Most people see military equipment at parades or in TV reports. As a rule, these are off-road vehicles with shaped engines. In our review, there are 25 of the "coolest" military vehicles, which extreme lovers, and just technology lovers, would certainly not refuse to ride.
1 Desert Patrol Vehicle
The Desert Patrol Vehicle is a high-speed, lightly armored buggy that can reach a top speed of almost 100 km/h. It was first used during the Gulf War in 1991 and then used in large numbers during Operation Desert Storm.
2. Warrior
Warrior is a British 25 ton infantry fighting vehicle. More than 250 FV510 IFVs were modified for the desert war and sold to the Kuwaiti army.
3. Volkswagen Schwimmwagen
The Schwimmwagen, which translates to "Floating Car", is an amphibious four-wheel drive SUV that was widely used by the Wehrmacht and Waffen-SS troops during World War II.
4. Willys MB
Manufactured from 1941 to 1945, the Willys MB is a small SUV that became one of the symbols of World War II technology. This legendary vehicle, which could reach a top speed of 105 km/h and travel nearly 500 km on a single tank of gas, was used in a number of countries during World War II, including the United States, Great Britain, France and the Soviet Union.
5. Tatra 813
A heavy army truck with a powerful V12 engine was produced in the former Czechoslovakia from 1967 to 1982. Its successor, the Tatra 815, is still in use around the world today, both in military and civilian applications.
6. Ferret
Ferret is an armored fighting vehicle that was designed and built in the UK for reconnaissance purposes. Over 4,400 Rolls-Royce-powered Ferrets were produced from 1952 to 1971. This car is still used in many Asian and African countries.
7.ULTRAAP
In 2005, the Georgia Research Institute unveiled the ULTRA AP combat vehicle concept, which boasts bulletproof glass, the latest light armor technology, and excellent fuel economy (the vehicle needs six times less gasoline than a Humvee).
8. TPz Fuchs
The amphibious armored personnel carrier TPz Fuchs, which has been produced since 1979 in Germany, is used by the German army and the armies of several other countries, including Saudi Arabia, the Netherlands, the United States and Venezuela. The car is designed for the transfer of troops, mine clearance, radiological, biological and chemical reconnaissance, as well as radar equipment.
9 Combat Tactical Vehicle
The Combat Tactical Vehicle, which was tested by the US Marine Corps, was built by the Nevada Automotive Test Center to replace the famous Humvee.
10. Transporter 9T29 Luna-M
The 9T29 Luna-M transporter, made in the USSR, is an armored heavy truck for transporting short-range missiles. This large 8 wheeled truck was widely used in some communist countries during the Cold War.
11. Tiger II
The heavy German tank Tiger II, also known as the "King Tiger" was built during World War II. A tank weighing almost 70 tons, with armor in the forehead of 120-180 mm, was used exclusively as part of heavy tank battalions, usually consisting of 45 tanks.
12.M3 Half track
The M3 Half-track is an American armored vehicle used by the US and the UK during World War II and the Cold War. The car could develop a maximum speed of 72 km / h, and refueling was enough for 280 km of run.
13. Volvo TP21 Sugga
Volvo is a world famous car manufacturer. However, only a few fans of technology know that cars for military use were also produced under this brand. The Volvo Sugga TP-21 SUV, which was produced from 1953 to 1958, is one of the most famous military vehicles that were made by Volvo.
14. SdKfz 2
Also known as the Kleines Kettenkraftrad HK 101 or Kettenkrad, the SdKfz 2 tracked motorcycle was produced and used by Nazi Germany during World War II. The motorcycle, which could accommodate a driver and two passengers, had a top speed of 70 km/h.
15. Super heavy German tank Maus
The super-heavy German tank from World War II was enormous (10.2m long, 3.71m wide and 3.63m high) and weighed a whopping 188 tons. Only two copies of this tank were built.
16. Humvees
This military SUV has been produced since 1984 by AM General. The all-wheel-drive Humvee, which was designed to replace the Jeep, is used by the US military and has also found use in many other countries around the world.
17. Heavy Expanded Mobility Tactical Truck
HEMTT is an eight-wheeled diesel off-road truck used by the US Army. There is also an all-wheel drive ten-wheel version of the truck.
18. Buffalo - vehicle with mine protection
Built by Force Protection Inc, the Buffalo is an armored vehicle equipped with mine protection. A 10-meter manipulator is installed on the car, which can be controlled remotely.
19. M1 Abrams
Multi-purpose military truck Unimog.
The Unimog is a multipurpose 4x4 military truck manufactured by Mercedes-Benz, which is used by the troops of many countries around the world.
23. BTR-60
The eight-wheeled amphibious armored personnel carrier BTR-60 was produced in the USSR in 1959. The armored car can reach speeds of up to 80 km / h on land and 10 km / h in water, while carrying 17 passengers.
24 Denel D6
Manufactured by Denel SOC Ltd, a South African state-owned aerospace and defense conglomerate, the Denel D6 is an armored self-propelled artillery vehicle.
25. Armored personnel carrier ZIL
Custom-built for the Russian army, the latest version of the ZIL armored personnel carrier is a futuristic-looking all-wheel drive armored vehicle with a 183 hp diesel engine that can carry up to 10 soldiers.
It is worth noting that military equipment is sometimes not cheaper than luxury cars. For example, if we are talking about, then even their rent costs millions of dollars.
Knowing firsthand what a front and a military operation are, Hitler was well aware that without proper support for advanced units, a large-scale military operation could not be carried out. Therefore, a significant role in building up military power in Germany was given to army vehicles.
Source: wikimedia.org
In fact, ordinary cars were quite suitable for conducting military operations in Europe, but the Fuhrer's plans were much more ambitious. For their implementation, all-wheel drive vehicles were needed that could cope with Russian impassability and the sands of Africa.
