Kampfpanzer - Die Entwicklungen Der Nachkriegszeit

In den USA kam das 1946 begonnene Panzerneubau-Programm zur Ablösung der Fahrzeuge M 24/M 4/M 26 nur sehr zögernd voran, so daß bei Ausbruch des Korea-Krieges im Juni 1950 keine der vorgesehenen Neukonstruktionen (T 41/T 42/T 43) einsatzbereit war. Der durch den Verlauf der Kampfhandlungen verursachte Termindruck führte schließlich zu einer Improvisationslösung bei der Entwicklung des mittleren Kampfpanzers: Da der T 42 (Bild 1) zwar ein untermotorisiertes Fahrgestell, aber einen als fortschrittlich erachteten Turm aufwies, wurde noch Ende 1950 der Turm des T 42 auf das Fahrgestell des KPz M 46 aufgesetzt und einer kurzen Erprobung unterzogen. Nach Berücksichtigung einiger Änderungen am Fahrgestell (z. B. Verbesserung der Formgebung) ging dieses Fahrzeug bereits Anfang 1952 als KPz M 47 (Bild 2) in Produktion. Prägnantes Merkmal des KPz M 47 war der schmale Turm; zur Reduzierung der Frontalfläche wurde erstmals die 90 mm PzK in einer Wiege mit konzentrischem Rohrrücklaufsystem eingebaut.

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Kagero Photosniper 018 - M5A1 Stuart

American M5 light tank was a direct development of M3 light tank series, which had its roots in the 1930s. During 1930s, Americans developed number of light tanks for infantry units and combat cars for cavalry units. Americans began their development of a light tank based on a British Vickers-Armstrong Six-Ton Export tank, which was the most influential tank design of the inter-war period (e.g. Soviet T-26 and Polish 7TP light tanks). Americans based on their experience with Vickers-Armstrong tank, developed their own T1E4 light tank. At the same time, Americans developed Tl combat car also known as Christie tank. In 1934. T2 light tank and T5 combat car were completed, which shared common components. In 1935, improved T5 combat car entered production designated M1 combat car and T2 light tank designated M2A1 light tank. Single turret M2A1 was soon replaced by twin turret M2A2 light tank. In 1938. improved M2A3 light tank entered production along with improved M1A1 combat car. In May of 1940, based on the experiences with previous armoured fighting vehicles and reports from Europe, improved M2A4 light tank entered production. Following the fall of France in June of 1940. USA realized the need to expand and modernize its armoured fighting force. First step involved combining all combat cars and light tanks under single command.

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Hitler's Espionage Machine

INTELLIGENCE IS AT THE VERY HEART OF WARFARE. To know what the enemy intends to do and how he intends to do it remains the single most valuable commodity for military and political leaders in wartime. It is the duty of intelligence services to obtain this information by any means, fair or foul. The role of espionage operatives in turn is to discover the enemy's dispositions, intentions, strengths and weaknesses, in order to put the armed forces in the best possible position to exploit this intelligence. It would be a mistake to argue, as some idealists and cynics have done, that intelligence is not worth the effort or resources expended on it. As will be shown, these ideas are not only entirely false, but in wartime can prove to be dangerous and potentially catastrophic. Few intelligence services are as surrounded by myth and lack of understanding as those of Nazi Germany. The German military intelligence service, known by its acronym Abwehr, is shrouded in falsehoods and contradictory facts. This is due in no small part to one figure, who towers above the rest of Germany's spymasters: Admiral Wilhelm Canaris, the head of the Abwehr from January 1935 until March 1944. Canaris began his career as an enthusiastic supporter of Hitler, only to grow disillusioned with the Nazis as World War II progressed.

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Das Reich - Waffen-SS Armoured Elite

Fame and infamy in equal measure surround the 2nd SS Panzer Division Das Reich, the most decorated of all World War II German armed units. With the 1st SS Panzer Division (Leibstandarte Adolf Hitler), 12th SS Panzer Division (Hitler Jugend) and the 3rd SS Panzer Division (Totenkopf), Das Reich formed an elite core of highly-skilled, motivated soldiers within the Waffen-SS that won the deserved plaudits of both friend and foe on the battlefields of Europe, and equally deserved condemnation for its actions outside the sphere of military operations. No fewer than 69 Knight's Cross recipients fought in the ranks of Das Reich during the five and a half years of war, testimony, if any were needed, to the elite status of this much-vaunted division.The history of the division was both brief and spectacular, but with the other elite Waffen-SS divisions, Das Reich has left an indelible mark on the history of arms, both through the ferocity of its actions and for the scale of its achievements. Measure for measure they are unequalled. This title in the Spearhead series therefore looks at the career of the 2nd SS Panzer Division, its antecedents and related units, in peacetime and in war.

