Military Vehicle Prints 11 - Pz IV D & J,AEC T6,Medium Tank T6,M22 Locust

SERIES ELEVEN PANZERKAMPFWAGE N IV AUSF D .

(GE)

Turret of late production pzKw IV J

(GE)

A .C.V . H.P. and L.P.

(UK)

(A.E.C .) T 6x6 Mk 1

Medium Tank T6

(US)

Light Tank M 22 (T 9E1) " LO C U ST"

(US)

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M I LITARY VEHICLE PRINTS 8300,;4

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A Ponzerkompfwag en IV Ausf D of the Afri ka Ko rps . Note the turrel top delo; Is ond the cranked fr o nt plate with doubl e top drivers v isor fl ops .

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COVER ILLUSTRATION

Panz erkampfwagen IV Avsf E carried a lot

of bo lted on additi o no l a rmo ur pla tes. The new cupol a a nd dri ve rs vi sor are the distinguishing features wh e n trying to d iffere nti ote bet ween this and the Aus f D.

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Fro m February to June of 1941 the moin body of the troops

or the

Deutsches Afrik a Karps arrived in Trip o li to a ss ist

the Ita li a ns. Wit h the m come the 15 th Ponzer Di vision whose ta nks inclv.ded the pz Kw III Ausf F, G a nd H, \'! ilh Sc m l/42, and the pz Kw IV Ausf 0 ono E wit;' 7.5cm l/24. tv'lony of th es e tanks were still in the da rk bl ue grey which wos standa rd on German vehi c les from 1935. Soon after th e ir arri val a colour scheme of basic sand col o ur \'1ith mottling or strips of grey green 0 1' yellow brown was ad opted. In 19~ 2 the es tablish­ me nt of Germa n Div is ions wa s modifi e d and a new pz. Di v. was form ed fr om elemen ts of the rno to rised light Di visions then in Afri ca . The colour drawing depict s a PzK w IV Ausf D tok en o ve r by the 21st pz. Div. y.'hose insignia is on the fron t plate beside the "Po lm Tre e " of the D.A. K. By 1942 the mottl e d point s wer ~ dark grey or brown. The Med ium To nk T . 6 whi ch appeare d j n 1941 wes the fore runn e r of th e Sherman Tank Seri es .

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Pa nz erkampfwagen IV . Ausf D (4/BW)

Sc ale 1:76 (4mm to 1 foot) Draw n by D. P. Dyer.

