Good Old Fashioned Tank P*rn

[Walter_Sobchak]

Why should we all drive an Abrams?  For the safety of the children.  

[Wiedzmin]

 

 

Panzer 57 hull front(120-80-70) and turret armor(85-65-50), sadly no mantlet 

 

[futon]

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Edited August 6, 2023 by futon

[futon]

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Edited August 6, 2023 by futon

[Coldsteel]

23 hours ago, futon said:

Hello Manic,

 

It's appreciative to see your take on it from your expert background which includes having seen over a 100 AFV insides.

To fill some gaps though, it was developed primarily as an anti-tank SPG. Assault style direct fire support was secondary.  M4s were a growing problem while the development of a new medium tank (Chi-To and Chi-Ri program) was taking too long. The Ho-Ro was scrapping the bottom of the barrel for as many M4 killers as possible. The first experimental vehicle was completed in November 1943, thus it conducted its trials, then got deployed to units. It's aiming sights were good for out to 3,000 meters. For number of rounds, 2 boxes in the hull, each held 8. The big box above the engine held 12. Reason for diesel by Japanese, one was fuel efficiency, but other was a fire accident many years back in a gasoline-type Type 89 which also set the Japanese to diesel in later tanks.

I didn't know there were any of those left.

Regarding the track tension, given that the axis of rotation runs down the length of the vehicle not across it, it's pretty much guaranteed there's going to be a threaded rod in there holding the tension and providing plenty of mechanical advantage. Although is probably is also rusted up by now. With the M4 used as comparison you are directly rotating the eccentric to apply tension so you need a big bloody wrench to get the needed torque.

[Coldsteel]

On 5/31/2023 at 2:32 PM, futon said:

And then overnight, another pops in, wow (^^)

About the overall conclusion assestment of the vehicle.. even though this Ho-Ni and Ho-Ro look the same by both being arty guns on a Type 97 Chi-Ha hull, the thinking going on behind each was quite different. Because the time and circumstances were different. The Type Ho-Ni was developed through 1940. A prototype vehicle was done in June 1941. The design intention was roughly like the stug.. direct heavy fire support. Although indirect capability was designed into it, albiet little elevation of 20-25 degress, but also the intended role in engaging tanks (a lesson learned from Nomonhan battle). But also as noticed later, the front of the superstructure was 50mm for some protection against 37mm or 45mm. That armor was for the role of direct fire support anticipated in the 1942 time from 1940 perspective. Tests started in October 1941 and then it got its designation Type 1. Production started later in 1942 due to start of war and production limitations. So in contrast to the Ho-Ro, the Ho-Ni was designed and developed before encountering the M4 or before T-34's capability was revealed by Operation Barbarossa. So there's some credit to be had in the Ho-Ni. With the third model.. the Ho-Ni III, it was improved by not just having fully enclosed compartment, but to add that the front armor of 50mm was reduced to 25mm because in the 1944 situation, 50mm armor was no longer meaningful enough in 1944 curcumstances, notwithstanding that bounce off the Ho-Ni in the video.

The ... shall we say "manually activated anti-tank mine"? at 0:55. There seems little doubt such things occurred, although differing in detail (you've got to love the language used):

Quote

The accusation often levelled at the Japanese, that they lack inventive genius and initiative, has been rather set at nought by the revelations appended hereunder. While it is conceded that necessity is the mother of invention, it does not necessarily follow that the children are in all respects desirable members of any household.

From HQ Allied Land Forces SE Asia :
"A new Japanese technique for destroying tanks was encountered during the advance to Meiktila. A Japanese squats in a narrow trench with an aircraft bomb between his knees, fuze, uppermost. Then an enemy tank is immediately above his trench he belabours the fuse of the bomb with a brick. No tanks have yet been destroyed in this manner, but nine of these intrepid warriors have been captured lying doggo in their trenches."

The use of an aircraft bomb perhaps makes more sense than an artillery shell, as it is both a bigger bang and given how most bomb fuzes seem to arm by simply spinning the turbine the required number of times, you wouldn't even need to disassemble the fuze to defeat any safety mechanisms.

If it had just been once, you could make the case it was a UXB being cleared, nine times sounds like deliberate action.

[futon]

It all really goes to show how good the M4 was from the get-go. とてもいい戦車だった。The armor was good enough to exceed a threshold into being able to defeat most Japanese anti-armor weapons on hand. A notch less armor level such as M3 Stuarts on the other hand were vulnerable, nevermind turreted LVTs. 

Edited June 1, 2023 by futon

[Stuart Galbraith]

Its things like this that make me proud to be British.

 

 

Edited June 3, 2023 by Stuart Galbraith

[shep854]

4 hours ago, Stuart Galbraith said:

Its things like this that make me proud to be British.

 

 

Finally! A proper send-off for a tankie.

[Mikel2]

 

[Mikel2]

[sunday]

That should be a quite angry T-34.

[Stuart Galbraith]

 

[BansheeOne]

That he ran into the window of the Red Cross is the icing on the cake.

[Stuart Galbraith]

Yeah, I think Private Shultz  got sent to the infantry...

Interesting setup though, didn't know they did that with Tigers. Speaking of unusual Tigers...

 

Edited June 16, 2023 by Stuart Galbraith

[R011]

3 hours ago, BansheeOne said:

That he ran into the window of the Red Cross is the icing on the cake.

A collossal screw up! You're supposed to accidentally drive into a Gasthof.  He'd never have made it as a Centurion driver!

[Colin]

6 hours ago, Stuart Galbraith said:

 

Complete with gas bottles for fuel

[Tim Sielbeck]

 

[Dark_Falcon]

This is a video on the Star Wars AAT, but it includes enough real-world tank stuff to qualify as tank porn:

 

[Tim Sielbeck]

 

[Tim Sielbeck]

 

[shep854]

On 7/26/2023 at 2:51 PM, Tim Sielbeck said:

 

Be prepared to have your mind blown as they haul complete tanks and parts from that equipment lot:

 

Edited July 27, 2023 by shep854

[Tim Sielbeck]

 

[Tim Sielbeck]

 

[Mikel2]