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Battle Zone Normandy - Battle for Caen

When British and Canadian troops of Second (British) Army pushed inland from Sword and Juno Beaches on the morning of D-Day, Tuesday 6 June 1944, they could already see in the distance the tallest buildings of Caen, capital of the Calvados departement (region) of Lower Normandy and the largest town on the Normandy battlefield, its centre only 14 kilometres (km) away. Next day Allied newspapers announced that this vital objective was already falling into their hands. Instead, Caen and its outlying villages became the focus of a stubborn German defence that kept Second Army pinned within sighi of the Normandy beaches for the next seven weeks. After attempts to find other ways forward, at the start of July Second Army had no choice but to take Caen and its defences directly. The bitter and hard-fought battle for Caen also played a decisive part in the larger Allied victory in Normandy. With a population in 1944 of about 54,000 (compared to 7,000 for nearby Bayeux), Caen originated as a crossing place over the River Orne, which flowed (as it still does) through the town from south-west to north (joined from the west by its tributary the River Odon) to reach the sea at the small port of Ouistreham. The medieval part of Caen was to the north and west of the Orne, with a central citadel mound surrounded by ramparts. Straight roads of Roman origin radiated from this centre like the spokes of wheels, including the mam road south to Falaise, and the K13 highway-stretching across the Normandy battlefield south-eastward to Paris 240 km away. The direct threat to Paris if the Allies took Caen was obvious to both sides, but it was not enough to capture the town itself; Second Army also had to control enough ground on all sides to ensure that troops and supply convoys could move freely.

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Anatomy of the Ship - The Royal Yacht Caroline 1749

During the reigns of George II and George III Royal Caroline (or Caroline as she was more popularly called) was the principal royal yacht. This was a time when England, under the Hanoverian monarchy, was becoming a world power; this meant a sea power. George II nurtured an almost exclusive interest in the military arts and was the last King of England personally to lead his army into battle (at Dettingen in 1743). His Queen, the energetic, cultured and intelligent Caroline of Brandenburg-Ansbach, took a lively interest in politics, in which she played an important part. This was due to Robert Walpole's esteem for her and her influence over the King, who regularly appointed her Regent when he left for the Continent. Queen Caroline died in 1737, leaving the King profoundly afflicted. Although the custom of the times allowed him a great deal of licence in his personal relationships, he had always been sincerely attached to his Queen and took no pains to conceal it, much to the amusement of the courtesans. On his death in 1760, his grandson, 22-year-old George III, succeeded him. George III decided to marry soon afterwards and chose as his bride a very young German princess, Charlotte von Mecklenburg-Strelitz, who became Queen of England at the age of 17.

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Waffen-Arsenal Band 98 - Leopard 2 (2)

Nach Beendigung der deutsch-amerikanischen Experimentalentwicklung "Kampfpanzer 70" im Dezember 1969 fiel durch das Verteidigungsministerium die Entscheidung zur Entwicklung eines eigenständigen Kampf panzers, des späteren LEOPARD 2. Hierzu sollten die Erkenntnisse und Erfahrungen des KPz 70-Programms sowie die der bereits 1966 vergebenen Projektstudie zur Entwicklung einer kampfwertgesteigerten Version des KPz LEOPARD 1 einfließen. Zwischen 1972 und 74 wurden 17 unterschiedliche Fahrgestelle und Türme der I. Prototypgeneration gefertigt. Grundlegend war die Entwicklung des 1974 entstandenen Turmes T 14 mod, der einen erheblich verbesserten Panzerschutz aufwies und zugleich der Erprobung der neuen Zieleinrichtung EMES 13 diente. Aufgrund des deutsch-amerikanischen Standardisierungsabkommens wurde das Gesamtkonzept des KPz LEOPARD 2 gründlich überarbeitet. Es entstand im Herbst 1976 die sogenannte AV-Version (2. Prototypgeneration, zwei Fahrgestelle und drei Türme) mit verbessertem ballistischen Schutz, primärstabilisierten Zielgeräten mit nachgeführter Hauptwaffe und neukonzipierter Verstauung von Munition, Kraftstoff und hydraulischer Energieversorgung; zusatzlich wurde zur Steigerung des Schutzes gegen Minen der Wannenboden modifiziert. Die von 1976 bis 78 bei den Erprobungen sowie im Truppenversuch gewonnenen Erfahrungen gingen als Verbesserungen in die Serienproduktion ein. Am 25. Oktober 1979 wurde das erste Serienfahrzeug des KPz LEOPARD 2 dem deutschen Heer übergeben und läuft seitdem den umzurüstenden Panzerbrigaden der Bundeswehr zu.

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The World's Worst Warships

Although the subject of warship-design might be dismissed as a pastime for professionals and an even smaller nerdish audience, this reflects nothing more than ignorance among many 'mainstream' naval historians. Yet ever since navies became formal national organisations the quality of ships has been a major factor in both their successes and their failures. To those of us who study navies, one of the fascinating aspects is the complexity of the subject, which encompasses engineering, economics, sociology and even psychology. Landsmen are mostly unaware of the incontrovertible fact that a ship is the largest mobile structure on the planet. Warships take the story even further, because they combine the complex engineering inherent in shipbuilding with the unavoidable fact that they are intended to tight other ships and to take hits from their opponents. Because naval architects are often unwilling to discuss their profession (and naval designers arc usually required to be very discreet) their key role in the achievement of designing and building a ship is not common knowledge. The result is a serious lack of understanding on the part of most of the public and the media.