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SERIES 1I,No.41 G

BELLONA PRINTS Pan ze,kampfwagen IV, av,f D, Sd Kfz 161 (type 4/BW)-1939

N o radical c hang es to the basic design took place with th e introduction of the pz Kpw JV Ausf D, although th ere were a numb e r of detailed improvement s and alterations. Th e main modification was that th e armour thickn ess of the Hull sid es, Rear, and g laci s plate were inc reased from 14.5mm to 20 mm thereby inc reas ing the weigh t by 2 Ions. As from thi s model the 7.5cm KwK (L/24) was fitl ed with on external mantlel, and the dr ivers front plate was se t foru ord in a similar manner to the Ausf A. The bow MG pos it ion was fe- introduced, but this time w ith a square gimbal mount ing _ Ano ther difference to Avsf Awos the dri vers viso r, which wa s of the doub le shutt ered type as in Ausf C, instead of the letter box flop variety. Th e pistol port in th e cen tre of th e front verti cal plat e and the two at the rear of th e turret differed from th os e on Ausf A by being round instead of squ are . Th e design of the vis ion slots on the hu ll and tUrfet sides, we re a lso slightly mod ified. Whilst the cupola fitt ed was th e some as tha t on Ausf C, it differed quit e a 101 from the rather simple drum shaped cupo la of the Ausf A. The drawing shows the front thr ee visors open ,.md the rea r two closed to show the method of opera tion. Each of the fiv e vision blocks \ver e protected by armoured segments, each of which cons ist ed of an upper and low e r member which e xtended around th e c upo la for 0 fifth of it 's diameter. These upper and lower members were moved upwards and downwards respect ively, by operati ng handles inside the cupola, thereby enabling th e Tank Commander to select any vision block he wished. Thi s point has been gone into in some det o il in view of th e confusion caused by the app ea rance of this cupo la whi ch differed when the visi on s lots were opened or clos ed. Var ious sources di ffer as to the exac t dote the Avsf D went into production, but it would appear to have bee n included in the total of 278 pz Kpfw IV in servic e at th e co mmencment of the FI'ench Campaign in May 1940. Chassis se rial numbers of the Ausf D run from 80501 - B0750 The drawi ng shows an early production mode l w ith limit stops on on ly th e fi rst and lost road whee ls, and w ithou t a turret stowage box. T he ~e turret stowage boxes do no t appear to ha ve becom e standard until 1941, and the North African Campaign. Later produ c tion models especially those sent to Africa, app ear to have been fitt ed with new engine c overs wi th louvres for air intake to the fans. Limit stops were nOW fitted to most of the whee ls . The Ausf E (S/BW Chassis numbers fr om 8080 I - 82000) hod a hull and track work that was ext ernall y id e ntical to that of the Ausf D. However, the nose plate was inc reased 10 50mm. The dr ivers visor was new wi th a much simp lifi ed si ngle hinged flop . The basic supers tr uc ture front plate remained at only 30mm - probably beca us e a new visor and MG mount was st ill to be desig ned for fitting in the SOmm plate. Additional face hard e ned 20mm armoured plat e was bolted on to the hull during manufactur to imp rov e the protedi an of the fighting comportment. 30mm plotes were spaced a bout 3 inches in fr ont of the hull mg position. Some times similar spac ed a rmour was f itted in fron t of the dri ver. The armament remainded th e same but the turret was e xtensive ly red es igned to the form it held until 1945 (see appendi x drawing on page 6) A new Commande.rs cupo la w ith armoured thic knesses of 30 - 67 mm replaced t he one of the Ausf D whi ch has on a rmour bas is of o nl y 20mm The bock of the turret consis ted of a sing le curved 14 degr ees sloping plate, whereas in earlier model s the top of the plat e was cut away to all ow for th e round ed vertical plat e that continued the line of the cupola. An electrical ex tractor fan replaced the rec tangula r ventilator fl a p and the r ight hand signal porI was o mitted . The side door and v isio n slots remai ned the some as on the Ausf D. Both th e Ausf D and the E were fi tted wi th 40mm 'ui de tracks of 99 links ,,.,hen it became avail ab le. This con ve rsion necessitated the repl ac e me nt of the dri ve r sprockets by One of a new des ign. As with the Ausf E, the Ausf 0 was fitted with additional armour, a t first unofficially, as a fi eld modification, but laterase factory imp/ove me nl to vehiclesbeing repaired. Factory uparmoured Ausf D' s also hod the two signa l por t flops and the venti lat or flap on the turret roof pleted over when the fen type ve ntilator was fitted. An example of on uparmoured Au sf D is on display at th e Ordna nce Museum, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, U.S.A . In August 1942, Hitler ord ered that all pz Kpfw IV re turne d to the factory for refitting or r-e pa ir we re to be fitted with the new long barrelled 7.Scm KwK 40 (l /43) An eX .:l mp le of on Ausf D (Chassis Number 80732) up armoured and upgunned to this later specifi cation and fitted with "Schuertzen" spaced armour is on di sp lay at the R.A.C. Tank Mus eu m, Bovingtan England. A photograph of thi s tonk appea rs in Bell ona Print s. Series. 6.

Techni cal Specification for Panzerkampfwagen 4 Ausf . D. (4 BW) C rew: Weight: 44, J20 Ibs (19.7 lo ng tonnes) 22 short tons (19.3 lonnes)

Speed, Max. Raod 26 m.p .h. (42 Km.p.h.) Max. grodient : 30 degrees . Fording Depth: 2' 7~" (80 em) 7' 6,t " (230 em) Trenc h Crossing: Obs ta c le Heigh t: Range: road: Fuel Copacity:

2' (61 em) 125 m; Ie, (201 Km) 103 gals. imp. (470 litres)

Dimensi ons:

Length overall: Widt h over steps: Hei ght to top of Cupo la :

Epicyc lic

troc k and brake.

I x 7.5 em KwK l/24 with co- ax ial 7.9 mm MG 34 mounted in 360 degrees power traverse tu rret 1 x 7.92 mm MG 34 bow gimbal.

