benchmark for other nations' late war and immediate post-war tank designs, and it is frequently regarded as one of the best tank designs of World War II. However, some design flaws, such as its weak final drive units, were never corrected. The Panther's suspension was also complicated to manufacture and the interleaved system made replacing inner road wheels time consuming. The turret was also relatively small and did not easily allow for upgrading its main gun.

· The Panther II was never really a development of the origenal Panther, rather it was a parallel development which intended to share many of the components of the Tiger II. It continued to have many of the same design flaws of the Panther I but was heavier and underpowered. WW2 finishes before any major advantages of the Panther II design are realised and as a design it is quickly dropped in favour of the more numerous and reliable Panther I.

 · With the end of WW2, German defence plans call for an improvement in the quality of their AFVs over the need for mass production and so the design bureas look at improving the Panther I to meet and exceed Soviet and Western tanks.

 · The Germans are first to embrace the MBT concept of a universal tank which will combine the very best aspects of armoured protection, firepower and maneouveability. The Panther III is conceived.

 · The interleaved suspension is replaced with a more reliable single bogey and torsion bar system with return rollers for a better track ride.

 · The turret ring is enlarged to accept an entirely new turret mounting a 105mm rifled cannon whch out performs the US 90mm, British 20pdr and the Soviet 85mm of the day. The turret also accommodates a sterioscopic sighting system.

 · The bow gunner’s position has been removed to allow for more ammunition storage. Crew reduced to 4.
 ​
The end result is a tank that looks right. This particular Panther III is 2nd tank, 3rd platoon, 4th company of the 31st Panzer Regiment of 5th Panzer Division circa 1954. The Panther III was eventually replaced, in German service, by the Leopard 1 which, ITTL, starts life looking more like the OTL Leopard 1A3.

 The model itself contains parts from a Tamiya Panther Ausf D (what I had available), Academy M-60 Patton, Italeri Leopard 1 and various bits of scratch build.

[Claymore]

StuG Sherman

 The StuG Sherman as a concept initially came to my attention from Life in Black as mentioned in Hairogs’s TL World War III in May 1946 although he also has his own thread, AHC: StuG Sherman which goes into greater detail and discussion. The idea immediately caught my imagination and rekindled my interest in AH AFVs.

 Although I initially built and painted the model in US Army colours, I could not really come up with a good enough reason as to why the US would have gone down this particular route given their OTL preference for turreted tank destroyers. I could be persuaded though if someone can up with a TL where the US instead decided to copy the German concept and produced fixed larger gunned tank destroyers on standard tank chassis.

 I eventually, repainted my model in IDF colours, postulating that the Israelis, with their ability to adapt just about anything to their needs, may have developed a StuG type Sherman as a relatively cheap way of utilising their existing stock of redundant Shermans to increase their AT defences. A similar use of old Shermans as the IDF Makmat 160mm mortar carrier and L-33 155mm SPG.

 Just suppose that in the early 60s as the Centurion is entering front line service a number of Sherman hulls are made available for conversion into dedicated tank destroyers. Knowing that they face potential enemies on many fronts and that their armoured force cannot concentrate on more than one at a time, a plan is developed to increase the AT firepower of the Infantry formations who will have to conduct holding actions until relieved by the hard pressed armoured divisions. Enter the 90mm armed "StuG" Sherman; although not many were ever produced, they were a firm favourite of the infantry in the early phase of the 6-Day War.

 Depicted is the 1st vehicle of the 2 platoon, 2nd Company, 2nd Battalion, Tank Destroyer Command attached to the Golani Brigade.

 The model itself contains parts from an Academy Sherman M4A3E8, Revell Kanone Jadgpanzer, and various bits of scratch build.

[The Big Gimper]

I'm not a zipper head but this is an amazing conversion.  :)

[Claymore]

T-50/M-47 Patton

 This idea comes thanks to Mad Missouri who introduced the design into Hairogs’s TL World War III in May 1946.

 The premise is that in a renewed war against the Soviet Union, the USA are not impressed with the poor performance of their M-26 Pershing (nicknamed the ‘Pushing’ after its numerous mechanical problems). In a radical move to improve their heavy armour, the US decide to adapt the new British designed Centurion to their own needs. With the already proven 90mm gun, the US blend a new turret design onto a modified Centurion hull.

