Schofield tank
Light Tank, Wheel-and-Track (Schofield) | |
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Type | Light tank |
Place of origin | New Zealand |
Specifications | |
Mass | 5.21 long tons (5,290 kg) |
Length | 3.99 m (13 ft 1 in) |
Width | 2.6 m (8 ft 6 in) |
Height |
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Crew | 3 (commander, gunner, driver) |
Armor | 6–10 mm |
Main armament | Ordnance QF 2 pounder |
Secondary armament | 7.92 mmBesa machine gun |
Engine | Chevroletpetrol 6-cylinder 29.5 hp (22.0 kW) |
Suspension | Horstmann suspension |
Operational range | 560 mi (900 km) |
Maximum speed |
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TheSchofield tank,named after its designer, was aNew Zealandtank design of the Second World War. Developed in 1940 when it seemed that thePacific Warmight reach New Zealand and with little likelihood of weapons coming fromBritain,it did not enter service. It was designed to run on either tracks or wheels.
Design and development[edit]
In around June 1940 Ernest James Schofield, a motor vehicle dealer forGeneral MotorsinWellington,approached his MPWilliam Theophilus Andertonwith an idea for a fighting vehicle that could run on tracks or wheels.[1]He had at this stage constructed a basic model fromMeccanoshowing the basic principle of operation.[2]
Schofield's tank was based on the chassis of aChevrolet6long hundredweight(300 kg)[3]truck using the suspension from aUniversal Carrier.Wheels normally carried on the hull could be bolted on so that it could use these rather than the tracks. As initially designed it had a crew of three: machine gunner and driver at the front and a second machine gun in a turret at the rear.
The initial design performed badly in trials but the Government sought an improved version. Designed by another member of the original team, the improved model used a better transmission and the turret now contained aQF 2 pounder gunwith a co-axialBesa machine gun.By the time it was complete, in 1942, New Zealand had received tanks from the UK and US.
The armour plating was provided by theNew Zealand Railways.The four wheels shared drive and idler sprockets with the track, and the move from wheels to track, and vice versa, could be made from within the hull.
In 1943 the improved design prototype was shipped to Britain, where it was evaluated by theDepartment of Tank Design.Although not completely critical, the project was advised to be stopped. The tank was stored for a while and scrapped after the war.[4]
See also[edit]
Similar tanks[edit]
- AmericanDisston Tractor Tank
- SovietKhTZ-16
- SovietNI tank
- New ZealandBob Semple tank
Other Commonwealth Tanks of the Second World War[edit]
- Bob Semple tank– New Zealand improvised tank design
- Sentinel tank– Australian indigenous tank design
- Ram tank– Canadian indigenous tank design
- Grizzly tank– Canadian licence built M4A1 Sherman
References[edit]
Notes[edit]
- ^Hill, Andrew.The Schofield Truck Tank: New Zealand's famous wheel-cum-track armoured fighting vehicle.FWD Publishing. p. 23.ISBN9798833998885.
- ^Hill, Andrew.The Schofield Truck Tank: New Zealand's famous wheel-cum-track armoured fighting vehicle.FWD Publishing. p. 26.ISBN9798833998885.
- ^The term refers to its load carrying capability, not total weight.
- ^Fletcher, David(1989).The Great Tank Scandal: British Armour in the Second World War - Part 1.HMSO.p. 104.ISBN978-0-11-290460-1.
Bibliography[edit]
- Cooke, Peter (2000).Defending New Zealand: Ramparts on the Sea 1840-1950s.Wellington: Defence of New Zealand Study Group. pp. 356–361.ISBN0-473-06833-8.