Stranger Than Fiction Armor

[PanzerBob]

One wonders with a third or even fourth large wheel and some more power whether it might have worked. I'm sure it's fear factor would have been something to behold.

[cyberia]

Soviet Screw-Drive Tank

No kidding, this Soviet armored military vehicle was constructed in 1970 by the Zil factory and as you can see there is are two large screws in place of tracks. This vehicle is capable of traveling through very rough terrain but the lack of a suspension system makes the vehicle quite unstable. So while this propulsion system might work for a reconnaissance vehicle, it wouldn’t be ideal for a medivac, APC or tank.
A series transmission is not needed, so a screw propulsion system has a better fuel economy, lower drivetrain, less complexity and fuel weight than the typical wheel/track system.

YouTube - ZIL screw drive (1)

The Screw-Drive Tank in Action

[cyberia]

OK, totally fiction but I couldn't resist

[Jim O]

Imagine commuting to work in one of these?

World War II Zone Forums - Land Walker

[cyberia]

Originally Posted by Jim O

Imagine commuting to work in one of these?

World War II Zone Forums - Land Walker

That would be perfect for New York traffic!

[cyberia]

During WWI Germany actually built two of these as prototypes...

"Kolossal-Wagen"

This super heavy breakthrough tank was designed for planned service in 1919. Two prototypes were built, but never tested and destroyed after the war.

The K-Wagen

Plans called for the K-Wagen to be able to be broken into four parts for rail transport and was to be operated by a crew of 22 men. There was no information as to what it may have weighed or what the armament might have been.

[MAGNA]

I wondered where the design for the E-100 came from. Seeing the K-Wagen answers the question.

[PanzerBob]

It does seem there was a school of thought that affected all the armour designing nations that a Tank should be a mobile fortress.. Mindset seemed to be Bigger was better and perhaps more to the point, it would be more capable of instilling fear in the enemy.

Here we see a novel way to beat the Hun and dispose of surplus naval tonnage at the same time: Take old battleships, set them on wheels and roll 10,000 tons of steel at the enemy. It 's the greatest innovation in warfare since the water-wing infantry!

Rumour has it that this entire project began as an election bet.

[PanzerBob]

Hmm... Not so much a mechanised army as an overly hostile caravan park.

Apparently the next war will be fought by armoured divisions that bear a suspicious resemblance to bread tins and Swedish hand massagers with the odd casserole pan thrown in for good measure. This is the sort of thing that happens when designers are faced with unrealistic deadlines and start grabbing ideas from the first thing they spot on the shelf.

[cyberia]

Bob, those are priceless!!! There is absolutely no word play in the whole "land battleship" idea!