Tanks That You May Never Have Seen

[tomahawk6]

Some very interesting tank designs. The strangest that I saw that actually saw active service was the Russian KV VI. The Russians also came up with a monster SP gun the OKA.

http://www.track-link.net/gallery/119

http://www.darkroastedblend.com/2007/11/strange-tanks-part-2.html

 

[tomahawk6]

Russian KV-2

Storm Tiger

KV-2 Hit Over 30 Times

 

[vonGarvin]

Jagdtiger

(You may have seen it, but compare to the Sturmtiger seen in the previous post)

 

[tomahawk6]

Nice pic !!

 

[Franko]

The KV-2 terrified the German troops on the Eastern front when it made it's debut, more so than the T-30.

As you can see from the battle damage, it could take one hell of a pounding and still sort out any who came up against it.

One account from this site:

http://www.geocities.com/Pentagon/Quarters/4635/tanks/kv1/kv1.htm

On 19 August 1941, a platoon of four KV-1s of the 1st Tank Division succesfully ambushed a German tank column advancing near the Voiskovitsy collective farm near Leningrad. The platoon leader, Sr. Lt. Zinoviy Kolobanov, knocked out the two lead tanks in the column. The following tanks apparently did not relize what had happened and continued to move forward. Kolobanov's platoon moved into the midst of German battalion and, in the melee that followed, Kolobanov destroyed 22 German tanks, ramming at least one in the process. His tank was hit 135(!) times during the firefight. The other three KVs destroyed a total of 16 other tanks. Kolobanov's feat made him the second highest ranking Soviet tank ace of the war.

Regards

 

[vonGarvin]

Another account of the KV in the Eastern Front
I don't have it in front of me, but there is an account of ONE KV that held up a German formation.  It took hit after hit (German tanks in 1941 were rather pathetic: the Tiger was about two years away, along with the Panther).  In the end, fire from the KV (it was a mobility kill, but still functioning otherwise) was drawn by a number of Germans, as an 88 AA gun was brought up, unlimbered, and then finally able to dispatch the tank.  One tank, with an obviously well motivated crew.

It may have been ugly, but it sure did knock some sense into the Germans.

 

[McG]

I've read a similar story but the tank got the 88 & it was not until several dismounted soldiers crawled to the tank and physically placed placed explosives on the vehicle that it was destroyed.  I think it is in the book Iron Fist ... but I am not certain on that.

 

[Rayman]

Im suprised no ones posted the ultimate Panzer... the P-1000.

http://strangevehicles.greyfalcon.us/ratte.html

It was planned to power P.1000 with two MAN V12Z32/44 24 cylinder Diesel marine engines with total power of 17,000hp (2 x 8,500hp) or with eight Daimler-Benz MB501 20 cylinder Diesel marine engines with total power of 16,000hp (8 x 2,000hp). According to the calculations, this would allow the P.1000 to travel at maximum speed of 40 km/h. P.1000 would be armed with a variety of weapons such as: two 280mm gun (naval gun used in Scharnhorst and Gneisenau warships), single 128mm gun, eight 20mm Flak 38 anti-aircraft guns and two 15mm Mauser MG 151/15 guns!!!

Or how about this "Ball Tank"

http://strangevehicles.greyfalcon.us/KRUPP%20KUGELPANZER.htm

 

[vonGarvin]

I've read a similar story but the tank got the 88 & it was not until several dismounted soldiers crawled to the tank and physically placed placed explosives on the vehicle that it was destroyed.  I think it is in the book Iron Fist ... but I am not certain on that.

It may very well be the same story.  I do recall that an 88 (or other gun) was taken out by the KV.  The end of the story (in the book I read from, anyway), did acknowledge that it sounded rather fantastical, until you consider that it was a German account of a rather indestructible Soviet tank!

 

[pbi]

I have read (somewhere...) the Soviet OKA superheavy SPG was in fact a fake for western cameras. It was (IIRC) built on the chassis of a missile launch vehicle. Maybe other readers have heard this?

Another strange WWII vehicle was the US Gun Motor Carriage T-28, of which one still survives at the Patton Armour Museum in Kentucky. USA. You can see it at: http://www.answers.com/topic/t-28-super-heavy-tank. It was so heavy that it required two sets of tracks on each side, but had only a single V-8 gasoline engine for motive power.

Two of these were built, intended to assault German fortifications in NW  Europe but one was destroyed by an engine fire.


Specifications
Weight 95 tonnes
Length 11.1
Width 4.39 m
Height 2.84 m
Crew 8 (Commander, 5 gun crew, driver, co-driver)
Armor 300 mm
Primary
armament 105 mm T5E1 gun
62 rounds
Secondary
armament 1 x .50 cal machine gun
660 rounds
Engine Ford GAF V-8 gasoline
410 hp (305 kW)
Power/weight 4 hp/tonne
Suspension double track
Operational
range 160 km
Speed 13 km/himg]

Cheers

 

[a_majoor]

Some of these fantastical vehicles are (were) conceptual designs, and never built (like the 1000 ton panzer!). Equally speculative, if somewhat more practical, were the "E" series AFV's proposed to go into production and replace the current German AFV fleet in the late 1945-early 1946 period.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Entwicklung_series
http://www.strange-mecha.com/german/army/G-t-e.htm
http://www.achtungpanzer.com/pz9.htm

 

[CougarKing]

Russian KV-2

KV-2 Hit Over 30 Times

T6,

The tank in the third picture in this post of yours shows a KV1, not a KV2. Just compare the calibre of their respective gun barrels as well as the shapes of the respective turrets of the tanks in both pictures.

Here's some background info on the KV-1.

http://www.wwiivehicles.com/ussr/tanks-heavy/kv-1.asp

And here's some background info on the KV-2.

http://www.wwiivehicles.com/ussr/tanks-heavy/kv-2.asp

I hope that helps! 

 

[tomahawk6]

Thx

 

[ironduke57]

Humm. I could post some Tank´s which are probably quite unkown, but I couldn´t use them anymore for the Name This Photo!!! Thread.  > ;D

Well okay. As this one was never guessed in any game I posted it it is not such a great lose:

Chrysler "TV-8" proposal (Should in later versions use an Atomic reactor as energy source.):
- http://foto.arcor-online.net/palb/alben/43/2141243/6539666532306266.jpg
(Scanned page out of "Abrams - A History of the American Main Battle Tank Vol.2" from Hunnicutt.)

Regards,
ironduke57

 

[CougarKing]

Here's more of these weird, Soviet-era experimental tank monstrosities! 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TrNkV6kVPos

 

[Colin Parkinson]

Some very interesting tank designs. The strangest that I saw that actually saw active service was the Russian KV VI. The Russians also came up with a monster SP gun the OKA.

http://www.track-link.net/gallery/119

http://www.darkroastedblend.com/2007/11/strange-tanks-part-2.html

Do you get the impression that the engineers didn't balance the weight well in this design.......
I bet they went through a lot of roadwheels.