In the mid-thirties, the first motorization program for the army units of the Wehrmacht was adopted. The German automotive industry has begun developing off-road trucks of three sizes: light (with a payload of 1.5 tons), medium (with a payload of 3 tons) and heavy (for transporting 5-10 tons of cargo).
Army trucks were developed and manufactured by Daimler-Benz, Bussing and Magirus. In addition, the terms of reference stipulated that all cars, both externally and structurally, should be similar and have interchangeable main units.
Source: wikimedia.org
In addition, German automobile plants received an application for the production of special army vehicles for command and reconnaissance. They were produced by eight factories: BMW, Daimler-Benz, Ford, Hanomag, Horch, Opel, Stoewer and Wanderer. At the same time, the chassis for these machines were unified, but the manufacturers installed their own motors for the most part.
Source: wikimedia.org
German engineers have created excellent machines that combine all-wheel drive with independent suspension on coil springs. Equipped with locking inter-axle and inter-wheel differentials, as well as special "toothy" tires, these SUVs were able to overcome very serious off-road conditions, were hardy and reliable.
While hostilities were taking place in Europe and Africa, these vehicles completely satisfied the command of the ground forces. But as the Wehrmacht troops entered Eastern Europe, abhorrent road conditions began to gradually but methodically destroy the high-tech design of German cars.
The "Achilles heel" of these machines was the high technical complexity of the designs. Complex assemblies required daily maintenance. And the biggest drawback was the low carrying capacity of army trucks.
Be that as it may, but the fierce resistance of the Soviet troops near Moscow and a very cold winter finally "finished off" almost the entire fleet of army vehicles available to the Wehrmacht.
Complex, expensive and energy-intensive trucks were good during the almost bloodless European campaign, and in the conditions of this confrontation, Germany had to return to the production of simple and unpretentious civilian models.
Source: wikimedia.org
Now "one and a half" began to make: Opel, Phanomen, Stayr. Three-tons were produced by: Opel, Ford, Borgward, Mercedes, Magirus, MAN. Cars with a carrying capacity of 4.5 tons - Mercedes, MAN, Bussing-NAG. Six-ton - Mercedes, MAN, Krupp, Vomag.
In addition, the Wehrmacht operated a large number of vehicles from the occupied countries.
The most interesting German cars from WWII:
"Horch-901 Type 40"- a multi-purpose variant, the basic medium command vehicle, along with the Horch 108 and Stoewer, which became the main transport of the Wehrmacht. They were completed with a V8 petrol engine (3.5 l, 80 hp), various 4-speed gearboxes, independent suspension on double wishbones and springs, lockable differentials, hydraulic drive of all wheel brakes and 18-inch tires. Gross weight 3.3-3.7 tons, payload 320-980 kg, developed a speed of 90-95 km / h.
Source: wikimedia.org
Stoewer R200- produced by Stoewer, BMW and Hanomag under the control of Stoewer from 1938 to 1943. Stoewer became the founder of a whole family of light, standardized 4x4 command and reconnaissance vehicles.
The main technical features of these machines were permanent all-wheel drive with lockable inter-axle and inter-axle differentials and independent suspension of all driving and steered wheels on double wishbones and springs.
Source: wikimedia.org
They had a wheelbase of 2400 mm, a ground clearance of 235 mm, a gross weight of 2.2 tons, and a top speed of 75-80 km/h. The cars were equipped with a 5-speed gearbox, mechanical brakes and 18-inch wheels.
One of the most original and interesting machines in Germany was a multi-purpose half-track tractor NSU NK-101 Kleines Kettenkraftrad ultralight class. It was a kind of hybrid of a motorcycle and an artillery tractor.
A 1.5-liter engine with 36 hp was placed in the center of the spar frame. from Opel Olympia, which transmitted torque through a 3-speed gearbox to the front propeller sprockets with 4 disc road wheels and an automatic braking system for one of the tracks.
Source: wikimedia.org
From motorcycles, a single 19-inch front wheel with parallelogram suspension, a driver's saddle and motorcycle-style controls were borrowed. NSU tractors were widely used in all divisions of the Wehrmacht, had a payload of 325 kg, weighed 1280 kg and developed a speed of 70 km / h.
It is impossible to ignore the light staff car produced on the platform of the "people's car" - Kubelwagen Type 82.
The idea of the possibility of military use of the new car came from Ferdinand Porsche back in 1934, and already on February 1, 1938, the Army Armaments Office issued an order for the construction of a prototype light army vehicle.
Tests of the experimental Kubelwagen showed that it significantly outperforms all other Wehrmacht passenger cars, despite the lack of front-wheel drive. In addition, Kubelwagen was easy to maintain and operate.
The VW Kubelwagen Typ 82 was equipped with a four-cylinder boxer air-cooled carburetor engine, whose low power (first 23.5 hp, then 25 hp) was enough to move a car with a gross weight of 1175 kg at a speed of 80 km / h. Fuel consumption was 9 liters per 100 km when driving on the highway.
Source: wikimedia.org
The advantages of the car were also appreciated by the opponents of the Germans - captured "Kubelvagens" were used by both the Allied forces and the Red Army. The Americans especially liked him. Their officers bartered Kubelwagen from the French and British at a speculative rate. Three Willys MBs were offered for one captured Kubelwagen.
