StuG III Thread (and also other German vehicles I guess)

[SH_MM]

That's ugly...

 

 

Btw. latest Boxer is available with 800 hp engine and 38.5 metric tons maximum gross vehicle weight.

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[EnsignExpendable]

Another day, another Warpost article http://warspot.ru/9458-i-vsya-korolevskaya-rat

 

This one is on the King Tiger, meaning that the German Big Cats are done with. 

[EnsignExpendable]

Another stick in the wheels of the "German tanks were reliable once they smoothed out the kinks" crowd.

 

 

This report was made in the fall of 1944, after the Tiger was no longer even in production.

[Collimatrix]

8 hours ago, EnsignExpendable said:

Another stick in the wheels of the "German tanks were reliable once they smoothed out the kinks" crowd.

 

The other giveaway is that the production history of the big cats is extremely well-documented.  The number of Panther Ds made without steering drives, the fact that some Panther As had D type cupolas, that some Panther Gs had Panther A style gun mantlet, et cetera.  The changes between models and even the odd hybrid production models are well-documented.

 

So, if they had gotten the transmission sorted out, you'd think there would be a well-documented new subtype of powertrain part, with a new designation.

But there isn't.

Because they barely changed anything.

 

Speaking of which, here is a Panther Ausf G with an Ausf D cupola:

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[SH_MM]

That French accent...

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[Militarysta]

On 12.09.2017 at 1:00 PM, SH_MM said:

 

 

 

BTW:

 

How many NERA layers is visible on hull SPz Puma?

Up to 3?!

 

 

 

again 3:

 

 

 

o.O

[DogDodger]

On 8/29/2017 at 12:16 PM, EnsignExpendable said:

Shocking German plagiarism

 

On 8/30/2017 at 8:18 PM, DogDodger said:

FWIW in appendix C4.1 of Panzer Truppen vol.1, Jentz has the Pz.Kpfw.I Ausf.A and B using track with a width of 28 cm (11.0") and a pitch of 9 cm (~3.5"), while he says  Pz.Kpfw.II Ausf.a-C and F used a track with width of 30 cm (11.8") and pitch of 9 cm. Spielberger agrees with the widths, but doesn't seem to list the pitch in his book on the Pz.Kpfw.I and II.

 

In volume 1 of Universal Carriers (if anyone has a decent copy of vol.2 I'd be happy to relieve you of it, btw...), Nigel Watson had this to say on the similarities of the tracks:

Quote

The Light Dragon MkI was fitted in 1931 with a skeleton type track of manganese steel with a pitch of 3 1/2" and and width of 10 1/2". Carden Loyd for use with their Light Tanks had developed this skeleton track type, however the interesting part is that these tracks seem to be a direct ancestor of the German tracks, being almost identical to those of the Pz.Kpfw.I and II. The following year this track was replaced on the Light Dragons by the 9 1/2" M.C.I. [malleable cast iron] track used on the light tanks in order to standardise production.

And while we're making comparisons between the British and Germans, later he says:

Quote

As a result of unfortunate experiences near Mersa Matruth [sic] in 1935, during the Abyssinian crisis, the British Army were alive to the dust menace and was provided with fairly effective air cleaners for its vehicles. These were the 'concertina type' and consisted of a series of felt rings sewn together along their inner and outer peripheries to form a concertina-like tube. One end was closed and the other connected to a pipe to the carburettor intake. All aspirated air had to pass through the felt and periodical cleaning was effected by pumping the concertina and thus blowing the accumulated dust off the outer surface.

 

For ordinary use these cleaners were reasonably effective but it was found that the finest type of alluvial dust would pass through the felt and thus led to oil contamination and heavy cylinder wear. In consequence, the M.E. authorities condemned the felt element and proceeded to carry out experiments with oil bath type cleaners...It wasn't until the Vokes 2-stage cleaner twas introduced on Crusader that the situation was brought under proper control...

 

An interesting sidelight of this period was the capture of an enemy document in which the writer complained about the oil bath cleaners fitted to German tanks and asked why they could not have something similar to the excellent felt filters used by the British.

The grass is always greener, and the filter is always cleaner, I suppose...

 

Off-topic edit: Also hoping to run into Walter Sobchak at the Americans in Wartime Museum's tank show this weekend. Weather's looking good; should be fun.

Edited September 22, 2017 by DogDodger

[EnsignExpendable]

"Interleaved road wheels may be more complicated, but they offer superior flotation!" says the wehraboo

 

[Collimatrix]

7 minutes ago, EnsignExpendable said:

"Interleaved road wheels may be more complicated, but they offer superior flotation!" says the wehraboo

 

 

I somehow doubt that.  The Panther's mean maximum ground pressure was crazy low; slightly lower than an M551 Sheridan per the figures in Technology of Tanks.  Perhaps they made the rookie mistake of mistaking a blown transmission for being mired in the mud.

[SH_MM]

On 20.9.2017 at 10:48 PM, Militarysta said:

BTW:

 

How many NERA layers is visible on hull SPz Puma?

Up to 3?!

 

Depends on location. The upper part has a thicker backplate, but only  one or two layers. Three layers seems to be used on the lower/mid section.

[Scolopax]

[SH_MM]

Spot the difference!

 

 

[LoooSeR]

Upper side armor blocks are different?

[Collimatrix]

Stocks on G-36 rifles are different.

[SH_MM]

1 hour ago, LoooSeR said:

Upper side armor blocks are different?

 

Upper side armor blocks are lacking. This section is usually covered by ERA made by Dynamit Nobel Defence. For some weird reason, PSM (the company that manages the Puma, i.e. 50% Rheinmetall and 50% KMW) has opted to purchase only 200 ERA kits for the initial 350 Pumas and now is negotiating to buy a further 80 ERA kits (if I worked for DND, I'd ask for a higher price now...). The German Army wants the full armor kits for all vehicles...

1 hour ago, Collimatrix said:

Stocks on G-36 rifles are different.

 

They shouldn't be. All of them are supposed to have the G36A3 for the IDZ-ES soldier system.

[SH_MM]

A few photos from Twitter:

 

New version of the Boxer JODAA (digitzed Boxer prototype from Rheinmetall with self-driving option, drive-by-wire technology and included mini-UAV & UGV):

 

Boxer CRV and Leopard 1:

 

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[Collimatrix]

On 9/29/2017 at 9:20 AM, SH_MM said:

 

 

They shouldn't be. All of them are supposed to have the G36A3 for the IDZ-ES soldier system.

 

They are different.  The first are the original stock:



In the second picture they have the upgraded stock that first showed up on Lithuanian G36s:

 

[SH_MM]

19 hours ago, Willy Brandt said:

Boxer with the Rheinmetall "Laser" Module (or what is the correct term for this thing?)

 

Rheinmetall calls this concept "HEL on wheels" (HEL = high energy laser) or in case of the Boxer "Mobile HEL Effector Wheel XX".

 

19 hours ago, Willy Brandt said:

The pictures arent showing up on my end. Only the Link/URL.

 

I reuploaded them to imgur, maybe this works:

Spoiler

 

18 hours ago, Collimatrix said:

In the second picture they have the upgraded stock that first showed up on Lithuanian G36s:

 

These stocks are standard on all G36A3s purchased on the German IDZ(-ES) system, which the dismounts of a Puma IFV should have. Obviously something is wrong with the unit in the photograph, because one of the soldiers in the first apparently lacks the IDZ system.

 

Edit: btw. the requirements for the G36 replacement (and earlier contract for a new rifle for the KSK) exclude ITAR regulated (US-made) rifles.

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