Landships II

rdmcii · Corporal

Navrotsky's Tortoise

Roger Todd · Legend

I just found this on the Axis History Forum:

One more interesting project [never built] was the giant self-propelled armored battery "Improved tortoise" by Russian engineer-mechanic S.P. Navrotsky, 1917. That AFV should have main turret with commander turret, front drive spherical large molded roller [6.5 m in diameter, made from 30mm armor] and two rear smaller cylinders [2.5 m in diameter]; weight 192-196 tons; dimensions 8.36 x 6.1 x 8.36 m; two engines 125-150 hp [inside the front roller]; armor 20-30mm; armament - 2x203.4mm howitzers [inside the front roller], 2x152.4mm guns, 4x101.6mm guns, 8x76.2mm guns and 10x7.62mm MGs; crew 60-100 men. The project was received by Central military technical directorate 20.04.1917. The project was rejected because of bulky construction of low mobility, also the project was developed quite poor.

http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?p=1032527&sid=6e2493cc56f8ddf11132f8385f202e1d

rdmcii · Corporal

Thanks! I'd pretty much given up hope of any information. I wonder where the gentleman on the Axis forum got his.

Bob

Stoyan · Sergeant

PIC

Roger Todd · Legend

RE: Navrotsky's Tortoise

Centurion · Legend

How the blazes was it meant to be steered?

Stoyan · Sergeant

1 mounted MG
2 Platform 203-mm Howitzer
3 Tank with water
4 Platform 76,2-mm Gun and MG
5 Platform 152-mm Gun
6 Platform 102-mm Gun
7 Scraper for stuck the grounds

Tim R · Hero

�Hello Stoyan�Do you have any futher information on these Russian Inventors and there designs.

All the best
Tim R�
�
A. Vasiliev developed the project of track AFV and built its model in the beginning of 1915. But Technical committee of General military technical directorate rejected the project 17.03.1915 as "impracticable".

A. Vasiliev saw the photos of British tanks in January 1917 and wrote to the Russian Minister of War to investigate his project and explain why Russian inventions were rejected at home but foreign similar inventions made a sensations....�

V. Kazansky [inventor] - suggested the project of cross-country vehicle [tractor] with three wide wheels of large diameter and shell-proof armor in the beginning of 1915. The project was rejected.

V. Konovalov [engineer-mechanic of Sestroretsk armoury] - developed the detailed project of "armored autowaggon" [armored personnel carrier]. The project was rejected.

Bykovtsev [lieutenant of Russian Army] - suggested heavy armored tractor with 8 running wheels for crossing wiring in December 1915. The project was rejected.�

Drizhenko "self-propelled armored tower for 8-inch howitzer" of 2nd lieutenant Drizhenko. Drizhenko was a marine architect of Admiralty shipyard and he suggested his project to Central military technical directorate in the end of 1916. That heavy AFV represented 203.2-mm howitzer installed in waggon with 10mm armor [seats of commander and driver in front equipped with armoured turrets, gun crew and ammunition located in the middle, two gasoline engines 180 hp each - one per track - located in the rear]. AFV had two MGs on the roof. Chassis represented track wheels [270 mm in diameter] grouped by four in five groups [20 wheels per side, ground contact area - 6 m], pneumatic suspension with communicated pneumatic barrels of one side, rear drive sprocket, tracks ["sleepers connected with chains"] were 800 mm width. One of the tracks decelerated and corresponding farthest wheel group lifted automatically during steering [such technical solution was used by Swedes in 1960 only]. AFV of Drizhenko should have electric lighting, ventilation with dust covers.
The project was examined in details at Military automobile school at first, it was reported that project was complicated with undeveloped transmission and pneumatic systems. Then it was sent to Central military technical directorate in July 1917. Russian military engineers compared the project with known British and French tanks, and soundly answered that heavy howitzer was not an optimal weapon for short-range field combats, it was better to tow it by tractor.....
Specifications (project): weight 46 tons, dimensions 8.1 x 3.8 x 3.4 m, 360 hp, 12 km/h, ground pressure 0.5 kg/sq.cm, crew 6 men.

-- Edited by Tim R at 21:45, 2007-04-03

-- Edited by Tim R at 21:46, 2007-04-03

Stoyan · Sergeant

Tim R, I do not know so many English letters for the answer to your questions :)

A. Vasiliev the inventor from a category of " city madmen "

Projects it was offered much, but all of them did not take into account realities and opportunities of the country and sometimes suffered also giantism.