 Essentially, a T-42 turret (as was fitted to the OTL M-47) is mounted on a Centurion hull which has been modified to house a Continental diesel engine with side mounted air filters.

 The model itself contains parts from a AFV Club Centurion Mk 5, Italeri M-47 Patton, Academy M-60 Patton and various bits of scratch build.

[Claymore]

I'm not a zipper head but this is an amazing conversion.  :)

Thanks mate. Sadly these are re-post of old conversions/models necessitated by the evaporation of my original thread...   

I have about another 30 to go...

[Claymore]

GAU-19 M1 Comabat Car

Jim Smitty's M1 Combat Car armed with a GAU-19 (6-barrelled, 50-cal gatling gun) for his American Airline Flight 817 TL. This vehicle 'Lightning' is the 6th vehicle of D Company of the 11th Armoured Cavalry Regiment and whilst a light AFV its primary function in the line of battle is the disruption of enemy infantry assaults. Its extremely high rate of fire and heavy 50-cal round also make it devastating in clearing dense jungle, light urban areas and soft/light armoured vehicles.

[Claymore]

Wheeled SPAAG

 Attached is RCTFI's wheeled SPAAG come APC to match the requirements of his AH TL. The vehicle depicts the 3rd vehicle of A Company, 27th Armoured Infantry of the 9th Armoured Division. A number of these specialist vehicles were spread throughout all armoured infantry regiments to provide localised close anti-air support whilst maintaining the ability to deploy a half infantry squad when required. Later these vehicles were augmented and mostly replaced in the armoured infantry role by the heavy SPAAGs (watch this space). The wheeled SPAAGs were then re-located to the regular infantry divisions.

[Claymore]

The Beast

 The beast features in Life in Blacks (I think still unpublished) AH TL as the command tank, 'Lili' (as in Lili Marleen) of Oberst Anton Weiss of the 1st Brigade of the 37th Panzer Division somewhere in the Middle East.

 The model is a pick and mix of an M1A2 Abrams hull married to a Leopard 2A6 turret with a Challenger 2's side plates and a GAU-19 remote weapons system on top. The camouflage is a take (simplified) on a Canadian desert digi-cam. Mostly painted in with a tooth pick... kill me now!

[Claymore]

Armadillo

 This is the 'Armadillo' from KyleB's TL "A British StuG III". The vehicle is essentially a casemated British QF 3 inch 20 cwt, WW1 era, AA gun mounted on a Crusader MK III hull. OTL, a number of these guns were indeed converted to the AT role but not in SP mounts.

 In KyleB's TL the Armadillo (a development of the 'Walrus') is conceived as a counter to the heavy German AFVs beginning to appear in the Western desert which are virtually immune to even the 6 pdr armed British tanks.

 The model is based on a very old Italeri Crusader Mk III with a scratch built casemate. Although it looks quite similar to the Soviet SU 100 it is not based on it at all - indeed a made a point of purposely not looking it up until afterwards. The similarity comes from the basic box like casemate mounted on a Christie suspension hull and that's about it. The model itself depicts the 6th vehicle of B Squadron, 3 Royal Tank Regiment of the 8th Armoured Brigade of 10th Armoured Division.

[Claymore]

StuG Centurion (Romah)

 It has been argued that the Romah (Lance) was the natural evolution of the M52 ‘StuG Sherman’ concept but transposed onto the Centurion hull. The truth, however, is that the two AFVs, although both built around casemate designs, were intended for very different tactical roles. The M52 was conceived from the start to be a tank destroyer mounting an effective AT gun. The Romah, on the other hand, was born from the experiences of the 6-Day War and the Golan Heights in particular where the Syrian defensive bunkers had caused such considerable difficulties for the Israeli infantry. In response it was proposed to provide the infantry with direct heavy artillery support that could close with and destroy enemy fortifications at short range, in other words an assault gun.

 The same 155mm gun as equipped the M109 was selected for the proposed design although at the last moment the original short M126 was replaced with the new M126A1 gun. Although increasing the overall length of the vehicle, it was felt that the higher velocity achieved with the M126A1 would increase the Romah’s concrete penetration whilst also improving its secondary AT performance. This last minute change was to have a profound impact on the combat debut of the Romah.

