Rare Crazy Panzer Projekts.

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Mittlerer Kamfpanzer für Ausland:

Between 1936-39 Krupp evaluated the possibilities to manufacture a special design for foreign sales. The objetive of this design was to obtain a final product better than the tanks sold at that time ( Renault R-35, Skoda TNH, Vickers Light and medium).

However the German High Command gave strict order that not to use the latest development in Gunsight, engine cooling, armored hinges and vision ports technology.
Despite the bureocratic shorcomings the tank was a sound design with a maximum armor of 25 mm at the frontal plates and 18 mm at the sides.

M.K.A as completed in january 1940.

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The best characteristic was the Krupp specially designed a new 45 mm gun. In fact the muzzle velocity of 750 m/s allowed to penetrate more armor than the gun of the main battle tank in Germany in that time, the Panzer III. This weapon was based in the one used by the russian T-26 tanks captured by the Legion Condor in the Spanish Civil war.

In his final shape the M.K.A was proposed as alternative design for friendly countries like Italy, Japan, nad Spain ( particulaty in japan the purchase of the M.K.A would be a great improvement over the local designs)

A single prototype was completed in january 1940, no further development was pursued because the needs of the german tanks forces for standar panzerkampfwagens.

Mittlerer Kamfpanzer für ausland, medium tank for export.

Weight: 12.100 kg.

Lenght: 5,1 meters.

width: 2,38 meters.

Armor thickness: max 25 mm, min 10 mm.

Engine : Maybach 6 cilinders HL 76 190 hp.

Speed. 42 km/h
 
Panzerkampfwagen III ausf K.

An early attemp to improve the firepower of the workhorse of Panzertruppen.
The 15 december 1941 in a meeting between Krupp representatives and the Heereswaffeamt some agreement was made to prepare drawings of a Pz III with the high velocity 7,5 cm L 43 gun.

Drawings and calculated weights were completed in january 1942, however given the several changes that should be made and the overweight of the new turret to the torsion bars on Pz III chasiss caused some doubts about the ausf K design.

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Finally the HWA cancelled the project to use a K.w.K 40 in Panzer III in march 1942. The fabrication of this weapon was devoted to the Pz IV ausf G and the Stug III.
 
I wouldn't have used any of the Japanese tanks in battle, would you? They really seem quite light. Even what the Japanese call a heavy tank is what would be considered a medium tank in the European theatre in weight...
 
The only decent japanese tank was the Type 3 Chi-nu (166 made)

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PROFILE

It had a 75mm gun with the same muzzle energy as the Sherman M4a1 and welded 60 mm armor.

There was also an japanese "panzer projekt", a heavy tank like the Tiger, the Chi-ri, very interesting by the way, it woul use a 37mm as well a 105 or a 88 mm main gun in turret, ill post more about it later.
 
True but even then with that Japanese one, didn't the US Shermans have better penetration and ability to resist being knocked out quickly than that tank?
 
a "living mouse":

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looks like from starwars isnt ? its a german "mine exploder"

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thats tor, a self propeled artilhary, i tought all of those was destroyed:

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this is really the best tank museum i ever saw in internet, check it out:

Tank museum, Kubinka, Russia

i had listen about they had a preserved "gustav" in some part of russia, but i didnt found yet.
 
yep, i didnt read all topis but i did saw a illustration and old pics about the mous project and people talking about this very mous in kubinka, russia.

let me comment about something that i read in past posts:

people talks: "- how many tigers or panthers would be made with the source needed to build one tiger..."

and how many shermans would be made with the source needed to build a single tiger ? and how many shermans would be destroyed by one tiger, or one panther ?

those people dont understand the mentality behind the germans ww2 weapons. they didnt care about quantity, they target was ever the quality. if they could build a tank to destroy 30, 40 allied tanks, that project worth to be made.

they was fighting against soviet union, wich has more industrial mass production capabilities, they needed to have the best weapons and the most reliable ones also, to equals the game.

most of the parts of those german veichles have 60 years warranty, the russians digg that stuff of from a hole near moscow, or they bring that out from a lake, they clean the engine, put fuel, oil, and it works.

near my house, in the military area, theres a sherman on exibit, its diyng rotten, and it wasnt buried, or either the weather here is so hard like russia.

the diference is ever the german quality.

;)
 
to ensure nobodys will complains about "language barriers" later, the deal is:

for the germans, quality beats quantity, if you guys dont understand that, you dont understand the germans minds behind the great warfare projects of germany in ww2, including the mous.
 
Yea, but several projekts were definately crazy.

Not this one in particular.

Mannschaftstransportwagen ARW Daimler Benz

A Reichswehr project.

In march 1927 Wa Pruff 6 awarded Daimler Benz and Magirus a contract to design and produce an AZW ( achtzanradwagen = eight wheels car) also know as Mannschaftstransportwagen or personal carrier vehicle. The specificatios were 65 km/h in road max speed, and at list 32 km/h continous speed, also a maximum autonomy of 200 km was requested. Weigh stimated 7,5 tons.

The DB AZW was to be armed with a two man turret with a 37 mm L/45 gun.

Profile of the DB ARW with the proposed 3,7 cm gun turret.

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The cross country abilites included the capacity to cross a 1,5 wide trench and 1 meter deep fording without preparations.
Crew was four: commander, driver, gunner/loader, and radio operator.
A sole DB ARW was completed for test with other designs in 1930/31, the Krupp made turret was never installed.

DB ARW in trials.

dibujord8.jpg
 
Yea, but several projekts were definately crazy.

Not this one in particular.

Mannschaftstransportwagen ARW Daimler Benz

A Reichswehr project.

In march 1927 Wa Pruff 6 awarded Daimler Benz and Magirus a contract to design and produce an AZW ( achtzanradwagen = eight wheels car) also know as Mannschaftstransportwagen or personal carrier vehicle. The specificatios were 65 km/h in road max speed, and at list 32 km/h continous speed, also a maximum autonomy of 200 km was requested. Weigh stimated 7,5 tons.

The DB AZW was to be armed with a two man turret with a 37 mm L/45 gun.

Profile of the DB ARW with the proposed 3,7 cm gun turret.

45970127jj8.jpg


The cross country abilites included the capacity to cross a 1,5 wide trench and 1 meter deep fording without preparations.
Crew was four: commander, driver, gunner/loader, and radio operator.
A sole DB ARW was completed for test with other designs in 1930/31, the Krupp made turret was never installed.

DB ARW in trials.

dibujord8.jpg

thats true, that mine exploder for example, looks like came out from star wars.
 
Wonder how effective it would have been in real life. You'd need really thick armour on the belly with all those exploding mines underneath...
 
i believe thats why they built the belly so height, if it was captured in germany, its possible never being used, otherwise if thei capturd in russia, its sure they used it and probably it worked.
 
Talking about strabge mine exploders.

Minenraeum-Gerät (Hammer-Schlaggerät)

Very weird anti-mine device, the "mine clearing apparatus- hammer blow device" was developed by Wegmann Co from Kassel in 1941/42. This could be attached in front of any panzer and was made in a way the movement of wheels accionated the mine exploding heads, wich were hammer like steel cilinders hitting the ground about a meter of travel or so

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No combat usage or further development of this is recorded.
 

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