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January 1996

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U.S. Army Ordnance Museum

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Dr. 'Jack' Atwater

The
Museum Ordnance
Curator's
Features
Column

My editor tells me that space is

limited in this edition and that I am to
be mindful of Shakespeare's dictum
that, , , "Brevity is the soul of wit."
Thereisalotgoingonwithinthe museum
on the preservation of our vehicles
that are stored outside. I am reluctant
to write about this subject at this time
because of the many imponderables
that, unfortunately, still exist. Still I
hope to report some very exciting and
good n ews within the next few months!
I have been asked upon several
occasions to write about our medals
display. It is one of the most colorful
and complete displays we possess in
the museum. George Washington
established our country's first award
on 7 August 1782. The Badge of
Military Merit was probably the first
offiCial award given to soldiers and
officers without regard to rank. The
original award was a piece of cloth in
the form of a purple heart and is the
forerunner of the current medal re
ceived for wounds.
The Medal of Honor was created
during the Civil War but none of the
other medals ofour "Pyramid ofHonor"
were created until 1918. Military
decorations come in distinctive shapes
... a cross, a star, a "starburst: or a
hexagon and are conferred on an indi
(Continued on Page 10)

On The Cover
Living in the past. Like many times before,
American soldiers find themselves fighting
this year's war with last year's weapons.
Makeshift protection for security duty.

Museum Ordnance

ISS1\' 1083-9577

Volume 6, Number 1

January 1996

Jeffrey D. McKaughan
Editor
Adam Geibel
Associate Editor

January 1996

Haven't We Learned Anything In The

Past Thirty Years?
By Adam Geibel

More Syrian Use of German Armor

By LTC. Richard A. Williams

Armored Combat of the Nigerian

Civil War 1967-1970
By David Spencer

12

Special Forces/Special Operations Vehicle

HMMWV

16

The Common Chassis Revisited

The U.S. Army's Advanced Field Artillery System "Crusader"
By Lawrence D. Bacon and
Dr, Asher H. Sharoni

17

1995 Editorial Index

31

Departments
Curator's Column

Bookshelf G-2

10

Book Reviews
SHADOW WAR
The CIA's Secret War in Laos
GERMANYSPANTHERTANK
The Quest for Combat Supremacy

11

15
The Ordnance Museum Foundation

26

Miniature Ordnance:
Commanders Model CA.1 Schneider WWI French Tank
By Steve Zaloga

27

Classified Ads

31

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Haven't We
Learned Anything
In The Last
Thirty Years?
Adam Geibel
In response to Viet Cong ambushes on
supply convoys. the US Army In Viet
nam used field expedient armor to pro
tect their trucks. This included sand
bag-lined cab floors and beds to counter
landmines. Th Irty years later US forces
are committed across the globe. from
Haiti to Somalia. with essentially the
same unarmored rear echelon vehicles
that they went to Vietnam with.
Interestingly enough. these photos
from Haiti show that the US Army is
responding the same way. with the
same technology. While the workman
ship displayed on the lOth Mountain
DiVision truck appears to be of the
highest quality. the real answer lays
beyond field expediency.
In an era where mine protected
vehicles - Including those specifically
designed for convoy and resupply use.
are already available. using thirty year
old technology to protect American sol
:diers is criminally stupid.

The armored 'capsule' sits in the bed oJ the truck, necessitating that the tail gate
remain lowered to use the rear door. The armor plate is supported with vertical
struts fixed in the bed walls, where the wooden stake bodies are usually mounted.
Note method oj attaching anti-grenade screen to armor plate.

An uparmored 10th Mounta in Division five-ton truck, taken in Haiti 1994. There are
fiveftring ports left. right and rear. Note anti-grenade screen over troop compart
ment

Museum Ordnance

'Eve OJ Destruction,' a well-known five-ton M53 truck ar:

moredJor convoy duty in Vietnam. Four M2 .50 Brownings
provided massive suppressivejirepower, but the truck had no
overhead protect ion from handgrenades. US Army

Publisher's Note: In March. 1995. at IDEX '95 in Abu Dhabi the South
Africans demonstrated the protection and survivability of their Casspir
Mk. II. For five con sec uti ve days the Casspir was paraded in front of the
viewing stand before being driven out into the firing range (top photo).
There it was dri ven over a landmine and towed back showing the damage
(middle photo). It was then taken to arevetrnent where within 25 minutes
it was repaired and driven back under its own power (bottom photo). The
same vehicle withstood this abuse for five straight days!
I spoke with a Canadian businessman who volunteered to sit in the
vehicle as a passenger during the demonstration that these photos were
taken from. Although a rough ride, he and the orthers were not injured
other than being "shaken up."
Why is the U.S. Army still bolting together make-shift protection for
troops in security and patrol operations? While troops in the field are
doing what it takes to ensure their safety. off-the-shelf equipment is
available from a number of sources that could do a better job.
"No More Task Force Smiths'" needs to be taken a little more
seriously!

Three black-spray stenciled insignia, from left to right; Tri

angle with bullet ricocheting off oj curasier's breastplate,
'ARPA' (Tactical Armor Integration Laboratory) centered on
stylized globe, 'Conquest OJDarkness.' From this angle, the
anti-grenade screen lacing is clearly visible.

An American rifleman demonstrating the use oj a firing port.

Note the method oj attaching the rooJ beams and lateral
reinJorcements to the one inch by 8 inch boards.

January 1996

Do any Museum Ordnance

readers have other photos
or information on either of
the vehicles shown here?
The photo above is obviously
a modified Gennan 251 half
track with an A-frame lift
ing rig and built-up super
structure over the body. It
also appears to have been
pressed into service by Rus
sian soldiers.
The photo below was taken
in a vehicle park after, date
unknown.

Museum Ordnance

More Syrian
Use of German
Armor
LTC. Richard A. Williams

In more than three years as an Assis

tant US Army Attache in Israel, I have
made over 150 trips to the Golan
Heights. I therefore read Mr. Steven
Zaloga's fascinating article on early
Syrian armor (July 1995) with great
interest. Since then, Russ Vaughan
and I have made a trip to another

former battlefield location which pro

duced some Interesting finds bearing
on that subject.

The site, known as Nuheilla (or

Nukheila) was a fortified Syrian posi
tion about one kilometer north of Tel
Dan on the Israel-Syrian border. (Is
raeli armor buffs may remember the
area as the scene of several armor
engagements from Nov. 1964 through
August 1965 which resulted in and
validated then-Col. Israel Tal's devel
opment of long-range tank gunnery
techniques, which laid the foundation
for the outstanding performance and
reputation of IDF tankers in subse
quent wars. *) I had recently been in
formed by an IDF military historian
that the position, with which I was very
familiar but had not previously visited,
A good source for further informa
tion on this series of engagements is
the article, "Tel Dan Incident: New Con
cept in Israeli Tank Warfare," by Yosef
Argaman in the #20 issue (Summer
1990) of the now-defunct lDF Journal.
formerly published in English by the
Israeli Ministry of Defense.

This destroyed StuG III, in a small dug

in position, remains where it was de
stroyed.

ABOVE RIGHT: Cleartracesojzimmerit

coating are still evident on the [>-LKpjiv
N (unlike the tank at Tel Aziziatj.

The rubber tires oj road wheels from

both the Mk N and the StuG III were
clearly marked "Hutchinson, Made in
France, proViding further evidence oj
Steve's comments about France as a
source oj rebuUt German vehicles.
W

January 1996

LEFT: The StuG III has been modlfred

with a mount Jar a heavy MG. as

shown in Steve's article.

The Syrian Renault 35.R tank at

Degania. mentioned in Mr. Zaloga's ar
ticle. (MG Tal said that. aJew years ago.
he settled a decades-old controversy
over which oJ the deJenders' weapons
had knocked outthe tank-a PIATora
20mmATgun. Using the same methods
he pioneered which have been used by
the IDFOrdnance Corps to analyze thou
sands oj other knocked-out tanks. he
conclUSively proved that the PIATgun
ner had been responsibleJor the kilL)

still contained three Syrian vehicles.

We hit the jackpot; not only did the
position contain another destroyed
PzKpfw IV (Similar. but not identical. to
the one at Tel Aziziat. but also a StuG
III. burned but basically intact in its
revetment.
The PZKpfw IV clearly suffered a
catastrophic internal explosion-only
the roof and right side of the turret
remain . The tank appears to have been
moved from its original location and
the gun and possibly the turret re
mains piled onto the wreck of the hull.

To the left oj the gun mantlet on the StuG III are two penetrations. one entry
and one exit hole. Apparently. ammunition "cooking oJj inside the tank during the
ensuing fire caused the exit hole. The entry hit marked the rear oj the fighting
compartment with shrapnel. Two more (Israeli) rounds penetrated to the right oj
the mantlet.

The FzKpJw N at Tel Aziziat, shown previous in Steve Zaloga's article.

Museum Ordnance

An lDF modified M3 half track which

remains where it was knocked out dur
ing the 6 June Golani Brigade attack
on Tel Fakher (a stronglyjortlfzed posi
tion overwatching Tel Aztzlat from the
east). The.J1.oor oj the vehicle is still
covered with lumdreds oj casings and
projectiles from .50 cal. 7.62mm, and
9mmammunitton that explodedduring
thefire.

BELOW: This photo shows an M4Al

semiconcealed in a small park near
KibbutzEinZiwanon the Golan Heights.
This tank was exFrench Army equip
ment,possibly brought to Israel in one oJ
the clandestine French arms shipments
prior to the 1956 Sinal invasioTL The
tank bears a partially readable French
data plate inside in headed Char
M4Al." Assuming that this tankJought
on the Golan in the Six-Day War,
French-supplied Shermans may have
engaged French-supplied German equip
ment. Mod!ftcations to the basically US
issue M4Al include the Jour turret
mounted smokegrenade launchers and
a curious angled port drilled into the
turret rooJnear the mantlet, possiblyJor
)lTing flares from inside the tank.

one of the tracks is lying about fifteen

meters from the vehicle. The StuG III
seems to have remained where it was
hit, although the IDF tank(s) that hit it
must have been firing from an elevated
position, as the assault gun is pro
tected by a berm in front of the vehicle
which is higher than the location of the
hits.
I hope the above sheds additional
light on the interesting ex-German Syr
ian armor subject. There was one error.
probably a typo, in Mr. Zaloga's article:
The tank at Tel Aziziat was knocked
out in the 1967 war, not the 1973 war
as the photo caption says. The body of
the article also mentions the use of the
Mk IV on the Golan Heights in the
1973 War. The Heights were in Israeli
hands between the 1967 and 1973
wars, so any Syrian armor used there
in 173 was part of the attacking force.
If Syria still had any Mk IVs left by
then, they would certainly have been In
secondary or tertiary lines of defense
well inside Syrian territory.