 When the Yom Kippur War of Oct 1973 threatened to engulf Israel, the Romah found itself thrust into the heat of battle. Caught on the back foot and fighting a desperate defensive battle the IDF deployed the 1st Bn of the 215th Artillery Brigade with its brand new vehicles to the Northern Border attached to the battered Barak Armoured Brigade. The 2nd Battery of 1st Coy soon found itself facing the bulk of the Syrian 4th Armoured Division. Although designed specifically for this area of operation it was with some irony that the crews found themselves using their assault guns in the AT role.

 The performance of the Romah was spectacular if somewhat limited by overall numbers. Whilst the M225 155mm APFSDS round was developed for the Romah there is no record of them being used in any numbers during the 6-day war with the notable exception of 1st vehicle of 2nd Battery of A Coy which scored a catastrophic direct hit on a Syrian T-62 at the unprecedented range of 5.2 Km. The vast bulk of the ammunition fired by the Romahs were the standard M107 155mm HE round. Although these rounds were intended for the Romah’s primary Assault Gun mission there are many accounts of Syrian tanks being literally ripped apart by the sheer concussive force of a DH from a 155mm round. Of note was the other unique round produced for the Romah, the M550 canister round. Again there are no official accounts of its use during the 6-day War however, it was said that once seen its effects were never forgotten.

 The Romah saw action again during the IDF'S assault on PLO positions in Southern Lebanon during the 1980s being used this time in its intended Assault Gun role. A few remain in reserve service.

 This model represents the 1st vehicle ‘Gilboa’, 2nd Battery, 1st Coy, 1 Bn of 215th Artillery Brigade.

[Old Wombat]

The bonus, for me, is that I get to see all these builds again!

Why is the TC tank-surfing "Lili"? Has he been tokin' the weed?

[Claymore]

Armoured Logistics Vehicle

 The model depicts an Armoured Logistics Vehicle (ALV) of the 301st Heavy Logistic Support Battalion, 90th Guards Tank Division in 20th Guards Army at Bernau in the Group of Soviet Forces in Germany some time in the mid-1980s.

 The ALV is a heavily modified T-62 hull with the new crew compartment and turret built over the rear engine deck so that the original T-62 is effectively back to front. This adaption allows for a large unrestricted cargo compartment free of engine and transmission. This arrangement does however, require large side mounted air intakes for the somewhat enclosed engine.

 The cargo area is large enough to carry numerous and varied loads and can be set up as an APC or a very effective field ambulance. The rear cargo compartment is accessed by a large hydraulically powered ramp.

 Defence is provided by a BMP-2 turret mounting a very effective 30mm automatic cannon, which has a selectable rate of fire, either slow at 200 to 300 rounds per minute or fast at 550 rounds per minute. The stabilisation provides reasonable accuracy up to a speed of about 35 kilometres per hour. The AP-T ammunition can penetrate 15 millimetres of armour at sixty degrees at 1,500 meters, while a new APDS-T tungsten round can penetrate 25 millimetres at the same distance. A typical ammunition load is 160 rounds of AP ammunition and 340 rounds of HE ammunition. The commander's 1PZ-3 sight is specifically designed for anti-aircraft operation and combined with the high maximum elevation of 74 degrees; it allows the 30 mm cannon to be used effectively against helicopters and slow flying aircraft.

 The ALV is fully NBC protected.

 The model is built on the base of a Tamiya T-62 with the turret from a (?) BMP-2 and a whole lot of scratch build.

[Claymore]

Why is the TC tank-surfing "Lili"? Has he been tokin' the weed?

Quite possibly with a bit of Hawaii Five 0 in the background! 

[Claymore]

Tiger III

 Whilst Grey Antarctica came up with the initial idea for a modernised King (Royal) Tiger/Tiger II, he didn’t go into any detail regarding a TL that would feature such a beast. So for the lack of anything else, I have placed my Tiger III in the same post-WW2 universe as my Panther III (see page 1, post #2) where Nazi Germany survived…

At the end of the war, Germany found itself needing to rationalise and update its armoured formations. Early on the decision was made to go with a medium design supported by a heavy counterpart. For OKW this was a logical step as it effectively reinforced the current operational and tactical thinking of the day. It was also in keeping with the doctrinal developments of the other ‘big players’ such as Britain who were starting to field the Centurion and Conqueror; the USSR with the T-54 and the T-10 and, to a lesser extent, the US with the M4A3E8 and M-26/M-46.

