Gun Stabilizers

"State Committee of Defense Decree #3828s
July 28th, 1943
Moscow, Kremlin

On the production of experimental stabilizers for a tank gun.

The State Committee of Defense decrees that:

1. The People's Commissariat of Shipbuilding (comrade Nosenko) and the Chief of the People's Commissariat of Shipbuilding Special Design Bureau (comrade Rozanov) must:
1. Produce an experimental prototype of a stabilizer for the 75 mm gun on the M3 Medium tank and present it for trials by September 1st, 1943.
2. Design and produce a stabilizer for the 76 mm gun on the T-34 by October 15th and 85 mm gun on the IS by November 15th, 1943.
2. The NKTP (comrade Malyshev) must provide the People's Commissariat of Shipbuilding the opportunity to install the experimental stabilizer by November 5th, 1943.
3. GBTU (comrade Vershinin) must:
1. Send the People's Commissariat of Shipbuilding one functional M3 Medium with an American stabilizer and one functional T-34 tank.
2. Provide the tanks sent to the People's Commissariat of Shipbuilding with maintenance personnel and fuel.
3. Perform trials of the experimental stabilizers and report to GOKO with their conclusion on accepting the stabilizers into service, for the T-34 by November 5th, 1943, and for the IS by December 5th, 1943.
4. The People's Commissariat of Shipbuilding (comrade Nosenko) and GBTU (comrade Vershinin) must report to GOKO by December 10th, 1943, with a proposal for mass production of tank gun stabilizers.
5. Central Planning (comrade Voznesenskiy) must allocate funds for 12 metal cutting machines and 28,000 rubles for instruments in the 4th quarter of 1943 to the People's Commissariat of Shipbuilding Special Design Bureau, and the NKTP (comrade Yefremov) must provide the tools for these funds by October 20th, 1943.
6. The People's Commissariat of Defense must send 25 qualified workers from Moscow to the People's Commissariat of Shipbuilding Special Design Bureau that are not suitable for army service by August 10th, 1943.

Deputy Chair of the State Committee of Defense, V. Molotov"

RGASPI 644-2-197

PTRD vs Ferdinand

"To the chief of the operations department of the 25th Corps HQ

Anti-tank rifles are ineffective against new German SPGs and heavy tanks. For example, during the battles of December 14th-15th, 1943, AT rifle units were engaged to fight counterattacking Ferdinand SPGs. The Ferdinand's armour could not be damaged with AT rifle fire, and only several direct hits to the tracks forced the SPGs to depart from the trenches and maneuver with the goal of not showing their flank, even though no instances of serious damage to the tracks by AT rifle fire was observed.

Until the battles of December 14th-15th, AT rifle crews were not used in battle for their intended purpose. AT rifle fire was used against dug in enemies, to destroy his machineguns, and for suppression of direct fire guns.

Until new AT measures arrive that are capable of dealing with new SPGs and heavy tanks, keep AT platoons and companies at the regimental level. Due to the relatively low weight of the AT rifles, they can quickly be moved to threatened sections of the front to be used against enemy light and medium tanks, dugouts, and be used in AT defenses.

Operations Department Chief, Major Alekseev."

Via altyn73.

World of Tanks History Section: The Desert Fox

The alliance of Germany and Italy in WWII was very unbalanced in a military sense. In 1939 and 1940, the Wehrmacht was relentlessly redrawing the map of Europe in Germany's favour. Meanwhile, the Italian Army failed at everything they attempted with similar stability. France, Greece, North Africa, everything ended up the same way: defeat and confusion.

The African campaign started off well. Marshall Rodolfo Graziani's troops pushed the British over 100 kilometers eastward, towards Alexandria. This was the end of their success. The offensive stalled in the middle of September of 1940 due to problems with supplies, poor command over the forces, and Graziani's unacceptable passivity.