January 1996

Curat or's

Museum Ordnance Bookshelf G-2

news and notes about AFV resources

COIUIllD
rContiru.Ledfrom Page 3)

by
Tom.Laemlein

vidual for a designated achievement.

Their achievements can either be in
combat or for noncombatan t actions.
The decorations are in distinctive
shapes to distinguish them from ser
vice medals which are circular. Ser
vice medals are awarded for a par
ticular campaign. expedition. occu
pation duty, or emergency service.
Under normal circumstances "deco
rations" are conferred for a specific
act of gallantry and "medals" for
participation in a deSignated war or
for performing a meritorious service.
This can be confusing because the
highest decoration awarded for gal
lantry is the Medal of Honor.
Small auxiliary insignia are worn
on the ribbons of medals to indicate
various things. In the army a bronze
oak-leaf indicates a subsequent
award of the same medal. A silver
oak-leaf indicates five identical
awards. Bronze stars on a campaign
medal indicate participation in battles
or various campaigns within the con
text of the larger conflict. A bronze
"V" is worn to indicate participation
in combat on the Legion of Merit.
Bronze Star, and Commendation
medals. A bronze arrowhead indi
cates participation in an invasion.
Decorations and medals are not
"badges." A badge is given for some
special proficiency, such as marks
manship, parachuting, being SCUBA
qualified. or being an aviator or a
member of a flight crew.
Decorations and medals stand
for more that the Nation's grateful
acknowledgment offldelity. They are
a constant incentive to performance
of outstanding deeds. When Antoine
Thibaudeau. an ardent French revo
lutionary, objected to Napoleon's
awarding medals as mere "baubles",
the Emperor replied, "You are pleased
to call them'baubles;' well, it is with
'baubles' that an army's esprit is
maintained and strengthened."
Come and visit us at the Ord
nance Museum!

10

Back again for another round of news and notes on AFV-related resources
and entertainment. The most significant development of the fall has to be
Edward R. Hamilton's Superstore Catalog (Edward R. Hamilton Bookseller,
Falls Village, CT 06031-5000). Incredible! Hamilton is now offering most
of the SchilTer line of hardbound books at significantly reduced prices (Le.:
Rommel In the Desert, by Kuhn - $24.50, A History of the Panzer Troops,
by Haupt - $17.46). Even better news is his pricing on some of Hunnicutts
Presidio releases: Sherman at $64.95, Abrams and Patton at $42.00. I've
counted over 20 well-priced books of direct interest to armor fans in this
catalog. so I strongly suggest you get a copy and make some cost-effective
additions to your library.
Veteran armor author George Forty has two releases this fall. The first,
Tanks: World War Two Fighting Armor ($29.95) was mentioned in my last
column and is yet to arrive in bookstores. The second: Tank Action: From
the Great War to the Gulf ($39.95) has arrived, but Without much fanfare.
That's unfortunate, because It's an outstanding work, with detailed, well
illustrated accounts of various tank actions throughout the 20th century.
My copy came from Zenith Books (1-800-826-6600).
Panther fans have two new books to choose from well-establlshed authors.
The first, Germany's Panther Tank: The Quest For Combat Supremacy, by
Thomas Jentz ($45.00 Schiffer) is a highly detailed account, primarily of
Panther deVelopment and production. A solid book with excellent drawings
by H.L. Doyle. (see book review in this issue.) The other volume is Panther,
by Uwe Feist and Bruce Culver ($75.00 Ryton Publications). Fans were
lukewarm on their expensive 1992 publication of TIger, so I hope this
Panther edition (272 pages. over 500 photos and illustrations) breaks some
new ground. Of course, Ryton books are beautifully published.
Motorbooks has released The Imperial War Museum Book of the Desert War
1940-1942, a well-illustrated, but general history of that campaign from a
British perspective. Motorbooks has also published Mussolini's Soldiers,
by Rex Tyre ($29.95). It's a good start. well-illustrated, but lacks the details
on Italian armor and artillery that many of us are looking for.
Last column I mentioned Across The Rhine. a WWII tank simulator for the

PC from MicroProse. Now comes Steel Panthers from Strategic Simulations,

Inc. ($39.95). While Across the Rhine tried to be an on-the-battlefield tank

simulator (and generally failed), Steel Panthers updates older "board game"

technology, reminiscent ofAvalon Hill's Squad Leader. Offering a top-down

view of outstanding graphics (plus video footage and digital sound effects)

Steel Panthers Is easy to learn (the computer does all the math) and fun!

Armor fans will love the depth of historical de

. tail - including al
,~_.~~~_iiii~:lmost every major ve

"
hicle from the combat
ant nations of WWII. These
t~:;;;~~~~~~~~~L~~peoPle
have done their home
;!"
work. The battle-builder al
lows you to create your own
~........ engagements (try Italians vs.

Japanese armor if you want).

Head-to-head modem play and
.s.~~~: additional historical scenarios
are coming soon. You'll need a
486/33 PC or better, 8MB of RAM, 2X CD
ROM, and at least 12MB available hard-drive space.

Museum Ordnance

==

Museum Ordnance's Bookshelf Book Reviews

SHADOW WAR

The CIA's Secret War in Laos

The CIA's Secret War In taos

By Kenneth Conboy with James Morrison

464 pages, photos, maps
1995 ISBN 0-87364-825-0
Paladin Press
P.O. Box 1307
Boulder, CO 80306
(303) 443-7250
$49.95
This is a large book: In physical size it's
8.5 by 11 inches, in thickness it's 464
pages, and in content it is fully packed!
Indicative of the title, the war in
Laos was fought in the shadow of the
fighting in Vietnam. As such, informa
tion on the war is hard to come by and
difficult to research. The authors spent
more than ten years interviewing par
ticipants and combing through field
reports and formerly classified docu
ments. Their effort pays off for the
reader as a wealth of new information

on previously known situations is punc

tuated with information not disclosed
before.
The book begins just after the end
ofWWII. but the coverage intensifies in
the 1950's and continues through to
1974. The CIA, along with a variety of
military and civilian agencies ran a
large, mostly covert operation. This
activity was split between trying to
"save" Laos from the evils of commu
nism and serving the larger plcture in

GERMANrSPANTHERTANK
The Quest for Combat Supremacy
Thomas Jentz, drawings by Hilary Doyle
156 Pages, 140 Photos, 16 sets of drawings plus
35 other drawings, 20 charts and graphs
1995
ISBN 0-88740-812-5
Schiffer Publishing Company
77 Lower Valley Road
Atglen, PA 19310
$45.00
Review by Frank De Sisto
Quite simply, this new book rendered
nearly every other book ever written on
the Panther obsolete. For the first time
the complete genesis of the Panther
series is correctly presented.
To do this the author has con
sulted with only original source docu
ments and inspected nearly every
available surviving vehicle on public
display. Aside from constantly citing
documents used throughout the text,
the author explains how the use of
parts stock numbers helped to identity
various models of the Panther. All of
this is presented in chronological order
to show what changes were made and
when they occurred.

January 1996

Numerous charts and graphs also

present this information in an easily
digested form. This information Is es
pecially useful to modelers who wish to
be able to depict a specific vehicle at a
specific time and place. All of this
information is cross-referenced using a
system of numbers in a way familiar to
engineers, and easily used by the reader.
The excellent selection of photo
graphs (most of which are NOT new)
with complete captioning, allow these
to shed new light on a subject which
many might think is "done to death ."
Mr. Doyle's drawings are in a class by
themselves and cover many variations
with four complete views.
After action reports by users and
an assessment by American tankers
give a biased (the author plainly states

Vietnam. This book is full of strategic

level plans, facts, and figures but easily
transitions to tactical combat informa
tion and covert action details.
Never before known facts on White
Star operations (including a gripping
and detailed account of the PAVN as
sault on the UASFTSQ-81 radar site at
Phou Phathi), raids on Dien Bien Phu
in 1968, the first use of a homemade
BLU-82 bomb from a C-130, tank ac
tions with PT-76's, US-run sites as
basecamps for missions Into China,
and the war along the Ho Chi Minh
Trail to name just a few.
The book includes a comprehen
sive index, along with a glossary. Nicely
done maps are done in a separate sec
tion in the back that give basic geogra
phy and distance references, while
mixed among the text are several tacti
cal maps of various battles. The
endnotes are listed at the end of each
chapter and are extensive and informa
tive. The endnotes also take the place
of a bibliography. Although I would
have preferred a separate listing of
sources. the actual notation would
probably have been small as much of
the research involved Interviews with
veterans and participants as opposed
to books, reports, and documents.
The photographs are best described
as rare. even for someone who is a
student ofIndochina. They represent a
good selection of personalities, eqUip
ment, locations, and actions.
Kenneth Conboy has traveled and
studied this area and this conflict for
many years and his experience shows.
readers of the Osprey series of books
may be familiar with his work as he has
authored a number of subjects cover
ing Southeast Asia. James Morrison is
an ex-Special Forces officer who served
in Southeast Asia.
This book is highly recommended.

such in his introduction) but neverthe

less accurate account of the Panther in
battIe.
Production statistics, units
equipped with the Panther, and avail
ability and casualty rates allow the
reader to draw his own conclusions
regarding the efficiency of the design in
combat. In that respect, the author
does us a service: he forces us to think
for ourselves.

