More Chieftain's Hatchiness

[Inhapi]

Wasn't the Hamilcar specifically designed to carrry a Tetarch ?

[Stuart Galbraith]

Well that and the 17 Pounder gun IIRC. Everything Ive read said it remained able to do so, but now there is a reference up on Wiki say it was too big after modification. So either my memory is on the fritz, or someone elses is.

 

Ive a distinct memory of reading a recce unit of 6th Airborne Division flew them into Normandy, but they were unable to function because parachute cord were wrapped around the tracks and they were immobilized. Which would be great, except I must have read it several decades ago and Im damned if I can remember exactly where. It may have been the Pegasus Bridge book.

[Inhapi]

Suart: if the 17 pdr could fit in a Hamilcar, could the Hamilcar also carrry (on a seperate plane) a usefully sized gun tractor ? (Quad ?)

[DogDodger]

Does anyone know what the capacity of the Centurion's water tank is? It wasn't mentioned in the Inside the Hatch episode for the Centurion.

Dunstan and Munro agree that the Mk.3 had a 10 gallon water tank beside the driver.

 

Well that and the 17 Pounder gun IIRC. Everything Ive read said it remained able to do so, but now there is a reference up on Wiki say it was too big after modification. So either my memory is on the fritz, or someone elses is.

 

Ive a distinct memory of reading a recce unit of 6th Airborne Division flew them into Normandy, but they were unable to function because parachute cord were wrapped around the tracks and they were immobilized. Which would be great, except I must have read it several decades ago and Im damned if I can remember exactly where. It may have been the Pegasus Bridge book.

Whatever Wiki entry that is is in error; twenty Hamilcars carried Tetrarchs of the 6th AARR into Normandy on 6 June. Flint in Airborne Armour describes the parachute issue: "Unfortunately, as they drove across LZ 'N' towards their planned rendezvous, the tracked vehicles of the regiment encountered a serious problem. Cpl Sheffield...described what had happened: 'Most of us landed safely, and on leaving the glider I hitched up the three trailers to my tank[...]We had very little opposition, a few mortars a distance away, when suddenly the tank stopped. The driver did not know why. I slid out of the turret to the ground, and found parachutes wound round the final drive. It was hard work cutting them off and, moving forward, we came across the Squadron Leader, in the same boat.'

 

"...It would seem that as well as anti-glider poles, parachutes were still present. It is also evident that this problem had not been encountered in exercises prior to D-Day. We can only assume that glider and parachute landing and dropping zones were kept separate during these exercises. Trooper Darlington provides a further description of what happened: '[...]as the tanks disembarked[...]they made for cover, running over the chutes left behind by the paras, who had been dropped to clear the DZ of any hazards, such as stout poles that had been dug in, and in some cases cemented, in our LZs. These chutes, however, became a bigger hazard than the poles, for as the tanks ran over them, the tracks picked them up, then wrapped them tightly round the driving sprockets, bringing the tanks to a halt either by slewing the tank round, or to a dead stop.

 

"'The summary records that blow lamps were used. We had no such luxury, and even if we had, I would not have used them, as the heat would just have solidified them and been a permanent lock on the sprockets. The tank I ran to had one wrapped round the port track and I commenced cutting, firstly with my jack knife, then with my razor sharp fighting knife, whilst the tank commander and his gunner protected me from the small arms fire that had started. The task was made harder as not only was the canopy wrapped round the track and sprockets, but the rigging and harness as well[...]'

 

"The report from the war diary indicates that 11 Tetrarchs were immobilized in five minutes. Exactly how long it took to free all the tanks is not recorded, but one source at least indicates it was dark before the awkward and frustrating job was finally finished."

 

And Captcha is certainly being a pain today...

Edited November 19, 2018 by DogDodger

[Manic Moran]

My very first contact, one of my TCs decided to crush some wire for our accompanying infantry. Of course, it duly wrapped around the sprocket and the tank stopped in place.

 

I figure we spent over a half-hour with the wire cutters trying to free it up. I hopped out keeping the guys company... thinking "Please don't shoot me in the back" as I had removed the back armor plate to fit into the hatch...

[Chris Werb]

One of the things Steel Beasts simulates well is the hazard of razor wire to tanks. It comes in one, two and three coil varieties - as the number of coils increases so the odds of a vehicle being immobilised increase. It's one of those nice little touches that make SB so addictive.

[Stuart Galbraith]

 

Does anyone know what the capacity of the Centurion's water tank is? It wasn't mentioned in the Inside the Hatch episode for the Centurion.

Dunstan and Munro agree that the Mk.3 had a 10 gallon water tank beside the driver.

 

Well that and the 17 Pounder gun IIRC. Everything Ive read said it remained able to do so, but now there is a reference up on Wiki say it was too big after modification. So either my memory is on the fritz, or someone elses is.

 

Ive a distinct memory of reading a recce unit of 6th Airborne Division flew them into Normandy, but they were unable to function because parachute cord were wrapped around the tracks and they were immobilized. Which would be great, except I must have read it several decades ago and Im damned if I can remember exactly where. It may have been the Pegasus Bridge book.

Whatever Wiki entry that is is in error; twenty Hamilcars carried Tetrarchs of the 6th AARR into Normandy on 6 June. Flint in Airborne Armour describes the parachute issue: "Unfortunately, as they drove across LZ 'N' towards their planned rendezvous, the tracked vehicles of the regiment encountered a serious problem. Cpl Sheffield...described what had happened: 'Most of us landed safely, and on leaving the glider I hitched up the three trailers to my tank[...]We had very little opposition, a few mortars a distance away, when suddenly the tank stopped. The driver did not know why. I slid out of the turret to the ground, and found parachutes wound round the final drive. It was hard work cutting them off and, moving forward, we came across the Squadron Leader, in the same boat.'

