world war two Archives - Page 2 of 36

British Sexton Self-Propelled Artillery

The 25pdr SP, tracked, Sexton was a self-propelled artillery vehicle of the Second World War.

It was based on Canadian-built derivatives of the American M3 Lee and M4 Sherman tank chassis, which entered production in Canada as the Ram and Grizzly. When Sherman production in the US expanded and supply was no longer a problem, in 1943 it was decided to switch the Canadian production lines to produce the Sexton to give the British Army a mobile artillery gun using their Ordnance QF 25 pounder gun-howitzer. It found use in the Canadian and British Army, as well as numerous other British Empire and associated forces. Just after the war, a number of Grizzly and Sextons were sold to Portugal, who used them into the 1980s.

British WW2 self-propelled artillery vehicle based on an American tank chassis, crew of 6, powered by Continental R-975 9-cylinder radial petrol engine, armed with a 25pdr gun and two Bren light machine guns.

Universal Carrier

The Universal Carrier, also known as the Bren Gun Carrier is a common name describing a family of light armoured tracked vehicles built by Vickers-Armstrong.

Produced between 1934 and 1960, the vehicle was used widely by Allied forces during the Second World War. Universal Carriers were usually used for transporting personnel and equipment, mostly support weapons, or as machine gun platforms. With some 113,000 built in the United Kingdom and abroad, it was the most numerous armoured fighting vehicle in history.

This carrier was on display at the Bovington Tank Museum.

This carrier was part of the Imperial War Museum Duxford Land Warfare Exhibit.

SU-100

The SU-100 was a Soviet tank destroyer armed with a 100 mm anti-tank gun in a casemate superstructure. This is one on display at the Imperial war museum in Duxford.

The SU-100 was used extensively during the last year of World War II and saw service for many years afterwards with the armies of Soviet allies around the world. It is still in active service today in many countries.

Reading the Hot War books from Harry Turtledove has inspired me to think about gaming some scenarios from the books. British Comets and Centurions versus T34-85 and T54 Soviet tanks, along with tank destroyers such as the Su-100. In the book there are also Sherman tanks manned by (West) German forces.

Battlefront make a very nice plastic 15mm version of the SU-100.

IS-2M

This huge IS-2M is on display at the Imperial War Museum in Duxford.

The IS-2 tank first saw combat in early 1944, equipping elite Guards Heavy Tank Regiments of the Red Army. A regiment had 21 IS-2 tanks in four companies of five tanks each and one being used by the regimental commander.The special tank regiments were reserved for important attacks, often to spearhead attempts to break through fortified German positions like anti-tank defence lines and bunkers. The tanks supporting infantry in the assault by destroying bunkers, buildings, dug-in weapons and engaging German armoured vehicles. Once a breakthrough was achieved, lighter and more mobile tanks were used for exploitation and mopping-up. The IS-2 tank first saw action in Ukraine in early 1944 and claimed to have destroyed more than forty Tigers and Elefants for the loss of only eight tanks. While the German heavy tanks could knock out the IS-2, they had no real answer to its 122 mm gun, which easily outgunned them.

The IS-2M is a 1950s modernization of IS-2 tanks.

Reading the Hot War books from Harry Turtledove has inspired me to think about gaming some scenarios from the books. British Comets and Centurions versus Soviet tanks, such as the IS-2 or the IS-3. In the book there are also Sherman tanks manned by (West) German forces.

M10 Tank Destroyer

This M10 Tank Destroyer in winter camouflage was on display at Bovington Tank Museum. This is a British variant armed with a 17 pounder anti-tank gun.

The M10 tank destroyer was an American tank destroyer of World War II. The prototype of the M10 was conceived in early 1942, being delivered in April of that year. After appropriate changes to the hull and turret were made, the modified version was selected for production in June 1942 as the 3-inch Gun Motor Carriage M10. It mounted a 3-inch (76.2 mm) Gun M7 in a rotating turret on a modified M4A2 Sherman tank chassis.

I have a few 15mm Flames of War Self Propelled, Achilles, of the British variant of the American M10 Tank destroyer armed with the powerful British Ordnance QF 17 pounder anti-tank gun in place of the standard 3″ (76.2 mm) Gun M7.

Somua S35

This Somua S35 was on display at the Bovington Tank Museum.

The Somua S35 was a French cavalry tank of the Second World War. Built from 1936 until 1940 to equip the armoured divisions of the Cavalry, it was for its time a relatively agile medium-weight tank, superior in armour and armament to both its French and foreign competitors, such as the contemporary versions of the German Panzerkampfwagen III. It was constructed from well-sloped, mainly cast, armour sections, that however made it expensive to produce and time-consuming to maintain. During the German invasion of May 1940, the Somua S35 proved itself to be a tactically effective type, but this was negated by strategic mistakes in deploying its units.

I have a few of these in 15mm scale including a Flames of War Objective.

Flames of War French Somua S-35

Flames of War General de Gaulle

Marmon-Herrington Mark VI Armoured Car

This Marmon-Herrington Mark VI Armoured Car was on display at Bovington Tank Museum.

The Marmon-Herrington Armoured Car was a series of armoured vehicles that were produced in South Africa and adopted by the British Army during the Second World War. RAF Armoured Car companies possessed them, but seem never to have used them in action.

The Mark VI was a return to the 8-wheeled design. Powered by two Mercury V8 engines with an eight-wheel drive steered on the front and rear wheels. Two prototypes were built, one with a 2 pounder and other with a 6 pounder gun in an open-topped three-man turret with electric powered traverse and protected by 10 to 30 mm of sloped armour. Additional armament consisted of 2 or 3 machine guns. The two-pounder equipped version was sent to the UK for assessment, the transmission proved unreliable suffering several axle failures. The 2-pdr is now in the Bovington Tank Museum, the other in South Africa.

Light Tank Mk II

This, hidden in the darkness of the Tank Museum is the Light Tank Mk II.

Here is a photograph of the same tank, taken ten years earlier, painted in a brown camouflage pattern.

Only sixty vehicles were produced.

Loyd Carrier MkII

The Loyd Carrier was one of a number of small tracked vehicles used by the British and Commonwealth forces in the Second World War to transport equipment and men about the battlefield. Alongside the Bren, Scout and Machine Gun Carriers, they also moved infantry support weapons.

This Loyd Carrier MkII was part of the Land Warfare Exhibit at Duxford.

British World War Two tracked armoured universal carrier, unarmed, crew of 1 with capacity for up to 8 personnel or similar load, powered by Ford 8-cylinder Vee petrol engine.

Albion CX22S Heavy Artillery Tractor

This is the Albion CX22 Heavy Artillery Tractor in the Land Warfare Exhibit at Duxford.

British WW2 6×4 heavy artillery tractor, crew of 1 and capacity for 6 gun crew with stowage for ammunition, powered by Albion EN244 6-cylinder diesel engine.

The Albion CX22S was designed and built by Albion Motors in late 1943 to supplement the Scammell Pioneer heavy artillery tractor, which was not available in sufficient numbers. In service the CX22S was used by the British Army to tow the 155mm Long Tom and the BL 7.2-inch howitzer.