11

Armored

Combat

of the
Nigerian

Civil War

1967-1970

David Spencer

12

Biafra, the richest oil-endowed prov

ince of Nigeria declared independence
from Nigeria in May, 1967. The war
wasn't only about oil, but also tribal
and religious domination. The Biafrans
were mostly Ibo and Christian, while
the Federal government was dominated
by Hausa northerners who were pre
dominantly Islamic. The two and a half
year war that followed, was one of the
toughest and bloody wars in African
history. This was due to the sheer
determination, tenacity and ingenuity
of the Biafran army which refused to
give up.
Biafra's principle disadvantage was
its lack of arms.Most of the world's
major arms suppliers sided with the
Federal government. Britain, the So
viet Union, and Islamic nations aided
Nigeria. The United States remained
neutral. France sold limited numbers
ofweapons to Biafra. Portugal, Rhode
sia, and South Africa gave aid to Biafra,
but they were all limited because of
arms embargoes against all of them for
their policies of defiance in Africa.
As a consequence, Biafra had to
use surreptitious means to obtain weap
onry from anywhere they could. What
they couldn't smuggle in, they made,
and the results were Impressive. But
the latter is the subject for a seperate
article.
Noticeably lacking from the Biafran
arsenal were armored vehicles. Biafra
scoured Europe for sources of weap
ons, and found them in the scrap yards

still existing of World War II refuse. In

France, the Biafrans purchased per
haps a dozen decrepit examples of the
Universal and Bren carrier family. Some
came from scrap yards, and perhaps
even a museum. The vehicles reached
Biafm through Port Calabar. In Biafra,
the vehicles were put into running con
dition and then modified for combat.
The original armor was considered too
thin, so a tall box armor superstruc
ture was built up around the open top
of the carrier and prOvided with gun
slits . The vehicles were armed with .30
caliber machine guns. The Biafrans
called them ""The Red Devils."
The Nigerian Federal Army had
been supplied by France and Britain.
The Nigerian armored vehicles included
Ferrets, Saladins, Saracens, and French
A.JV1L armored cars. While the French
ceased prO\is ion of eqUipment to Nige
ria shortly after the war began, Britain
provided :\igeria with numerous Saladin
and Saracen armored cars, and these
became the dominant vehicles of the
war, spearteading every major Nige
rian attack.
The first armored vehicles to see
action was a squadron of Nigerian Fer
ret armored cars that supported the
advance on i\'sukka. On July 6, 1967
the advance began. The Ferrets
sucessfully ambushed some trucks full
of Biafran soldiers. However. as the
column advanced on Nsukka a Ferret
gunner panicked and opened fire on
Nigerian troops, killing eleven.
The Biafrans responded with a
counter-attack of their own in the Mid
west. SDme Red Devils were slated for
use in the battle. However they suf
fered mechanical breakdown before they
reached the battlefield and could not be
repaired in time.
The Biafrans subsequently made
an attempt to drive on Lagos. The open
ing play of this offenSive was an attack
on the are region. Before the battle.
Biafran soldiers disguised as Yoruba
tribesmen carried out careful recon
naiss a nce to locate the Nigerian posi
tions. However, just before the Biafran
attack a Nigerian force under Lt.
Iluyomade moved forward fifteen miles
to Ofusu and set up a concealed posi
tion. This was not detected by the recce
elements. The advance began on Au
gust 11. 1967.
Led by a Red Devil. the Biafran
move was taken by surprise. Although
raw recruits, the Nigerians held their
fire until the Biafrans were close. The
opening Nigerian fire drove ofT the

Museum Ordnance

-~"
~
, .;,

.,

Map from The Brothers' War. by John de st. JOrTe.Houghton Mifflin Company.
1972. An excellent book covering much ofthefrghting and the political intrigue
sUrTounding this civil war.

Biafran infantry. However. a Biafran

mortar fired a lucky shot that knocked
out the Nigerian 81mm mortar. The
Red Devil continued to advance. It was
peppered by withering small arms fire
which failed to penetrate the added
on quarter inch armor plate. The Red
Devil penetrated the position and be
gan to chew up the Nigerian troops
with its machine guns. At this point
the Nigerians had nearly exhausted
their ammunition. In desperation they
doused the vehicle with gasoline and
set it on fire. This stopped the vehicle.
killed the crew. and effectively stopped
the Biafran advance. After an all night
battle. the Biafrans withdrew. leaving
their dead and the burnt out Red
Devil.
On September 10. 1967. the
Biafrans launched a bid to retake
Nsukka. Several Red Devils led the
attack. Nsukka was defended by the
Nigerian 1st Brigade eqUipped with re
coilless rifles. Against small arms and
raw recults the Red Devils could pre
vail. but neither condition existed at
Nsukka. Against these Nigerian troops
the vehicles proved to be slow. blind.
cumbersome. hard to maneuver. and
dangerous to accompanying troops be
cause of the amount of fire they at
tracted. Three of the Red Devils were
destroyed by recoilless rifle fire and
close-in Infantry attack. The Blafrans
were thrown back. leaving their three
destroyed Red Devils behind.
Another Biafran offensive was the
attempt to retake the island of Bonny.

January 1996

This was an important oll terminal that

the Nigerians had taken early In the
war. Due to operations elsewhere. the
Nigerians had reduced the garrison to
a minimal force . The Biafrans took
advantage of this weakness and
launched an amphibious attack. ferry
ing over a large force including four Red
Devils. The attack on Bonny was sup
ported by B-26 bombers. Between the

bombers and the Red Devils. the Nige

rian garrison was forced into a small
pocket on the edge of the sea. The
Biafran attack bogged down around
Christmas 1967 because of a dispute
between the two major Blafran com
manders. They went to Port Harcourt
to resolve their dispute. Meanwhile the
Nigerians took advantage of the lull to
replace the commander on the island
and bring in reinforcements. The new
Nigerian force launched a counter
offensive. By the time the Blafran
leaders returned. their troops were in
full retreat and by early 1968. the Is
land was completely back In Nigerian
hands.
On March 25. 1968. Colonel Joe
"Hannibal" Achuzle ofthe Biafran forces
set his men up on either side of the road
at Abagana down which the Federal
column was travelling. It consisted of
102 vehicles. Including armored ve
hicles. and was escorted by 6.000
troops. When the column reached the
midpoint between either end of his
forces he ordered his men to open fire.
A chance mortar bomb hit a fuel truck
and exploded 8.000 gallons offuel that
shot a 400 meter tongue of flame back
down the column. The Federal troops
panIcked and in their attempt to es
cape. ran right into the guns of the
Blafran soldiers. Very few sUIvived.
Meanwhile. the Biafrans began re-

Armor Modeling

and

Preservation Society...

... or AMPS, is a non-profit organization whose purpose is to "associate interested

individua ls and organizations in both sharing an interest in the history of
armored vehicles and in cultivating interest in armored vehicles and related
subjects via the hobby of modeling..."
I30resight the Society's publication, is issued six-times per year and is full of
articles, reviews, and other information useful to the military modeler.
A one-year membership is $20.00 (U.s.), Canada $25.00,AlI Others: $25.00 surface
and $35 airmail. All payments must be in U.s. funds, no credit cards.

AMPS

P.O. Box 331

Darlington, MD 21034

Plan on attending AMPS 96, the 2nd Annual National Conven

tion of the Armor Modeling and Preservation Society on April
19 & 20, 1996 at the Aberdeen, Maryland, Sheraton Four
Points.

13

cehing anti -tank rockets [rom :>"rance

and 37mm S~'EB rocket launchers from
Portugal. In June 1968, the French
anti-tank rockets were fired at Nigerian
AML armored cars, which were stllJ
operational despite France's embargo
of spare parts.
In August 1968, the Nigerians at
tacked Aba. The Biafrans blew the
Awaza and Imo bridges but failed to
blow a pipeline. over the river with a
catwalk over the top. The Biafrans
covered this pipeline with automatic
weapon fire. However. when they ran
outofammunition. the Nigerians sent
three infantry battalions across and
established a bridgehead before repair
ing the main bridge to bring across
their artlllery and armored cars. The
Biafrans received reinforcements. and
1,000 men under the command of a
South African mercenary "Tafty" Will
iams launched a counterattack on Au
gust 24. to throw the Nigerians back.
Equipped with small arms. mortars.
and a Biafran-made electrically fired
claymore-type mine known as the
ogbun ig we. This Blafran-made mine
was reported to have a 200-meter kill
ing range in a 90 degree arc. The
Biafrans took ground but were coun
terattacked by Federal forces led by
Saladin armored cars. The Biafrans
stopped vehicles with anti-tank ditches
and fired 40 ogbunigwes on the first
day. A Saladin's tires were shredded by
these mines and forced to withdraw.
However. the Biafrans ran low on am
munition and were forced to halt. They
resisted frontal Federal attacks for two
more days. mostly by clever employ
ment of their mines. Finally the Nige
rians hooked around to the right and
broke through the weak Biafran flanks
with their armored cars. This force
took Aba. In the attempt to break out,
Colonel Achuzie. the hero ofAbagana
had a near head on collision with a
Federal Saladin. However, In the con
fusion he escaped.
By this time. the Biafrans had no
armor of their own. but soon had a two
car "armored battalion" of captured
armored cars. The first armored car
was captured in the Onitsha sector
after it was immobilized by a prOjectile
fired by Corporal Nwafor. When the
elated Corporal ran forward to examine
his prize. he was killed. The vehicle was
named after him. The Corporal NwaJor
was soon joined by the Oguta Boy. This
vehicle was recovered when the 14th
Blafran division was aSSigned to clear
Oguta. where the Nigerians had unex

14

peeledly landed and taken the town.

