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    207 views32 pages

    Journal of Military Ordnance Nov1996

    Uploaded by

    Samoht Racivcm
    JOMO

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
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    Russian BIR-90 Prororype Drawings Journal of Military OrdNANCE November 1996 — Vol 6, Number 6 ‘Anwor and Amzillery Equipment and Warfare of the 20rh Century and Beyond _ Janes The World’s Leading Provider of Defense, Aerospace and | Transportation Information for Nearly a Century 2a century, Jar has been the world’s foremost authority on defense information. femment officia sry professionals ond miltory personnel alike have come 1a rely Of 16 or he most accurate and imparia information cvalcbe on the subject of lens one's sondord over he lot cen, as cied by Tine Magazin, orn dep for accuracy and impartially." Fiom the very fist edition of Jane's Fighting Ships in 1898 to the cy, Jane's pote exret 200 products ond services Inclcling Saati ran s—the most extensive soutce for echnical specications; Jane’s Defence Weekly: snsidered by most fo be the woes leading weekly magazine of global d « Jane's Sentinel Security Assessments. Whatever your defense information requirements, Jane’ product ond services are ‘medicimparial, offered in hard copy, COROM ond other electronic formats Jone’ All he World's Aircraft requte nos information, Jones 5 pieces avaloble ‘ Jones 1 londavedinkrmaton servis indice a ee Aireroh Upgrades ond <1, Jane's the considered auhaty on amos sing teres tndewens Waters Sense, Heep Mere nd Sone wiles Jane's Armour and Arilery ond wo Jane's Aero-Engins. 1 tnt forence work called Janes new mate publications his yoo, Jane's ‘Mejor Worships and Jone's Naval Construction & Retrofit Markets Mines ond Mine Cleoronce Contact your Jane's representative by phone ct 800.243.3852, or 703.683.3700 in Viginia. \Wiite to: Jane's Information Group, 1340 Braddack Place, Suite 300, Alexandria, VA 22314 Journal of CONTENTS wits November 1996 Volume 6, Number 6 Or NANCE Pax Vobiscum al eae Departments Features 8 Bookshelf -2 4 Sheridaw Tropical Trials iv Ausra By Tou Loin By Paul Handel 9 Book Reviews 1 O Paramoopens of the Independent Stare of Me cara rie i ‘Creation & Combar Employwent Canna, WADA ol Gemuon/s Lk Fores 19 3 3- By Josip Novak avd David Spencer 1945 Reviewed by Frank De Sisto CALIFORNIA'S RAILWAY GUNS 14 Proronpes With Thea Home ar Fort MacAgthur By. Andee Reviewed by Perer A Frandsen Desens HX Keosielinne 23 News From The Director 2.0 Wasred ~ A Friend 10 Restone Me Testes shes The Bovingron Pzkaw. VI Tiger Today ° By Stephen ‘Cookie’ Sewell 24 cH 27 Lave War US. Engineer Equipment on Halfrracks 97 The Ordnance Museum Marthe) By ane Foundation News Journal of Military Ordnance is independently owned and published six- 2. 8 Miniature Ordnance Sev ongogs2 Balhae sm) Abad Copa Balding Hac AFR 1/55 BA6AB ‘Volume 6, Number 6 1996. Up Ta le pao may econ oe eeanee eee, Asmoncd Car Nowmber 1996 oe written permission of ‘Scbupume: One yes (inne) S170 (Marland resides ad 5% By Sia Za aes tah A fon nso S000 nies S00 mal, Poet MeyD-Meachn ett Melt Seeman py ee Stet romani ieeemmmreeet: § 70 Closed Ads Aaa Cb catalina mn inicio as padeues nator mae Pecos SS maerent iar wranainiend sitrmmetn meamreaya, ON WE Conn Camad wn 0% eet ee eee ‘The turret of the Tiger I on display at the "Gale day Oninee ome cd Museum Oden SN et eae on ee Emopon Comesponde 10833877 foliar plated perio Tuy 1958. INSEE: From Rsais comes great st of ‘Theopinions and views by the authors donot necessarily reflect 03 Grawings of the prototype BTI-90 (aoc Dlnges Prstecean as paean a clo poole toga he ‘Two Sheridans arrting on the docks in Melbourne, after their sea voyage from the usa. Sheridan Tropical Trials in Australia By Paul Handel ‘The recent publication of a detailed history of the M551 Sheridan Light Tank made no mention of tropical. tri als conducted in Australia in 1967 and 1968. This article represents an at: tempt to give some details of those trials, Itshould be noted that very little {in the way of unclassified