Armament:

Ammunition Stowage: Arm ou r:

19 '<" (591 em) 9' 7.'." (292 em) 8' 6" (259 em)

75 mm rovnds 80

Drivers front plate: Glacis plate: Nose plate: !'lose, low er: Reor , Belly,

7 .5 mm 2,800

30 mm at 10 degrees. 20 mm at 73 degrees 30 mm at 12 degrees 20 mm at 60 degrees 20r.'lm 01 12 degrees a nd 9 degrees 20 mm - 10 mm horiz ontal

Ground Clearance:

I' 3~"(40em)

Deck:

I} mm Horizon tal

Track Width :

I' 3" (38 em )

Sides:

20 mm vertical

Turr et, fro nt : sides reor roof

30 mm at 11 degrees

6' 5 " ( 195 em ) 5' 5" (165 em)

Gun mantel:

30mm

Manufacture

Krupp A. G. - tv\adgeburg.

101

Number of Link s: Fire He ight of Gun: Turret Ring: dia : Mec hani ca l Deto i Is Engine: Gear box:

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Steering:

Suspens io n : 4 art icul a ted pa irs of double wheels eoch side, sprung on! e l:ipfic leaf springs . 4 ret urn rol lers ea c h side.

1 x Moyboch, HL )20 PRM D - )2 petrol water cooled 300 b.h.p. 3000 ' . p.m . SSG 76, 6 forward, 1 re verse .

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20mm at 26 degrees 20mm at 20 degrees and verti cal 10mm a t 84 degrees and Ho r:

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A. C. V . H. P . L. P. (AEC) T 6 6 x 6 Mark 1

Sc ale 1:76 (4mm to 1 foot) Draw n by A.J.D. N orth .

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POSITION

Tu rre ~ of pzKw IV Avsf.J. (l0/BW) lote production type. 1944/45.

Scale 1]6 (4mm to 1 foot) D,own by H. L. Doy l•.

(Appendi x to Be llono Print. Series6, No.22 GE . Pz KVI IV Ausf.J .)

Th is drawing shows deloi Is and sectio na l view of the turre ts f i tted to some of the loter Pz Kw IVAusf J. Sc huertzen armour is not shown but it is, of course, a standard fitting. Prod uc tion wos genera ll y simpli fi ed, and all the v isions s lots including those of the door escape hatches were omitted, thus increasing the strength. The left signol port was replaced. Three threaded bosses , the purpose of which is unknown, similar to those on the "Jogdpanther", "JogdHger" and" He tzer;' now appeared. The fon cover was enlarg ed, and it's thickness increased; be:.ide it vias a flat round plote, with a grease nipplE; in the cen tre. On the right there was what appeared to be an armoured periscope cover. The Ausf H appears to have only been fitted with the turret as shown in Series 6. However, some had an angle iron welded in a "V" in front on th e cupola simi lor to that as shown protecting the circular hatch of the Stu pz IV "Brummbaer" (Series 4, No. 14 G~) All 7.5 em KwK 40, both L/43 and 48 were locked in position while the tonk was travelling, this position is shown on the drawing. In addition it must be remembered that all Ausf H and most Ausf J, had the tubular seven spoke idler wheel and normal silencer as shown on "Brummbaer" and the Ausf D drawings. The mesh type, so-called j'Thoma", shields were only fitted on a smo ll number of tanks.

SERIES 11 No.42 UK

BELLONA PRINTS Armoured Comma nd Vehi c le HP and LP (AEC ) 6 x 6 Mo rk I - 1944/45