The British took advantage of the situation and began a counteroffensive with only 36,000 soldiers in their Nile army. By February of 1941, the 250,000 strong Italian group was defeated and thrown back 700 kilometers. In order to help their allies, the Germans decided to send a limited contingent of troops to Africa, led by the promising but yet unknown Lieutenant-General Erwin Rommel. North Africa became his territory, a source of glory, and the place where he faced the greatest defeat of his career.

Overly effective aid

Africa was always considered a secondary theater of war by German command. Rommel arrived there with orders to support the Italians and halt the British offensive. It is hard to imagine any other outcome with the knowledge that the number of German-Italian forces never exceeded 140,000 men, and at the time of Rommel's arrival, it was even less.

The general had an interesting approach to fulfilling his orders. Without waiting for his main forces to arrive, he suddenly attacked the British. The attack was so sudden and his actions so daring and successful that the British were knocked out of the Libyan province of Cyrenaica. German-Italian forces reached the Egyptian border.

On one hand, Rommel's action caused great joy in Germany, on the other hand, German command desperately tried to hold back the reckless general who the German Chief of Staff Franz Halder called an "overreaching soldier". Nothing helped, not orders from Germany, not a visit from Friedrich Paulus, who was personally sent to Africa to deal with the shrewd commander.

By spring of 1942, Rommel was akin to the bogeyman for the British. The tone of one of Claude Auchinleck's orders is illustrative of the general opinion among the British forces: "There is a real danger that our friend Rommel will be a sorcerer or scarecrow for our soldiers... He is in no way a superman, even though he is energetic and very capable... I want you to use any means necessary to disperse the idea that Rommel is anything more than an ordinary German general."

Viscount of Alamein's fox hunt

The idea that Germany might seize the Suez Canal seemed very real. The canal was of utmost importance to the British, as Japan entered the war and British colonies were threatened. Rommel's defeat was no longer just a matter of honour, but a matter of life and death. Enormous forces were sent to Africa: infantry, tanks, aircraft. Germany did not have the ability to do this, as they were impeded by Allied aircraft on Malta and the British Navy, which dominated the Mediterranean. The situation in Africa had to change, and it changed. This happened during the operational pause after the First Battle of El-Alamein.

Switching commanders several times, the Allies left Bernard Montgomery in charge of their combat unit, the 8th Army. Compared to his predecessors, he was more decisive and capable of getting results. In August-September of 1942, he successfully deflected Rommel's offensive at Alam el Halfa and started preparing his response.

Montgomery never rushed into battle without assurance that he had enough forces to crush the enemy. He had no shortage of reinforcements: by the Second Battle of El Alamein, the British amassed over 1000 tanks, and every fourth was a new Sherman. Rommel had less than half of the tanks that the British did, and that's only quantitatively. German and Italian tanks lagged behind in quality, since a significant part of their armour consisted of weakly armoured and poorly armed Italian tanks. Rommel openly referred to Italian tanks as "rags".

In September of 1942, with just over a month until Montgomery's offensive, Rommel (already a Field Marshall) left for Germany for medical treatment: his forces were ravaged by dysentery and jaundice. Hitler saw Rommel, heard his tale of hardships that befell the Afrika Corps, and promised to send more tanks and weapons, including the latest Tiger tanks. The Fuhrer's promises were nothing but hot air, especially since the British were solidly in control of the Mediterranean and were sinking most of the supplies meant for Rommel.

Montgomery, with his characteristic thoroughness, led a misinformation campaign. Under his orders, tanks were disguised as trucks and vice versa, fake fuel pipelines were built, a whole network of fictional radio stations was deployed. Even the phases of the moon were taken into account, as the Allies were going to attack at night. and natural light was important.

The last battle of El-Alamein

In Rommel's absence, Georg Stumme was in command of the Afrika Corps. When British artillery opened fire on German positions on the evening of October 23rd, 1942, he was not ready. On the other hand, the British also did not achieve the desired effect. They dealt damage to German infantry and artillery, disrupt their communications, but when dawn came, their infantry was still making their way through Rommel's "devil gardens", as the German minefields were called.