documenta- tion is available, and much of the infor- mation contained in this article is a result ofsnippetsof information gleaned from personnel associated withthe tt- als, or from brochures and contempo- rary news articles. In the mid-1960's, a reorgani tion of the Australian Army introduced cavalry regiments into the Royal Aus tralian Armoured Corps. One of the requirements for thecavalry regiment was an air-portable armored fighting vehicle (APAFV), and this need was reinforced when Australia committed ‘an armored personnel carrier (APC) troop to South Vietnam in 1965 as part ofan infantry battalion group. Initialatiempts by Australia to par- tictpate in the development of a family of light AFVs as part of the ABCA (America, Britain, Canada and Austra: lia) agreement led to failure, due to conflicting national, political, and com- mercial Interests preventing develop- ment from proceeding. ‘The Australian Army then became interested in the wly developed M551 General Sheridan Armored Airborne Recon- naissance Vehicle, and arrangements began to obtain vehicles for evaluation. purposes. Several Australian Army personnel were sent to the USA for training on the vehicles, particularly in the gunnery aspects, as the 152 mm gun-launcher was a completely new system, It was originally hoped to conduct trials during the 1966/67 Wet ‘Season in Northern Queensland, but vehicles were unavailable. It was not until August 1967 that two vehicles arrived in Australia. These were new vehicles from the production line, and were loaned to Australia under the terms ofthe ABCA standardization loan Journal of Miliimzy Onchuwvce ‘The Sheridan named ‘Scimitar’ being trialed on board an Australian Army 15-ton Tit Bed Recovery trailer, and being towed by an M543 wrecker. problematical agreement. After landing in Melbourne, the twovehicles were initially taken to the Amy Design Establishment (ADE) for checking and fitting of instrumenta- tion for trials purposes. Crew training was conducted at the Armoured Centre at Puckapunyal, and some firing trials took place. For ease of identification during the trials, the vehicles were named SCIMITAR (US Registered No 13C642) and SABRE (US Registered No 180643). As a comparator vehicle during the automotive testing phase, an Australian M113A1 vehicle was sed, Beginning in January 1968, the main phases of the trials took place. The vehicles had been moved to the Innisfail area of Northern Queensland in December 1967, and were prepared by the specially formed Sheridan Trials Unit for the various trials to be under- taken. The trials conducted were those which had not already been conducted by US authorities. ‘The environment around Innisfail includes jungle, ‘swamps, beaches, and grassy, lightly timbered areas, ideal for the conduct of tropical trials. This area was the loca- tion for the Australian Army's Tropical Trials Establishment, and was the scene of trials in 1962/3 of the US M113 and UK FV432 APCs, and later in 1972/3 of the Leopard and M60AI tank trials. ‘Automotive trials included all types of performance and swimming trials, November 1996 and a long distance endurance trial of some 300 miles. One vehicle com- pleted in excess of 4000 miles during trials, the second vehicle justover 3000. Itwas found that the Sheridan was an easy vehicle to drive and maintenance was generally easy. In the main, its automotive performance was found to be not as good as the M113Al, although, its step and trench ability (due to its Jonger length) was better. This inferior performance, particularly in jungle con- ditions, was judged to be due to the Scimitar on the range at Puckapunyal. ‘The Sheridan overhangs the deck of the traller about half a track width on each side, making transport by that means very vehicle having less aggressive track link design than the M113Al, and a slightly lower power-to-weight ratio which accounted for some of the less- ened performance, particularly on first and second class roads. Its swimming ability, using the inbuilt flotation screen, was slightly superior to the MI13Al. It should be noted that the M113Al hasnever been a star performer