A. C. V's. prov ided Officers commanding armoured forma tions with a mobile he:adquorters in the field, they generally contained wireless equipment to mointoin c ontact with armoured formations, map tabl es , and all necessary office equipment. The first A.C.V. was an armoured ofrice body on a Morris 15 cwt truck chassis. Later, a few Morri s Armoured Cars (ACI's) were converted, but the accomodation wos rather cramped. A larger vehicle built on the Guy lizard 4 x 4 cho~si s waS gradually bought into service in 1940. These were in turn replaced by a new design based on the chassis AEC (Matador 4 x 4 arti Ilery Trac tor) Meanwhile in 1940, the Royal Air Force requested a vehic le su itable for carrying two 5,000 gallon fuel tanks, AEC produced a special 6-wheeled drive version of the "Matador". This chassi s was in turn used as a basis for the new ACV design. AEC, project model 0856, the ACV, T 6 x 6 Mark 1 (A EC ). A similar type of chassis was al so equipped with a 6-ton Coles Crane, and used by th e R.A.F. for recovery and other ai rc raft lifting duties. The ACV 6 x 6 Mark 1 (AEC) which is the sub ject d rown, was produced towards the end of 1944, it was mo re spacious and was reduced in height. The chass is of the ACV is the 6-wheeled dri ve type, four wheel dri ve (Mid a nd rear ax les) being used for normal rood work and si x wheel d ri ve for severe cross country cond iti ons . The engine is an A EC 6-cy linder compression jgni tion , a nd transmits power via a sing le pla te clutch through a 4-speed main gear box, and an ancillary gear box to the mi d and rear a x les ror ord inary road works o r to three axles for cross country conditions. Tyres of th e j'Runflot" type which enabled the vehicle to proceed foro limited mileage shauld they have b ee n deflated by bullet or shell splinters. The body is d ivided into four compartments, that in front hou ses the engine, the next is for the Driver, then the stoff room and then at the rear the wireless compartment. . At the rear of the ve hicle, there is an ouxilliary generating se t (4 KUA 100 cycles) for supplying a lternating current to the wireless set, and to venti lating plant, which ci rculates the air in the stoff and wireless compartments, os weI I as providi n9 th e means for cool ing the number X 53 wireless set. Provision is mode for type X Mark II Cypher machine, and 3 wi reless sets, one No 19, One numb er X 53, and one Number R 107. The number 19 set is also the one used for intercommunications. Technical Specification for ACV HP and lP (AEC ) T 6 x 6 Mark 1 Crew:

8 including d ri ver

Weight : (l aden a nd wit h crew) 17 - 19 tons

length ov erall: Width overall: Height: (Laden) Wheel base:

26' 1" 7' 11" B' 10" 13' Bt"

(795 (251 (292 (420

em) em) em)

em)

Mechanical Deto; Is Engine:

AEC A 198, Compression ignition, 6 cylinder developing

Gear box:

AEC 4 forward, 1 r ~verse and auxilliary transf er ge arbox with 2 speeds. Total: 8 forward and 2 reverse

150 BHP ot 1,900 RPM

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"Runfl et " 13.5" x 20 " o r 14" x 20"

Fuel capacity (interna l) 50 ga ll ons (247 litres )

Dimensions

6

Tyres:

Speed, 1st Geo< H;gh 7mph (11.25 Km/h) Low 2.5(4) 2nd 11 (17.B) 4 (6.5) 3rd 19 (31.75) 7 (11.25) 10(16.1) 4th 30 (48.5) Reve". 6(9.7) 2 (3.25) Speed, Mox 'ood, 30 mph (48.5 :
70" .0 " (20. 13 metres)

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MEDIUM TA N K T.6

Mediu m Tank T.6. 194 1

Sc ale 1:76 (4mm to 1 foot) Drawn by D. P. Dyer .

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BELLONA PRINTS

Series 11, No 43 US

Med;um Tonk T. 6 (194 1) The obvi ous d isadvantages of a sponson mounted main armament were real ised by the Americans even before the Medium M 3 Series of ta nks went into production, The M3 was onl y agreed to in view of the urgency of the situation in mid 1940, and taking into account the t ime that wou ld be required to develop a large enough turret for a 75mm gun.

As soon as the development of the Med ium M3 ser ies was advanced suffic ie ntly however , 0 further design was commenced to utili se as mony M3 components as poss ib le, but with th e moin a rmament in 0360 degrees traverse turret. Th is vehicle wos gi ven the experime nta l designa ti o n of Medium Tonk 16 , and was compl e ted by Septembe r 194 1. A'S. p la nned most components were common to both tanks, inc luding the ri ve tted lower hu ll , 3 piece d ifferen tial housing, suspension units wi th centro l return ro ll ers, e ngine, engine comportment, ond fuel tanh. Du e to th e larger turr et ri ng required, the upper hull was a comp let e ly new design. that kept shot traps down to the minimum .

