Weird and Wonderful...

[Leon]

Inspired by a recent diorama I saw featuring a 10mm Tsar Tank, I went in search of the most weird and wonderful military vehicles ever conceived...!  Here's a small selection, but there must be a lot more out there...  

Tsar Tank:


Venezuelan Tortuga tank, 1930's:


Armoured Quadricycle:


Progvev-T Gasdynamic trawler:


Crazy SPG:


US armoured truck?


Treffas Wagen:


Rolling Ball tank (not sure if true?!):


Antanov KT (I assume they'd have to tow this to get it into the air?)

[Subedai]

The Armoured Quadricycle looks like something out of Python, perhaps from the Ministry of Silly Weapons? Only the British would go to war in a real bowler hat as opposed the more effective and useful 'Battle Bowlers'. As for the rest of them, it's amazing they even got off the drawing board.

[fred.]

Some seriously weird stuff.

I think the quadricycle is really early, possibly 1890s so predating steel helmets by a fair bit.

The Progvev-T Gasdynamic trawler is a strange beast, I'm going to have to look it up on google.

I think the Crazy SPG - is unfortunately just a very large siege gun (Italian or Austrian WWI, IIRC) on its movement wheels - rather than an early attempt at some kind of direct fire bunker buster.

[fred.]

So the Progvev-T Gasdynamic trawler - as well as having a cool name, is a Mig15 jet engine mounted on a tank, which is pretty cool.

The idea apparently was to attempt to clear mines with it!!! Strangely enough it never went into production.

[Techno]

Wonderfully strange ! 
Cheers - Phil

[Ithoriel]

The Antonov was designed to be towed into the air but the Soviets didn't have anything powerful enough, at the time, to do the job so the project was scrapped.

The idea was that the tanks would be stripped of most of their fuel and armaments and these would be dropped separately.

The one and only reported flight, a test run in friendly territory, ended with the tug casting off the flying tank to avoid stalling and crashing. The tank itself flew beautifully and after gliding back to earth the driver ditched the wings and drove back to base without incident.

[petercooman]

The germans made a prototype of a rolling ball tank:

http://strangevehicles.greyfalcon.us/KRUPP%20KUGELPANZER.htm

[fsn]

I think the Americans countered with a large mechanised baseball bat.

[Lord Kermit of Birkenhead]

The major problem is that several of those were built. The SPG and flying tank for two.

IanS

[Ithoriel]

The major problem is that several of those were built. The SPG and flying tank for two.

IanS

The flying tank proved perfectly feasible had the Russians had the more powerful aircraft developed later in the war. By the time those were available the need for flying tanks was gone because the Russian offensives were going perfectly well on the ground. At least as sensible as glider borne Tetrarchs ... depending how sensible you think that was!

[Lord Kermit of Birkenhead]

On no it wernt. Ok they could get it to fly, but they coulndt get it to take off, as the tracks fell apart at the 100+ knts(200+ kph) needed to get it airboune.

IanS

[Rob]

On no it wernt. Ok they could get it to fly, but they coulndt get it to take off, as the tracks fell apart at the 100+ knts(200+ kph) needed to get it airboune.

IanS

I would think the hardest thing would be to get anyone to fly the bloody thing. 

[Lord Kermit of Birkenhead]

That not be a problem Comrade....GRU me son...

IanS

[fsn]

Vought V173. early STOL aircraft.

[Ithoriel]

On no it wernt. Ok they could get it to fly, but they coulndt get it to take off, as the tracks fell apart at the 100+ knts(200+ kph) needed to get it airboune.

IanS

Clearly not true, since it puttered home on it's own two tracks after being released by the towing aircraft. Problem was the plane not the tank.

As to getting someone to fly it, the one and only A-40 that actually flew was piloted by the famous Soviet experimental glider pilot Sergei Anokhin. That's got to be the ultimate one-upmanship tale to be told over post-flight drinks ... "You think that was hairy! I've done that manoeuvre flying a tank!"

Besides, T60's weren't much use for anything else by 1942, you were probably safer flying in it than fighting in it!