In 1941 there were few options for mounting a big gun on a tank to counter enemy fortifications and heavy tanks. The SVDC had ideas but so did the Canadians. Like this Ram tank chassis with a 3.7" AA gun. Maj. Worthington behind the project can be seen in the background. #tanks

Kudos to those who may recognise this vehicle. This is a 38 hp Lanchester armoured car. In fact, its the 1914 wooden-body mockup of it and I genuinely can't decide it I admire the bold style and improved layout over the Rolls or if its just plain ugly. 36 were built. #WW1

GM (Canada) Otter Light Reconnaissance Car seen during testing in the UK c.1942 taking part in bridge laying trials.

Another box of Bowman and Hughes' Gun Carriage of 1900 to go out. Are you interested in ideas for armoured vehicles before 1915? Then please check out the latest volume in the Origins of Armour Series. www.amazon.com/dp/B0FXWMKKCM

The Swiss liked the British Centurion. Well armed, with good protection and good mobility. Here's a brief bit of footage of a Swiss Centurion tank during comparative mobility trials doing river crossing, an icy embankment, and a river bank. Full video at youtu.be/ac2JnO0a-hM 2:30, no sound #tanks

Interior view of the Vickers 0.303" machine gun in a Rolls Royce armoured car. The top of the steering wheel can be seen in the bottom right. Spare ammunition belts were stowed behind the drivers seat but to fire the MG the operator would have to be kneelling or squatting inside.

Undated footage of unnamed vehicle identified only as 'The First Tank' which it isn't but I think we will let them off as we know what they are getting at. Appears to be an official model of the design shown off for the camera. 19 secs. No sound #tank #WW1

In 1931, the Canadian Department of Militia and Defence bought 12 Vickers-Carden-Loyd MG carriers. Tested in Manitoba they later went to the Canadian Armoured Fighting Vehicle School (CAFVS), Camp Borden. Pictured in Windsor, Ontatio, 1937, this has been refitted with a 60 hp Ford V8.

Continuing last week's post on Rolls Royce armoured cars and their tyres. This lovely front view shows an interest mix with a steel-studded tyre (front right) and spare on left of cab, and a grooved rubber tyre (front left) with a spare on the cab right.

Unused material from the artist's work on the Bowman and Hughes' Machine Gun Carriage of 1900. The cross section wasn't used in the book, but it does provide a good idea of the internal layout and the sort of space in which the men operating the gun would have to work. www.amazon.com/dp/B0FXWMKKCM

It might look like an anti-grenade roof screen. It might even work as one to some extent but this Rolls Royce Armoured Car named 'HMAC Chatham' is actually fitted with a long-wavelength wireless and this is the antenna. 1/2 #tanks #WW1

No kidding. The thought of being burned whilst trapped in the tank is one which concentrates the mind somewhat.

Fiat 18BL truck during testing using a 12-plate footed-wheel in an attempt to spread the load from the wheels and thereby to avoid sinking and improve traction on soft ground in France. Images are undated but likely taken around the time of the end of WW1 or just after. 1/2

An interesting little snippet from the development saga of the British A.9 Cruiser tank, July 1936. The whole turret was raised by 5.5 in. (140 mm) to improve the gun depression of the 2 pdr. main armament from -10 to -15 deg.

Happy Halloween people. Winston is rocking his TOG costume.

Is your trailer tracked or wheeled? - Yes. A wide range of deception programmes were used in the western desert in WW2 from sunshield-disguised tanks to track brushes. This was one of them used in Op. Bertram and is a modified weighted trailer used to make fake tank tracks.

Something fun. An M110 Howitzer hull modified for testing the 40 mm CTAS cannon c.2019. Source: ndia.dtic.mil/wp-content/u...

Vol. 2 of 'Origins of Armour' is OUT NOW. This series explores designs for armoured vehicles pre 1915 to provide a fuller picture of how ideas around armoured vehicles developed. www.amazon.com/dp/B0FXWMKKCM/

Vickers light tank B.S.9865, 11th Light Tank Co., Peshawar came to grief on this mountain road in the Kohat Pass in Nov. 1937. Skidding off the road, the tank ploughed through a stone wall and rolled down the 45 deg. rocky slope before hitting a large boulder and stopping. 1/3

Eye injuries were a major hazard for crews of tanks in WW1 which lacked protective glass vision. A simple slit for vision could lead to dangerous splash entering and blinding the crewman. One option was this experimental rotating porthole device from M. Hublot. c.1918. 1/2

If it fits. It ships. I’m not sure Vickers light tanks were meant to be carry-able like this but if it works…

Book delivery day to restock my own copies. See a title you are interested in? Check out all FWD titles at amazon.com/stores/Andrew-…

The '14-ton Special Tank' (TOG Amphibian) was not Britain’s first underwater tank experiment. In 1939, an A.9 was modified for submersion and successfully crossed the River Stour in June 1940 before War Office observers, at a depth of just over 3 m deep. 1/3 #tanks #history #WW2

A bit of a puzzler for me as I've never seen or heard of this thing before - but what appears to be a 150 mm Fabry Mortar M.17 mounted on a cut-down French Schneider CA1 chassis c.1918.

The story of one of the more unusual British assault tank ideas from WW2 is out now on Amazon - 'The TOG Amphibian', or, more correctly, the '14-Ton Special Tank' was designed to assault an enemy coming from under the water. www.amazon.com/dp/B0FMFQZLR9

Poor quality newpaper photo of what is captioned as a "massive" 16-ton British tank (Vickers Medium Mk.III) which slipped off the road on the Swindon Road, Wiltshire 22/9/1934. One local scamp appears to be souvenier hunting. VRM MT9708

The Cailloux experimental protective visor for tank crews shown here c.1918 on a French Schenider CA1. This was meant to replace the existing vision slit to provide better protection from bullets and splash along with improved visibility for the driver.