"consisted of a large one piece casting with smoofh contours

The driver was moved from on top of the transmission to the left of it, and was provided with on access hatch fitted with a periscope for indirect vision. For direct vision he could adjust his seat so that his head protruded through this hatch, or he could raise th e visor over a d irect vision slot directl y in front of him. A co-drivers position was introdu ced, but he was o nly provided with a direct vision s lot ond a sig ht rotor which was coupled to th e flex ible .30 cal. bow m.g. As a crew escape hatch was instoll ed in the hull bottom plate near th e oss iston t drivers position, it wos presumably thought th a t there wos no necessity for him to have his own ha tc h for rapid exit. Side hull doors were con ti nued as in the M3 but did not have any pistol por ts or vision. The turret itself was a ls o cost ar mour, was designed to have th e Medium M 3 Series type of commanders cupolo, but there is no evidence that this was actually ever fitted. Thi s was probably omitted to reduce the overall height, and portly because of its vulnerability and ineffectiveness of the machi ne guns in it. Two pistol po rts with vi sion slots were fitted to the side of the turret. The 75mm gun M2 l/31 a nd co- ox ia l .30 co l. M .G. were mount ed beh ind a fixed gun sh ield, a nd coupled to a sight rotor on the turre t roof. Two counterwe ights were ottac hed to th e muzz le of the M2 gun when stab ili sers were incorporated to simulate the M3 gun L/40 wh ich was anticipated fo r production mod e ls . After t ests it was recommended tho t the hull side doors be e limina ted to make the hull safer, that combi na ti on .30 or .50 cal an ti- a ircraft - machine gun ri ng hatch be insta ll ed in p lace o f the cupo la, af')d that two 360 degrees periscopes be prov ided for use by the Commander and gun loader. lat e r evidence shows a gu n ring hatch was fitt ed incorpora ting a periscope for the Commander, lifting lu gs were welded to the gun shiel d and turret. A ve ntilator and a loaders periscope were fitted to the turret roof. Approval of the T6 design and production contracts were placed for the M4 series of Medium Tanks (General Sherman). The first exa mple an M4 A 1 was completed in Febru ary 1942 , on ly six months after the M3 series hod go ne into production.

Technkal Specification for Medium To nk T .6. Crew:

We ight: 67,000 Ibs, 30 tons, 33.6 short tons, 29.5 tonnes.

Performa nce Speed, Max Rood 25 mph (40 km ph) Fording Dep th: 36" (9 1.4 c m) Trench Cross ing: 6' (183 cm) Ronge: 125 mi les (20 1 km ) Grad ie nt: 30 degrees. Obstacle Hei ght: 2' (6 1 cm)

Le ngth Overall: lW 6" (564 cm) W;dth Ovecoll, 8' 8" (264 em) He ight: 9' 7t" (293 cm) G round Clearance: l' 5" (43 cm) Tcoek W;dth, I' 4~ " (42 em) Turr et Ring Dia. 5' 9" (175 cm) Fuel Copoe; ty' 156 gals (175 gals U.S.) (708 Utces) Engine: I x Wrig ht Wh irlwind radial R-975-EC2 Pe trol. Air coo led 360 bhp at 2,400 rpm. Gearbox: Synchromesh 5 forward, I reverse.

Steering : Cont ro lled Differential .

Suspension: Vertical Vo lute Spring .

Armament

I x 75 mm gun M2 l/31 stabi li sed in elevation with

1 x 30 col MG mounted co-axially in power operated 360 degrees.

traverse ~urret.

El eva ti on: plus 25 degrees. minus 12 degrees.

2 x .30 co l twin "fixed" bow m.gs elevation 8 degrees . dep ression 6 degrees

1 x .30 c al fl ex ible bow m.g. 25 degrees ~raverse right and left,

e leva ti on p lus 60 degrees minus 12 degrees.

1 x .30 ca l in c upola.

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Cost Homogenous steel upper hull and ~ur ret. Rolled Homogenous steel lower hu ll. Lower hull rivetted constr uc~ion.

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Light Tank iV\.22 (T9El) 1943

Scale 1:76 (4mm to 1 foot) Drawn by D. P. Dyer. 9

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BELLONA TANKS

SERIES II , No.Mo.

Light Tonk M.22 (T9EJ) "Locust" 1943.

