Landships II

Thanks for another interseting post. I would love to have amodel of THAT tank too.

The correct name is Oberschlesien (like the German lands with that name) and it came from the Firm that were supposed to build it, Oberschlesien-Eisenindustrie AG in Gleiwitz.

/PK

Very nice, thanks!

I found this, too (http://members.aol.com/sturmpnzr/wwone.html#Oberschlesien):

But of the host of tank designs put forth, none showed the trend of what was to dominate the post-war tank programs [more] than Hauptmann Muller's "Oberschlesien".

Muller's concept, while under Vakraft, was taken over by the Upper Silesian Steel Works in Gleiwitz. It was put forward along with the other projects in October of 1918. At this time, it was given the code name "Oberschlesien", meaning "Upper Silesia".

The tank featured many concepts which would be standard in many tank projects following the war. The hull itself was fairly standard, the track arrangement resembling the early British Vickers. Special attention was paid to the tracking and running gear. The drive wheels were located in the middle of the tank with geared arcs which encircled fixed drums located at the ends of the tank. The front armor was well sloped and rounded, the rear decking being more level and having venting for the rear mounted engine, which was to be a Argus AS 3 aircraft motor developing 180hp at 1,400rpm. The driver was in the front of the tank, separated from the fighting compartment. He was provided with two, small raised vision cupolas. There was also a small, auxiliary turret mounted centrally in the front of the tank which contained a machine gun. Atop a sloped rise in the hull sat the main turret which was to mount the 5.7cm cannon. It had full traverse and had a cupola on the top. In the hull, under the turret, one per side, was a hatch. Behind the main turret was a second auxiliary turret, facing to the rear and mounted centrally. It too contained a machinegun. The engine was separated from the fighting compartment.

Specifications for the "Oberschlesien II" (the final design) are as follows: Height= 9ft.6in. (2.9m), Length= 21ft.7in. (6.6m), Width= 7ft.6in. (2.3m), Clearance= 1ft.9in. (.59m), Ground pressure= .5kg/cc, Weight= 19 tons, Speed= 16kph, Range= unknown, Fuel capacity= 1,000 liters, Crew= 5.

The "Oberschlesien II" was given the go-ahead by the OHL on October 5, 1918 for the construction of two test models. However, the end of the war was to deny this prophetic tank life.

Very useful information on dimensions, I think I'll have to have a crack at it.