A.30 low-rider edition. This is A.30 Scheme 1 from Aug.'43 for the lowest silhouette and lightest version possible, just over 2m high and 28 tons. Grey colouration added to highlight her incredibly low profile - just 61" (1,549 mm) of headroom - it would have been snug in there.

Its in a rather bad state but this is the blueprint for the Vickers Carden Loyd Light Tank Mark VIB (India) Pattern hull top deck. It shows a 38" (965 mm) hole for the turret ring and a wealth of other fittings. Just becasue its small doesn't mean there's not a lot of bits.

When you are waiting for the next book proof to arrive for review 5 minutes after you ordered it...

From development files of the Infantry Tank Mk.III 'Valentine', April 1939. A suggestion for a protective side skirt for it, this later changes to a thin armoured skirt - it also describes the A.11 tested with a similar side shield. Sadly I've yet to see an image of such a thing.

Vickers Light Tank VRM MT9726 of the Royal Tank Corps presumably on exercise in the UK pre Feb. 1939 as the guy sat on the front has arm bands on. The driver is still wearing his goggles and the commander very sensibly is using a wooden handle on the turret to steady himself.

Incredible stuff: AI voice, royalty-free horror music, zero facts, and not even a picture of a TOG tank. Truly the apex of non-content. No views yet thankfully so a semblence of moral justice exists. This whole channel's a slopfarm of digital landfill. Inspirational, really.

Frustratingly poor quality image of the visit by the Minister for Supply, Sir Andrew Duncan to the works of English Electric, January 1943 to tour their tank production hall. Partially completed Covenanter tanks can be seen in the background.

WW1 German Maxim 08 machine gun serial#47949 on sled. HMVM, Lexington, NE. Made by Deutsche Waffen und Munitionsfabriken (DWM) in 1918, this example seems to have been rather heavily repainted at some point and is missing the circular protector in front of the water jacket.

M110 8" (203 mm) Self-Propelled Howitzer, Lexington, Nebraska (photos taken 2021). Saw her again last week with @ConeOfArc and the paint is a lot more faded now.

Some additional 3D artwork for the British 14 Ton Special Tank (1940) The 'TOG Amphibian'.

The French Faucon 6.5 mm (6.5x51) rifle of WW1 was an attempt to create a rifle with better balance and a shorter length than the standard Lebel service rifle. More bullpup supremacy on display. Why is noone making repros of these things?

August 1917 and a pair of Canadian soldiers are pictured in Flanders next to a series of German booby traps made from caltrops nailed to large wooden boards. Caltrops have been useful in war for the past 2,000+ years and are still in use today.

In 1938, the A.10 Cruiser was still in development and a conversation was had over the plating at the front in relation to using a 7.92 mm Besa MG. One suggestion was to make it a one flat piece pushing out one half and pulling back the other. Ultimately, however, it wasn't done.

Shortages or concerns over strategic metals like copper and lead lead to some novel ideas in WW2. These are borosilicate glass shotgun (brass cap & glass balls) shells (Federal Cartridge) (6.5 cm high x 2.2 cm base) and bullets (glass tip) (9.2 cm high x 1.9 cm base) USA c.1942.

Ships aren't my thing but I found this small set of a serviceman's postcards. He was either crew or just travelled on the Missouri (BB-11) in 1918. A couple shots of men on board and of her underway. I found his draft registration online but sadly not a crew list for 1918.

Jusr re-found my 2017 album of images of the M60 on display in Burwell, Nebraska. The old building next to it was demolished soon after and replaced and the tank is looking a little sadder and more unloved each time I see her.

Some interesting archival digging in the past few weeks has yielded a potential name for the A.10 when it was still A.10E.1 in Nov.1938 prior to acceptance as A.10 Mark I. The name 'Tyne' sounds good. That's the River next to where she was made in Elswick so seems appropriate.

A small treat from murdochandco.com arrived a while back - a No.80 flash hider/muzzle device for the L85. A really lovely item, beautifully made and packaged. 1/2

There is a line after which it ceases to be a tracked vehicle with a gun and just becomes a tracked gun. Maybe this already crossed that line - a 155 mm GPF gun mounted on a tracked chassis, American Expeditiionary Force (A.E.F.) 1918.

The old M42 'Duster' SPAAG nearly had a revival in 1992. The Italian firm of Breda proposed fitting their fast-firing 40 mm gun (40 mm L/70) in a new turret with built-in radar and capable of using a variety of 40 mm rounds. A missed opportunity perhaps.

A few years ago I treated myself to a simple ultrasonic thickness gauge. It works pretty well assuming you can get a good contact on a surface - not easy easier when there a lot of old paint to contend with. I'll be taking it with me on a day trip this week. (Rear deck on M60)

The unsuccessful 'Transporteur Renault'. A WW1 French attempt to build an armoured resupply vehicle along the lines of the FT. This would have been an essential accompanyment to a new generation of mobile artillery to enable the supply of shells to keep up with demand.

Italian Ugo Pavesi's WW1 concept for an armoured and self-propelled machine to cut its way through enemy barbed wire ~1916. Later modified with double front wheels by 1917 it was not adopted by the Army. My TE article on it tanks-encyclopedia.com/ww1/italy/pa...