Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Andrew Hills @fwdpublishing.bsky.social · 19h

The story of one of the more unusual British assault tank ideas from WW2 is out now on Amazon - 'The TOG Amphibian', or, more correctly, the '14-Ton Special Tank' was designed to assault an enemy coming from under the water.
www.amazon.com/dp/B0FMFQZLR9

1

Andrew Hills @fwdpublishing.bsky.social · 1d

Panzerserra blogspot has a good page on building one in 1/35 if it helps. panzerserra.blogspot.com/2024/02/vick...

Vickers Medium Mark III tank - case report

Ladies and Gentlemen! Today's character is a medium tank, which was designed by the British in the fertile period of ideas of the 20s an...

panzerserra.blogspot.com

1 2

Andrew Hills @fwdpublishing.bsky.social · 1d

Bonus top down view :)

1 3

Andrew Hills @fwdpublishing.bsky.social · 1d

MT9707 and MT9709

3

Andrew Hills @fwdpublishing.bsky.social · 1d

Poor quality newpaper photo of what is captioned as a "massive" 16-ton British tank (Vickers Medium Mk.III) which slipped off the road on the Swindon Road, Wiltshire 22/9/1934. One local scamp appears to be souvenier hunting. VRM MT9708

2 3 20

Andrew Hills @fwdpublishing.bsky.social · 2d

via stephen Tegner on FB it appears this may be a vertically rotating disc behind the slots to create a stroboscopic vision system as was used later by the Japanese on their Type 89 tank.

1

Andrew Hills @fwdpublishing.bsky.social · 2d

I don't have any information at the moment on how it works sorry. Assumption 1 is that its literally just slits with a cover behind you can rotate to block some/all the slits. Assumption 2 would be something rotating behind (vertically) to create a protected view ahead.

1

Andrew Hills @fwdpublishing.bsky.social · 2d

This Caillloux-type could well have had a rotating element behind it but I've no information on that yet sorry.

1

Andrew Hills @fwdpublishing.bsky.social · 2d

I think you are thinking of a stroboscopic cupola with the vertical slits.

2 1

Andrew Hills @fwdpublishing.bsky.social · 2d

The Cailloux experimental protective visor for tank crews shown here c.1918 on a French Schenider CA1. This was meant to replace the existing vision slit to provide better protection from bullets and splash along with improved visibility for the driver.

3 5

Andrew Hills @fwdpublishing.bsky.social · 3d

A lot less comfortable inside I suspect. Of all the options this is the lowest and lightest. Scheme 3 was a touch heavier and taller and has even less headroom inside.

Andrew Hills @fwdpublishing.bsky.social · 3d

A.30 low-rider edition. This is A.30 Scheme 1 from Aug.'43 for the lowest silhouette and lightest version possible, just over 2m high and 28 tons. Grey colouration added to highlight her incredibly low profile - just 61" (1,549 mm) of headroom - it would have been snug in there.

1 3

Andrew Hills @fwdpublishing.bsky.social · 5d

Its in a rather bad state but this is the blueprint for the Vickers Carden Loyd Light Tank Mark VIB (India) Pattern hull top deck. It shows a 38" (965 mm) hole for the turret ring and a wealth of other fittings. Just becasue its small doesn't mean there's not a lot of bits.

2

Andrew Hills @fwdpublishing.bsky.social · 6d

When you are waiting for the next book proof to arrive for review 5 minutes after you ordered it...

3

Andrew Hills @fwdpublishing.bsky.social · 6d

as if I would

2

Andrew Hills @fwdpublishing.bsky.social · 6d

zero-effort offering of the first image which came to my mind....

2 4

Andrew Hills @fwdpublishing.bsky.social · 6d

From development files of the Infantry Tank Mk.III 'Valentine', April 1939. A suggestion for a protective side skirt for it, this later changes to a thin armoured skirt - it also describes the A.11 tested with a similar side shield. Sadly I've yet to see an image of such a thing.

1 8

Andrew Hills @fwdpublishing.bsky.social · 7d

Vickers Light Tank VRM MT9726 of the Royal Tank Corps presumably on exercise in the UK pre Feb. 1939 as the guy sat on the front has arm bands on. The driver is still wearing his goggles and the commander very sensibly is using a wooden handle on the turret to steady himself.

5

Andrew Hills @fwdpublishing.bsky.social · 7d

Incredible stuff: AI voice, royalty-free horror music, zero facts, and not even a picture of a TOG tank. Truly the apex of non-content. No views yet thankfully so a semblence of moral justice exists. This whole channel's a slopfarm of digital landfill. Inspirational, really.

1 4

Andrew Hills @fwdpublishing.bsky.social · 8d

Frustratingly poor quality image of the visit by the Minister for Supply, Sir Andrew Duncan to the works of English Electric, January 1943 to tour their tank production hall. Partially completed Covenanter tanks can be seen in the background.

3

Andrew Hills @fwdpublishing.bsky.social · 9d

WW1 German Maxim 08 machine gun serial#47949 on sled. HMVM, Lexington, NE. Made by Deutsche Waffen und Munitionsfabriken (DWM) in 1918, this example seems to have been rather heavily repainted at some point and is missing the circular protector in front of the water jacket.

2

Andrew Hills @fwdpublishing.bsky.social · 10d

M110 8" (203 mm) Self-Propelled Howitzer, Lexington, Nebraska (photos taken 2021). Saw her again last week with @ConeOfArc and the paint is a lot more faded now.

2

Andrew Hills @fwdpublishing.bsky.social · 11d

Some additional 3D artwork for the British 14 Ton Special Tank (1940) The 'TOG Amphibian'.

4

Andrew Hills @fwdpublishing.bsky.social · 12d

I read it as 'So make cu?s by Kebob' leaving that 3rd letter in word 3 the issue. Its not 'p' or 's' so not 'cups' or 'cuss' and it's not 'f' as the f-base curves the wrong way so it doesn't appear to be 'cuffs' either. It appears to be a 't' for 'cuts' as that form of 't is repeated in 'cloth'.

1 2

Andrew Hills @fwdpublishing.bsky.social · 12d

The French Faucon 6.5 mm (6.5x51) rifle of WW1 was an attempt to create a rifle with better balance and a shorter length than the standard Lebel service rifle. More bullpup supremacy on display. Why is noone making repros of these things?

5