On the morning of October 24th, Stumme personally came to the front lines to figure out the situation, taking only two companions with him. On the way, his car drove into an ambush and was fired upon. Stumme did not survive this encounter. The cause of his death was not a bullet or shrapnel, but a heart attack. The driver did not notice when Stumme fell out of the car. His body was only found a day later.

The British codenamed this stage of the offensive "Lightfoot". In reality, every step of the way was heavy indeed. The German defenses had to be slowly ground down, and even Italians, usually not exceptional in combat, showed themselves well. In addition, when Rommel returned to Africa on October 25th, his forces undertook a series of fierce counterattacks.

In the first four days of the operation, the Allies barely moved forward by seven kilometers. After that, a part of Montgomery's forces changed to the defensive, and a part started regrouping. This stage of the battle is called a dog's brawl by several sources. The British delivered local attacks here and there, tiring out the Germans, and chewing off their defenses one bit at a time. Rommel was forces to move his tank reserves from one battle to another, taking losses from tanks, artillery, and aircraft. This mess lasted for five days. During this time, the front line was nearly stationary, but the combat capability of the Germans was rapidly declining.

Rommel received an ironic message from Rome only a few hours before Montgomery's finishing blow. It read "...Duce would like you to know that under your command, the battle that is currently fought will no doubt end with your victory."

On the night of November 1st to November 2nd the British began "Operation Supercharge". After a powerful artillery barrage, British tanks moved out and penetrated Rommel's weak front lines. The Germans had only 35 working tanks left. Rommel gave the order to retreat. His forces continued to fight and inflict losses on the Allies, but nobody had any illusions as to the ultimate outcome of the battle. Hitler ordered Rommel to hold out as long as possible. Rommel was shocked by that order, but obeyed it.

By the time that the Fuhrer figured out that resistance is futile, Rommel had nothing left to fight with. With his long awaited orders to retreat, Rommel took the Italians' water and most of their transport and moved to Tunis. This was a long fighting retreat which ended on May 13th, 1943, when the Afrika Corps surrendered. Rommel was not among them. He left Africa several days beforehand, on orders from above.

Original article available here.

World of Tanks History Section: Battle for Trostyanets

The German offensive at Kursk in the summer of 1943 was powerful, but assymetric. On the north half, the Red Army held under the enemy attacks and started a counteroffensive by June 12th, but the south was a more complicated place. Here, the Voronezh Front faced much more difficult defensive battles. Here, the Soviet forces were frayed and exhausted, and they needed a pause to re-establish their strength before starting their march on Belgorod and Kharkov.

At the same time, it was not possible to postpone the offensive. The Germans here were also tired, plus several tank divisions had to be transferred to reinforce the front line in other places. In early August, they would be back, so it was necessary to defeat the enemy before then.

Attack on Kharkov

The offensive of the Steppe and Voronezh Fronts, codenamed Polkovodets Rumyantsev, began on August 3rd, 1943. The main strike by the Soviet forces was aimed to encircle Kharkov from the west. Two combined arms and two tank armies formed the spearhead. In the first four days, the Red Army saw great success, defeating the German forces near the Borisovka settlement.

The German commanders did not sit idle, and attempted to stop the Red Army at their last line of defense. The defenses were strengthened with any forces that turned up, including remnants of defeated divisions. Additionally, reserves from other parts of the front were starting to arrive. The Germans had no time to wait for them to assemble and threw them into battle piecemeal.

Starting on August 8th, the right flank of the Voronezh Front began an important fight for supply lines. The main targets were Akhtyrka and Boromlya. Their capture and retention allowed the Red Army to cut off and control a highway that the Germans were using to transfer supplies and reinforcements. The Germans were not about to give up these cornerstones and were ready to defend them, eventually concentrating enough forces at Akhtyrka for a counterattack. That is exactly what happened on August 18th, 1943. The Akhtyrka counterattack went down in history as one of the greatest threats to the Kharkov offensive. Ten days before that, fighting of local importance defined the conditions for this important battle.