This operation was successful and in
their withdrawal. the Nigerians drove
an armored car into the river to prevent
Its capture. However. the vehicle was
recovered by the Blafrans who named
it after the town where it was captured.
The Corporal NwaJor and Oguta Boy
turned the tide of many encounters as
the Nigerians did not expect the Biafrans
to have armor. and since they were of
the same type as Nigerian vehicles.
often thought they were Nigerian ve
hicles that had gotten confused when
they opened fire. The hesitation and
confusion were often enough to turn
Ll-Je tide of battle.
Meanwhile, the Nigerian 1st Divi
sion was assigned to take Abakaliki.
They were stopped when the Biafrans
blew the Ezello bridge. Under the pro
tection of supporting fire. the Nigerians
set up a bailey bridge and crossed the
river spearheaded by their armored
cars. This force took Abakaliki.
In April 1969. the FederalIst Divi
sion, led by their armored cars, made
a drive on Umuahla. They broke
through the Biafran 64th Brigade and

then Into the rear of the Biafran 55th

Brigade around Uzuakoli. The Oguta
Boy was dispatched to assist the Blafran
defense. The crew of OgutaBoywanted
to set up in a concealed position, so the
vehicle could Withdraw if threatened.
However, a colonel ordered the Oguta
Boy to attack, exposed and unsup
ported. The crew explained the folly of
this command, but the colonel insisted.
The Oguta Boy carried out his order
and in short order was knocked out
and recaptured by the Nigerians. Over
confident. the Nigerians launched their
own armored thrust against Biafran
positions on April 6 at Aflkpo. The
attack was stopped by Biafran anti
tank guns and the Nigerians lost a
Ferret, Saracen. and a Saladin armored
car. This was only a temporary setback
as eventually the Nigerians took
Uzuakoll.
The war ended in January 1970.
Led by armored cars, Federal forces
slowly took town after town after town
until Blafra ceased to exist. A formal
ceasefire was declared on January 12,
and the Lagos government declared an
end to hostilities on January 15th.

Museum Ordnance

Just before they were to board a flight

from London. a group of primarily Brit
ish and Australian veterans were in
formed by the Libyan government that
their visas had been withdrawn. The
group. planning to visit and pay tribute
to their fallen comrades in and around
Tobruk. seemed to be caught in the
political battle between Libya and most
other countries over the investigation
into the bombing of Pan Am 103 over
Lockerbie. Scotland.
It appears that Libya reacted to
comments made by President Clinton
at the unveiling of a monument to the
victims of that terrorist attack.
Kenya's President Daniel arap Moi
charged that Uganda was allowing
South African mercenaries to use their
country as a staging ground for an
attack on Kenya. Kenya and Uganda
have traded verbal assaults since 1986
when the current Kenyan regime came
to power.
For its part. Uganda denied any
knowledge or involvement in such a
plot and chided Kenya for accusing it of
such. A leading Kenyan newspaper
stated that the funding and planning
for the planned coup came from an
"unnamed" Kenyan opposition party.
Further. in mid -November Uganda
claimed that at least 200 Kenyan troops
along with Ugandan rebels were on the
border ready to strike into Uganda.
It seems likely that fighting will
happen along the border sometime.
even ifboth sides stumble into it acci
dently.
The French Army recently lost one of
their Puma helicopters to ground fire.
Actually. it was a very angry. and re
portedly very drunk. French farmer
armed with a shotgun upset at the low
altitude of the helicopter over his prop

erty.
Would this be considered friendly
fire??

It has been recently reported that Rus

sia will begin delivering modem. so
phisticated weaponry to South Korea
to pay down the $1.56 billion debt to

January 1996

the Asian nation.

Reportedly T-80U main battle
tanks. BMP-3 infantry combat vehicles.
Metis-M anti-tank guided missiles. and
Igla anti-aircraft missiles are included
in the package.
If the deal goes to completion. de
liveries will span through 1998.
The Friends ofthe Israeli Defense Forces
Is a worldwide organization that seeks
to provide social. recreational. and edu
cational services to active and retired
members of the IDF.
Along with their efforts to raise
funds for these causes. The Friends
also arrange and conduct tours of Is
rael. and because of the nature of the
organization, these tours Include a
number of destinations of Interest to
military and armor historians.
The tours last eleven days (Includ
ing travel time). Among the points of
interest for our readers are Latrun (me
morial and museum site of the Ar
mored Corps) . a tou r of the Golan
Heights. Citadel of DaVid Museum.
Masada, and at least one active Israel
military base.
The 1996 tours are planned for
early February ($2.079). late-July
($2.699). and mid-:.1o\'ember ($2,598).
For more Information contact the
Friends of the IDF, Mission Depart
ment. 133 So. LiVingston Avenue;
Livingston , :.1J 07039 or call (201) 535
2671 (1-800-769-6000).

Christopher Foss has reported in a

Janes' Defense Weekly (November II.
1995) article that the Russian T-90 Is
in production with m ore than 100 al
ready in service. The article includes
one three-quarters right front view of
the T-90.
More importantly is his informa
tion on the new Russian tank under
development, possibly to be called the
T-95. This tank will probably have the
crew in the forward section of the ar
mored hull, with an externally-mounted
main gun (possibly either a 135mm or
140mm). It will most likely place a
greater importance on survivability than
previous Russian deSigns and will most
likely be diesel-powered.
Foss says that this new tank could
be introduced as early as 1997.

Another military tour that I have heard

a tremendous number of good things

about are the Russian tours sponsored

by Robert Fleming of Panzer Prints in
the UK. I recently met with Bob and
received a brief outline of his tour.
"The third Panzer Prints 'Tank
Tour" to Moscow took place in Septem
berand twelve Individualsspentaweek
visiting Russian military museums.
Sunday was a sightseeing day with
visits to the Kremlin and the new Great
Patriotic War Museum on the
Poklonnaja Hill. a five minute bus ride
from the hotel. The next two days were
spent examining the incredible AFV
collection at the Kubinka Proving
Ground followed by a visit to the Cen
tralArmed Forces Museum on Wednes
day."
"In additional to a guided tour of
the museum. the group was invited to
explore the "fonts" or archives of each
department within the museum. They
saw and examined objects which they
could only dream about. including
Hitler's uniforms. Zhukov's medals and
the ultra rare 2cm Luftfaust. a one
man AA weapon. Thursday morning
saw the group at the Aerospace Mu
seum at Monino before returning to the
CAFE for lunch and the chance to
explore the fonts again. Current AFVs
such as the T-80MU. BMP-3. and BTR
80 were examined at the Academy of
Armoured Forces on Friday. The final
day was spent in military book shops or
shopping before the return flight to
London."
Panzer Prints is planning at least
twotrips in 1996. thefirstinearlyMay
and the second in mid-September. Cost
from the U.S. is estimated at about
$2.000 For more information. contact
Panzer Prints. The Falcon. Leverton
Road. Sturton-Ie-Steeple. Retford
Notts. DN22 9HE. England.

_.....,.~tIt

We carry many, many -::;;,~~

books on militar~' tanks _'_~

" ',Ct- _,(,~
",'
tr~~,.
& combat \'ehicies... with ~~
many tit!es a\'ailable onl~' throu~h us!
Plus a lar~eselection or technical manuals on
military trucks. jeeps and otherWW2 and post
war militar~' \'I.'hicles.AII issues of AFTER THE
BATTLE and WI/EEL & TRACK ma~a;l.ines are
stocked. Send $3 toda~' tllr our 411 page catalog.
sent "'irst Class. ($5. overseas by air)

[f

PORTRAYAL PRESS
P.O. Box 1190-D
Andover. NJ 07821

15

Special Forces/Special Operations Vehicle

HM M WV

The M998A2 is the improved and up

graded variant of the now well-known
"Hurruner." The A2 includes a new 6.5
liter 160 hp diesel engine. a new
fourspeed automatic transmission.
larger and improved brakes. increased
payload. and an improved human fac
tors package.
Using the basic platform. AM Gen
eral has built and is demonstrating a
prototype for a Special Forces/Special
Operations variant
At least on paper the SOY variant
has basically the same performance
specifications as the basic Hummer. In
appearance the obvious difference is
the large roll cage with Integral rotating
ring. articulated side arms with 7. 62mm
machine guns. and smoke grenade
launchers.
To date the company has not an
nounced any orders from any country
for the vehicle.

A nice left side view of the SOV HMMWV showing the turret ring with a .50 caliber

machine gun. two 7.62 CPMC. one mounted on the left side by the rear door and
the other on the rightfront comer ofthe dashboard. the smoke grenade tubes. and
the ce ntral tire inflation system.
LEFT: The underside ofthe heavy weap
ons ring mount. A number of weapons
ranging from three-barrel gat/ing guns.
30mm cannons and 40mm grenade
launchers can be mounted.

With the spare tire swung to the right

and the tailgate dropped. you can see
the gunner's platform and farther for
ward the radio and CPS locations. The
remainder of the space is for extra fuel.
ammunition. and supplies for the crew.

16

Museum Ordnance

The
Common
Chassis
Revisited
The U.S. Army's
Advanced Field
Artillery System
"Crusader"
Lawrence D. Bacon and
Dr. Asher H. Sharoni

At a recent armor conference at Ft.

Knox. I was amazed to see that the
principal topic of discussion was the
Advanced Field Artillery System (AFAS).
otherwise known as the Crusader Pro
gram. Like any good tanker. I have a
great appreciation for the value of ac
curate and timely fire support. how
ever. I was somewhat bemused by its
prominent role in this annual gather
ing oftreadhead intelligentsia! Subse
quently. I decided to explore alterna
tives to the Crusader that might truly
benefit both the Artillery and Armor
communities.
The quest for a modern self-pro
pelled howitzer has captured the full
attention and efforts of both the U.S.
Army and industry. as CRUSADER pro
gram is one of the very few "new starts"
in combat vehicle development. Self
propelled howitzers are key players on
the modern battlefield. and once
equipped with an effective and autono
mous Command and Control system.
they are capable of expeditious deploy
ment and rapid relocation of concen
trated fire power. To accomplish the
fire support mission under all weather
and combat scenarios. a modem self
propelled howitzer must possess these
basic characteristics:
Autonomous rapid firing reaction
High operational availability

January 1996

M1 82 GUN MOUNT
(MODIFIED M178)
MICROCLIMATE
COOLING SYSTEM
(MCS)

M284 CANNON
(MODI FIED M185)

REMOTELY
OPERATED
TRAVEL LOCK

AUTOMATIC FIRE
CONTROL SYSTEM (AFCS)
SEGREGATED

HYDRAULIC

COMPARTMENT

DRIVER'S NIGHT
VI SION DEVICE

SECURE VOICE
AND DIGITAL
COMMUNICATIONS

The M109A6

Optimum crew ballistic protection

Significant reduction of manpower
workload intensity

High technical risk associated with the

Regenerative Uqutd Propellant GWl
(RLPG) technology
Controversial selection ofa water-cooled
powerpack (ignoring the Army's in
vestment in the Advanced Integrated
Propulsion System (AlPS) technology)
Significant costs of procurement & ac
quisition