 

"...It would seem that as well as anti-glider poles, parachutes were still present. It is also evident that this problem had not been encountered in exercises prior to D-Day. We can only assume that glider and parachute landing and dropping zones were kept separate during these exercises. Trooper Darlington provides a further description of what happened: '[...]as the tanks disembarked[...]they made for cover, running over the chutes left behind by the paras, who had been dropped to clear the DZ of any hazards, such as stout poles that had been dug in, and in some cases cemented, in our LZs. These chutes, however, became a bigger hazard than the poles, for as the tanks ran over them, the tracks picked them up, then wrapped them tightly round the driving sprockets, bringing the tanks to a halt either by slewing the tank round, or to a dead stop.

 

"'The summary records that blow lamps were used. We had no such luxury, and even if we had, I would not have used them, as the heat would just have solidified them and been a permanent lock on the sprockets. The tank I ran to had one wrapped round the port track and I commenced cutting, firstly with my jack knife, then with my razor sharp fighting knife, whilst the tank commander and his gunner protected me from the small arms fire that had started. The task was made harder as not only was the canopy wrapped round the track and sprockets, but the rigging and harness as well[...]'

 

"The report from the war diary indicates that 11 Tetrarchs were immobilized in five minutes. Exactly how long it took to free all the tanks is not recorded, but one source at least indicates it was dark before the awkward and frustrating job was finally finished."

 

And Captcha is certainly being a pain today...

 

 

Thanks for that DD. Im glad I wasnt imagining it. It just illustrates how useless Wikipedia can be, dependent on the people adding to it.

 

Did those vehicles ever actually see combat? Ive never read of any reports of them having done so.

[sunday]

(...)

 

Did those vehicles ever actually see combat? Ive never read of any reports of them having done so.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Madagascar#Landings_(Operation_Ironclad)

[Stuart Galbraith]

Thanks. But not on D Day?

[Interlinked]

Thanks Chris.

[Markus Becker]

"The report from the war diary indicates that 11 Tetrarchs were immobilized in five minutes."

 

Quite the achievement. Any anti tank gun would be proud of that.

[sunday]

"The report from the war diary indicates that 11 Tetrarchs were immobilized in five minutes."

 

Quite the achievement. Any anti tank gun would be proud of that.

Indeed. Who did say that airborne troops were defenceless against armor?

[Stuart Galbraith]

You have to wonder if the 1st Airborne had dropped directly on Arnhem, whether the 9th and 10th SS Panzer Divisions would have been immobilized in shroud lines.

[DB]

Not entirely sure that it's entirely fair to call a Tetrarch armour...

[Panzermann]

Not entirely sure that it's entirely fair to call a Tetrarch armour...

 

more armouring than a jeep

[rmgill]

At 8 tons I'd suspect its around the weight of armor that you find with the 7 ton armored cars. 12-16mm front, 8-10mm sides and rear. Good enough for small arms, MG fire and mortar fire.

[Markus Becker]

Part two of the Panzer III review got lost with the moving van or is it a Christmas present?

[Manic Moran]

Utterly out of my hands and is done pursuant to the availability of the Minsk video team. They didn't tell me part 1 was coming out. ITCH is being downgraded in the priority list, they are going to trickle out. I am unsure that they will fund more after the current six remaining vehicles.

[Colin]

[DogDodger]

Did those vehicles ever actually see combat? Ive never read of any reports of them having done so.

Yep. Flint's book is the most detailed source on Tetrarch operations, if you can find it.

 

Utterly out of my hands and is done pursuant to the availability of the Minsk video team. They didn't tell me part 1 was coming out. ITCH is being downgraded in the priority list, they are going to trickle out. I am unsure that they will fund more after the current six remaining vehicles.

Well that's a shame.

[Interlinked]

Utterly out of my hands and is done pursuant to the availability of the Minsk video team. They didn't tell me part 1 was coming out. ITCH is being downgraded in the priority list, they are going to trickle out. I am unsure that they will fund more after the current six remaining vehicles.

 

But self-produced videos like the one on the Abrams are not out of the question?

[Mikel2]

Utterly out of my hands and is done pursuant to the availability of the Minsk video team. They didn't tell me part 1 was coming out. ITCH is being downgraded in the priority list, they are going to trickle out. I am unsure that they will fund more after the current six remaining vehicles.

That's awful. Why is that and who do we make our displeasure known to if that happens?

Edited December 2, 2018 by Mikel2

[Panzermann]

 

Utterly out of my hands and is done pursuant to the availability of the Minsk video team. They didn't tell me part 1 was coming out. ITCH is being downgraded in the priority list, they are going to trickle out. I am unsure that they will fund more after the current six remaining vehicles.

That's awful. Why is that and who do we make our displeasure known to if that happens?

 

 

Wargaming is the one to tell.

[Markus Becker]

Utterly out of my hands and is done pursuant to the availability of the Minsk video team. They didn't tell me part 1 was coming out. ITCH is being downgraded in the priority list, they are going to trickle out. I am unsure that they will fund more after the current six remaining vehicles.

.... Patreon to the rescue?

[shep854]

Nick, are you no longer with WoT?

Edited December 2, 2018 by shep854