 Whilst the new medium tank would be based around a development of the trusted Panther the proposed heavy panzer would be built upon the bones of the Tiger II, which would sport a larger gun and an uprated engine coupled to a completely redesigned locomotive and road wheel assembly. In common with its smaller cousin, the complex double torsion bar suspension with interlocking wheels was dropped in favour of a more efficient torsion bar system and single bogey wheels. From this point of view, both the Tiger III and Panther III looked very similar although the Tiger III had an extra road wheel to help spread its not inconsiderable weight. It is fair to say, however, that the same frustrations and conflicts that beset the British and USSR tank designs and doctrine also hindered the Germans efforts to produce a satisfactory armoured combination.

 To start with, the new Maybach HL230 engine with fuel injection and uprated drive train (1,000 PS (986 hp, 736 kW) selected by Henschel for the new Tiger III was also selected for the new MAN Panther III. In quick succession, the 10.5 cm KwK L/68 main gun, gun stabilization system and Zeiss stereoscopic range finder planned for the Tiger III also found their way into the Panther III programme. Perhaps inevitably, an increasing amount of time, effort and resources were prioritised towards MAN’s more practical design. This left Henschel with a relatively under-powered and under-gunned prototype mounting the same power pack and main armament as its smaller, lighter companion. In an effort to raise the stakes and taking advantage of the Tiger III’s larger turret (perhaps its only redeeming feature), Henschel replaced the 10.5 cm cannon with a new 11.5 cm gun under development by Krupp. Whilst, on paper, this gave the Tiger III an advantage in hitting power over the Panther III, the reality was that the 11.5 cm gun was more trouble than it was worth with no significant improvement in armour penetration over the 10.5 cm gun and a slower rate of fire.

 Nonetheless, the Tiger III eventually entered service albeit in very limited numbers. By the standards of the day, the Tiger III was a good tank; its problem however, was that performance-wise it was not significantly any better than the Panther III and yet cost significantly more. By the early 1950s, OKW finally grasped what many were already beginning to realise; the new medium Panther III had effectively evolved into the elusive universal panzer, the worlds first Main Battle Tank (MBT) and that the need for a dedicated heavy panzer no longer existed. With that realisation, the short life of the Tiger III came to an abrupt end. Not surprisingly, both Britain and the USSR were to come to the same realisation and quietly dropped their heavy tank designs in favour of their own MBT. Arguably, only the US persisted with the duel role concept (M-48 and M-103) until they too settled on the M60 MBT.

 Whilst the Tiger III earned its place in the annuls of AFV history, it was to be as the last gasp of a dying breed rather than the fighting leviathan it was intended to be.

 This particular Tiger III depicts the 1st tank, 3rd platoon, 1st company of the 501st Heavy Panzer Battalion circa 1951.

 The model itself contains parts from a Tamiya King Tiger, Tamiya Leopard 1, Academy M-60 Patton, Tamiya M-60A2, Tamiya T-62, Tamiya Jagdpanther and various bits of scratch build!

[Claymore]

Jackal MRAP

 This is a project for MacCaulay and his Invasion of Kenya TL. He is entirely at liberty to re-invent the background for the vehicle but this is sort of how I imagined it...

 The Jackal M3 MRAP was very much a product of its time. With the various insurgents unable, on the whole, to meet the heavily armed SouthRATS on equal terms, they increasingly turned to the use of landmines and IEDs to limit the RATS' freedom of movement. The ubiquitous M3 Halftrack with its flat bottom was particularly vulnerable and with a marked rise in losses to said mines/IEDs it fell to the Kenyan Defence Force REME (Royal Electrical & Mechanical Engineers) to come up with a solution.

 What started as a plan to simply add addition armour plate to the underside of the vehicle quickly turned into the world’s first purpose designed MRAP. The angled V-shaped plates gave a good compromise between weight and blast protection with the added heavy duty roll bars giving additional head protection should the vehicle be tipped over. Although far from perfect, the Jackal was a firm favourite with all who used them. This relatively simple home-grown modification also paved the way for future more successful MRAP designs.