The current PALADIN M109A6 howit

zers are deficient in range. lethality.
survivability and also lack the mobility
to keep up with the rest of the maneu
ver force. These limitations. combined
with a heavy crew workload. severely
impede the Paladin's ability to engage
in close support maneuvers and effec
tively demonstrate its full firepower
potential.
The revised post-cold war u.s. Army
mission calls for a new and revolution
ary way of restructuring procurement
and acquisition philosophies for mod
ernization of armored vehicles. The
ever changing global political situation
is straining an invariably decreasing
defense budget. It is. therefore. para
mount that the U.S. consider new ap
proaches in developing. implementing
and fielding an advanced field artillery
system.
The Crusader Program was devised
to fully comply with the Army's opera
tional reqUirements while serving as a
"Technology Carrier" for future combat
vehicles. Nonetheless. due to persis
tent technical challenges. it is conceiv
able that Crusader will be reassessed
and ultimately revised. Without edito
rializing. compelling rationale includes:

The keystone technology ofthe Cru

sader Program. and its overall weapon
system approach. is the revolutionary
Regenerative Liquid Propellant Gun
(RLPG). Technical problems (consis
tent performance. corrosion and weight
growth) continue to delay satisfactory
demonstration of this weapon. and fur
thermore. the U.S. is undertaking the
RLPG development on its own. without
a standardization agreement with
NATO.
One must consider that a compa
rable and equally potent weapon sys
tem may be devised by utilizing avail
able systems and mature technologies
effectively integrated and packaged to
address operational reqUirements. For
example. there is a gun presently avail
able which demonstrates adequate long
range performance (30/40 km) with
sufficient "built-in" growth potential.
This gun is designated as the 155 mm
L52 and was developed and produced
in accordance with the Joint BaUistics

An adverse political environment re

Memorandum OJ Understanding
(JBMOU) endorsed by France. Germany.

lected by congressional involvement

and concern
Significant R&D costs

Italy. the United Kingdom and the

United States. Coupled with the Modu
lar Artillery Charge System (MACS). the

17

U.S. Army can achieve most of the

CRUSADER firepower goals while maln
tainingweapon/ammunition common
ality within NATO.

THE THINKING TANKER'S

ALTERNATIVE SOLUTION
TO CRUSADER

In the mid-1980s. General Bob

Sunnell's "think-tank" came up with a
concept called the "Armored Family of
Vehicles" (AFV) . Although the AFV
offered many interesting life-cycle and
logistics savings. with its $30 billion
procurement price tag. it was preor
dained to go by the wayside. Nonethe
less. the concept of a common chassis
for frontline armored fighting vehicles
has great merit. and in todays environ
ment. where we are struggling to main
tain some semblance of a tank indus
trial base. we may have a perfect oppor
tunity to achieve multiple kills with one
sabot.

Ml COMMON CHASSIS
As a cost-effective and affordable alter
native to the Crusader. the authors
propose a "system of systems" com
prised of an Advanced Field Artillery
System and a companion Future Ar
mored Resupply Vehicle. both com
monly based on the readily available.
battle proven and reliable Ml chaSSiS.
built by General Dynamics Land Sys
tems.
AFAS/Ml would be a self-propelled
howitzer equipped with the 155 mm
L52 conventional gun coupled with an
automatic Ammunition Handling Sys
tem to provide the required lethality.
survivability and range with a much
less manpower intensive gun.
FARV/M!. AFAS/Ml's companion

18

resupply vehicle. would provide ample

storage space under armor. enhanced
carrying capacity. excellent agility and
survivability. and eqUivalent mobility
to its counterpart. This system combi
nation would have significantly in
creased capabilities over the current
M 1 09-serles fleet.
Further. any reqUirement poten
tially provided by the Crusader. would
be proVided with higher confidence and
less technical risk by the AFAS/FARV /
M 1 weapon system at a relatively cost
effective and affordable price. Though
RLPG technology may possess an in
herent potential for greater range. rate
of fire and lethality. it Is not readily
available for near future implementa
tion. Declining budgets. design lmma
turity and enormous technical chal
lenges place the RLPG outside the win
dow of opportunity for the Crusader.

OPERATIONAL CAPABILITIES
OVERVIEW

AFAS/FARV/Ml's performance char

acteristics combined. provide an af
fordable. cost-effective. low technical
risk and extremely potent weapon sys
tem which constitutes a significant
quantum leap in force effectiveness:
155mm L52 Joint Ballistics Memo
randum Of Understanding cannon.
52 calibers long. currently installed
in the German howitzer PzH2000.
Effective range of 30km (unas
Sisted) /40km (assisted) with growth
potential. Upgraded with an inte
grated laser ignition system. En
hanced gun tube wear life due to a
chromium plated barrel process.
"MACS" (Modular Artillery Charge
System).
X1Il231/X1Il232.
Bar
Coded. to facilitate automation of
propellant loading. handling and
storage. MACS provides incr,eased
tactical llexibility. improves gun per
formance and is more cost-effective
than standard conventional bag
charges. It promotes faster action
through improved logistics: is safer
(more insensitive): autoloader com
patible: non-toxic: lighter: cheaper;
environmentally safe; requires lower
operational and training costs: oc
cupies less volume and demands
less transportation. MACS does not
leave residue in the gun breech which
can slowdown the rate of fire. MACS
is a low-risk. low-cost, viable solid

propellant backup and substitute

to RLPG technology.
.Full operational and automatic re
plenishment capability under Nu
clear. Biological & Chemical battle
field envirorunents and sustairunent
through state-of-the-art resupply.
Autoloader to provide an increased
rate offire (Burst rate: 3 rounds/9.2
seconds: Sustained rate: 9 rounds
minute. thereafter). automation of
ammunition loading. handling and
storing and consequential reduc
tion of manpower workload inten
sity.
Autonomous Command & Control
and Battle Management System for
rapid firing reaction. independent
tactical mission execution (self-lo
cation. self-computation of techni
cal fire control. planning. embedded
decision aid capability and fire sup
port digital communications). Tar
get acquisition and prioritization.
effective firepower on targets and
accurate damage assessments .
Ml modified chassis for improved
mobility. agility and maneuverabil
ity to keep up with the maneuver
forces and provide optimum ballis
tic protection with ingrained 20% to
25% weight and combat-load growth
potential.
An extensive and highly-effective
"Survivability Suite" comprised of
the following sensors and subsys
tems: environmental control and life
support; supplemental ballistic
protection: detection avoidance ma
terials (stealth); early warning: pro
tection against directed energy and
electro-magnetic pulse; countermea
sures; fire detection. prevention &
suppression; and highly potent de
fensive armament. eqUipment and
secondary weapons.
Future Maintenance and Training
Concepts (e.g. Modularity. Test-Fix
Test. Embedded Training and Diag
nostics & Prognostics).
AFAS/Ml would fire 4 to 8 rounds
in a Simultaneous Impact Mission (SIM)
between 6-40 km. All rounds wt11 im
pact within 4 seconds (first-to-Iast
round). This requirement can be at
tained with an effective combination of
a Management Battle System. Fire Con
trol System. Global Positioning System

Museum Ordnance

, --

- - - --

- - - - M1 COMMON CHASSIS

155mm L52 HOWITZER

CONCEPT
UNMANNED
WEAPON STATION

PRINCIPLE FEATURES
-Improved overall survivability
-4 man crew
-Improved ballistic armor
-Segregated/consolidated crew compartment
-Compartmentalized fuel & ammunition
-Ammunition handling system (Autoloader)
-High mobility & agility
-NBC protection & Environmental regenerative life support
-Advanced hydropneumatic suspension
-Cruising range of 275 miles (minimum)
-Gross weight of 55 tons (maximum)

M1 BASED

MODIFIED CHASSIS

(CPS) and an autoloader_ AFAS/M1 is

required to perform survivability (250
to 750m) or tactical (4 km) moves after
every mission to avoid enemy 'counter
battery' fire. To perform a fire mission.
crew members will not be required to
leave their protected and consolidated
compartment. All operational activi
ties will be remotely executed to in
clude: target identification and acqUi
sition. ballistic computations. gun po
sitioning and aiming. ammunition
loading. and of course. firing. Once the
firing mission has been concluded.
AFAS/M1 will move quickly to a new
poSition to enhance Its survivability
and provide effective tactical flexibility.

January 1996

AFAS/M1 will carry up to 80 fused

(Multi-Option Fuse for Artillery-MOFA)
and pre-coded rounds with correspond
Ing 68 XM231 and 178 XM232. stored
In 41 magazine storage spaces (@ 6
MACS/space) for automated handling
and loading. They are stored In two
ready and accessible magazines located
in the hull below the weapon station's
bearing ring. FARV/Ml will carry up to
180 (3 full complements of 60 rounds
each) fused and pre-coded rounds with
corresponding 153 XM231 and 399
XM232 in 92 storage spaces. They are
stored In the primary transfer maga
zine. below the crew deck level. and in
the secondary magazine above the crew

level.
Compartmentalized ammuni
tion storage and "blow-off' panels will
be provided In both vehicles to further
enhance survivability.
AMMUNITION HANDLING SYSTEM

The autoloader will be compliant with

the operational requirements to pro
vide the rate of fire and ammunition
handling safely and reliably. It will
have the capability of determining am
munition type. lot. fuse and weight.
During resupply. the autoloader will
verity the projectile/fuze combination.
Throughout a firing mission. the

19

M1 COMMON CHASSIS
FUTURE ARMORED RESUPPLY
VEHICLE OVERVIEW
PRINCIPLE FEATURES
-Improved overall surv ivabili ty
3 man crew
-Improved ballistic arm o r
.Seg regated/consolidated crew compartment
-C ompartmenlalrzed fuel & ammunition
-Ammunition hand ling system (Fully automated)

High mob ility & ag ility

NBC prolecl i on & En viro n m enta l reg en era live life support

Advanced hydrop neum ati c suspension

-Cruising range of 275 mi les (min im um)
-G ros s we ight of S5 tons (ma x iIT' m )

autoloader will independently verity the

projectile/fuze combination prior to
ramming. There are a myriad of other
benefiCial features that an autoloader
can provide that are not delineated
here. and all reqUirements are attain
able with proven technologies. The
autoloader. though designed to fit a
particular vehicle. contains generic
characteristics that could be tailored to
meet virtually any vehicle configura
tion. It will be capable of completely
and automatically accepting ammuni
tion from the FARV/Ml at a rate of 12
complete 155 mm rounds per minute.
The autoloader will also be capable of
downloading 155 mm ammun itlon and
propellant (MACS) to FARV/M 1 within
20 minutes or to the ground within 30
minutes. Backup capabilities will be
prOvided for manual upload and grace
ful degradation. The autoloader will
encompass redundant actuators to in
crease reliability and functionality.

