Landships II

Vilkata · Brigadier

Weird Christie Tank. Anyone ever seen it ?

Gwyn Evans · Legend

There's another photo of this in "Encyclopedia of Armoured Cars" by Duncan Crow and Robert J Icks (1976), page 126. It is described as a Christie commercial armoured car from 1933. It was 4 x 4 and the book confirms two crew (or at least, two crew cupolas). No mention of this being a wheel and track vehicle, and I don't think it was. The book also gives dimensions, but they don't look right.

Gwyn

Roger Todd · Legend

I was suspicious about it being a tank to start with, due to the widely spaced apart wheels (which, as Vilkata points out, are identical to those on some Christie tanks). However, the M1919 has very widely spaced apart roadwheels...
http://mailer.fsu.edu/~akirk/tanks/UnitedStates/mediumtanks/usmt-ChristieM1919.jpg
...albeit with a sprung wheel unit�in between.

The strange 'axle' that protrudes from the front of the machine in�Vilkata's picture looks like it may carry idler wheels for tracks, a la this (see lower picture)...
http://www.sg.hu/kep/2004_12/sg2_1.jpg
...though in the linked image they appear to be�on sprung arms.

Vilkata's strange machine seems to have features of�both tracked and untracked vehicles, but without alteration looks unsuitable for tracks. Therefore, perhaps it is an armoured car, but one adapted from a tracked chassis?

Gwyn Evans · Legend

The similiarity with Christie's commercial tank designs of the period is unmistakeable, but I think the distance between the wheels and no sign of any missing wheel between make this a very unlikely tank or wheel-cum-track machine. Besides which, the authors of "Encyclopedia of Armoured Cars" would have been about at the time (well, Robert J Icks was anyway, Duncan Crow would have been in the UK). I wouldn't be surprised if Icks knew Christie. So I'm prepared to believe them when they say it's an armoured car.

Gwyn

Roger Todd · Legend

I don't doubt that it's an armoured car, but I do wonder if it was adapted or converted from a tracked vehicle, perhaps a tracked prototype that failed.

My point was that there are elements in common with some Christie tracked vehicles that seem redundant on a machine if it was designed from the off as a wheeled vehicle. For example, the odd sloped�'shelf' with axles at the front of the armoured car is very similar to the front of this 1931 Christie tank:
http://mailer.fsu.edu/~akirk/tanks/UnitedStates/mediumtanks/usmt-ChristieM1931.jpg

-- Edited by Roger Todd at 23:12, 2007-09-25

Gwyn Evans · Legend

That's a fair point. It might well be a failed tracked vehicle converted.

I suppose it could be the "shelf" was intended to mount two small wheels to help it climb slopes? It is undeniably a very odd design whether it started life as a tank or an armoured car.

Gwyn