 Unfortunately, I had to use a M21 Mortar Carrier as the base for the project as the M3 Personnel Carrier no longer seems to be available - a lot of retro-construction was therefore required just to get it to the stage where I could then rip it apart! The model depicts the 1st vehicle of the Regimental HQ.

[Claymore]

Magach 5 Avenger

 Following the Yom Kippur War the IDF’s holdings of M48s and M60s were dramatically reduced (500 and something down to 200 and something). OTL the US resupplied with M48A5s and more M60s. In this TL, however, some of the M60s supplied were M60A2s. Whilst the IDF had no intention of fielding the M60A2's gun/missile system they were desperate for AFVs. The A2 turrets were removed and replaced with either salvaged M60 105mm gun turrets or the new twin 120mm breach loading mortar turret (another story/project). Having suffered such great losses of its MBT force to Egyptian AT missile teams, the IDF were keen to come up with/prove the concept of a tank escort support vehicle. A deal was struck with the US for the IDF to acquire a limited number of GAU-8s to be retrofitted into the discarded M60A2 narrow profile turrets. With the barrel group sticking out front, the length and width of the turret was about right - although some modification was required to accommodate the large ammunition drums. The turrets, which were entirely unmanned, were then fitted onto older M48 hulls (same sized turret ring) with the 3-man crew (Commander, Gunner and Driver) being positioned within the hull. The end result was not, and was never intended to be, a MBT. The Magach 5 Avenger proved to be highly capable in its escort/urban role and, although never produced in large numbers, proved to be extremely popular with both AFV crews and infantry alike.

 Factual detail:
 - The A-10 routinely carries 1150 rounds of 30mm ammunition for its GAU-8 Avenger cannon. The GAU-8 was designed to have 2 rates of fire - slow 2100rpm and fast 4200rpm. In operation the gun now has a fixed rate of fire of 3900rpm. However, I would suggest that in a ground vehicle mount the slower rate of fire would more than suffice. Thus at 2100rpm you fire 35 rounds every second. This gives you approximately 32 x 1-second bursts from 1150 rounds.
 - This compares favourably to a modern SPAAG such as the Gepard, which carries only 320 rounds per gun but also only fires each gun at a cyclic rate of 550rpm. In other words, 9 rounds per gun per second for a total of approximately 36 x 1-second bursts.
 - In order to prevent possible ingestion of spent cases into its engines, the A-10 keeps hold of its fired empty cases in the rear drum immediately behind the ammunition feed drum (All of this is part of the overall 5.93m length of the gun system).
 - There is no ingestion problem on a ground vehicle and so no need to retain the spent 30mm cases, thus the second drum could be used to hold more ammunition, effectively doubling its capacity to 2300 rounds. This would give approximately 64 x 1-second bursts from one complete ammunition load. The bonus, of course, is that each 1-second burst fires 35 rounds down range as opposed to the Gepard which fires 18 rounds per second from its 2 barrels.
 - The GAU-8 operates a linkless round system with the rounds effectively pushed along the feed rails by the ammunition drum, which is designed like a giant corkscrew. Whilst this storage and feed system could be replaced with something less linear there is, I believe, scope for some sort of gun elevation system, which would only move the front part of the gun without adversely affecting the flexible feeds. In the A-10 mount this mid section appears to be taken up with what I assume are hydraulic and/or electric motors to spin the barrel group and power the ammunition drums. Without the limitation of aircraft space and weight constraints, I am sure that the above mentioned elevation system could be worked out.
 - The empty cases are ejected from a armoured port on the right-hand side of the turret. The process of reloading the ammunition drums is facilitated through an access panel on the rear of the turret which allows a reload feed belt to be attached.

 The model, which represents the 2nd Vehicle, 2nd Platoon of the 2nd Magach 5 Avenger Company, is made from parts of a Tamiya M48 Sgt York, a Tamiya M60A2 and a fair bit of scratch build/bits from the spares box.

[Claymore]

PzKpfw IV SII Ausf B

 This has been a fun project from start to finish with a lot of head scratching and geometric trickery at the design stage to stripping back the original model to almost nothing and then adding all the new bits - kit-bashing at its best!