CONSOLIDATED CREW
COMPARTMENT

AFAS/Ml will incorporate a consoli

20

dated. four-man superstructure crew

compartment. Chief of Section and
drivers (redundant controls) will be
provided with 360' day/night visibility.
Close-in vision will be within ten feet of
the vehicle due to the higher position of
the crew compartment located at the
front of the hull. It will also allow each
crewman to directly view the remaining
crewmen. There will be interior access
and visibility between the crew and the
Weapon Station. The crew will be en
tirely segregated and compartmental
ized from the ammunition and the
weapon station to increase sUrvivabil
ity.
The Crew compartment will be ad
equately protected against top and di
rect attack. high-explosive fragment a
tion. small arms and mines. Crew
members will be provided with provi
sions for rest. environmental control
(including NBC protection), integral
ration microwave heater. hygiene fa ci.:
ity and water stocks. all "built-in" and
completely integrated Into their con
solidated compartment. Crew mem
bers will not be required to leave their
compartment to perform any ope ration
unless under an emergency/malfunc

tion situation. The turretless. consoli

dated crew compartment simplifies in
stallation and operatIon of environ
mental conu-ol. Nb C and ballistic pro
tection.

PERFOR.c\1A.i.'ICE ATTRIBUTED
TO THE M 1 CHASSIS

AFAS / :'H must successfully keep up

'Y,ith the su pported maneuver force.
The:'f 1 mcxlilled chassis (presently pow
ered "i th a 1500 hp gas turbine) would
grant the same level of mobility and
ag ilLty as the M 1 tank fleet. Self-pro
pelled artillery capable of operating
closer to main battle tanks will provide
unprecedented level of immediate sup
pon. AFAS/Ml. as a minimum. would
have a highway speed of 65 kph. and a
sustained cross-country speed of 48
kph. This is readily achievable with Ml
tanks weighing approximately 70 tons.
If AFAS/FARV /Ml combat-loaded
weight does not exceed 55 tons. their
mobility and agility will surmount that
of an M 1 tank. Ml tanks will probably
remain in active service until 2020
2025 before a new armored platform

Museum Ordnance

M1 COMMON CHASSIS

155mm L52 HOWITZER CONCEPT

ANTI -AIR
MISSILES

UNMANNED MAIN GUN WEAPON STATION

ELEV +75, ..J & AZIMUTH .30 (HULL WIDTH CONSrnAINn

ENGINE
COMPARTMENT
(VERTICAL REMOVAIJINSTL)

l~----------- 322 IN. (8179mm)

-----------t+_--- 178 in. (4521mm) ------.-,~

OVERHANG

REMOTELY OPERATED
BARREL CLAMP

1-

....
MARCH FUEL TANKS
(AS REQUIRED)
DRIVE SPROCKETS

MULTIPURPOSE
FRONT RESUPPLY PORT

TENS lONER
SPROCKETS

COMPUTER CONTROLLED
VARIABLE HEIGHT
HYDROPNEUMATIC SUSPENSION
(UPGRADE)

OPTIONAL
SIDE ARMOR

FWD PRIMARY
MAGAZINE (47 SPCS)

ELECTRONIC &
EQUIPMENT
STORAGE
GROWTH
AREAS

CREW
STATION
(PLAN VIEW)

ACCESS
- :g~~~\~ES - -

- - - -

-----------,

LOAD PORT

L:::::"

I - -----H~~~~~_r~

~~ ----
PROJECTILEIMACS
TRANSFER UNIT
___ __ . _ _ _ __ _

ACCESS
PORTS(2)
_ _
BOTH SIDES

___ . _

- -- - - - -_._-

REAR SECONDARY
(M8~GSApZCISN)E

DOUBLE HATCH ACCESS

TO WEAPON STATION

PAYLOAD
SPECIALIST

INSTRUMENT
PANEL

CREW DECK LEVEL

68 251N (173 4mm ) --;'~~-;-' rf~~=$r=!g~
DRIVER S DECK LEVEL _~ ~
51.75 IN. (1 467mm)

l[-- '

EOUIPMENT
BAY
FWD & REAR MA GAZINE
INSTA LLATION AND
REMOVAL TffRU FRONT

January 1996

.<'
WASTE
ELIMINATION
SYSTEM

PROJECTILEIMACS
SWING RAMMER

21

M1 COMMON CHA SSIS

FUTURE ARMORED RESUPPLY VEHICLE

OVERHEAD
MAINTENAN CE

ANTI-AIR

M 1 ENG INE COMPA Rn"E N T

W ITH ECS fa IR SU PP RE SS OR

FARV REPLENI SHMENT

lO i -

I 1'-- '11; r~

{tiL ( c::=:=J

HATCH WITH ARMORED WINDOWS

I .:.'"

c==:J

.tC-1Cj ['J (?1J

- - -----

!I
,

L-~-=_--_
1

--- -----

J~l____ I

oCJO------- -- --

OPTIONAL

SIDE ARMOR
PROTECTION

r=-==:r"===: =::n::='==:::C==~:1
1_.---------322
(81 79
------------1.~.

l V AND LIG HT (2)

IN.

mm)

REAR VIEW

- ---- -..-.-. T

---'-__ --'__.___._, ._____1_

REPLENISHMENT

B OOM DOOR S

FRONT VIEW

LEFT SIDE VIEW

I:
,"'""""'' "'"' ' i -" T
- - - -- - .. .- - .- -

PRIMARY

""'''""'='"

245 SPACES - SHELLS & MACS

'

- - - -- -

INTERMAGAZINE _
ELEVATOR

_ _ ~ ~ -=

/ 1I

~
:

'L~----- : _ ~~'~ ~~~:=~-8;7~~_- -: " ' -l --'; <~-~ -

REPLENISHMENT BOOM
INTEGRAL WITH MAGAZINE
(SHOWN EXl ENDED
IN PHANTHOM)

EQUIPMENT
BAY

- - - - ---- .- - - -- ..1_

--

- - - - --- --

'

MULTI-PURPOSE
BOOM
HAND-OFF
POSITION

SE CO NDARY MAGAZINE
(80 SPAC ES)
RAT IO NS ,SUPPLlES,WATER,
SHELLS & MACS

II
.- - 1\=
68.25IN. p734 mm)

CREW DECK LEVEL

DRIVERS DECK LEVEL
57.75 IN . (1467mm)