It happened at the city of Trostyanets, where forces of the Red Army unexpectedly encountered the frontline units of Grossdeutschland, moved to Akhtyrka from Karachev.

The German army's choked artery

On August 8th, the Soviet 10th Tank Corps, attacking with the 40th Army, penetrated the German defenses. Following the retreating enemy and travelling for 20 km in one day, the tankers entered Trostyanets, a large road hub between Boromlya and Akhtyrka. The Soviets captured a prize of three trains full of vehicles and equipment. Another train of Soviet POWs was discovered, who were freed. Meanwhile, a train full of German infantry arrived at the station. It was fired upon immediately, resulting in its soldiers having to jump off and scatter throughout the area.

As a result of the capture of Trostyanets, the planned transfer of Grossdeutschland to Akhtyrka failed. This was so shocking for the German garrison, the arrival of Soviet tanks was so sudden that they initially fled in panic and scattered around nearby forests.

The loss of Trostyanets was unacceptable for the Germans. Rapidly formed combat groups consisting of any available tank divisions were thrown towards the city. Soviet forces defending it were still very small: 25 tanks (19 T-34s and 6 T-70s) and 500 men. Another tank brigade was supposed to arrive.

The Germans first attacked at 3:30 am on August 9th. The Soviets defeated an attack of three tanks and infantry from the south-west. A stronger group consisting of 10 tanks and SPGs accompanied by 300 soldiers managed to enter Trostyanets and occupy its western outskirts. Reinforcements came to both sides and immediately entered the battle. The long awaited Soviet 168th Tank Brigade brought only 28 tanks. but infantry from the 100th Infantry Division came with 20 AT guns. The Germans sent more serious reinforcements to Trostyanets: 50 tanks of various types, infantry, artillery. The air was filled with the hum of German bombers.

A fierce battle erupted. The Germans attacked from all sides, fighting happened both on the outskirts and inside the city. Even if the enemy managed to encircle some Soviet forces, they kept fighting. In total, 11 German attacks were repulsed.

Loss of an elite division

Grossdeutschland entered the battle in the second half of August 9th. Since Trostyanets was under Soviet control, one Panther train did not manage to reach the city. They were loaded off the platforms and sent in to attack. On their way, they were joined by four Tigers.

The first Tiger was knocked out at the very start of the battle. With return fire, several Soviet tanks were knocked out. Changing direction, the enemy tried to circle around Trostyanets from the rear, but was surprised by hidden AT guns and stopped. Another several tanks were knocked out, but two Tigers and three Panthers kept moving. At that point, several T-34s flanked the Germans to help the artillerymen. The enemy tanks were in a crossfire.

The two Tigers lit up first, then two of the three Panthers. The surviving tank picked up a few tankers from the destroyed vehicles and managed to retreat successfully. The attack failed, and the Germans irretrievably lost four Tigers and three Panthers. Several other tanks were knocked out. All this was just to occupy the south and western outskirts of the city.

This was the last tank attack on August 9th. The battle for the city continued for several days. All this time, the vitally important railroad remained in Soviet hands. The Germans were forced to transfer reinforcements in roundabout ways. As a result, the Soviets managed to delay the arrival of one of the strongest German divisions and inflict losses on them before they even reached their destination.

Additionally, the battle for Trostyanets drew already dwindling tank reserves from other parts of the front. Neither the famed Tigers nor Panthers managed to retake the city and restore the German supply lines. The events at Akhtyrka echoed throughout the front. Only a few weeks remained until the liberation of Kharkov, end of the Battle of Kursk, and complete overtaking of strategic initiative by the Red Army.

Original article available here.