 What we have essentially is a next generation Panzer IV. LeoXiao gives a full and detailed technical description and background at Post 424 so I will not reproduce it here again. But the salient points/differences between the OTL Panzer IV and the SII Ausf B are: sloped armour, bigger turret to accommodate a new 75mm L/56 gun, new running gear modelled on the prototype VK3001P, a more powerful engine and a redesigned rear hull to accommodate the new engine, air intakes and exhaust system.

 By keeping and incorporating the Panzer IV's inward sloping front hull we have ended up with a look that is definitely non-Panther-like and keeps the feel of the Panzer IV unlike some other sloped-armour PzIV designs I came across on the interweb. It also looks a damned site better than the PzIII/IV hybrid design!

 The following sets of photos show pretty well the construction process and I hope you like the end result. The model itself represents the 2nd vehicle of the 1st Bn HQ, 35th Pz Regt of 4th Pz Div and is made from bits from a Tamiya Panzer IV, Tamiya Jagdpanther, Tamiya M113, some copper pipe and lots of plastic card.

[ysi_maniac]

Love this thread!
 :) :) :) :) :)

[Claymore]

IDF Panther Upgrade - Roetz

 From an initial idea by Life in Black...

 In the early 1950s, France sells 50 Panther tanks to the fledgling Israeli Defence Force. Whilst the Panther would not have been their first choice of AFV, the IDF are in no position to turn down France’s low price offer. With no small sense of irony the IDF rename the Panther the Roetz (Bane) and set about integrating it into their expanding armoured formations. Whilst providing sterling service, by the mid-1960s the Roetz is noticeably woefully under-gunned and underpowered. The IDF are faced with a stark choice - scrap or upgrade. With potential enemies on all sides, the mid 60s is no time to be reducing its armoured fleet and so the decision is taken to give the Roetz a limited upgrade.

 Although not ideal, the interleaved road wheel arrangement has proved to be less bothersome than was first expected and given the major structural surgery needed to change the suspension (and considerable expense) the decision is taken that if it ain’t broken - don’t fix it. The upgrade programme therefore concentrates on the gun system and the power pack.

 In an act of reconciliation the West German government offer up the Leopard 1’s MTU MB 838 CaM 500 (819 hp) multi-fuel engine to replace the old V-12 Maybach HL230 P30 (690 hp) petrol engine. This requires a significant rebuild of the rear deck and engine compartment but provides all of the Roetz’s power needs and more.

 The Royal Ordnance L7 105mm L/52 is selected as the preferred main gun and will give some degree of standardisation with the Centurion tanks also in IDF service. Unfortunately, there is no way the L7 will fit into the old Panther turret and so in a radical move the turrets from captured T-55s are re-gunned and grafted on to the Roetz hulls. The bower gunner’s position is also removed to make space for additional ammunition stowage.

 The end result is the Roetz Mk2; a capable, hard hitting and versatile MBT.

 This vehicle represents “מחץ - Crushed” - the 2nd vehicle, 1st Platoon, 2nd Company of the 1st Battalion of the Barak Armoured Brigade. The model is based on a Tamiya Panther G and contains parts from a Tamiya Leopard 1, spare parts, scratch build and a T-55 model that was so old I can’t remember who made it!

[Claymore]

Love this thread!
 :) :) :) :) :)

Thanks mate.  :)

[Claymore]

17 pdr SPAT

 From an initial discussion on a thread by Life in Black on StuG Shermans where I proposed a 17 pdr armed M7 Priest variant...

 The British were the first to field the US designed M7 Priest in North Africa in 1942 and found it extremely useful. However, the design was by no means perfect; the biggest drawback being the US 105mm Howitzer's ammunition which had no match in the UK inventory. Ammunition supply was therefore problematic and an unwelcome burden on the logistics supply system. This situation was never really resolved until the introduction of the 25-pdr armed Sexton which like the M7 was intended to be built on an M3/M4 platform. In the end most Sextons were built on Canadian Ram & Grizzly hulls - themselves copies-ish of the M3 and M4 respectively.

 Virtually all of the now redundant M7 Priests in UK/Commonwealth service were converted into Kangaroo troop-carrying APCs. Given the retasking of these vehicles, it is not inconceivable that some may have been converted into SP AT vehicles mounting the excellent 17-pdr gun.