Although J. Wo lter Christie had spent the previous decade designing and advocoling developmenf of ligh t lonks Ihol could be eosi Iy fransported or dropped from aircraft, in order to provide airborne units with tank support. It was flot until &Ol"ly in 1941 thot the Americons decided to produce such a vehicl e. The design submi: led by the Mormon- Herrington Co was considered the most satisfactory. Authorisation wos given towords the end of 194 1 for them to proceed with a pilot model which was giv e n the e)(perimentol designation light Tank T.9. Before this design hod advanced very for var ious modifications to the specification were mode and 1\'10 further pi lots designated T9El were ordered early in 1942. The first of these wos comple ted in N ovember 1942 and wos sent to the Aberdeen Proving Ground for testing. On comple tion, .he second T9 El pi lot was sh ipped to Britain for appraisal. Whilst tests carried ou t o n the T9EI proved it to ha ve many shortcom ings as a fighting veh ic le it was the on ly tonk that could be made available for the role envisaged. Producti on was therefore put in hond and a toto! of 830 were produced between Apri I 1943 and February 1944. During this time the experimental designation was still retained, and only after production ceo.s ed was it re-classified as light Tonk ,"'.22 and adopted as a Ii ::lited standard item of equipment. Th is classification is the lowest tha t can be given for a piece of equipment that does not have satisfactory military characteristics for standard issue, but could be used shou ld if become necessary. One of it's main faults was due not so much to the tank itself, whi ch owing to it's rol e wos of necessity lightly armed and armoured, but to the lock of su itab le aircraft to transpor. it. Flight tests we re carried ou l w i th the larges l military transpor t available 0 1 that tim e wh ich was the four engined C-54. As this was only a converted civilian aircraft (DC-4) this necessitated rem ova l of the turret which was carried in the fuselage, the hull it se lf being suspended below by attachments to the four lifting brackets. This me thod of transport was not highly succ essful from the tactical ongle, in v iew af the time required to prepare the tonk for action on landing. At the end of the war, aft er the M.22 hod been declared obsolete, i t was tra npo rt ed v ery successfully in one piece inside th e h ull of the tw in engined C-82 which wos designed for this sort o f purpose. large numbers of Ulocusts " as the M.22 wer e named,· wer e shipped to Britain for use by both American and British troops but only 0 very few were used in action. These few w ere landed in "Ha milc ar" gliders to support the crossing of th e Rhi ne in fo G ermany by the 6 th Br iti sh Ai rborne Division on the 24th Morch 1945. The design of the tonk itself was very o rt hod ox and fol lowed accept e d Ame rica n pract is e regording the su sp e nsi on whic h was similar to tha t used the M3/M5 series light tonks. On the first 26 lonks b uilt th e d riv e rs head cover 'N OS c ube shope d , and i nstead of 0 v ision hole sealed by a plug there was a vision slot covered by on armo ured visor . The head cove rs of bo th designs included peri sc o pes on top for indirec t vision. A.s the drivers head cover wa s a Iso hi s acc ess door he c ou ld drive v, i th th is open th e reb y ex pos ing his head fo r uni n terrupt ed vis ion. A portable windscreen was provided for use when driving i n th is fashion .

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Technical Sp ec ificati o n for light Tonk M.22 (T9E!) " locust " Crew! 3 Weight laden : 16,400 \bs (7.3 tons, 8.2 short tons )nnes) 7.2 !onnes)

Steering: Controlled differentia l

Spee
Armament

Max Gradi ent: 27 deg rees Fording: 3' 2" (96 em) Trench: 5' 5" (165 em) Step: 12~ " (3 1 em) Range: 135 miles (217 km) Fuel Capacity: 50 gals imp. 55g015 U.S. 227litres. Turning Circle: 40' ( 12.2 metre~)

12' II " (394 em) 7 ' I " (2 16 cm ) 6' I" (185 em)

Ground clearanc e: 10"(25 em} Track Width : II :~ " (29 cm) ~shanical Detai Is

Engine: Lycomi ng 0-435T Six Cylinder, Horizontally opposed, petrol, air coo led. 162 bhp o t 2,800 rpm . Gearbox: Marmon-Herr ingron Synchromesh il' 3rd and 4th. Four forward, one reverse.

10

1 x 37mm gun No.6 l/57 and 1 x .30 col m.h. co-axial mounted in 260 degree hand traverse turret. Ammunition Stowase 37mm rounds 50 .30 col rounds 2,500 Armour :-Iul :: Ro lled Plate, Turret: Cost.

,Dimensio ns

Leng"" Wid th: Height:

Suspension: Vertical volute spring, 2 bogies of 2 wheels, and 2 return (oliers each side. Trai ling idler.

