It's a busy day on the trail.....

[Legion1963]

and someone, presumably a member of a U.S. recon team snapped this picture of an armoured car thundering past, patrolling the Ho Chi Minh trail. Does anyone know what kind of armoured car this is? Any help and ideas will be greatly appreciated. Cheers.

[Wyrmalla]

Something German, or at least based on one of their designs based on that sloped armoured? A Leichter Panzerspähwagen? The Chinese were supplied briefly by the Germans before the onset of the second world war, or maybe they bought it second hand.

[Arrigo]

BTR40... look at the sides and back.

no need to find Germans everywhere...



and our friend Laser Cut Card has one coming...

[Wyrmalla]

Heh, that'd make more sense.

I suppose the Russians offloaded those things after they transitioned to the enclosed BTRs?

[Arrigo]

well... I have found a picture of a BTR40 in Crimea with the militias... so they have a lot to offload. The PAVN received several of them. Returning ot Vietnam... according to the SIPRI database Hanoi ordered 100 of them in 1963 and received them starting the same year and the last deliveries were made in 1966. They were second hand vehicles from RKKA stocks. It appears that they were used by reconnaissance units. In 1961 there had been an order of 100 BTR 152 (same origins, i.e. used stuff). Also 50 new BRDM were ordered in 1963. In 1969 several BTR-40 were converted in SPAA vehicles using twin 14.5 HMG and used for convoy defence.

As sidenote in 1959 the PAVN also received several PAK40 75mm ATG from the Soviet Union to build up its anti-tank capability. 

[Wyrmalla]

Huh, well its nice to know that there was such a roaring trade in ex-Soviet equipment in Asia prior to the breakdown of Sino-Soviet friendship (and presumably continuing afterwards with those nations who weren't so close the Chinese or the West). I've been filling out my own Post Apocalyptic suedo 1950's Chinese with Russian kit as actual Chinese vehicles (from any era) are so much the rarer without shilling out for the more expensive resin kits.

[carlos marighela]

BTR-40. The one with the twin 14.5mm AAMG is the BTR-40A variant. The North Vietnamese had quantities of both. Later during the 1973 invasion they jerry rigged some BTR-50 APC s with the AAMG mount in a partial enclosed turret like structure on the rear deck.

Quite a few BTR-40s turned up in Laos and the NVA passed on a few to the Pathet Lao in the period.

Laser Cut models had a BTR-40 underway, see the current thread on this forum. Company B has a resin one in the pipeline.

Apparently the Soviets passed quite a few of these on to their military police for traffic control and possibly, according to one author, to the DOSAAF youth movement as training vehicles.

[Arlequín]

... and like most other Soviet designs of the time, was produced in China as the 'Type 55'. 

[carlos marighela]

You know if we could just get a tiny fraction of the Chinese population interested in wargaming, imagine what a boon it would be for the hobby. All those Chinese copies of Soviet era kit in 1/56.....

[Legion1963]

BTR40... look at the sides and back.

no need to find Germans everywhere...



and our friend Laser Cut Card has one coming...

Thanks for the input. So that would a positve ID? And who is our friend Laser Cut Card?

[Legion1963]

Gents, thanks for all the knowledgeable answers. It is much appreciate. If you ever visit Holland let me know and i'll arrange some recon missions on the HCM trail.

[Arrigo]

Thanks for the input. So that would a positve ID? And who is our friend Laser Cut Card?

look here:

http://leadadventureforum.com/index.php?topic=56536.60

page 5 of the thread. BTR40 in the making...

The PAVN BTR40 were definitely Soviet. China supplied only BTR-152 and Type63 (as far APC/recon are concerned) in the period in question.

[carlos marighela]

Actually China also supplied T-59 MBTs. There is an example in the Armour Museum at Puckapunyal, captured in The Spring Offensive of 1972 and gifted to Australia. I've seen some claims they supplied the Type 62 light tank as well but I've never seen any conclusive evidence. Then again as it's basically a scaled down T-59 it's hard to spot without very closely examining photos. If only someone would produce a 1/60 or 1/64 scale T-59/ T-55, I'd field them as Type 62s.

[Arrigo]

I was mentioning only APC/Recon, I have the data on the T-59 shipments too... Funny thing about the -59, I have a good friend who trained in them... now he is (actually he will be shortly) on Type 99... and I also corresponded with Jim Willbanks who saw the Type-59 at An Loc first hand... how the world is weird. I know a tank commander and somoene who was fired at by the same type of tank... well a relative of a friend of mine was in the PAVN during the War and I also know the daughter of an ARVN captain...

[Legion1963]

Okay gents. It's quite a study in it's own right, armoured cars and such. But i think i need a APC/Recon version. However, i found the website of LCC and will keep an eye out for the new stuff.