On a rear-wheel drive chassis type "82" in 1943-45. They also produced a staff car VW Typ 82E and a car for the SS troops Typ 92SS with a closed body from the pre-war KdF-38. In addition, an all-wheel drive staff car VW Typ 87 was produced with a transmission from the mass army amphibian VW Typ 166 (Schwimmwagen).
amphibious vehicle VW-166 Schwimmwagen, created as a further development of the successful KdF-38 design. The Arms Department gave Porsche an assignment to develop a floating passenger car designed to replace motorcycles with a sidecar, which were in service with reconnaissance and motorcycle battalions and turned out to be of little use for the conditions of the Eastern Front.
The floating passenger car type 166 was unified in many components and mechanisms with the KfZ 1 all-terrain vehicle and had the same layout with an engine installed in the rear of the hull. To ensure buoyancy, the all-metal hull of the machine was sealed.
The First World War, which ended in the late autumn of 1918, led not only to the redistribution of Europe and the formation of new states, but also to a rethinking of the entire previous military doctrine, in which fundamentally new motor vehicles and combat vehicles began to play an increasingly important role. On June 28, 1919, the Treaty of Versailles was signed, according to which defeated Germany was forbidden not only to have its own large military formations, but also to produce heavy military equipment, which then included army trucks and armored vehicles. In practice, all these agreements were soon crossed out and grossly violated.
In the peaceful 1920s, when European countries scorched by the war were just restoring their economies and establishing a peaceful life, no one even wanted to think about new global battles, but even in those days, some far-sighted Western European designers hatched plans to create a fundamentally new military automotive and military equipment at a higher technical level. The global economic crisis of 1929 added problems to the countries of Europe, led to the decline of their economy, a decline in industrial production and mass unemployment. And then, at the next difficult and dangerous historical stage in the development of Germany, at the end of January 1933, Adolf Hitler, the leader of the National Socialist German Workers' Party, entered the scene. He became Chancellor of Germany and renamed it the Third Reich, personifying a single prosperous state, "a common home for all Germans." Hitler immediately set a course for drastic political transformations, the introduction of a planned economy and the accelerated revival of the country, expressed mainly in its violent militarization and nurturing aggressive plans to seize foreign territories. In Italy, from the beginning of the 1920s, the militant fascist regime of Benito Mussolini gradually rose to its feet, unleashing local wars in East Africa in the 1930s. At the same time, the no less reactionary regime of imperial Japan was maturing in the Far East, which occupied the northeastern regions of China back in 1931, which is considered the informal start of the still distant Second World War. The Spanish Civil War, which began in 1936, served as a testing ground for new German weapons, and the Japanese were the first to test the combat readiness of the Red Army in military conflicts in the Far East in 1938-1939.
It is quite natural that the leaders of all three regimes, converging in their aggressive intentions, concluded the Anti-Comintern Pact in 1936-1937, which was then joined by Hungary, Romania and Spain. At the same time, in order to implement its ambitious plans, Germany pursued an active policy of attracting the most industrialized countries of Europe to its side by any means, which would make it possible to use their production, raw materials and human resources. As a result, in order to expand its industrial potential for the production of weapons and automotive equipment, the Third Reich in 1938-1939 bloodlessly annexed the developed and peace-loving countries - Austria and Czechoslovakia, from which another Nazi satellite, Slovakia, separated. A series of lightning-fast German military aggressions in the spring and summer of 1940 led to control over the main industrial northern part of France and the complete occupation of a number of smaller Western European states, whose economies were completely reassigned to the interests of the Third Reich. On September 27, 1940, the Berlin-Rome-Tokyo axis was formed. It was immediately joined by small and militant satellites of fascist Germany, who had certain production resources of their own for the production of military equipment and at the same time actively participated in hostilities. The so-called industrial satellites - Austria and the Czech Republic, as well as very large military-industrial and automobile enterprises of the occupied part of France, Belgium, the Netherlands and even Poland, which on September 1, 1939 became the first victim of World War II, actively worked on the manufacture of weapons. So, on the territory of almost the entire enslaved Europe, a powerful military-industrial complex was imperceptibly formed, which allowed the Third Reich to realize its most daring aggressive plans. First, they were directed against Great Britain, and then fascist Germany poured out all its energy and military power accumulated over the years on the Soviet Union, which it hated. On June 22, 1941, with the help of 121 divisions, with the support of the troops of Italy, Hungary, Romania, Finland and Slovakia, she invaded the USSR. At the end of that year, Japan and the United States of America entered the war.
The main initiator and inspirer of all aggressive plans and the production of new types of military equipment in Europe was fascist Germany, which by the time the Second World War began, was better prepared than any other country in the world for large-scale military operations. Global ambitions and ardent hatred of communist Russia gave a tremendous impetus not only to the development of the entire German economy, but also contributed to gigantic progress in the military and automotive sectors of production. Germany prepared for war literally from the first days after Hitler came to power and by the end of the 1930s reached an unprecedented high level in the creation of new military vehicles and fundamentally new types of wheeled armored vehicles, on which a new doctrine of future battles was built. During the preparations and during the Second World War, for the first time, the German military leadership made the main bet on the deep and large-scale motorization of its armed forces, which made it possible to bring the German Wehrmacht to the level of the most powerful and mobile troops in the world, saturated with hundreds of thousands of vehicles and mobile combat vehicles. It was in Germany, in the process of preparing for the war, that the most advanced, efficient and promising wheeled and half-tracked transport and combat vehicles appeared, with which the opponents of the Third Reich in Europe and even in distant America could not be compared in the future. Only by the middle of the war, the USSR and the allied forces, rearmed with their own types of new technology, were able to break the military power of Nazi Germany, turning World War II into a real "war of engines".
