Landships II

vad26 · Captain

French armored trains

eugene · Field Marshal

well, France always had some interest in armored trains, right after the Franco-Prussian war France developed a pretty sophisticated design altough it was never used, I am attaching a drawing of it

so I wouldnt be surprised if they did build some.

Centurion · Legend

Somewhere I've some shots of part of a French armoured train WW1 vintage. Be patient and I'll try and find where I filed it (not a prime interest so not in the working section).

BTW that armoured caterpillar drawing I've seen before. It isnt meant to be an armoured train as there is no permanent way (tracks) for it to be running on.

Roger Todd · Legend

eugene wrote:

well, France always had some interest in armored trains, right after the Franco-Prussian war France developed a pretty sophisticated design altough it was never used, I am attaching a drawing of it so I wouldnt be surprised if they did build some.

The French actually built two armoured wagons with heavy guns during the Franco-Prussian War, designed by the great naval architect Dupuy de Lome, who came out of retirement especially for the job (one had a limited traverse gun firing en barbette over the top edge of the armoured front of the wagon, while the entire top half of the other wagon could rotate 360 degrees; a special armoured locomotive was built to push them). There's a very interesting article in Tankette 20:3 by Paul Malmassari.

eugene · Field Marshal

are there any photos of this train Roger?

Tonys · Field Marshal

Try this link - these boys have information on both railway guns and armoured trains
Tony
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/railwaygun/

Centurion · Legend

I enclose a photo of two French armoured trains manned by the French navy - notice all those matelots bobbled hats. The following extract from the Great War Diary of Cpl Brumfitt Atkinson may be of interest.
08 Oct 1915-Fri: Got a line of fire, and the section commander told us that the word had come the Germans were going to mount a counter attack. (The Germans) commenced firing on the villages, some of the rounds falling just in front of our billets, knocking the top off a telegraph pole between the billets. The attack took place, and according to what we heard (the Germans) suffered very heavily, the French tricking them at a place known as the CHALK PITS, and inflicting on them enormous losses. The (German) bombardment continued until long after dark, and some of (their) shells falling very near (to our) battery, splinters falling all round the guns. Had to get ammunition in at night;half-past two before we had finished. The carriages of the French armoured train caught fire and were burnt out, leaving only the ironwork. We were lucky again they had no casualties.

I've also attached a British, a Belgian and two Austro Hungarian trains

eugene · Field Marshal

there is a good photo of a destroyed austrian armored train, in the osprey book on the Russian army.

-- Edited by eugene at 13:39, 2006-08-05

vad26 · Captain

There were on the Western front classical armored trains? Or character of war did not promote their occurrence? Really only Russia, Poland and Austria-Hungary built them?

eugene · Field Marshal

turkey had armored trains as well!

cdr · Lieutenant

Belgium had some as well and there was at least one mixed english Belgian train ( HMAT Deguise)