Heroic Scout

"Award Order

1. Name: Prudkoy, Nikolai Petrovich
2. Rank: Lieutenant
3. Position: T-70 reconnaissance platoon commander, 203rd Tank Battalion, 89th Tank Brigade
   is nominated for the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.
4. Year of birth: 1922
5. Nationality: Ukrainian
6. Party affiliation: VKP(b) member since 1943
7. Participation in the Civil War and subsequent combat action in defense of the USSR (where, when): in the Patriotic War since February 1943
8. Wounds and concussions in the Patriotic War: killed on July 16th, 1943
9. In the Red Army since: 1941
10. Recruited by: Borispolskiy recruitment office, Kiev oblast
11. Previously awarded: Order of the Patriotic War 1st class on August 10th, 1943

Brief and specific description of heroism or achievements: comrade Prudkoy demonstrated courage and bravery from July 13th to 16th. In battle, he was cool-headed, acted bravely and confidently. His reconnaissance platoon skilfully navigates and communicated valuable information on the enemy to his commander. On July 15th, 1943, comrade Prudkoy was sent to recce in force in order to determine enemy concentrations at Krutitsa village. With his platoon, he burst into Krutitsa village, where an enemy stronghold was established. Skilfully using terrain to conceal himself, Lieutenant Prudkoy entered the village from the south-west side, where the enemy did not expect an attack. His sudden appearance caused panic among the enemy, which helped captured the village with no losses. With fire and tracks, comrade Prudkoy destroyed 2 armoured cars and 3 prime movers. A German gun opened fire from the outskirts of the village. Comrade Prudkoy flanked an destroyed it. In addition, he destroyed a warehouse of ammunition and up to 40 enemy soldiers and officers, captured an armoured car, 2 guns, three motorcycles, and freed 100 prisoners and 200 cows that the Germans were going to send to Germany. He also captured an enemy soldier who gave valuable information on the enemy's forces. For these actions, comrade Prudkoy was awarded the Order of the Patriotic War 1st class.

On July 16th, 1943, comrade Prudkoy encountered an enemy ambush while in the advance guard of the brigade near Krasnikovo. In battle, comrade Prudkoy destroyed enemy concentrations. An enemy shell hit his vehicle, which caught fire. Comrade Prudkoy was wounded. Choking from the smoke, he continued to destroy his enemy. A second shell blew off his legs. Losing blood, he stayed in the tank while he communicated information about the enemy, and only then did he climb out of the tank, burned and wounded. In the field hospital, he called over his commander and confirmed information about the enemy, after which he died.

For exceptional dedication to his duty, his Motherland, and his exceptional heroism, comrade Prudkoy Nikolai Petrovich is worthy of the highest state award: the title of Hero of the Soviet Union."

CAMD RF 33-793756-39

SU-2-122

I wrote about the SU-2-122 a while ago, a strange project to put two 122 mm howitzers on a lengthened T-34 chassis that ultimately lost out to the conventional SU-122. Yuri Pasholok posted a few blueprints of this oddity.

First Panzerfausts

"To the commander of artillery of the 30th Guards Infantry Corps

Letter #52293s. December 29th, 1943

New types of rocket propelled thermite HEAT grenades were discovered on the 2nd Ukrainian Front. A description of these grenades was sent to you earlier.

Give orders to all intelligence units regarding this issue. If these grenades or documents regarding them are discovered, immediately report to the army artillery HQ.

42nd Army Artillery HQ Chief, Lieutenant-Colonel Frenkel
Reconnaissance chief, Major Gambeev."

"To artillery chiefs of corps, divisions, and artillery regiments

Engineering units of the 2nd Ukrainian Front discovered new German rocket propelled thermite HEAT grenades. The grenade is filled with compressed explosives. The rear of the grenade is inserted into a metal tube and can be fired to a distance of 150-200 meters. The length of the tube is 800 mm, diameter is 36 mm, the walls of the tube are about 2 mm thick. Two grenades of this type were found that were 130 mm in diameter, three grenades that were 300 mm long and 30 mm in diameter, with an 840 mm long tube.