Pre-war Germany, like no other country in the world, produced all its automotive equipment only using domestically made components and parts, which less developed states could not afford. By that time, the process of introducing large American concerns to the European market was gaining momentum, which led to the destruction of a rather weak local system of automobile production and the widespread use in military operations of vehicles that depended on import supplies for their main units. The Third Reich very quickly managed to break the Americanization of its automobile industry, which many other countries, including the Soviet Union, did not escape. In Germany, a strict system of state planning of military production and distribution of orders for military vehicles was introduced, and thanks to government programs for the standardization of army vehicles, orderly ranks of relatively inexpensive and fairly advanced machines of the same type were formed, produced simultaneously by several companies selected by the military department. In Italy and Japan, they also tried to introduce their own standardized vehicles, but in frivolous France, before the occupation, they simply did not have time to introduce an effective state order.
During the period of preparation for the war in the Axis countries of Berlin-Rome-Tokyo and their allies, fundamentally new categories and types of military vehicles appeared for the first time, which by that time did not exist in the opposing countries at all. These included, first of all, special types of light staff vehicles, floating cars and promising all-wheel drive jeeps, first created in Germany, Japan, France and ahead of the famous American Jeeps by several years. Since the pre-World War II era, Germany has been famous for its extensive and unique family of standardized half-track carriers and artillery tractors, with particularly robust and reliable staggered track drives, individual track axle lubrication, and automated track braking for tight turns. Light French half-track tractors were no less famous, although by the end of the 1930s they had completely outlived their usefulness. Italy and France became famous for their fully driven artillery tractors with an onboard transmission and all driving and steering wheels. For the first time, special purpose-built military vehicles with various superstructures, as well as military equipment with different weapons from a simple machine gun to powerful 90 mm caliber naval guns, appeared on the chassis of serial army trucks for the first time. Even before the war in Austria and Germany, with the use of automotive units, the production of fundamentally new four-axle armored vehicles with all-wheel drive began for the first time, and the creation of the first wheeled full-drive armored vehicles of a frameless design with load-bearing armored hulls, developed in Italy, France and Hungary, refers to the initial period of the war. The championship in the invention of high-speed rapid reaction combat vehicles belongs to Italy, which built such vehicles at the height of the war for its units in North Africa.
The introduction of diesel engines in military trucks began in the 1930s simultaneously in Germany, Italy, France and other countries later drawn into the orbit of the Third Reich. During their formation, such power units had two different concepts - diesel engines with direct fuel injection into the combustion chamber, which required a special compensation air chamber in it, and pre-chamber engines, in which fuel was injected into the so-called pre-combustion chamber. On transport trucks, gas generators operating on ordinary wood chocks or low-quality coal were widely used, especially at the final stage of the war. For the first time, new types of multi-stage transmissions, cardan shafts and special tires for moving over rough terrain, sand or snow, combined wheel-railway travel for driving on ordinary roads or on rails, as well as bulletproof tires with special disk inserts or with special compounds that tighten the holes.
In the pre-war and war periods, the Axis countries rethought the principles of creating military vehicles with increased and high cross-country ability, capable of effectively performing their combat missions literally on any terrain and in any climatic conditions. Starting with the development of three-axle cars with two rear drive axles, European designers quickly lost faith in this scheme and switched to full-drive two- and three-axle cars, which received all single wheels with the same track and even with a tire pressure control system. To improve the adhesion of wheels to the ground in Czechoslovakia and Austria, a neutral spinal frame in the form of a longitudinal pipe and independent suspension of all wheels were used, and the possibility of reliable operation of power units in the hot season or in severe frosts was provided by simple and unpretentious air-cooled engines.
In Germany, all-wheel drive vehicles made up the first standardized ranges of army passenger cars and cargo all-terrain vehicles of various classes with simplified constant-velocity joints. In Italy and France, they were represented by military vehicles and artillery tractors with all-wheel drive and steered wheels, which provided them with increased survivability in the event of failure of several drive wheels at once. At first, this scheme was considered the highest achievement of automotive technology, but in fact it turned out to be a forced and temporary measure, determined only by a low level of industrial technology and the impossibility of manufacturing precise joints of equal angular velocities. They were replaced by gearboxes of each wheel with an individual cardan drive, which ensured the deviation of the steered wheels at a minimum angle, so to increase maneuverability, it was quite natural to introduce front and rear steered wheels that turned in different directions. On French military all-terrain vehicles, an onboard transmission was also used to drive the wheels of the right and left sides of the vehicle, and some German light vehicles were equipped with two engines and two front and rear wheel drive systems at once. In Italy, no less amazing light two-section all-wheel drive vehicles with an articulated frame were also produced, which also turned out to be unable to provide sufficient cross-country ability and maneuverability. The specificity of Austria was a small family of light universal wheeled-tracked vehicles with two types of propellers, driven when working on the ground or on a smooth highway. As a result, cars of such experimental and exploratory concepts, which were a heap of heavy mechanical units, turned out to be too complex, non-maneuverable, slow and expensive. In the second half of the 1930s, all of them quickly began to give way to simpler and more reliable army vehicles of a classical design with all-wheel drive, conventional solid axles and front steered wheels with equal angular velocity joints, the production of which by that time had already been established in a number of countries . The introduction of new, simpler and more reliable wheeled all-wheel drive vehicles has led to a rapid fading of interest in no less complex, expensive and short-lived half-track vehicles, as well as in various vehicles with combined types of propulsion.
After the most important victories of the Soviet Union over the Nazi troops in 1941-1943, the economic situation in Nazi Germany and its satellites began to deteriorate rapidly and at the final stage of the war was in a state of deepest crisis. It was exacerbated by the withdrawal of Italy and Finland from the Nazi coalition, the defeat of the military groups of European satellites on the Eastern Front, as well as Japan's failures in the Pacific theater of operations and the lack of its military support from the East. At that time, it was not possible to organize the production of new military vehicles in Germany. On the contrary, at the end of 1943, the range of German army vehicles had to be significantly reduced and their design simplified. By the end of 1944, the production of most wheeled military vehicles in Germany was curtailed, and the Third Reich met the Victory Day of the Soviet Union in World War II in complete chaos of its own economy, on the ruins of its factories and residential buildings, on piles of scrap metal from the once formidable military automobile and military technology.
