Landships II

elbavaro · Commander in Chief

Armoured Forces in Estonia, Lithaunia and Latvia?

Gwyn Evans · Legend

None used the Mark IV or Medium C so far as I'm aware.

Probably the best starter reference for this sort of question is Chamberlain & Ellis' "Tanks of the World 1915 - 45". This has Estonia using the Mark V, Renault FT and the Polish TKS. Latvia also with the Mark V, Medium B, FT, Fiat 3000B and Carden Loyd 1936. Lithuania with the FT, Carden Loyd 1933 and 1936, the Czech LTL and Landsverk L-10. (Apologies to Moderators as this answer is straying into the 1930s).

Some photos of Latvian tanks (mostly Carden Loyd 1936) were for sale on eBay recently. They may still be there if you're quick (note: I have no interest in the auction).

Gwyn

James H · Legend

Jones, Rarey, & Icks�give the following figures (published 1933):

Estonia: 10 FT17, 4 Mk V.

Latvia: 7 FT17, 10 Mk V, 2 Medium Mk B, 1 Fiat 3000

Lithuania: 16 FT17, 2 Fiat 3000.

Hope this helps.

Ivan · Field Marshal

It is no rar! In internet I found 1000 links, many russian and estonian!

http://flickr.com/photos/7700258@N05/1460025382
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_V_Composite_(EST)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Renault_FT-17_(EST)
http://kortic.borda.ru/?1-17-0-00000010-000-0-0

elbavaro · Commander in Chief

@James: Thanks - thats a helpfull information

@Ivan: As I do neither speak Russian nor Estonian, for me information is rare. But thanks for your Links.

Wow! Funny thing: The first Link shows exactly the foto I just bought in an auction. Reverse says something in Estonian and is dated with "Tallinn May 22nd 1935"

2nd and 3rd Link doesn't show up anything

4th Link is in Russian, but shows a lot of amazing fotos.

Thanks! If you have further informations please let me know.

Michel Boer · Brigadier

Well, for a start, there's an Estonian book full of photo's called "Eesti Soomusmasinad" by Tiit Noormets and Mati Oun, published in Tallin in 1999, with ISBN nr 9985-60-692-2. Although it's completely in Estonian, it offers so many photo's that the language isn't an issue anymore. The book shows a number of improvised armoured cars as well as captured, received and purchased vehicles. This includes the following types:
- Izorsky Fiat
- Austin Putilov
- Arsenal Crossley M 27/28
- Mark V
- Renault FT-17 (mainly Berliet turrets, both MG and canon versions)
- TKS tankette
- Landsverk 180 (Tallinn police reserves)
The improvised vehicles were based on Renault, Delahaye, Federal, Packard, AEC and Peerless chassis. The book doesn't give any numbers (as far as I could find...) but photo's never show more than 12 FT's,�3 Mark V's, 2 Austin Putilovs and one Izorsky Fiat.

Michel.

Michel Boer · Brigadier

There's unfortunately no such book (to my knowledge) on Latvian and Lithuanian armour, though in the early nineties a small, soviet style, book has been published in Riga, called "Latvijas Armijas" showing some poor quality photo's of Latvian armour.
Next to the earlier mentioned tanks, the Latvians also had some armoured cars, including a Sheffield Simplex, two Putilov Garfords, one Austin 2nd series, an Izorsky Fiat and something looking like a Pierce Arrow which was captured from the Bermondtist forces. After the Latvian indepence war, the vehicles were re-worked and modernised. Here are some photo's:

Michel Boer · Brigadier

Most available info on the Lithuanians deal with their Vickers Carden Lloyd light tanks, Landsverk 181 and�Renault FT 17 (with Maxim mg's instead of Hotchkisses). I've got only one photo in my files on an apparantly captured Ehrhardt.

all the best,
Michel.

elbavaro · Commander in Chief

@Michael: Wow! Thank you very much! Great stuff!

May I ask you, if you have informations about the history of their tank force available? Maybe a Link to a website in English (or German or Spanish?)?

Thanks in advance

Regards
Chris

Ivan · Field Marshal

Here also many estonian armoured cars:
http://www.1914.borda.ru/?1-6-0-00000470-000-10001-0-1229639350

Estonian:
"Estonia" - 1918�chssis Federal (3-ton)
"Tasuja" - 1919 chassis Renault;�destroyed from Reds�23.03.1919
"Wahur" - 1919 chassis�Packard (3-ton)
"Toonela" -�1919 chassis�AEC (3-ton)
"Kalewipoeg" -�1919 chassis AEC (3-ton)
"Wibuane" -�1919 chassis�AEC (3-ton)
"Kotkasilm" -� 1920�chassis AEC (3-ton)
"Erilane" - 1920 chassis AEC (3-ton); 1920 new name "Lembit"�
"Vana Pagan" - 1919 chassis Delahaye (2-ton)

Ex-Russian:
Pisuh�nd" - Peerless anti-aircraft,�captured by finish regiment�"Pohjan Pojat" 14.03.1919;�name of fins�v "Pohjan Poika" april 1919 go to estonian, name "Pisuh�nd"
"Tasuja II" - Austin-Poutiloff; go to Estonia from Russian Nord-West White army�(old russian name�"Groznyi").
"Suur T�ll" - Austin-Poutiloff; also fromWhite Russian army.
"Wambola" - Fiat-Izhorski; also from White army, old name "Rossiia".

Under latvian and lituanian armored cars I write later.
Latvia: (all ex-Russian) Pierce-Arrow-Izhorski (ex-Freikorps "Titanic"), Garford-Poutiloff (2x, one captured by German-Russian Landswehr), Izhorski-FIAT (2x, one ex-Freikorps "N�rnberg"), Sheffild-Simplex, Austin 2nd�and more...
Lituania:
2x Izhorski-FIAT, 6x Ehrhardt Behelfswagen (from Germany)

Gwyn Evans · Legend

To get Ivan's second and third links to work you'll need to type them in, making sure you include the last "close bracket". Then they'll work.

Gwyn

elbavaro · Commander in Chief

@Ivan: Thank you for the list. Very interesting!

@Gwyn: Thank you - I didn't realize that the bracket got lost.

Merry X-Mas to all!