Da Paul Challenge

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witchbottles

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Looks like a one-off attempt as an SP Gun improvisation. The T55E1 had no chassis armor or tracks, the T56 had the 3 " gun mounted with a similar gun shield, but aligned with the breech all the way to the rear of the Stuart's chassis- the T57 had no gunshield at all, to re-balance the T56 design. Perhaps a forerunner to the T56 GMC idea?
 

Paul M. Weir

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Is there any more information on this? I can find almost nothing on line, just a few pictures and a brief mention or two.

JR
No, just looked at the recoil tube guard/equilibrator over the gun and said "18 lbr". Though as witchbottles mentioned it could be a 25 lbr Mk 1 aka 18/25 lbr as those were basically a 25 lbr barrel and breech plugged into an 18 lbr jacket (almost like a barrel liner) and eventually new sights but otherwise identical to the 18 lbr on Carriage Mk IV or V. You would have to see the breech to really know which.
 

jrv

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No, just looked at the recoil tube guard/equilibrator over the gun and said "18 lbr". Though as witchbottles mentioned it could be a 25 lbr Mk 1 aka 18/25 lbr as those were basically a 25 lbr barrel and breech plugged into an 18 lbr jacket (almost like a barrel liner) and eventually new sights but otherwise identical to the 18 lbr on Carriage Mk IV or V. You would have to see the breech to really know which.
According to this site, the look of the 18/25 lbr is different from the 18 lbr.



JR
 

Paul M. Weir

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Yes, you are right. The 18lbr Mk IV moved the recoil mechanism to under the barrel and those were the ones converted to 18/25 lbr.

The strange box at the end of the (upper) recoil cylinder makes it a 18lbr Mk II Gun on Mk I Carriage with armoured oil reservoir on recuperator, pre-1917 production.
 

Michael Dorosh

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Is there any more information on this? I can find almost nothing on line, just a few pictures and a brief mention or two.

JR
Chamberlain and Ellis list the 18-pounder SP on page 91 of their BRITISH AND AMERICAN TANKS OF WORLD WAR TWO. As expected, it notes "Middle East forces improvisation on at least one vehicle, with obsolete 18-pdr field gun, less wheels, mounted in place of turret." I would surmise that "on at least one vehicle" is the author saying "we found a picture of one."
 

witchbottles

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Chamberlain and Ellis list the 18-pounder SP on page 91 of their BRITISH AND AMERICAN TANKS OF WORLD WAR TWO. As expected, it notes "Middle East forces improvisation on at least one vehicle, with obsolete 18-pdr field gun, less wheels, mounted in place of turret." I would surmise that "on at least one vehicle" is the author saying "we found a picture of one."
So in simpler terms"...Looks like a one-off attempt as an SP Gun improvisation...."
 

Rock SgtDan

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Are there any photos documenting the assertion that Rommel mounted fans on trucks to raise dust, as an improvement on dragging tarps? Could be an interesting SSR, that they look like tanks until close enough. So use for the impression of flanking maneuvers.
 

Michael Dorosh

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So in simpler terms"...Looks like a one-off attempt as an SP Gun improvisation...."
Your entire post was:

"Looks like a one-off attempt as an SP Gun improvisation. The T55E1 had no chassis armor or tracks, the T56 had the 3 " gun mounted with a similar gun shield, but aligned with the breech all the way to the rear of the Stuart's chassis- the T57 had no gunshield at all, to re-balance the T56 design. Perhaps a forerunner to the T56 GMC idea?"


You seem to be conflating two different tank development programs. The Stuart III with 18-pounder field modification was obviously British (US never used the 18-pdr from what I can tell). Chamberlain and Ellis don't confirm it was a one-off, only saying that "at least one" was produced - though evidence to the contrary absent, as noted above, I'd be willing to believe there is only photographic evidence of one such modification.

The T56 3-in GMC and T57 3-inch GMC (which you reference) are mentioned in Ellis on page 90, but as variants of the M3 Light Tank (in other words, American).
 

witchbottles

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1529936504838.png

It's just a PzKpfw Mk IV- but you got to admire the crew's pluck - I count at least 5 impacts. and the thing was still in action.

;)
 

Paul M. Weir

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It's a Pz IV D or E, a more likely an E (I can't see the hull). The open turret side door shape indicates the one piece door which was made as a two piece from the Pz IV F onwards and the cupola looks more like a Pz IV E or later (also on the Pz III G onwards). The Y shaped fork thingy was attached to the outer non recoiling part of the barrel with a clamp, not the mantle and in this example is a bit to the tank's left (the right in the photo). The forward arm should be parallel and directly under the barrel and was intended to push the right hand side upper hull mounted aerial down when the gun traversed.
 
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