Automotive equipment was the most massive part of military equipment. A car was understood as a ground self-propelled wheeled trackless vehicle driven by its own energy source, having at least four wheels and intended for the transport of goods or towing vehicles on the roads, transporting people, delivering equipment mounted on a vehicle or performing special operations. The use of a car for military purposes allows these cars to be classified as military. It should be noted that such vehicles could include both civilian vehicles and vehicles specially designed for military purposes. Often, civilian vehicles, with prolonged use by the military, were repainted in protective, camouflage matte colors that eliminate glare, camouflage lighting devices and other specific military devices, and sometimes weapons, were installed. At the same time, despite the same functions performed by civilian vehicles and specially designed ones, the latter differed significantly from civilian vehicles. So, specially designed vehicles for the military had a higher degree of reliability, ease of maintenance, unpretentiousness in storage and transportation. In addition, they could be universal for use in temperate regions, or special for use in specific climatic conditions (tropics, desert, mountains, north). Military vehicles were designed to move off-road on rough terrain or columns, along forest and country roads, which in turn required an increase in the strength of machine parts and mechanisms. A feature of the operation of military vehicles was the need for special training of personnel and officers. Cars did not include agricultural tractors and motorcycles.
The classification of cars is quite diverse and was carried out according to many criteria.
So, by appointment vehicles were divided into combined arms and special, among which cars and trucks were distinguished. Trucks were divided into: flatbed, tractors, truck tractors, dump trucks and vans. Among the special vehicles, they distinguished: staff vehicles, ambulances, passenger and staff buses, wheeled transporters and vehicles with special equipment (tankers, firefighters, tanks, aircraft launchers, and others). These cars, as a rule, were modified models (modifications) of trucks.
By engine type cars were divided into: carburetor - running on gasoline; diesel - running on diesel fuel; gas generating - working on gas produced by a gas generator.
By passability cars were divided into three groups; normal (road) cross-country ability, increased and high cross-country ability. The first of them were intended for movement, mainly on roads. Off-road vehicles could move along roads and separate areas of the terrain. Off-road vehicles are able to move on roads and off roads. The main evaluation parameter of the car's cross-country ability was its wheel formula (4×2, 4×4, 6×4, 6×6), in which the first digit shows the total number of wheels (not counting the spare), and the second - how many of them are driving. The drive wheel is the wheel that receives the torque from the engine. Cars with all-wheel drive are called all-wheel drive. These included vehicles of increased and high cross-country ability.
By number of axles distinguished: 2-x axle; 3 axles, 4 axles and 6 axles.
The design of the car, in fact, has not changed significantly since its invention. Despite the wide variety of cars produced, three main parts can always be distinguished in their device: engine, chassis and body. An engine is a source of mechanical energy that drives a car. Chassis - was a set of mechanisms designed to transmit torque from the engine to the drive wheels to move the car and control it. The chassis consists of the following components: transmission - transmits torque from the engine to the drive wheels; chassis - allows the car to move, smoothing vibrations and consists of a frame, axle beams, front and rear suspension, wheels and tires; control mechanisms - (steering and braking system). The body serves to accommodate people or goods. The bodies of passenger cars and buses consist of a cabin for people, the bodies of trucks consist of a loading platform and a cabin for people. The bodies of buses and cars perform the function of a frame in the carrier system of a car.
If about 140 thousand cars took part in the First World War, and they did not prevail during the war. Then in the Second, millions of vehicles were already involved, which to a large extent determined not only the success of individual military operations, but also the course of the war. The rapid development of military automotive technology began in the late 30s.
In Germany, a system of state planning of military production and distribution of orders for military vehicles was introduced, and thanks to government programs for the standardization of army vehicles, ranks of relatively inexpensive and fairly advanced machines of the same type were formed, produced simultaneously by several companies selected by the military department.
Italy and Japan, following the model of Germany, also tried to introduce their own standardization of automotive technology, but the weakness of production capacities did not allow this to be done for the full range of military orders. In France, only huge plans were devoted to standardization.
In the prewar years, the Axis countries (Berlin-Rome-Tokyo) launched mass production of fundamentally new categories and types of military vehicles, which did not yet exist in the warring countries. These included special types of light staff vehicles, floating cars and all-wheel drive off-road vehicles, first created in Germany, Japan, France and ahead of the famous American Willys by several years. On the chassis of army trucks, special-purpose military vehicles with various add-ons appeared, as well as military equipment with weapons from a simple machine gun to gun systems.
In the 1930s, Germany, Italy, France and other countries later drawn into the orbit of the Third Reich began to introduce diesel engines in military trucks. At the final stage of the war, as a rule, on transport trucks, gas generators operating on wood chocks or coals were widely used. Military vehicles began to use new types of multi-stage transmissions, cardan shafts and special tires for moving over rough terrain, sand or snow, a combined wheel-rail course for driving on ordinary roads or on rails, as well as bulletproof tires with disk inserts or with a special compound. , tightening holes from bullets and shrapnel.