Give all scouts orders to work on this issue, interrogate prisoners and capture documents regarding this device. Discover the exact purpose of these grenades and the method of firing them.

61st Army Artillery HQ Chief, Guards Colonel Lazarev
61st Army Reconnaissance Unit Chief, Guards Major Govorov."

Via altyn73.

85 mm Gun Trials

A while ago I wrote about trials of 85 mm guns in the T-34-76 turret. While I don't have the documents of the trials themselves, I finally at least have the result.

"To the Chair of the State Committee of Defence, comrade I.V. Stalin

According to your direction, trials of 85 mm tank guns designed by TsAKB (comrade Grabin) and factory #92 were performed.

The TsAKB gun (designed by comrade Grabin) installed in a T-34 with a regular turret ring passed trials with insignificant defects which can be resolved in production. The gun designed at factory #92 did not pass trials.

Comrades Malyshev, Ustinov, Yakovlev, and Fedorenko were present at the trials.

The state commission recommends that the 85 mm tank gun designed by comrade Grabin be accepted into service. The act on testing the guns will be submitted separately.

We ask for your permission.

L. Beriya

V. Malyshev

D. Ustinov

N. Yakovlev

Y. Fedorenko

December 31st, 1943"

RGASPI 644-2-255

The gun was officially indexed "85 mm tank gun model 1944 (S-53)" and entered production, but was installed in the larger 3-man turret with an enlarged turret ring instead of the old T-34 hexagonal turret.

Fate of Baryshev's Tank

The unsung hero of Baryshev's raid, his PzIII tank, met its end during that same year.

"To the commander of armoured forces of the 6th Army

CC: commander of the 327th Infantry Division

Combat report #228 from the 107th Independent Tank Battalion HQ

1.5 km east of marker 57.1, 16:00, August 28th, 1942, Map 1:50000

1. As a result of combat on August 27th, 1st and 2nd company delivered significant damage to the enemy. The tanks destroyed: 15 dugouts, 4 infantry cannons, a mortar battery, 3 AT guns, 2 transports with ammunition, one tank, one armoured car, a wheeled car, and many enemy soldiers and machineguns.
2. Tanks suppressed the front line of defense, reached lake Dolgoye and marker 48.6.
3. Problems were encountered with supplies of ammunition, fuel, and lubricant. Delivery is complicated by a lack of roads. Delivery by horse is too time consuming.
4. By 8:00, the vehicles were fully stocked with ammunition. There is no aircraft oil in the battalion, all vehicles need oil.
5. Losses for the day:
1. One KV burned up, fate of the crew is unknown.
2. One KV hit a mine near lake Dolgoye.
3. One T-34 had its drive wheel torn off by a sell.
4. One PzIII burned up on the battlefield.
5. One PzIV burned up on the battlefield.
6. Two StuGs burned up on German territory.
7. Two PzIIIs were knocked out, but towed back, currently being repaired.
   Personnel losses:
1. Killed:
1. Officers: 2
2. NCOs: 5
3. Privates: 1
2. Wounded:
1. Officers: 4
2. NCOs: 7
3. Privates: 1
   Total losses are 20 men, not counting Lieutenant Kuzmichyev's missing crew.
6. At 14:10, on August 28th, 1942, two T-34s commanded by Senior Lieutenant Shigoran were sent out to suppress enemy strongholds south of the resort which is west of Voronovo, and provide support for infantry. Infantry reports that the tanks are working well.
7. In order to complete its objectives, the battalion needs additional tanks.
8. I ask to use the battalion for only one purpose, to support the 327th Infantry Division, and retrieve the remainder of the battalion from the mountain infantry brigade."

World of Tanks History Section: Armoured Cars of the Pre-Tank Era

How do you protect a soldier from bullets, fragments, and shrapnel? Can you quickly move a machinegun or a cannon over tens of kilometers without using horses? These problems were solved with cars at the start of the 20th century. By that time, they moved past the stage of awkward boxes on wheels. There were no more problems with speed, carrying capacity, or off-road performance. The military had its carrying platform and decided to protect the crew and driver with armoured plates. This is how the armoured car was born. Here is some information about some armoured cars of the pre-tank era.