in the water, so the statement Is relative. The Sheridan was a more stable vehicle during am: ‘Sabre tn the tropical trials area. ‘The erew- men wear US-style AFV helmets, and the recetver of the commander's .50 calibre ma: chine gun is covered from the weather. phibious operation, but required the vehicle commander to guide the driver as the clear panels in the bow plane were usually under water or so dam- aged the driver could not see safely. During the wettest part of the tri- als, in March 1968, a series of battle- field days" were conducted, which re- quired the crew to operate the vehicle for 24-hours under simulated combat conditions. It is believed that these activities proved the vehicle to be rela- tively satisfactory in automotive terms. Engine cooling was the major auito- motive problem. This was caused, in Jungle conditions, by the tracks throw- {ng debris causing blockage of the en- gine radiator. A local solution. using a ‘Scimitar with tts flotation screen erected and being pulled from a creek during swimming tials. The clear panels in the bow plane can be seer, as well as the erew commander and ‘gunner standing to provide guidanee to the driver. wire mesh screen, was applied for the duration of the trials to each vehicle ‘The gunnery aspects of the Sheridan were another matter. ‘The ‘M81 152mm gun/launcher, capable of firing missiles as well as conventional ammunition, was not a success. Both conventional ammunitionand missiles were fired during trials, the most seri- ous defect being in the combustible ease of the conventional round. Al- ‘though the case was supposed to be entirely combustible, the breech scav- enging system did not completely re- move debris, which often fell into the turret upon breech opening. Personnel involved in the trials indicated that this was a major problem. Because of the possibility of the hot debris falling into the turret where large caliber rounds with combustible cases were stored, only one round at a time was allowed in thevehicle. Inaddition, the obscuration ——— a F Leer | ee Scimitar on the fring point during tropical trials. The names were applied to each side of the vehicle and tothe front lower glacis plate. The vehicles stil retained their US registration. numbers. produced when such a large caliber round was fired, and the lack ofa range finder, limited the effective range to somewhere around 600 meters. ‘The tropical trials were completed in June 1968, and the vehicles were returned to the Army Design Establish. ment in Victoria, where additional tri als were conducted. Several demon- strations and firings took place on the AFV ranges at Puckapunyal over the next months, and final examinations of the vehicles were undertaken. Sometime in early 1969, the ve hicles were returned to the US work. shops in Japan for rebuild. Quite why the vehicles went there and not to the USA is uncertain, but by that time Sheridans were deployed to South Viet- nam and perhaps these trial vehicles were rebuilt and sent to that theater. A-statement, issued by the Minis- ter for the Army in January of 1969, said that the Sheridan would not be Introduced into service with the Aus- tralian Army, as it did not meet Austra- lian Army requirements. Although no technical reasons were given in the statement, it is believed that the defi- clency of the 152mm gun and ammu- nition system was the main factor in the decision not toadopt the Sheridan, ‘This decision accelerated another project which did come to fruition, the mating of a Saladin armored car turret toan M1 ISALAPC to produce an M1 13Al Fire Support Vehicle. ‘The Tropical Trials of the Sheridan were the most complex and exhaustive military vehicle trials conducted in Australia up to that time, and were important in developing the system for trials of military equipment, particu larly armored vehicles, to assess their suitability for the Australian Army. Joureal of Milimrry Ondwance Editions Germany's Panther Tank ....---$45.00 ‘The Quest for Combat Supremacy Development, Modificationa,rare Variants, (Characteristics, Combat Accounts 160 pages, 8 5°x11",13Sphotosand 75 drawings 1933-42 ...