~====~--=---~-~--~--=--~---- -~~-LEFT SIDE SECTION

22

Museum Ordnance

FARV/M1 AND AFAS/M1 REPLENISHMENT OPERATIONS

PAVLOAD
PROCESSING
CENTER OPERATIONS

~ -~'c

_
_.Ll.CJ_f,jV{i~~

~~~~~~=======~======~
HEMTT TO FARV/M1

PAVLOAD MAV BE
UPLOADED THROUGH
BOOM FOR GROUND LEVEL
OPERATIONS

VEHICLE ALIGNMENT SYSTEM (VAS)

AUTO MODE BOOM INTERCONNECT
UNDER NBC AND/OR ARMOR

FARV/M1 TO AFAS/M1
will be fielded.
Implementation ofa modified avail
able tank chassis will substantially re
duce development costs and technical
risks, shorten the development cycle,
greatly reduce the logistic burden and
preserve the industrial base for pro
duction ofM 1 tanks and other armored
vehicles. A "Common Chassis" concept
for a family of armored vehicles is a
valid approach and worth pursuing
today more than ever before.
The Ml chassis is capable of miti
gating the shock of firing and cross
country speeds due to its advanced
torsion bar suspension system
(HydlOpneumatic suspension will be
discussed later). AFAS/Ml would have
a cruising range of at least 465 km
while that of the M1 tank is 440 km. To
preserve fuel and extend engine life,
AFAS/Ml will be equipped with an on
board Auxiliary Power System (APS).
Standardization, interoperability and
commonalitybetweenAFAS/FARV/Ml
and with the M 1 tank fleet, would be
signiflcantly enhanced due to the em
ployment of a common chassis.
Selection of the M1 chassis as the
preferred alternative for the Crusader
is further invigorated by the fact that
two years after terminating the next
generation Armored System Modem
ization (ASM), Block-III Tank program,
the U.S. Army decided to predicate its
future ground armored combat strength
on the Ml Abrams (MIA2 and lank

January 1996

1080"Programs). The ASM program, if

it had been successfully concluded,
would have developed a "common chas
sis" for a new generation of combat
vehicles.

REPLENISHMENT OPERATION

AFAS/M l's crew will remotely and con

currently conduct refueling, resupply
ing and 155 mm ammunition replen
ishing without leaving their compart
ment or resorting to any manual opera
tion. A preferable "Resupply Interface"
for projectiles, propellants, fuel, food
and other supplies is the front-end of
the vehicle. FARV/Ml's resupply in
terface is also favorably located at the
front -end of the vehicle if it is to imple
ment a mUlti-purpose replenishing
"boom."
The frontal location of the crew
compartments in both vehicles sub
stantially enhances the viewing and
monitoring of the replenishment op
eration, facilitating vehicle maneuvers
for a quick connect. The transfer of
food, water and small arms munitions
etc., will be performed via the main
ammunition resupply path by using
standard cylindrical containers that
emulate the shell diameter a nd length.
The rations
will be transferred and handed to the
crew by the autoloader next to their
double hatch a ccess for subsequent

pick-up and storage.

HYDROPNEUMATIC SUSPENSION

A hydropneumatic suspension may be

installed as an "add-on" system with
only very minor changes made to the
Ml's chassis. This advanced suspen
sion is currently under deVeloped by
TACOM, Cadillac Gage and Teledyne
and has gone through extensive and
vigorous testing. The hydropneumatic
suspension provides a high degree of
tactical mobility and allows operation
over all terrain types and in all weather
conditions.
The revolutionary "In-Arm" sus
pension system can save well over a ton
in weight as compared to the conven
tional torsion bar system, and freevalu
able hull space under armor for ammu
nition storage. A variable-height, dy
namic hydropneumatic suspension
with active damping would be com
puter controlled (as in the MBT-70). It
would simplify docking and connecting
AFAS/Ml and FARV/Ml in the replen
ishment mode . The implementation of
Vehicle Alignment System Technology
(VAsn. is in essence, an integration of

available and mature computer, vari

able suspension and microwave trans
mission technologies to permit a true
"hands-ofT' adjustment operation.
Under adverse conditions and var
ied terrain, the hydropneumatic sus

23

pension will permit replenishment with

cumulative slopes of up to 10' result
ant angle between vehicles in any di
rection (pitch and roll controlled by
variable-height suspension, yaw con
trolled by steering). When installed In
both mating vehicles. it will permit a
relatively uncomplicated. less costly
and less articulated multi-purpose re'~
plenishment "boom" mechanism: The
hydro-pneumatic suspension will also
allow for hydrostatic lockup during fir
ing to enhance chassis stabilization
and consequently improve fire rate and
accuracy,
CONCLUDING REMARKS

This article Is written with the aim to

capture the attention and imagination
of the readers of Musewn Ordnance
Magazine and to trigger a creative
thought process. There are lower-risk.
more cost-effective alternatives for the
Crusader that fully meet. and In some
aspects exceed. AFAS operational re
qUirements. With manpower. time and
budget constraints. the authors could
not perform a full scale detailed analy
sis and optimization of all aspects in
volved in undertaking such a tremen
dous endeavor. Nevertheless. In prin
ciple. the concepts presented here ofTer
feasible alternatives that should be of
interest to all parties in the defense
community. Notwithstanding. two es

sential ingredients must be preserved

to serve as the fundamental bedrock
for CRUSADER evolution: The JBMOU
155 mm L52 gun, and the MACS Charge
System.

We believe the Ml common chassis

concept has great merit. and that the
practice ofcontinued evolution ofexist
ing fielded systems will considerably
abridge the prolonged design and de
velopment process typical to the acqui
sition of modem weapon systems. In
times of declining defense budgets.
aiTordability considerations must play
a decisive role In major weapon sys
tems procurement and acquisition. as
well in fleet maintenance costs ofexist
ing systems_ Furthermore. the poten
tial sales of a particular weapon system
Internationally should be a paramount
economic consideration in the develop
ment process.
Foreign sales preserve the indus
trial base. keep production lines alive
and reduce the cost of procurement to
the Government. An AFAS/FARV/Ml
weapon system as described herein. is
more llkely to be procured in substan
tial quantities by those foreign coun
tries that operate the M 1 tank and have
the logistic infrastructure already in
place. Any solution that excludes the
RLPG has a greater likelihood of both
technical and economic success.

For anyone interested in the explosive history of

the Second World War, this is indeed the maga
zine of choice. Declassified battle reports, rare
photos, information for collectors, exciting ar
ticles, book reviews, interviews, and much more.

If you're interested in WWII,

don't miss a single issue.
Subscribe Now -

S18.00 per yeor (6 issues)

IForeign subscriptions $32.00 U.S.)

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WWII

Of

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~IIJJrl'l\UY

10:

.JOtJllNl\1.

P.O. Box 28906 San Diego, CA 92198

Western Design HOWDEN {VIDH} , is a small

deJense company in froine, California. spe'

Tech Intell

Volume Two

During World War II, the United States Army d eployed small teams of
ordnance personnel throughout the European and Pacific theaters of
operation. The task of these teams was to report on each type of enemy
ordnance and equipment as they would encounter it in the field.
Their reports and summaries were sometimes the first information
available on a vehicle, gun, tank, or other system. Each report was
usually accompanied by several photographs and a description of the
subject. These reports were not compiled in a rear area motor pool but
right on the front lines.
Darlington Productions has put together a selection of these reports in
Volume 2 of TECH INTELL. This soft-cover book is 132 pages long with
129 photos and illustrations. Formatted with the look of the original
reports, these reports have not been altered or edi ted and appear as they
did in 1944/45.
Included in Volume 2 are reports on: PzKpf.Wg II Model L Tank
2crnHalf-TrackArmoredCadSd .Kfz.)250/9 2crnPanzerflakTank
PzKpfw38(t) 7.5 cm Stu K. 42. Mounted on Pz.Kpfw IV Chassis' 3.7

24

cializes in the design. development and pro

duction oj ammunition and material han
dling systemsJor the u.s. and International
military markets. WDH's track record in
cludes a uo.riety oj air, land and seaborne
weapon systems which require automated
Jeed, resupply and optimized ammunition
packaging.
Mr. Lawrence D. Bacon is the Director oJ
Graphic Arts at WDH where, Jor the past 16
years, he has been responsible jor creating
numerous concepts Jor automatic ammuni
tion handling, loading and storage systems.
Dr. Asher H. Sharoni is the Director oj
Engineering at WDH. He holds a SeD, in
Mechanical Engineeringjrom MITand aM.Se,
from the Technion. Israel Institute ojTechnol
ogy' Dr. Sharoni is aJormer Colonel in the
Israeli Dejense Forces in which he was in
volved in various megor annored weapons
developments.

(6 19) 45 186 88 FAX 1619) 451 8699

cm Flak 43 on PzKpfw IV BNc Remote-Controlled Demolition

Vehicle 2 on. Flakvierling 38 Mounted on Pz. Kpfw. IV Chassis
German 8-Wheeled Arm ored Car Sd Kfz 234 / 1 German Armored
Semi-tracked Vehicle mounting 2 em. KwK 38 Sd. Kiz . 251/17
German 8-Wheeled Armored Car Mounting:; em KwK 39/1, Sd.Kfz
234 German Heavy Semi-Tracked Military Tractor, SWS German
Heavy Semi-Tracked Recovery Vehicle Sd.Kiz 9 38 cm Rocket
projector on Tiger I Chassis Modified Gennan Semi-Tracked Vehicles
German Anti-Aircraft Guns Mounted on 8-ton Semi-Tracked Vehicle,
Sd.Kiz 7 Special Body on S- ton Semi-Tracked Prime Mover, Sd.Kfz.
7 German Streamlined 1-.:otorcycle Preliminary Report on
Henschel Tank Proving Ground German 8-wheel Armored Car
Mounting 2 cm KwK 38 gun German Self-Propelled Gun Chassis as
Cargo Carrier French l:nic Ught Hall-Track Ordnance Target
Report: Henschel "Panzerversuchstation" (El00)
-

Title

Qty Each

Tech Intell Volum e 2

$13.95

Shipping & handling:

$1.75 U.s.,
$3.50 foreign surface
$5.50 air

Sub Total

Darlington Productions
P.O. Box 5884
Darlington, MD 21034

Total

Shipping & handling

Tax (MD residents 50/0)
Total

..-J

(u.s. funds only)

Museum Ordnance

Museum Ordnance Specials

Museum Ordnance announces a series of pUblications using the 24-page magazine format. Each publication in the series will feature either
a particular vehicle, a series of vehicles, or a conflict/engagement.

Museum Ordnance Special #1

M88Al Armored Recovery Vehicle

An indepth photo study of the U.S. Army's primary ARV. More than 80 photos and line drawings detail the exterior

and interior of this vehicle.

Museum Ordnance Special #2

Iron Coffins: Italian Medium Tanks - M13 and M14

More than 60 photos, illustrations, and drawings depict these WWII tanks.

Museum Ordnance Special #3

M26 Pershing
The interior and exterior of this U.S. tank is detailed with more than 90 photos and line drawings detailing the exterior
and interior of this vehicle.

Museum Ordnance Special #4

German Elefant Panzerjager Tiger (P)
Approximately 90+ illustrations show the inside and outside of this German Tank Destroyer. Although this example is
not in restored condition from the APG museum, it clearly shows off the features and details of this vehicle.

Museum Ordnance Special #5

"FUCHS" Transportpanzer (TPzl) and Variants
This modem Bundeswehr vehicle serves not only as an APC, but also as an engineer vehicles, ambulance, command
post, and other roles. The U.S . Army (designated as the FOX) used these vehicles in an NBC role during the Gulf War.
See it inside and out!

Museum Ordnance Special #6

Post-War T-34/85
This Special takes a look at the life and evolution of the T-34/85 after WWII. Photos show external changes as well as
internal details.

Museum Ordnance Special #7

Armored Fighting Vehicles of El Salvador

EI Salvador fought their internal guerrilla war with a variety of armored vehicles, some purchased, most, however,

were designed and built within the country. Tracked and wheeled vehicles alike are shown in this Special filled with

action photos and detail shots.

Postage:

u.s.:
Foreign:

II

$7.95 each

II

$1.00 for the first, +70 for each after.

$2.00 for fust, +70 for each after. (surface)

double above for overseas ainnail

U.S. funds only.

Maryland residents add 5% tax .