 Unlike the US who preferred open-topped turreted tank destroyers, the UK did dabble in fixed gun AT armoured vehicles, such as the SP 17-pdr, Valentine, Mk I, Archer. This is probably as close to a StuG Sherman or StuG Lee/Grant as the Western Allies were ever likely to get.

 The model depicts "Caldera" the 5th vehicle of C battery, 57th (East Surrey) Anti-Tank Regt of 7th Armoured Division (1944) and contains parts from a Academy M7 Priest, a Bronco 17 pdr, some scratch build and various bits from the spares box.

[Claymore]

Heavy SPAAG/APC

 From an initial idea by RCTFI and a TL that sees an air heavy but armour light environment, circa late 1940s - early 50s...

 The Heavy SPAAGs were a natural development of a concept first introduced with the 8 wheeled, quad-50 APC (see post 218) and soon replaced those vehicles in all armoured infantry units. Armed with twin 40mm Bofors guns, the M401 was based on a heavily modified M40 155mm SPG hull and was capable of carrying a full infantry quad.

 The M401 proved to be highly successful and popular in its intended APC role and the twin 40s proved to be extremely effective against ground targets. However, by the 1950s the twin 40s were less effective against fast moving air targets and in the later stages of its life many M401s had their turrets removed and replaced with a radar assisted 30mm Vulcan rotary cannon mount.

 The model depicts "Scorpion", the 15th vehicle, B Company, 35 Armoured Infantry of 4 Armoured Division and is made up of bits from a AFV Club M40, Tamiya M42 Duster, Tamiya M113, scratch build and spare parts.

[Claymore]

кувалда (Sledgehammer)

 From an idea by Sharlin...

 Given the USSR’s history with Japan the fact that the later was waging a protracted war in China did not go un-noticed or without considerable concern. In particular, as the USSR’s only warm-water port in the Pacific, the security of Vladivostok was deemed essential. The lucrative trade and income from Vladivostok gave the ruling Soviet of the Primorye Krai administrative area a degree of favour and autonomy within Stalin’s otherwise tight grip.

 Whilst not wanting, or able, to disrupt the output of armoured vehicles for the ever-increasing demands of the German front, the Primorye Krai Soviet were able to utilise components of several outdated and/or rejected military projects to come up with an armoured vehicle that met their particular need. Given the long border with China, the rugged terrain and harsh winters, they needed a relatively fast, reliable, all-terrain vehicle capable of destroying Japanese tanks at range.

 The answer was the кувалда (Sledgehammer). Based on a cross between a highly modified T28 and the prototype KV-1 hull, the Sledgehammer was fitted with a Christie suspension system, 5 main road wheels and the same wide tracks as the KV-1. Relatively lightly armoured (10-50mm), it was fitted with a T-28 turret mounting the ZiS-4 57mm high velocity gun, which had recently been rejected for the German front - strangely because it was deemed to be too high velocity! (This very capable AT gun would again re-enter service in Jun 1943 as the ZiS-2 57mm AT gun model 1943.) The Sledgehammer was still providing excellent service when the USSR officially declared war on the Empire of Japan in 1945.

 The model is made from parts of a Tamiya KV-2, a Tamiya T-34 and an entirely scratch built turret.

[Claymore]

PzKpfw III SII Ausf B

 I have also started on Nietzsche's sloped armour Pz III (I have called it the PzKpfw III SII Ausf B in homage to LeoXiao's sloped armour Pz IV). The Ausf B is because this will be the 75mm KwK 97/38 armed variant. I have started by rebuilding the rear deck to eliminate some of those unwanted slopes that would have played havoc with the sloped side armour. Interestingly, the side and frontal slope are going to be pretty awesome - about 30 degrees.

 My initial thought were that the Pz III was too small to mount a 75mm gun - hence the whole StuG III family with casemated guns. Then I came across the Pak 97/38 - a Germanised version of the French 75mm. This seemed the answer to Nietzche's problem. Small, compact, with reasonable AT capability and most importantly 75mm calibre. So as for the naming convention: PzKpfw III (obvious), SII (sloped armour variant), Ausf B (75mm armed - Ausf A had a 50mm gun).

 The model depicts the 4th vehicle, 1st platoon, 1st company of Pz Regt 9 of 25 Pz Div and is made up from parts from a Tamiya Pz III, a Tamiya Panther, an Italeri Pak 97/38 AT gun, plastic card and spare parts.