Particular attention was paid to the creation of military vehicles of increased and high cross-country ability in any terrain and in any climatic conditions. Convinced of the low efficiency of three-axle vehicles with two rear drive axles, the designers switched to the creation of all-wheel drive two- and three-axle vehicles with single wheels with the same track. The machine builders of Czechoslovakia and Austria used a spinal frame in the form of a longitudinal pipe and an independent suspension of all wheels. In Germany, all-wheel drive vehicles had simplified constant velocity joints. In Italy and France, military vehicles were equipped with all driving and steered wheels, which provided them with increased survivability in the event of failure of several driving wheels at once. On French SUVs, an onboard transmission was also used to drive the wheels of the right and left sides of the car, and some German light cars were equipped with two engines and two front and rear wheel drive systems at once. At the same time, the high cost of manufacturing such vehicles and the urgent need for their high-quality maintenance, taking into account large combat losses, was inferior to the American concept of mass production of cheap, simple and powerful vehicles.
Great Britain, having a sufficient number of production capacities, established the mass production of military vehicles only after 1940, covering the missing amount with supplies from Australia, Canada and the USA. Cars in their design features were close to the American school of automotive engineering, although individual models differed in original designs.
In the USSR, automotive engineering was based on the improvement of foreign models of the interwar period (Italian, American, French), which were produced at two or three large factories. A distinctive feature of Soviet automotive technology was ease of manufacture and maintenance, bordering on primitivism, relative endurance and low cost of production. The lack of resources in the USSR did not allow, even by the end of the war, to produce the required number of vehicles for the army, not to mention the needs of the country.
The United States, having a developed automobile industry, began to produce military vehicles only with the beginning of the war, and by the middle of it they had become their largest producer, providing not only their army, but all their allies. Numerous automobile companies in the United States made it possible to produce vehicles for various purposes of all types needed by the military.
In total, about 8.5 million vehicles of all countries participating in the war took part in the war, incl. 5.5 million trucks and special vehicles and 3 million cars and SUVs. The largest number of cars were built in the USA (3.6 million), in Germany (1.3 million, half of them pre-war construction), in France (715 thousand), in the USSR (690 thousand) and Great Britain (630 thousand ). In addition to their own production, the warring parties had supplies from other countries and captured cars. Thus, 477.8 thousand vehicles (including 300 thousand trucks) were delivered to the USSR under lend-lease agreements from Great Britain, Canada and the USA, not counting spare parts, from which another 52 thousand vehicles could be assembled. As of May 1, 1945, the Red Army had approximately 61,000 captured vehicles. During the war, the United States supplied its allies with about 800,000 vehicles of all kinds. After the occupation of Europe, Germany received both captured cars and those produced in the occupied territory, in a total of about 505 thousand. The United States, Britain and Canada during the war supplied their allies with tens of thousands of vehicles.
Approximately 60% or 4.2 million vehicles were lost during the fighting during the war.
Before the start of the Second World War and already during its years in the UK, a large number of various wheeled armored vehicles were created. However, they were produced in very large series. So only Humber presented three variants of wheeled armored vehicles, all of which were mass-produced. These were the light reconnaissance armored car Humber Light Reconnaissance Car (produced about 3600 vehicles), the reconnaissance armored car Humber Scout Car (produced about 4300 vehicles) and the medium armored car Humber Armored Car, which, according to the British classification, was a light wheeled tank at all (produced more than 3600 vehicles) .
Humber is a fairly old British car brand. The company was founded by Thomas Humber, who gave it his name, back in 1868 and initially specialized in the production of bicycles. In 1898, she began to produce cars, and in 1931 she was bought by the Rootes group of companies of the Roots brothers. During the Second World War, the company specialized in the production of armored vehicles and vehicles for the transport of military personnel and cargo.
Humber Light Reconnaissance Car
During the war years, in the model range of armored vehicles under the Humber brand, there was a place for two reconnaissance armored vehicles. In 1940, the company's engineers implemented a project to convert a serial Humber Super Snipe passenger car into an armored car with the installation of appropriate weapons and armor. The created combat vehicle received a fairly technologically advanced and easy-to-manufacture body, the sheets of which were located at small angles of inclination. The thickness of the reservation did not exceed 12 mm, however, small angles still increased the security of the machine and its resistance to small caliber bullets. Initially, the armored vehicle did not even have a roof, for this reason, the weapons represented by the Bren machine gun and the Boys anti-tank rifle were placed directly in the frontal hull plate. In addition, a smoke grenade launcher was also installed on the car. According to the British classification, the armored car was called a light reconnaissance vehicle - Humber Light Reconnaissance Car.
The first serial modification of the armored car, which received the designation Humber Light Reconnaissance Car Mk.I, differed slightly from the prototype, but the roof had already appeared on the soon-to-be-released version of the Mk.II. In addition, a small turret was located directly above the fighting compartment, into which a 7.7-mm machine gun was transferred. At the same time, the armor thickness was reduced to 10 mm, since the total combat weight of the vehicle was already almost three tons.
Already in 1941, the armored car was again modernized. In order to withstand the weight that has grown after previous modifications and at the same time improve the driving performance of the combat vehicle, the chassis of the armored car has been significantly modified, becoming all-wheel drive (4x4 wheel formula). Otherwise, the armored car, which received the designation Humber Light Reconnaissance Car Mk.III, corresponded to the previous model of the combat vehicle.
The fourth modification of the combat vehicle, designated Humber Light Reconnaissance Car Mk.IIIA, appeared only in 1943. It was distinguished by a slightly modified hull shape, the presence of a second radio station and additional viewing slots located in the frontal part of the hull. A little later, the latest version of the Humber Light Reconnaissance Car Mk.IV armored car was released, which differed from the previous version only in “cosmetic” improvements that did not affect the performance in any way.