$49.95 Tactics, Panzertruppen Vol. Formations, Organizations, Combat Reports, Unit Strengths Statistics 268 pages, 85° x11", 100 photos and 180 chants Panzertruppen Vol. 2 1943-45 ....$49.95 Formations, Organizations, Tactics, ‘Combat Reports, Unit Strengths, Statistics 304 pages, 85° x 11", 47 photos and 250 chans Germany's Tiger Tanks wo-e-$49.95 Tiger I & II Combat Tactics (Nov. 96) Characteristics, Formations, Organizations, ‘Tactics, Combat Reports, Unit Strengths 176 pages, 9" x 12°, 130 phos and 60 charts Signed by | Thomas L. Jentz Order direct from: ‘Thomas L. Jentz 18132 Kitchen House Court Germantown, MD 20874 Perbook add $5.00 shippingto U.S addresses, $10.00 for shipping and handling to foreign addresses, and S594 sles ax for orders to maryland addresses. Shipments made ater receipt of payment in fll by check non odrnUS dal Z Pp YOMMAND : POST = Pil emed stro cier i ie -eeRoe- UU Ke=oB Clic ORS MOC LA REMEMBER! A BOOK MAKES A GREAT CHRISTMAS PRESENT!!! Command Post has special prices for readers of Museum Ordnance listed in (italics) U.S. MILITARY TRACKED VEHICLES WORLD ENCYCLOPEDIA OF THE TANK (Over 1500 photos and all deailson US. tanks, halltracks, amphibians, Tank development fom WW | until today. 400+ photos and 384 pages: personnel carriers, mine clearers and more, This book a MUST US, of text range from the revolutonary Blitziieg laces to todays armored famor sof interes! warfare by Fred W. Crmson by Christopher Chant ke PANZER TRUPPEN ‘The complete guide fo the creation and combat emplayment of Germany's tank force from 1933 to 1942 4, by Thomas L Jentz MICHAEL WITTMAN Reg. $4495 and the Tiger Commanders ofthe Leibstandarte A complete histary ofthe TIGER company ofthe Leibstandarte, later the 1011501 Schwere Panzer Battalion. Established in late 1942, this unit, fought at Kharkov and Kursk in 1943, efttedin Italy and went back to Russia until early 1944, Alter rfting in spring 1944 it fought in Nor- ‘mandy and laterin the Battie of the Bulge. The unit dd not surrender nti may of 1945. by Patick Agte He ($76.00) SHERMAN A History of the American Medium Tank With 9 superb text and a mere 1,300 ilustrations, Hunnicut gives ‘complete coverage to the Sherman tank and al is variants, including ts ‘combat history. By far the most complete book onthe Mi to date. by RP. Hunnicutt He ($81.00) Reg, $94 He ($25.00) Reg. $29 ($45.00) Reg. $49.95 U.S, MILITARY WHEELED VEHICLES (Crimson is att again, every thing you ever wanted to know about the Vehicles that makes our amy run. 100+ photos of armored cars, Jeeps, tucks of allsizes andmakes. Many experimental vehicles a one ofs He ($45.00) Reg. $43.95 by Fred W. Crimson HC. ($40.00) TANK COMMANDERS: Knights of the Modern Age The men, the tanks and tactic from WWW Ito Desert Storm. Bate histories of Patton, Rommel, Montgomery, Estienne, Zhukov and Tal fare covered by Forty, the curator ofthe Royal Armored Corps Museum at Bovington. by George Forty HC ($22.00) Re ‘TANK ACTION: From the Great Wertto the Gulf 42 individual tank actions are profiled. ook at if atthe sharp end of tank warfare, a8 viewed through the eyes of the tank erewmen by George Forty HC ($36.00) Reg, $33.95 $24.95 Reg. $8500 TANK DESTROYER FORCES WWII ‘The defintive history of the tank destroyers, Every TO units listed ‘along wit its actions during the war. 2000+ photos, maps, charts and personal histones with 1000 biographies of TD men He. ($43.00) The History ofthe Panzerkorps GROSSDEUTSCHLAND This frst two volumes of @ 3 vol, set covers the GD unit fom its insep- Reg. $48.00 tion as a Wacht Reg, in 1921, through its evolvement into an Infantry Reg. through its upgrading oa Panzergrenadier division. Many ex TIGER TANKS Celt acten accounts are ncted ts deta story ofan ete Extremely detaled book that gives the fullcombat and development (nit history of al Tiger varants. Includes combat recollctios of German, ‘American & Briish tank crews that vividly detail the war's “most feared armored vehicle Reg $4800 Reg. $50.00 byHelmut Spacter VOL 1 HC ($43.00) VOL.2 HC ($45.00) by Michael Green SC ($18.00) Reg. $19.95 Y BOTH VOLUMES Fi To Order Please