Astro-Daimler Panzerwagen

This is one of the first armoured cars in history, designed and built in Austria-Hungary in 1905. The design was ahead of its time, and it's no wonder, as it was designed by a representative of the famous engineering dynasty, Paul Daimler.

He added a series of features which later became classic: all wheel drive, a fully armoured hull, a hemispherical turret with a port for a 7.7 mm Maxim gun (later there were two). The front and side armour was 3.5 mm thick, the turret armour was 4 mm thick. The armoured plates were curved, increasing protection. Daimler was right to be proud of his design. One thing remained: a successful demonstration and an order from the Imperial army.

The project met its end due to the sound of its engine. It frightened the horses of some high ranking people attending the trials. Emperor Franz-Joseph was discouraged and infuriated. He claimed that there is no room for these vehicles on a battlefield and left Daimler no chances.

Minerva

Belgium was one of the first countries to hear the thunder of the Great War in 1914. Lieutenant Charles Ankar of the Belgian General Staff drove to the battlefield in his personal car. In order to protect his life, he armoured it. Ankar's superiors considered his experience promising. Several other Minervas were covered in armour, armed with 8 mm Hotchkiss machineguns, and sent into battle.

These cars showed themselves well during the maneuver period of the First World War, turning out to be an unpleasant surprise for the Germans. However, once positional warfare started, Minervas became harder to use. As a result, the Belgian armoured car squadron was gifted to Emperor Nikolai II and moved to the Russian front.

After the end of WWI, Minervas were repeatedly modernized and remained in service wit the Belgian army until 1935.

Rolls-Royce Armoured Car

Today, Rolls-Royce cars are a symbol of luxury more than a method of transportation. Little is known about the military career of this car. In 1914, the famous Silver Ghost was armoured by the British, following the Belgian Minerva design.

It was covered with 8-9 mm thick armour, with a rear fighting compartment. The turret had a cylindrical turret with sloped sides to increase protection. It also featured a platform big enough to transport several soldiers or equipment. The Rolls-Royce was armed with a heavy 7.7 mm Vickers machinegun, propelled by an excellent 6-cylinder engine. The first three vehicles were ready and sent to Europe in December of 1914.

By that time, the war became positional, and the effectiveness of armoured cars became limited. Nevertheless, these cars participated in battle inside the United Kingdom in 1916 during the Easter Uprising in Dublin. Rolls-Royce armoured cars fought alongside improvised armoured cars built with boilers from the Guinness brewery on three-ton trucks. The last Rolls-Royce armoured cars were used by Great Britain as late as 1944.

Bussing A5P

As a rule, armoured cars on the battlefields of WWI earned their way there through a tender, but there were exceptions. Facing the first armoured cars of the Entente armies, the Germans attempted a symmetric response to their enemy. The Bussing prototype was inferior to its competitors, but still managed to make it to the battle.

The Bussing A5P was a rather large all wheel drive car. This design differed from others with its rear and front driver's compartments and the ability to bring a large amount of guns on target. The Bussing had ten portholes for machineguns, but only three were fixed in place. The crew (10 men) were supposed to move between the remaining ones.

All three assembled Bussing A5Ps participated in battle on the Western Front. When Romania entered the war on the side of the Entente in 1916, the armoured cars were sent there. These grotesque children of WWI survived the war. The last Bussing was lost somewhere in the Ukrainian steppe during the Russian Civil War.

Russo-Balt Type S

The first Russian armoured car was designed and sent to production in a surprisingly short time. Minister of War V.A. Sukhomlinov approved the project on August 17th, 1914, and in mid-October Nikolai II wrote in his diary: "At 11:00, on the palace grounds, I was shown a newly formed company of cars with 47 mm guns, machineguns, and steel shields. It leaves for a campaign."

