Hi again,
this week another cool Gear Krieg tank conversion.
The tanks are all from the FoW Mid war Monster Churchill 3" Gun Carrier boxed set. Some additional stowage and gas tanks are from Skytrex.
The huge Tesla Gun on the Tesla Churchill is of course from DP9, the additional ventilation panels are from GZGs 15mm SF building fittings.
So here you go:
After encountering the German Tiger tanks in North Africa it was becoming obvious that additional measures had to be taken against these heavily armored giants.
Churchill 3” Gun Carrier Platoons were issued one special tank per Platoon: the Tesla Gun Carrier A22D-T. It was planned to cripple German tanks with the haywire effect of the Tesla gun while the other Gun Carriers moved in for the kill.
The Tesla tank variant featured a fully insulated hull to protect the crew against the Tesla gun effects. That enabled British engineers also to mount a highly experimental Electric Close Area Defence System near the rear of the tank. The insulation however proved to be even more demanding in the hot desert climate on tank crews than normal tank hulls. In addition the air inside the A22D-T was highly electrostatic charged which resulted in a very stressful combat environment and also frequent equipment breakdown.
A huge ventilation system was installed on the roof of the hull to counter the effects of the insulated hull and the static energy buildup. The commander’s cupola was moved to the front of the vehicle to make space for the ventilation system. The British Tesla Gun was designed after the French Tesla guns and was roughly the equivalent of the Soviet Tesla 43 gun.
After all these changes the Tesla Churchill was in fact quite comfortable to ride. Churchill 3” Gun Carrier Platoons that worked together with their Tesla brethren were feared opponents for all German tanks.
More pics here:
http://www.adpublishing.de/html/experimental_tanks.html