A fairly simple armored car, built on the basis of a commercial model and equipped with a standard gasoline engine, was produced in the UK for four years from 1940 to 1943, during which time about 3600 Humber Light Reconnaissance Car armored vehicles of all modifications were assembled in the country. These armored vehicles were widely used in battles in North Africa, where, in particular, they were used as part of the 56th reconnaissance regiment of the 78th infantry division. From September 1943, they could be found as part of the British troops that landed in Italy, and in the summer of the following year, these wheeled armored vehicles took part in the battles in France. In addition to army units, these combat vehicles were widely used in ground reconnaissance units of the Royal Air Force (RAF).
After the end of World War II, light reconnaissance armored vehicles Humber Light Reconnaissance Car remained in service only with British units in India and the Far East, where a liberation movement against the colonialists unfolded in those years. The exact date of their complete decommissioning from service is unknown, but, apparently, this happened in the early 50s of the XX century.
The performance characteristics of the Humber Light Reconnaissance Car:
Overall dimensions: length - 4370 mm, width - 1880 mm, height - 2160 mm, ground clearance - 230 mm.
Combat weight - about 3 tons (Mk III).
Reservation - up to 12 mm (forehead of the hull).
Power reserve - 180 km (on the highway).
Armament - 7.7 mm Bren machine gun, 13.97 mm Boys anti-tank rifle and 50.8 mm smoke grenade launcher.
Wheel formula - 4x4.
Crew - 3 people.
Humber Scout Car
Another reconnaissance armored car of the British army was the Humber Scout Car. Despite the fact that back in 1939, the Daimler Dingo armored car was adopted as the main reconnaissance vehicle, the need for new armored vehicles was so great that in the fall of that year the British military issued a new order for the creation of a similar combat vehicle. . But in connection with the outbreak of World War II, the main efforts of British industry were concentrated on the production of mass and already mastered products, especially since the British army suffered a major defeat in France, losing almost all military equipment. As a result, the Rootes Group Humber company from Coventry took up the creation of a new reconnaissance armored car only in 1942. When creating a prototype, the company's engineers took into account the combat experience of using Dingo armored vehicles, which proved themselves quite well in the battles of 1940-42, and they also took into account the experience of creating heavier Humber Armored Car armored vehicles.
In terms of its dimensions, the new Humber armored car gravitated towards the already produced Daimler, but differed in its layout with a front engine. The body of the new armored vehicle, designated Humber Scout Car, was assembled from armor plates with a thickness of 9 to 14 mm. The small thickness of the armor was partly offset by the rational angles of the armor plates in the front and along the sides of the hull. This gave the armored car a certain similarity with the German Sd.Kfz.222 armored car.
When creating an armored vehicle, the designers used the chassis from the Humber 4x4 all-wheel drive vehicle, tires of 9.25x16 inches were used. The front wheels had transverse suspension, the rear wheels were suspended on semi-elliptical leaf springs. The transmission of the armored car consisted of a two-speed transfer case, a switchable front axle, a single-plate clutch, a four-speed gearbox and hydraulic brakes.
The heart of the Humber Scout Car was a standard 4088 cc liquid-cooled 6-cylinder carbureted engine that developed a maximum power of 87 hp. at 3300 rpm. The same engine was also installed on the Humber Light Reconnaissance Car armored car. The engine power was enough to accelerate an armored car weighing just over two tons to a speed of 100 km / h when driving on paved roads, which was a very decent figure for those years.
The armament of the armored car was exclusively machine gun and consisted of one or two 7.7 mm Bren machine guns with 100-round disc magazines. One of them was mounted on the roof of the fighting compartment on a special pin. The driver was monitoring the surrounding area through two hatches located in the front of the hull. The hatches had an armor plate, in addition, they could be covered with armor covers. The sides of the hull also had small inspection hatches, which were covered with armored covers. All cars had a Wireless Set No. 19. The full crew of the Humber Scout Car reconnaissance armored car consisted of two people, but if necessary, it could be expanded to three people.
The first serial modification of a reconnaissance armored car under the designation Humber Scout Car Mk.I was put into service in 1942, after which about 2,600 copies of this combat vehicle were assembled for almost two years. The second modification of the Humber Scout Car Mk.II had practically no external differences, the modifications concerned only the transmission and engine, about 1700 more armored vehicles were produced in this version. Since by the time these armored vehicles appeared, the fighting in North Africa had almost ended, they were sent first to the south of Italy, and then to France and Belgium, where they took an active part in the battles with the Germans. They were part of the 11th British Panzer Division, and were also in service with the 2nd Polish Corps, which fought in Italy, the Czechoslovak Tank Brigade and the Belgian armored squadron.
After the end of World War II, a significant number of Humber Scout Car armored vehicles continued to serve in the British army, while some of the armored vehicles were transferred to the armies of Holland, Denmark, France, Czechoslovakia, Italy and Norway. They were actively replaced with new equipment by 1949-1950, as a result, only armored vehicles assigned to the Belgian gendarmerie were in service until 1958.
The performance characteristics of the Humber Scout Car:
Overall dimensions: length - 3840 mm, width - 1890 mm, height - 2110 mm, ground clearance - 240 mm.
Combat weight - 2.3 tons.
Reservation - up to 14 mm (forehead of the hull).
The power plant is a 6-cylinder Humber 87 hp carbureted engine.
Maximum speed - up to 100 km / h (on the highway).
Armament - one or two 7.7 mm Bren machine guns.
Wheel formula - 4x4.
Crew - 2 people.
Humber Armored Car
At the end of 1939, Roots designed a new wheeled armored car, which could be classified as a medium-class armored vehicle, the car received the official designation Humber Armored Car. Taking as a basis the artillery tractor Karrier KT4, which was quite successfully used in the colonial possessions of Great Britain (for example, India) and had excellent driving performance, it was possible to create a fairly good armored car. The chassis of the new combat vehicle was all-wheel drive and had a 4x4 wheel formula, tires measuring 10.5x20 inches and suspension on semi-elliptical leaf springs. The transmission of the armored car consisted of a four-speed gearbox, two-speed transfer case, dry friction clutch and hydraulic brakes. The power plant was a Rootes 6-cylinder liquid-cooled carburetor engine, which developed a maximum power of 90 hp. at 3200 rpm.
