Post Description

The design of the reconnaissance Jeeps was to take many forms and it was obvious that if the Jeeps were to go into front-line fields of conflict then the occupants needed better protection. The Smart company of Detroit was the first to think about this problem, and as the Smart company was one of the USA’s leading specialist in the construction of armoured vans, they could come up with some great ideas.

The first armoured Smart Jeep was delivered to the Aberdeen proving testing grounds in November of 1941. This Jeep was based on the Willys MA, but proved disappointing because the suspension could not handle the added weight of the armour plating. Even though this armour was only 6mm thick, the weight was still too much. This plating only replaced the bonnet, radiator grill and windscreen, which could still be folded down. The armoured windscreen when in the upright position had two driving slots, which could be left open or shut by the use of sliding plates. There were also two circular firing apertures which allowed the driver and passenger access to shoot their rifles through. This prototype was then taken back to Smart to be lightened even more, and had two half armour plated doors added. This vehicle was then returned to the army in early 1942 to resume testing. This time it was given an official identification number, which the army started this type of Jeep off as the T-25 Scout Car. Two more designs off the same model where made, giving three versions in total.

The T25 was still based on the Willys MA, but the army thought it was still over weight. So it went back to Smart to be completely redesigned, with the main object of getting the weight down. The new version that came back was called the T25 E1, the letter E indicating that a vehicle had been modified, and that figure indicated the number of times that it had been changed. Compared with the first T25 the second one ‘the T25 E1’ had a fixed windscreen and was now smaller, plus the firing port had now been eliminated. It also had more protection for the front of the Jeep, as the doors were now the same height as the windscreen. The protection was concentrated mainly at the front of the Jeep and there was hardly any protection at the rear. But still this Jeep was too heavy and the army were still not satisfied. 
Smart however would not give up the fight and in early 1942, they began building another prototype built around the Willys MB. This was known as the T25 E2 which had armour plating surrounding the whole Jeep, thus also protecting the rear passengers as well, although it could only carry a crew of three. The extra weight was then 447kg. 

The T25 E3 followed the T25 E2 in the same year, the general shape of the armoured body was improved by replacing the vertical panels of the T25 E2 with panels slightly sloped in a V form. This increased the ballistic resistance of the armour plating and the front surface was provided with three openable vision slits, which at last allowed the crew to see something, because the two slits in the previous prototype limited visibility far too severely. The T25 E3 therefore turned out to be quite satisfactory in many respects, but the weight problem had still not been solved, and it now weighed 465kg, which was more than its predecessors. Although never recorded before, there was a last version known as the T26E2, which was very similar to the T25E3, but the radiator armour was different. It has also been said that the British army showed interest in these armoured Jeeps, but once the tests had been abandoned, the British army also gave up on the idea. 
This led to the tests being abandoned in 1943.


T-34/76

A landmark in tank history
The T-34 was and remains a legend. It is not only the most produced tank of WWII, with 84,000 in built (compared to the 48,966 Shermans of all versions) but also one of the longest-serving tanks ever built. Many are still extent in depots in Asia and Africa, some served actively during the 90’s (like during the 1991-99 Yugoslavian war). They were part of countless armored forces around the globe from the fifties to the eighties. The basic design was drawn for the first time in 1938 with the A-32, derived from the BT-7M, a late evolution of the US-borne Christie tank. The first version T-34/76 came as a nasty surprise for the overconfident German troops in the fall of 1941, when it was first committed en masse. The Germans had nothing comparable. Not only were they able to cope with the mud and snow with their large tracks, but they came with a perfect combination of thick and highly sloped armor, efficient gun, good speed and autonomy and, above all, extreme sturdiness, reliability, ease of manufacturing and maintenance. A perfect winner for an industrial war and a significant leap in tank design.

Early precursor: The T-32
From the BT-IS, A-20, the BT-SV’s sloped armor (1936) to the five roadwheel T-32, the blueprint of the T-34 was set up far before the war. The team lead by engineer Mikhail Koshkin promised Stalin to replace the BT series with a better “universal tank”. It designed a sloped armored box encasing a powerful diesel V12 engine, less sensitive than high octane petrol engines, both to increase range and to avoid bursting in flames too easily, as the BT-5 and BT-7 did during the war against Japan in Manchuria.

The first prototype of the T-34 was an improved T-32 with thickened armor, which successfully completed field trials at Kubinka and was simplified for mass production. It was ready as early as the beginning of 1939. The USSR was rearming at the time. The first two pre-series rolled out of the KhPZ factory in Kharkov (Ukraine) during the very first month of 1940, under the patronage of Serguei Ordzhonikidze. From April to May they underwent a large array of hard trials, rolling through 2000 km (1242 mi) from Kharkov to the Mannerheim line in Finland and back to the factory via Moscow.

T-34 model 1940
The T-34 was largely improved during trials and mass production was set up in September by Koshkin’s successor, chief designer Alexander Morozov. All previous models, the T-26, the BT-7 and the heavy multi-turreted T-28 were all dropped to make room for the new medium tank. Production was also separated, Leningrad furnishing the L-11 gun, Kharkov the diesel V12, Moscow the electrical components and the armored hull and final assembly were performed at the Stalingrad tractor factory. After July 1941, all the vulnerable production centers saw a huge relocation effort to the east.

Only Stalingrad remained in place until the very end of the battle, at the beginning of 1943 and Von Paulus’ capitulation. But the model 1940 was hampered by various deficiencies. The complex hull front armor piece was difficult to manufacture, there was a shortage of V12 diesels, so most of the model 1940 series tanks were equipped with the BT tank’s Mikulin M-17 engine at Gorky factory, as well as provisional transmission and clutch. The initial L-11 76 mm (2.99 in) gun was criticized for having a low muzzle velocity and the F-34 was designed instead at Gorky. It was later put into production, equipping the first units in July 1941.

General conception
When all designed components were brought together, the new T-34s series was equipped with the final 76.2 mm (3 in) gun, and was the basis for all versions until 1944. It was known as the T-34/76, as opposed to the later T-34/85. A new improved coil-spring Christie suspension was fitted, as well as the intended V12 diesels and adapted clutch and transmission. The 10-RT 26E radio set was replaced by the 9-RS model and the tracks were slightly enlarged. The frontal armor was simplified for mass production, as well as many other elements. When out in business, the T-34 had no equivalent in the world. It was able to combine almost to perfection the magic triangle of speed, armor and armament.

The sloped armor was a good solution to deflect most hits while retaining some thickness. First encounters in July 1941 proved that no German tank was able to reliably score a penetration. To the disappointment of the officers, their shots simply bounced off these well-armored machines. The need for a more powerful gun, with very high velocity was the origin of the Panther design (Panzer V). The T-34 was equipped with a variety of hatches and turrets during its lifespan, but almost all had their upper hull equipped with railings to allow Soviet troops to travel on the tank, supplementing the lack of transports. None was ever equipped with an anti-aircraft mount and many were lost because of this in 1944 due to the new Stuka antitank conversions (Ju-47D).

The T-34/76 was the mainstay of the Red Army from 1941 to the end of 1944, when sufficient T-34/85’s, a new tank in some aspects, gradually replaced them. The T-34 was a real shock for the Germans, as they had nothing like it. The sloped armor proved highly effective, despite their relativ