Call (800) 722 - 7344 MC / VISA / AMEX To obtain our lustrated #4 page, 8 VAX11 catalog ‘send $2 00 (refunded with fist order to ‘COMMAND POST DEPT. MO P.O. BOX 141 CONVENT STATION, NJ. 07964 ‘Shinning & Handling via Class Mal RAMP AS For anyone interested in the history ofthe Second World War, WWITMilisary Journal ithe magazine ofchoice. Declasified barele reports, rare photos, info. for collectors, ‘citing articles, book reviews, interviews, nillcaria, events, and much more. ‘Subucribe today - $16.00 per year (quarter) (Grin bacspins $2800 US) Send Chic or Monty Order ts WWII MILITARY JOURNAL P.O. Box 28506» San Diego, CA 92198 USA ‘81843413 » be 6194711405 Sey ferent ero ety Seer PN ea rere res ilitary trucks, jeepe and other WWW2 and por Ser a en naa Pe ere eres peerroer rire my aes perereth tetera eT) ge NZ gL 4 Coron Rims BACK ISSUES Miss an issue? Get them while you can. Issues prior toJuly 1996 ‘were published as Museum Ord nance magazine. September 1991 November 1991 January 1992 March 1992 May 1992 July 1992 January 1996 March 1996 May 1996 July 1996 ‘September 96 S0- indicates this fasue Is sold out + ~ indicates that there are 10 or less copies remaining $3.00 each U.S. (50¢ postage. MD rest- dents add 5% sales tax), foreign $4.25. US. funds only. Darlington Productions POB 5884 Darlington, MD_ 21034 JoMO Bookshelf G-2 news and notes about AF'V resources by Tom Laemlein ‘Rumor has it that our readers like to sneak a peek at armor-plated websites. Here's a few addresses to keep you busy: 1, Duke Battalion Military Equipment Gallery (features US Army Equipment) Http://www jmu.edurotelgallery.htmi 2. An outstanding collection of photos from an Italian Light Tank unit in WWI hittp://developer.microrim.com/STUDIOFER/ruindex.html 3, Armet Armored Vehicles Inc. For those interested in armoring systems for Blazers, Jeeps, Mercedes, etc for corporate, security or police applications: hittp://www.kars.com/armored/ 4, Armour Archive. Good links and info. hhttp://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/armourarchivel 5. Panzer’s Page. Updated, with detail shots of Stug IIl and Ma8, hhttp2//www.primenet.com/~panzer! For armor modelers, look for “Tony Greenland’s Panzer Modelling Masterclass” (Windsow & Greene $29.95). Featuring excellent photography of super’ models, with plenty of seratch-building painting and weathering, and superdetailing tips. Currently a featured selection ofthe Miltary Book Club. I was very excited to read “The View From The Turret (The 743rd Tank Battalion During WWID)”by William Folkesiad (Burd Street $24.95). Unfortunately, I wound up disappointed. While the book reveals the previously undisclosed achievements ofthe 43rd on Omaha Beach during D-Day, the author repeatedly describes the German Panther as being armed with an 88mm gun, Litile details like that make or break an author's credibility —and it's hard to take the good pars ofthis book (like hometfront Gescriptions ofthe Sherman's combat inadequacy) seriously with such glaring errors. ‘A much better book, and one that also covers a litle-known area, is “A Dark And Bloody Ground, The Hurigen Forest & The Roer River Dams 1944-45" by Edward G. Miller (Texas A&M Univ. Press $29.95). Thisisa well-tesearched work, andmy dear- ‘old Dad (a veteran of Hurigen and the Roer crossing) gives it his stamp of approval. ‘Annumber of armor classics are being reprinted: Jean Paul Pallud’s: “The Battle of the Bulge, Then & Now” ($79.95—and well worth it), Eric Lefevre's “Panzers In Normandy, Then & Now” ($49.95) and Bruce Culver's “Panzer Colors, Volumes 1-3" ($14.95 each), All ofthese books are a highly worthwhile additions to your library. This summer saw the release of “Close Combat” from Microprose ($39.95), a squaa-level US versus German simulation, D-Day to Berlin. The software was devised to provide realistic reactions from the leaders and troops you command, based on their ability, strength, stamina and mental condition. Your troops may misinterpret your ‘orders, tack the wrong target, or simply refuse to obey you atall. While this sounded like a good idea in concept, in practice it eaves