Landships II

PDA · Legend

Russian Armoured Car, Mgebrov-White, Help and Info Request

Paul Bonnett · Hero

The following has a link to a russian website but you will have to translate, scroll down through the list till you find your subject

http://rcwebboard.com/forum/showthread.php?t=150267&page=2

hth Paul

-- Edited by Paul Bonnett on Thursday 24th of June 2010 12:31:52 AM

-- Edited by Paul Bonnett on Thursday 24th of June 2010 12:33:41 AM

PDA · Legend

Thanks Paul; great link that I found some time ago and then lost! The first poster is our Charlie.

As far as I can tell, though, there isn't any info about "where", "when" and "who". If you know what I mean. I'm beginning to think that as there is so little information about it that it was probably a one-off.

CharlieC · Legend

There's an article with a drawing of the Mgebrov-White armoured car at:
http://armor.kiev.ua/Tanks/WWI/mgebrov/mgebrov.php

Produces approximate English when run through Google translate.

I'll try to turn the Russian text from "allfrompaper" into English - the basic translation is from Google.

"The history of the armored car begins in 1914, when private funds of a certain Mr. Merkulyev were used to build three cars based on chassis - "White", "Benz" and "Pierce Arrow". They were intended for an armored car intelligence team. Since the main purpose of these units was exploration and reconnaissance, they used "polubronevoy" type of armour, that is, armor covered only the personnel, and most important parts of the machine. Despite the significant shortcomings of the armored cars, they were formed into the second armoured unit (after the company Dobrzhansky). It was decided to transfer the unit to the control of the 8 th Army, the committee formed for the reception of machines, acknowledged their armour was unsatisfactory. In the spring of 1915, the three cars arrived at the Izhora factory, where under the leadership of Captain V. Mgebrova they were "covered in full armor". They all received the same machine gun turrets, and the "White" - had an additional turret with a 37-mm Hotchkiss naval gun. September 17, 1915 by Automotive Intelligence team was formed 29 th machine-gun platoon of the car, and November 21, they went to Tiflis in the headquarters of the Caucasian Army. By summer 1916 all machines had returned to Petrograd for repair, after which the "White" and "Pierce Arrow" went back to the front. The fate of the armored car is unknown."

The machine translators seem to make the same mistake - render armour as "booking",
turret or cupola as "tower". The translators also struggle with the complexities of Russian grammar.

Looks to me as if the Mgebrov-White was a one-off, rebuilt from an unsuccessful design. It appears to have been used on the Southern (Caucasus) front, returned to the front after repair in Petrograd, and then lost to history.

Regards,

Charlie

-- Edited by CharlieC on Thursday 24th of June 2010 02:53:45 AM

Ivan · Field Marshal

The armoured car "Izhorski White" was built ONLY ONE�- project�from staff-captain of Military automobile school (Petrograd) Wladimir Mgebroff (son of general Abel-Abessalom Mgebroff).
Wladimir Mgebroff�is great Russian hero, dead in fight 1915.

Chassis: american 1,5 ton truck "White TBC" ("Standart B truck").

It give three photos of this armoured car only - one�in Izhorski-Work in Kolpino and two at the service.

Nobody know, what was with this AC later 1917. I will look tomorrow the number of Automobile-mashin-gun platoon of Russian Imperial army where operated this AC.

-- Edited by Ivan on Wednesday 30th of June 2010 02:45:23 AM