Post by exorcist on Apr 29, 2010 17:13:14 GMT -8
I just love these little critters.
These mini-tanks were all the rage in the 1930s, and they all went away about halfway through WW2. They could not stand up to the fire of anti-tank weapons and were not fast enough, generally, to do things that Light tanks could so better.
But... some were versatile enough to fill other missions and the small size must have made them a very difficult target unless conditions were good for the enemy gunners.
I would enjoy restoring one someday, and then wandering into one of those off-road courses that the "extreme" sportsters go bannanas on with thier plastic bikes and whatnot.
To qualify as a tankette, the machine must be armored, have a 2 man crew and weigh less than 6 tons. They almost always have MG.s for weapons, but there have been some interesting exceptions;
The first of them was the Ford 2-man tank from just after WW1. Only 15 were made, the US Army showed little interest and, in this case, the concept had a false start. It is still an interesting machine from a historical POV;
Weight; 2,812 Kilograms
Height; 1.6 meters / 5' 3"
Speed 8mph
Armor 7-13mm
Weapons; one MG, one was fitted with a short 75mm howitzer.
In 1925 the Carden-Loyd tank designs began to appear, and this was the real beginning. Altho never accepted for large scale service in Britain, it was very influential and noticed by all other tank-producing nations.
There are no stats to cover this machine's history, the First had a Model-T engine and could go 15mph, the last had 9mm armor, one MG and was widely exported. It also lead to the Bren Gun Carrier, but that machine is disqualified from being a tankette since it was mainly used as a Carrier and not a fighting tank.
The Vickers Light tanks of 1930-1941 was accepted. A tall, ungainly thing that had handles on the turret roof, possible to prevent the commander from being tossed out when this thing bumbled around off-road. This tank had six different marks and served in France and North Africa until 1941, and some may have confronted the Japanese in the early days of that phase of the war.
Mark 6
Weight; 5,285 Kg / 11,600 lbs
Height; 2.25 meters / 7' 4"
Speed; 55 kph / 34mph
Armor; 6-14mm
Weapons; one 50.Cal Vickers or one 15mm Besa MG plus one .303 MG.
All mounted in a turret.
The CV-33 had to be one of the most widely-encountered of the tankettes. When they first appeared in 1933, they must have looked very good, but the Spanish Civil War showed how vulnerable they were. By WW2 they should have been used as nothing but a mobile MG for infantry support, but the Italians had little else in 1940.
Weight; 3,450 KG
Height; (?)
Speed; 42 kph / 26mph
Armor; (?)
Weapons; twin 8mm MGs or one 13mm MG.
Japan's Army was a natural for Tankettes, and the Type 94 was their first, first made in 1934. The most interesting feature was the cargo storage area in the back, for running supplies up to troops under fire.
Weight; 3,400 kg / 7,500 lbs
Height; 1.6 meters / 5' 4"
speed; 40 kph / 25 mph
Armor; 4-12mm
Weapons; one 6.5mm MG, turret mounted.
Japan's last Tankette was the Type 97. This little beast had well-slopped armor and a 37mm cannon in it's one-man turret. Some were converted to cargo-carriers by removing the turret and moving the engine forward. This tankette appeared in 1937 and was still in use at the end of the war.
Weight; 4,750 kg / 10,470 lbs
Height; 1.77 meters / 5' 10"
speed; 42 kph / 26 mph
Armor; 6-12 mm
Weapons; one 37mm gun, NO machine gun.
Poland had the TK-3, derived from the Carden-Loyd in 1932. 390 were built and in 1939, too late, there was a project to arm them with 20mm guns. A few captured ones were used by the Germans and a couple of those still survive.
Weight; 2,500 kg / 5,510 lbs
Height; 1.35 meters / 4' 4"
speed; 45 kph / 28 mph
Armor: 8mm
Weapons; one MG
Too be continued ...
These mini-tanks were all the rage in the 1930s, and they all went away about halfway through WW2. They could not stand up to the fire of anti-tank weapons and were not fast enough, generally, to do things that Light tanks could so better.
But... some were versatile enough to fill other missions and the small size must have made them a very difficult target unless conditions were good for the enemy gunners.
I would enjoy restoring one someday, and then wandering into one of those off-road courses that the "extreme" sportsters go bannanas on with thier plastic bikes and whatnot.
To qualify as a tankette, the machine must be armored, have a 2 man crew and weigh less than 6 tons. They almost always have MG.s for weapons, but there have been some interesting exceptions;
The first of them was the Ford 2-man tank from just after WW1. Only 15 were made, the US Army showed little interest and, in this case, the concept had a false start. It is still an interesting machine from a historical POV;
Weight; 2,812 Kilograms
Height; 1.6 meters / 5' 3"
Speed 8mph
Armor 7-13mm
Weapons; one MG, one was fitted with a short 75mm howitzer.
In 1925 the Carden-Loyd tank designs began to appear, and this was the real beginning. Altho never accepted for large scale service in Britain, it was very influential and noticed by all other tank-producing nations.
There are no stats to cover this machine's history, the First had a Model-T engine and could go 15mph, the last had 9mm armor, one MG and was widely exported. It also lead to the Bren Gun Carrier, but that machine is disqualified from being a tankette since it was mainly used as a Carrier and not a fighting tank.
The Vickers Light tanks of 1930-1941 was accepted. A tall, ungainly thing that had handles on the turret roof, possible to prevent the commander from being tossed out when this thing bumbled around off-road. This tank had six different marks and served in France and North Africa until 1941, and some may have confronted the Japanese in the early days of that phase of the war.
Mark 6
Weight; 5,285 Kg / 11,600 lbs
Height; 2.25 meters / 7' 4"
Speed; 55 kph / 34mph
Armor; 6-14mm
Weapons; one 50.Cal Vickers or one 15mm Besa MG plus one .303 MG.
All mounted in a turret.
The CV-33 had to be one of the most widely-encountered of the tankettes. When they first appeared in 1933, they must have looked very good, but the Spanish Civil War showed how vulnerable they were. By WW2 they should have been used as nothing but a mobile MG for infantry support, but the Italians had little else in 1940.
Weight; 3,450 KG
Height; (?)
Speed; 42 kph / 26mph
Armor; (?)
Weapons; twin 8mm MGs or one 13mm MG.
Japan's Army was a natural for Tankettes, and the Type 94 was their first, first made in 1934. The most interesting feature was the cargo storage area in the back, for running supplies up to troops under fire.
Weight; 3,400 kg / 7,500 lbs
Height; 1.6 meters / 5' 4"
speed; 40 kph / 25 mph
Armor; 4-12mm
Weapons; one 6.5mm MG, turret mounted.
Japan's last Tankette was the Type 97. This little beast had well-slopped armor and a 37mm cannon in it's one-man turret. Some were converted to cargo-carriers by removing the turret and moving the engine forward. This tankette appeared in 1937 and was still in use at the end of the war.
Weight; 4,750 kg / 10,470 lbs
Height; 1.77 meters / 5' 10"
speed; 42 kph / 26 mph
Armor; 6-12 mm
Weapons; one 37mm gun, NO machine gun.
Poland had the TK-3, derived from the Carden-Loyd in 1932. 390 were built and in 1939, too late, there was a project to arm them with 20mm guns. A few captured ones were used by the Germans and a couple of those still survive.
Weight; 2,500 kg / 5,510 lbs
Height; 1.35 meters / 4' 4"
speed; 45 kph / 28 mph
Armor: 8mm
Weapons; one MG
Too be continued ...