you with a game thatis very difficult to contol. The user interfaces clunky, the graphics re messy, and the whole issu of troop morale quickly becomes annoying, Late fall should see the release of “Steel Panthers II”, the second version of the ‘enormously popular squad-Ievel game from SSI ($59.95). This second dition willcover armored warfare from 1950-2000. Scenarios will include the Arab-Israeli wars, Desert Storm, Korea, and NATO versus Warsaw Pact. Some Vietnam scenarios may also be included. SSI has left the user-friendly gaming system as-is, while adding some improvements in graphics and animated effects. Add-on scenarios and a special newsletter for Sicel Panthers can be purchased through Novastar Game Company (916- 624-7113), Joursal of vary Ondvance Off Book and Video Reviews = PANZER TRUPPEN 1 ‘The Complete Guide to the Creation & Combat Employment of Germany's Tank Force 1933-1942 By Thomas L. Jentz ISBN 0-88740-915-6, 1996 288 pages, 99 photos, charts, maps Schiffer Publishing 77 Lower Valley Road Atglen, PA 19310 Reviewed by Frank De Sisto (One must approach this book with a certain amount of awe, or even fear! The amount of tabulated data alone is enough to cause sensory overload if taken in too large a dose. There is simply no way, in the limited space which comprises this review, to adequately describe What isin store forthe serious student of the ‘Third Reich’s legendary Panzer Truppen. ‘The author has taken only primary source ‘material, translated it, and presented it to the reader. Post-war analysis, and indeed the au- thorsown opinion, are purposely excluded from the story. Charis and diagrams cover organiza tion of tank units (only) from Army Group down to platoon level. Production and avail- ability figures for the stars of all campaigns are ‘resented in graphic as well as tabulated form, Detailed datasheets describe German, Russian, French, British, American, and Czech tanks Conspicuous by its absence is data on Polish tanks. Often overlooked, German use of radios is also detailed, as well as allied and axis tank and anti-tank gun performance. ‘The coverage includes: Concept and early formations, tactical doctrine, early lessons Jearmed in Spain, the campaigns in Poland, Norway, France and the Low Countries, Greece, CALIFORNIA'S RAILWAY GUNS With Their Home at Fort MacArthur By Charles S. Small ISBN 0-912113-10-3 88 pages, soft cover Available from the Fort MacArthur Assoc. Fort MacArthur Station Box 2777 San Pedro, CA 90731 Reviewed by Peren A. Frandsen Railroad artillery was a Great War solution to the vexing problem of moving very heavy guns that could bring long-range fire support tothe Datllefield. Transporting heavy guns across country is extremely difficult and in a pre- ‘motorized age, even more so. Normal field artillery had relatively limited range, the only ‘way to bring fie deep into enemy lines was to use very heavy, long range guns. Rail was the ‘only way to move such heavy guns on land. ‘These tworequirements spurred the devel- ‘opment of railroad guns. They were often ‘excess naval gun barrels quickly mounted on ‘crude, but sturdy, carriages. By 1939 they should be regarded as something of an oddity; some countries, however, continued to refine the concept into someof the more interesting, if not obsolete, railroad guns used during WWII. Americans frst used railroad artlery dur November 1996 ing the Civil War and during the Great War Quickly developed modern pieces for use in France in 1918 to meet the unquenchable de- ‘mand forheavy artillery. Railroad artillery was also incorporaied into American coast defense as mobile anti-ship artillery up until the end of ‘WWII. The thinking was that once domestic naval bases were protected by land-based artil- lery,the Navy was freed to seek outand destroy ‘enemy fleets wherever they may be. Instead of building expensive fortifications at al possible ‘coastal invasion sites, the plan was to prepare firing positions at suitable locations and then move therail guntothe point asneeded, Mostly this plan was not finished either due to limited

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