Interwar tanks

[TadPortly]

Some nice ideas for your interwar Germans...

http://www.achtungpanzer.com/neu.htm

And Italians...

http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?t=14001&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=15

[Operator5]

Some interesting designs. My favorite is the one that looks like it is going to have a small turret at the front as well as the main turret.

Probably very impractical, but I think it looks cool.

[Driscoles]

Excellent site, thanks for posting !
Those designs remind me of some Imperial Guard Tanks !
Björn

[Nowfel]

Can't beat the Christie Flying Tank for sheer 1930s madness...



Flying Tanks that Shed Their Wings

by Lew Hold

Imagine those two formidable weapons of modern warfare, the airplane and the armored tank, combined into one terrible machine of destruction! Fantastic as the idea sounds, it is fast taking physical shape as a reality for Uncle Sam’s army. The whole amazing story is presented to you in this important article.

IS WAR, already made terrible to contemplate by the invention of too-efficient methods of destruction, on the verge of being banished forever by an amazing new weapon so horrible in its possibilities that nations of the world will not dare to risk its fury?

This is the idea conjured up by J. Walter Christie, noted builder of tanks for the U. S. Army, who has been secretly working on the most revolutionary war invention since the discovery of gunpowder—an armored tank which flies as swiftly as a bombing plane, and which, by simply shedding its wings when on the ground, can travel over any terrain with guns blazing at speeds of 70 miles an hour!

The rest is here and some stats here.[/b]

[Westfalia Chris]

IS WAR, already made terrible to contemplate by the invention of too-efficient methods of destruction, on the verge of being banished forever by an amazing new weapon so horrible in its possibilities that nations of the world will not dare to risk its fury?

Oy gevalt! Now this is the what-teenth time this old schtick came up BEFORE 1945?

[tabletop]

Flying tanks?! Madness

I always thought the US M3 Lee Grant tanks of WWII had a very Pulp look with their rather impractical combination of guns. Apparently their riveted front glacis was a death trap too, with a hit to it often "filling the driver's position with flying rivets like a shotgun blast".

See http://www.1jma.dk/Pics/hardwarepics/new/M3%20LeeGrant_resize.JPG

Much respect to the tankers of WWII imho. Particularly since they were driving tanks that were in a constant arms race and often found themselves out gunned by new tanks at AT technology arriving in their theatre.

[Etranger]

For British AFVs of the interwar period (& others): http://www.geocities.com/gpmatthews/

French AFVs at: http://www.chars-francais.net/

[Antenociti]

excellent links tvm!

I'm making a rolls-Royce armoured car for a client soon so might also do this french interwar tank - as it looks so good.

any idea wth the rollers on the front are for?

http://www.chars-francais.net/images/archives/schneider_amc_p16/p16_m29_030.jpg

[Plynkes]

I imagine it performs the same function as those on WWII US halftracks, that is to prevent the front of the vehicle 'digging in' and getting stuck when crossing certain obstacles, such as ditches and the like.

[fastolfrus]

Not sure, but you get them on the Austin-Putilov half tracked armoured car too, maybe it's just the in thing for that year ?

[Etranger]

Plynkes is correct, they were an unpowered roller to aid in crossing rough terrain & sometimes seen on vehicles other than halftracks too. The US M3 series halftracks used a modified Citroen-Kergasse suspension (which is the chassis under that French A/C) so may have copied the roller too. The contemporary wheeled White scout car also had one.

[Antenociti]

Super dooper - thanks all.

[TadPortly]

Some Manga inspiration here:

www.panzerbaer.de/models/72_tasc_akuyaku-a.htm

http://www.tasca-modellismo.com/seihin/akuyaku/araki/araki.html