Fronr l ow er Plote and Turre t Front and sides I" (25mm) Front upper, Si des lowe r, re a r , a nd belly ~ " (13mm) Sid es upper, and top 3/ 8" (9m m)

Thi s photograph shows an M- 22 " Loc ust " undergoing c ross count ry tr ials in muddy conditions . The ir is on M- 22 (T9 El ) O n d isp lay a t the R. A . C. Tonk Museum , Bov ington, Eng iond .

BELOW: Thi s rear view of the A . C. V . T6X6 M Mark 1 (AEC ) shows the im portant deta i Is of t he back of this lorge and spaci ous A . C V. (Ph oto by court esy of A. E. C. Ltd)

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Dismonl led comp onents. of weapon

Insid e turret of pzKw "Panther"

Top of Panze, IV/70 Sd Kfz 162/1.

Th e 'NAH VERTEIDGUNGSWAFFE' (C la,e -;n Def ence Weapon) 1943-45.

by Armin L.Sohns.

Despite th e fO Ci thot i l was filled 10 a lmos t every late mode l German Tan k a nd Assau lt Gun type veh icle, it remains olmosl unknown to the present doy.

Wartime test reports on captured vehi cles identified it as a signal device or venti lator,

and even a recent publi cotion coiled it 'Commanders periscope'.

Undoubtedly this weapon was inc onspicuous . It was

mounted almost flush i n the fighting compartment, and when not in use the muzzle was sealed with a cost plug fitt ed in the barrel (picture) breach bloc k hinged

Th e weapon itse lf was of 92mm calibre , consisting of a barrel about 7!" (19cm) long with a

~o i~.

A cylindrical extension of the breech -bl oc k housed the firing mechanism, a spring load ed

striker bolt with a cocking ring attached. A section was cut away from th e side of the extension to a llow insertion of o "grencde blank" cartridge which octed as fhe prope ll ant charg e. Th e device was a t an angl e of about 60 degre es to th e top plate. Mounted in

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c irc ular ring it could be traversed

through 360 degrees and be locked in any di rec ti on by w inged nut. To fi re th e weapon, the breech locki ng lever was turned through 90 degrees, the breech then opened and the cast p lug was removed. The projecti le was then ins er ted and the breech c los ed. Th e firing mech anism was cocked by pulling back the cocking ring until the tri gger dropped behind a pro jection on th e striker bolt.

The cartridge was then inserted and the weapon was ready to be fired by

liffing the tr igger from undernea th. It wos introdu ced at the end of 1943, and served a du a l pu rpose in defending th e ve hicle. As it was abl e to fire smoke ge nerators (Nebe lker2en) it replaced all externall y mounted smok e gre nade pro jec tors which had the disadvan­ tage of havi ng to be reloaded from outs id e after each firing. More important still, was the fact that it fired high explosive charges against tank hunter teams wh ich came near the veh ic le. Thi s was a great advantage, especially for the turret less vehicles. Before it's introduction, the c rews of turretless vehicles were forced to defend thems elves by openi ng ho tches, and throwi ng out hand grenades or by firing sma ll arms rrom these open hatches. buil t aft er mid 1944, hod openings cut in th e roof plat es for the fitting of this weopon.

Most vehi cles

It appeors that it was in short

supply, as many hod this opening plated over, but "Nahverteidgungswaff e" was fitted in the following vehicles . Pa nzerkampfwogen "Pant her"

late Ausf A a nd Ausf G . Sd Kfz 17 1 .

Pan2erkampfwagen "Tiger" late Ausf E. Sd Kfz J81 . Panze rkampfwagen "Tiger II" Ausf B. Both Pors che and Hensc hel turrets. Sd Kfz 182.

Stu G . III and Stu HA2 F;nol Ausf G. Sd Kfz 142/1 .and 141/2. Stu G IV F;nal model. Sd Kfz 163. Stu Pz. VI "St urm tj ger" (3a cm RW61)

J ogdpanze, IV Au,f F. a nd Panze, IV/70 Sd Kfz 162 and 162/1. Jagdponth er Sd Kfz 173 and "J agdHg e r" Sd Kfz 186.

Publish ed by BELLONA PUBLICATIONS ltd. Hawthor n Hill, 8rockn ell, Berkshire, Engla nd

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Copyright 1967.