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Tanks in Detail 02 - M3-M3A1-M3A3 Stuart I to V

The United States military severely neglected tank development between the wars - a casualty of natural isolationism and the severe economic depression of the 1920-30s.The fledgling US Armored Corps was effectively abandoned completely in 1919, relegating armour to being primarily theoretical. Eventually its role was light but then solely in an infantry support role — without even its own individual formations. Not until the dramatic change in world events during the late 1930s and the beginning of World War Two was the US galvanised into action, with the M3 Light series being one of the first tanks off the production line and the first US-manufactured armoured fighting vehicle (AFV) to be deployed in the conflict -albeit through use in British armoured forces. To some extent the M3 Light series manifested the contradictions of US armour at that time for it was developed and assembled swiftly as a stopgap measure - a quick reaction to update pre-war tank designs in the light of what had appeared rather suddenly in Germany in the late 1930s. Early US tanks were limited by pre-war civil weight/size restrictions and this is definitely reflected in the M3 series, which suffered from being too high and too narrow —thereby limiting the size of its main armament and also making it an easy target. All subsequent modifications were attempts to correct these fundamental problems.

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Waffen-Arsenal Band 84 - Kampfpanzer Leopard 1

Der Leopard 1 oder "Standardpanzer", wie er ursprünglich hieß, wurde in den Jahren 1957 bis 1966 entwickelt. Er war die erste deutsche Kampfpanzer-Entwicklung nach dem Zweiten Weltkrieg. Die deutsche panzerbauende Industrie konnte für eine Neukonstruktion zwar auf die Erfahrungen des Zweiten Weltkrieges zurückgreifen, mußte jedoch die in den Jahren 1945 bis 1955 entstandene technologische Lücke schließen; um so mehr ist die Leistung der deutschen Industrie, die innerhalb von zehn Jahren einen serienreifen Ausstoß dieses Waffensystems ermöglichte, anzuerkennen. Für die Entwicklung des neuen Kampfpanzers waren zunächst ausschließlich deutsche militärische Forderungen (23.11.1956) mit recht hohen Ansprüchen maßgebend. In Übereinstimmung mit den Forderungen der NATO sollte ein äußerst bewegliches Kampffahrzeug der 30 t-Klasse entstehen, wobei Feuerkraft und Panzerung zwar untergeordnet bleiben, jedoch dem neuesten Stand der Technik entsprechen sollten.

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Waffen-Arsenal Band 69 - Kampfpanzer Leopard 2

Aufbauend auf den Erfahrungen mit dem Kampfpanzer Leopard 1 und der Erkenntnis, daß die bisher gebauten gepanzerten Waffensysteme nur sehr schwer mit herkömmlichen Mitteln in Feuerkraft, Panzerung und Beweglichkeit weiter zu verbessern sind, begann Ende der sechziger Jahre die Entwicklung eines neuen Kampfpanzers. Neue Technologien für den Bau der Panzerung, zur günstigeren Waffenwirkung und zur Erhöhung der Beweglichkeit standen zur Verfügung. Nach Auflösung des "Kampfpanzer 70" Programms — eine deutsch/amerikanische Expe-rimentalentwicklung mit neuen Techniken — war ausreichendes Grundlagewissen vorhanden als Voraussetung für den Bau eines neuen deutschen Kampfpanzers. Auf der Basis von insgesamt 20 Erprobungsträgern von 1968 bis 1979 wurde die Entwicklung des "KPz Leopard 2" aufgebaut und bis zur Serienreife 1979 abgeschlossen. Erprobungen, Truppenversuche und Einzeluntersuchungen wurden unter allen nur erdenklichen Bedingungen im In- und Ausland durchgeführt. Dabei waren die unterschiedlichsten Prototypen (PT) mit dem 105-mm-und 120-mm-Glattrohrkanonen, der 105-mm-Kanone mit gezogenem Rohr sowie mit verschiedenen Entfernungsmeß- und Feuerleitsystemen ausgerüstet.

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M113 in Action

Following the Korean War, demand for aluminum had reached an all-time low and producers endeavored to find new outlets for this material. At the same time the US Army had decided that there was a vital need for the bulk of military equipment to be air-transportable. As a direct result of these two complementary requirements and the fact that the T113 was marginally lighter than the T117, the decision was made for the new APC to be built of aluminum. The difference in weight was only one factor in the ultimate choice of vehicles since to obtain an equal degree of protection, aluminum armor had to be three times as thick as that of steel. However, rigidity of the aluminum hull was far greater which enabled a number of reinforcing structures to be elimated, allowing more useable interior space. Despite the high cost of this metal, the M113 became the first aluminum armored fighting vehicle to be produced in series. Unfortunately, as the welded armored plating used on the M113 has a maximum thickness of 35mm, it can only serve as protection against shell splinters and small calibre projectiles. When the T117 concept was abandoned, design work continued on the T113 resulting in the T113E1 which went into series production in 1960. the first deliveries were made by FMC the following year, less than four years after the placing of the initial US Army order. Development work continued and in 1962 a further prototype, the T113E2, formed the basis of a diesel-powered vehicle which came off the production line in 1964 under the designation M113A1.

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