January 1996

Darlington Productions

P.O. Box 5884

Darlington, MD
21034

25

The Ordnance Museum Foundation

Executive Director's Corner

P.O. Box 688

Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD 21005

Fellow Members:
Since this is the first column I have written, I believe it is appropriate to thank the Board of Trustees for their confidence in
me; particularly former chairman Ron Lehman. While Ron has stepped down as Chairman, he is still very active in the
Foundation as Secretary.
lOINT MEETING WITH CORPS, MUSEUM STAFF, AND ASSOCIATION
The Foundation had a loint meeting with the Museum and Ordnance Corps representative in October and reviewed our
progress and current activities. We plan to have quarterly loint meetings to keep communications open and build on our
combined knowledge and talents.
I recenlly met with Mr. Ted Reno, Executive Secretary for the U.S. Army Ordnance Corps Association to discuss joint
programs focused on the improvement to the museum and believe we will have a number of successful joint programs in the
near future
PUBLICATION - "TIGER WITHOUT A HOME"

The initial joint program between the Foundation and Association is the publication and distribution of a new book: "Tiger

Without a Home." This book chronicles the history of the Aberdeen German Tiger I Tank currenlly on loan in Germany.

The author, Richard Cox, has generously offered first edition publishing rights to the Foundation. We will issue a Pre

Publication offer in December 1995.

ARTIFACTS RESTORATION

One of the topics discussed at the meeting was the re-painting and external repairs to the museum artifacts. While the bulk

of the funds for this program are supplied by the Government for environmental reasons (Ref: "The Curator's Column" in

Museum Ordnance, September 1995), the Foundation has been asked to pay for the paint. We have agreed to do this for two

reasons: It is a tangible contribution to our basic mission - preservation of the artifacts, and it will strengthen our relation

ships with the army. We believe we will be able to get funds for this program from members and companies and will initiate

a program to make you aware of what you can do to participate in this restoration effort that is planned to begin in 1996.

COMPANY COMMANDER MEMBERS

The Ordnance Museum Foundation, Inc., would like to recognize the following members for supporting the Foundation at

the Company Commander level; Col. Richard Butt Jr., Richard Cox, Richard Hunnicutt, Michael Johnson, Jacques

Litllefield, and William Prinn.

ANNUAL MEETING - DECEMBER 9,1996 - 10:00 a.m. AT THE ORDNANCE MUSEUM

There are a number of other initiatives that the Foundation is developing and we will keep you informed as they get firmed

up. We will provide a complete summary at our Annual Open Meeting on December 9, 1995. We hope to see you at the

meeting.

Rich Carnegie

Join The Ordnance Museum Foundation, Inc.

Regular Membership
$25.00

26

Ordnance Company Commander Membership

$100.00

Ordnance Battalion Commander Membership

$250.00

Museum Ordnance

Miniature Ordnance

Commanders Model CA.1 Schneider World War I

French Tank
Steve Zaloga
Commander's is developing a reputa
tion for covering some of the off-beat
subjects, and I was very pleased to see
them tackle the Schneider. The
Schneider was the world's second tank
to see combat. The French had planned
to introduce it into combat as a sur
prise, but the British beat them to the
punch with the use of the Mk. I at Flers
in September 1916. As a result, when
the Schneider was committed to action
six months later at Berry-au-Bac on 16
April 1917, the Germans were pre
pared. Expecting to encounter tanks
more often, the Germans began the
practice of moving small numbers of
77mm divisional guns into the forward
trench lines. As a result, the French
tank attack was greeted with heavier
fire than expected and 76 of 132 tanks
were lost. The problems were partly
due to the primitive design of the
Schneiders. They were simply an ar
mored box on a tractor chassis, and
lacked the cross-country mobility of
the British rhomboids. But their most

January 1996

fatal fiaw was the positioning of fuel

tanks In the front of the vehicle. When
penetrated, they sprayed the interior of
the tank with an explosive mixture
which almost invariably blew up.
After the experience at Berry-au
Bac, the Schneiders were rebuilt. and
the two fuel tanks were moved to the
rear of the vehicle, hanging off the rear
end. In addition, spaced applique ar
morwas added to prevent penetrations
from German armor piercing heavy
machine gun ammunition . The
Commander's model Is configured to
permit the construction of either the
early style Schenider, or the post-April
1917verslon. I chose the latter type, as
by then the camouflage and markings
were more interesting.
The Commander's model is mainly
resin, with a bag of white metal parts
and one fret ofphoto-etched brass. The
model Is dimensionally accurate , and
the molding is good. I purchased one
kit from Baseline Hobbies in Mineola,
NY, and got another review kit later

courtesy of Commander's. The kit I

worked on was molded In the normal
soft resin; Commander's Is apparently
starting to use a new type of resin
Judging from the second kit, but I don't
have enough experience with It to com
ment on the material. The hull comes
as one large chunk of resin, with a
separate chassis underframe, and a
separate roof ventilation cover. The
hull of my kit had several molding
problems, notably a number of rivets
that did not mold properly, other rivets
that were dimpled, and some overflow
In some areas where a mold had obvi
ously ripped from an earlier pouring.
These problems were not major and
were remedied with a few hours work.
I started with the chassis and
worked my way up. Commander's made
a sensible decision and designed the kit
so that the chassis and upper hull can
be assembled separately. This allows
the modeler to assemble and paint the
lower chassis and attach it to the upper
hull later, making painting and assem

27

bly much easier. The suspension is

quite complicated. typical of early trac
tors. The plate track is superbly molded
in resin and is one of the nicest features
ofthe kit; my only problem was that my
kit was short three links. Most of the
suspension is also In resin. except for
several assemblies such as the axle.
muffler. exhaust pipe and several sus
pension spIing assemblies. The qual
ityofthe white metal is decidely Inferior
to the resin parts in the kit. I
scratchbuilt several components. as I
have little confidence in white metal
parts where any weight-bearing Is In
volved. I used some of the white metal
detail parts after cleaning them up
such as the Idler wheel. axle. muffler
and small detail parts. The suspension
took me about ten hours of work. and
it nicely captures the complexity of
these crude machines.
The first thing I tackled on the
upper hull assembly were the heavy
duty items. Commander's provides a
gorgeous photo etched screen from the
front radiator area. However. the sec
tion underneath is molded solid. prob
ably due to concerns over warpage had
it been left hollow. In any event, I was
determined to cut this out which Is a
real chore. About an hour later, and
with a bucket of resin dust all over my
bathtub. I had hacked this away with a
Dremel tool and vaIious dIill bits and
fiendish devices. (If you've got to carve
away resin In the winter months. a
bathtub with a shower curtain Is a good
place to do it. since you can easily clean
up afterwards. Forgetting to clean up.
however. can prove fatal If the wlfe/
girlfriend steps into the tub with gIitty
stinky resin crud all over the place.)
The second problem was the venti
lation roof{the long skinny thing on the

28

top center ofthe vehicle) . Commander's

has modeled this as If it has vent lou
vers along the edge. In fact, the roofhas
an overhang of about six inches on
either side. I sawed offthe bottom half,
added a new center section recessed
away from the edge. and replaced the
front and rear panels. With the heavy
stuff done, I returned to detail work.
Commander's provides both a resin
and a photo etched alternative for the
rear undltching tails. I wasn't happy
with either, and made mine from sheet
plastic. Commander'S provides the
applique panels in resin, and spaces
them out by simply laminating a large
slab of flat panel in the center of the
piece. I wanted the panel to have the
proper spaced appearance.
This Isn't very difficult to do, as the
Commander's resin panels provide a
good template for cutting out new pan
els from sheet plastic. I then dIilled out
the mounting holes for some Evergreen
.035 plastic rod to serve as the mount

ing lugs, and attached about 40 of

these in the appropriate position. There
isn't a lot more detail on this vehicle. I
made the exhaust tube out of Ever
green hollow rod, and added the stow
age racks from sheet stIip. I added the
folding signaling device on the roof
which Commander's omitted. The white
metal 75mm howitzer provided in the
kit is lumpy, so I replaced this as well.
Another prominent feature on later
Schneiders was a pair of unditching
beams on either side of the hull along
with U shaped mounting brackets. I
added the brackets from sheet plastic,
and the beams from basswood.
Commander's does not provide any
mounting points for the side hull
Hotchkiss machine guns, which allows
the modeler to choose their own prefer
ence. This consists simply of a hole for
the barrel and a small view slit. I made
both with my trusty Dremel. I didn't
like the white metal lantern provided
with the kit, and scratchbuilt myown.
I omitted the large electric headlight in
the center, as I couldn't find a large
enough railroad lens. I also added a
smalilatern at the rear ofthe ventilator
roof cover. External stowage consisted
of a few wooden buckets from an old
ship kit, a wicker food basket from a
Verllnden set. and some odds and ends
bundles from aluminum foil.
Records of the precise color of
French World War I tanks are lacking,
though personal accounts and mem
oirs make It clear that they were painted
in bright colors. Paintings of tanks
from this period show the expected:
sand color with patterns of brown and
green. I tried to duplicate the patterns
common to the Schneiders based on
black and white photos.
Many

Museum Ordnance

Schneiders had a distinctive scheme of

sprayed colors, edged in black with
large patterns of black cross-hatch,
probably intended to suggest brick
walls. The elaborate camouflage on
French tanks was no doubt due to the
fact that the camouflage branch of the
engineer service recruited their troops
from conscripted artists and painters I
Unless you have a special interest
in WWI French tanks and have been
collecting reference material, you'll have
a hard time finding references to assist
in building this kit. I had an abun
dance of references on the Schneider
since some years ago I measured and
photographed the Aberdeen Schneider
(now in Saumur) in order to prepare a
1/35 scale plan. Commander's pro
vides a rough scale plan ofthe Schneider
based on a scale drawing I had sent
them. (Ifyou send me a self-stamped/
addressed envelope via Museum Ord
nance in the next few months, I'll send
you a photocopy of the actual plan).
Other than this, there are not a lot of
published references on the Schneider.
There is a wealth of material on the
Schneider that has been published in
French hobby magazines over the years,
but this is hard to find unless you're a
hard core WWI French tank enthusiast
like yours truly. One ofthese days I will
finally finish up a planned publication
on the Schneider and st. Chamond
tanks, even if It will be read by only a
handful ofnut cases interested in these
ungainly monsters.
Overall, Commander's kit Is good,
not great model. It sure beats scratch
buildingl It is a bit rough at the edges,

and to turn It into a first rate model

requires some extra work. But having
said that, It Is reasonably priced and I
am very happy to have built It. I would
recommend the kit to modelers who
have some experience at conversion
work, but this is not a kit for newcom
ers to multi-media kits. As I mentioned
in an earlier review, some of
Commander's armored car models
make a good start for modelers Inter
ested in breaking into multimedia kits.

MUSEUM ORDNANCE

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29

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