The body of the new armored vehicle with some modifications was used from the Guy Armored Car model. The Guy Armored Car was a British medium armored car during the Second World War, nationally designated as the Light Tank (Wheeled) Mark I. This combat vehicle was created by Guy Motors engineers back in 1938 on the basis of the Guy Quad-Ant artillery tractor, becoming the first British all-wheel drive armored car. Given the numerous contractual obligations for the production of artillery tractors and trucks to the British government, Guy Motors was also unable to produce armored vehicles (in sufficient quantities), so their production was transferred to the industrial corporation Rootes, which produced up to 60% of all British wheeled armored vehicles under their Humber brand. At the same time, Guy Motors continued to produce welded hulls for armored vehicles.
Humber Armored Car Mk.I
The body of the Humber Armored Car armored vehicle had a riveted-welded structure and was assembled from armor plates with a thickness of 9 to 15 mm, while the upper armor plates were located at rational angles of inclination, which increased the security of the vehicle. A distinctive feature of the armored car was a relatively high body, which could be attributed to the disadvantages. The thickness of the frontal armor of the hull reached 15 mm, the thickness of the frontal armor of the turret reached 20 mm. In front of the body of the armored car there was a control compartment with a driver's seat, in the middle part - a fighting compartment for two people, in the rear part - an engine compartment.
The armament of the armored car was located in a welded turret, which was also partially borrowed from the Guy armored car. It included a twin mount with 15mm and 7.92mm Besa machine guns. A double-barreled smoke grenade launcher was also located on the frontal sheet of the hull. As an auxiliary armament, another 7.7 mm Bren machine gun could be installed on the armored car as an anti-aircraft gun. At the same time, the most massive modification of the Humber Armored Car Mk.IV armored car had more powerful weapons, on which the 15-mm machine gun was replaced by the 37-mm American M6 cannon.
Humber Armored Car Mk.II
In general, it should be recognized that the British wheeled armored vehicles of the Second World War period were quite successful and technically superior to the vehicles of many countries. Humber Armored Car was no exception. Quite well armed and well armored, this medium armored car had excellent cross-country ability, and on paved roads it could move at speeds up to 80 km / h. All later modifications of this Humber retained the 90-horsepower gasoline engine and chassis, the hull, turret and armament were mainly changed. The combat vehicle was represented by the following modifications:
Humber Armored Car Mk.I - welded turret and hull, similar in shape to the hull and turret of the Guy Mk.IA armored car. The driver was located in front of the hull in an armored wheelhouse with viewing slots. About 300 armored vehicles were produced.
Humber Armored Car Mk.I AA - an anti-aircraft version of a medium armored car with an installed turret from an experienced anti-aircraft self-propelled gun based on the Mk VIB tank, the armament of this vehicle consisted of 4x7.92-mm Besa machine guns.
Humber Armored Car Mk.II - the modification received an improved hull shape and a 7.7 mm Bgen anti-aircraft machine gun. The combat weight increased to 7.1 tons. A total of 440 armored vehicles were produced.
Humber Armored Car Mk.II OR (Observation Post) - an armored car for artillery observers. Armed with two 7.92 mm Besa machine guns.
Humber Armored Car Mk.III - A modified Mk.II armored vehicle with a new three-man turret. The crew increased from three to four people.
Humber Armored Car Mk.IV is a modified armored car Mk.III, which received an American 37-mm M6 cannon, coaxial with a 7.92-mm Besa machine gun. The combat weight increased to 7.25 tons. In total, about 2000 armored vehicles of this type were produced.
Humber Armored Car Mk.IV
Armored cars Humber Armored Car did not have time to fight in France in the spring and summer of 1940, so their combat debut came in the second half of 1941, when they were first used by the British in battles in North Africa. The first combat unit to receive these medium armored vehicles was the 11th Hussars stationed in Egypt. These armored vehicles were actively used by the British, from 1941 until the end of the war, being used in all theaters of operations. Under favorable circumstances (for example, when firing from ambushes), they could effectively deal with enemy armored vehicles. True, when meeting with German tanks in an open field, they had very little chance of surviving.
After the end of the Second World War, the Humber armored vehicles were soon withdrawn from service with the British army, as obsolete combat vehicles. However, their service continued in the armies of other states. The UK delivered these armored vehicles to Burma, Portugal, Mexico, Ceylon and Cyprus. In the armies of some of these countries, they were quite actively used until the early 1960s.
The performance characteristics of the Humber Armored Car:
Overall dimensions: length - 4575 mm, width - 2190 mm, height - 2390 mm, ground clearance - 310 mm.
Combat weight - 6.85 tons.
Booking - up to 15 mm (forehead of the hull)
The power plant is a 6-cylinder Rootes liquid-cooled carburetor engine with a power of 90 hp.
Maximum speed - 80 km / h (on the highway).
Power reserve - 320 km (on the highway).
Armament - 15-mm and 7.92-mm Besa machine gun (modifications Mk I-III), on modifications Mk IV - 37-mm M6 cannon and 7.92-mm Besa machine gun.
Ammunition (for Mk IV) - 71 shells and 2475 machine gun rounds.
Wheel formula - 4x4.
Crew - 3-4 people.
Information sources:
http://www.aviarmor.net
http://arsenal-info.ru/b/book/3074485325/4
http://pro-tank.ru/bronetehnika-england/broneavtomobili/194-hamber-4
Materials from open sources