The hurried design stunned the enemy. Its 5 mm chrome-nickel armour reliably protected the front and rear of the Russo-Balt, and the 3.5 mm sides could still take a hit. The secret to its protection lay in the sloping of the armour, designed by Colonel A.N. Dobrzhanskiy and engineer Staff Captain A.Ya. Grawen.

The Russo-Balt was armed with a menacing trio of 7.62 mm Maxim machineguns, but the machineguns had to be supported with cannon fire. Steel-lined gun trucks were only a band-aid solution. As a result, the Garford cannon-armed armoured car was built.

Austin

Minister Sukhomlinov wanted to increase the size of his armoured car park after approving the Russo-Balt by buying armoured cars from Entente allies. British-made Austin armoured cars were ordered in the fall of 1914 and arrived in Russia by the end of the year.

These two-machinegun armoured cars with horizontal armoured plates demonstrated a weak transmission and vulnerable armour. Despite that, a second batch of Austins was bought in March of 1915.

In November 1915, commander of the Reserve Armoured Company Captain Khaletskiy made a series of comments about the design: "One exit hatch in the side... Small internal volume... Difficulty steering while reversing... Lack of space for a spare wheel..." It is hard to tell if this was nitpicking or reasonable criticism. In August of 1916, the Military Directorate ordered another 60 Austin armoured cars and the same number of chassis for domestically built cars. The latter had doubled driver's controls. Khaletskiy's criticism must have been heard.

Garford-Putilov

The idea of a fully fledged cannon-armed armoured car was brought to fruition by the chief of the infantry officer school, N.M. Filatov. American five-ton Garford trucks were a suitable chassis for the project. 33 cars were shipped to Petrograd in December of 1914. Assembly began at the Putilov factory in January.

The Garford's size allowed the use of thicker armour (6.5 mm), mostly placed vertically. Since the engine and fuel tanks were placed above and to the left and right of the driver and commander, armour protection was of utmost importance. The slow but powerful trucks were armed with the 76 mm anti-assault mod. 1910 gun and three Maxim guns.

The vehicles were assigned to machinegun armoured car platoons, reinforcing a duo of Austins. Each Garford had a personal name. These armoured cars fought in WWI, Civil War, and small wars of he 1920s and 1930s.

AB Ansaldo

Italy entered WWI on the side of the Entente in 1915. The Joe Ansaldo company designed a machinegun armoured car for the army. The 60 hp engine let the car accelerate to 70 kph. The hull was made from chrome-nickel steel. The armament of the Automobile Blindato Ansaldo consisted of three machineguns in a two-level turret. The crew consisted of 6 men.

The Ansaldo fought at the Austro-Hungarian border, and later against the Germany army. In late January of 1916, the creators of the Ansaldo armoured car sent a proposal to the Russian GAU for a purchase. The armoured car's protection was advertised to be "...protected with special armour, impermeable from 100 meters to the bullet of the Italian model 1891 rifle. The motor and wheels are completely protected by shields." The Italians asked for blueprints of machineguns and data on shells of Russian artillery, allegedly to modify the armoured car.

The Ansaldo did not have a chance to fight on the Russian front, but they had a much more exotic fate. After the Spanish Civil War they fought in the African campaign of the Italian army.

Archer

In the summer of 1915, the "Archer automobile-machinegun" was offered to the Russian War Directorate by the French engineer J. Archer.

The French hyped up their design, and its characteristics were quite high: a four-cylinder 16 hp engine, top speed of 60 kph, 7 mm chrome-nickel armour. The only armament was a rear-mounted machinegun.

The creator of Russian armoured car forces Major-General P.I. Sekretev familiarized himself with this proposal and categorically declined: "... the Archer armoured car does not protect the crew from shrapnel, its engine is weak for Russian roads, one machinegun is insufficient, moving backwards is difficult... The starter is complicated and unreliable."

Original article available here.