Bovington Tank Museum - 21 proto-tanks and tank concepts that never made it to battle

[Grey Havoc]

 

[shin_getter]

Seems reasonable to post the working versions of the wooden wagons for comparison:

 

[Orionblamblam]

It seems like it is now mandatory in any discussion of unbuilt tanks to bring up the Ratte. For somethgin that until just a couple years ago was known solelely from a single top/front diagram of perhaps dubious provenance, it sure is popular.

 

[Bottleship]

And, more "tanks":
Assyrian:

Italian, XV century:

Holland, 1599:

In Germany, XVI century:


In Scotland:

In Japan, XVII century:

In Russia, XVI century:


Spanish "tank" in South America, XVI century:

 

[Bottleship]

French "tank" project, 1874 (120 t, 200 crew, 12 cannons, 4 machine guns, 40 HP steam engine, 10 kmph):


Bysantine (?) wagon:

Suggestion of Voltair (to Russian empress Ekaterina II), XVIII century, reconstruction:

Medieval wagons:





Tower-dragon:

 

[stimpy75]

the last pic... i believe there was sth similar in a Bud Spencer movie, where he was a mercenary fighting against the french...
İl Soldato de Ventura

Soldier of Fortune

 

[Bottleship]

the last pic... i believe there was sth similar in a Bud Spencer movie, where he was a mercenary fighting against the french...
İl Soldato de Ventura

Soldier of Fortune

I remembered another siege tower from movie:

 

[stimpy75]

Found it and i must say it's rather well made

 

[Grey Havoc]

https://www.reddit.com/r/TankPorn/comments/ibzmqe

View: https://www.reddit.com/r/TankPorn/comments/ibzmqe/fr_simms_motor_scout_built_in_1898_as_an_armed_car/

 

[Grey Havoc]

https://www.reddit.com/r/TankPorn/comments/ibznmg

View: https://www.reddit.com/r/TankPorn/comments/ibznmg/fr_simms_1902_motor_war_car_the_first_armoured/

 

[Bottleship]

April 30, 1915, the Russian inventor Pyotr Koguenko writes that back in 1905 he proposed a "mobile fortress" that would protect against machine guns when moving to enemy trenches, as well as to supply troops sitting in the trenches with supplies.

 

[Bottleship]

From Russian archives, about 46-ton self-propelled turret with 8" gun (Schneider M1913 "fortress" gun):


The advantages are the speed and maneuverability of SPG over the usual 8" gun, as well as the "constant readiness to fire". The disadvantages are the cost, complexity and vulnerability of the gun movement system, as well as a small amount of ammunition (I don't think this would be a problem, since you could always have a number of trucks with shells nearby). The correspondence about 8" SPG itself has not been found, but these two documents are dated April 7, 1915. The author of the idea is not specified. It is known that engineer Konstantin Drizhenko proposed an 8-inch 46-ton self-propelled howitzer, but his project dates back to early 1916, not 1915.

 

[Bottleship]

From the Russian archives, correspondence from September 28, 1916 to January 12, 1917. In short:
1. The Admiralty Plant (St. Petersburg) was ordered to develop an "armored tractor for the destruction of barbed wire and machine guns"
2. The delivery of blueprints for "British armored tractors used on the western front", that is, tanks, was expected.
3. The original design was found unsuitable for Russia, therefore the drawings are needed as a prototype when creating a "modified sample".

 

[Bottleship]

From the Russian magazine "Vokrug sveta" ("Vokrug sveta"), 1916 or 1917, a few projects, including the "Kaiser's war machine" (left bottom), allegedly this "tank" was developed personally by Wilhelm II:

On the right, the second picture from the bottom, what could it be?

 

[muttly]

Da vinci drew many tank designs.

 

[gabrielorosco]

It seems like it is now mandatory in any discussion of unbuilt tanks to bring up the Ratte. For somethgin that until just a couple years ago was known solelely from a single top/front diagram of perhaps dubious provenance, it sure is popular.

And this single top/front diagram is also fake.

 

[Wavertree]

The fact that Leonardo's drawing was wrong is correct - but also deliberate. It was common when a designer lodged his patent drawings that deliberate mistakes were made to stop other inventors or engineers from copying the design. Examples are Brunton's Mechanical Traveller (missing one cylinder making it impossible to move as there was no flywheel) and Trevithick's London Steam carriage (which would go backwards if built in accordance with the drawings). Don't mock "mistakes" - plagiarism was rife!

 

[Bottleship]

German XVI century mobile fortress project:

 

[Bottleship]

~XV-XVI century amphibian ships:

 

[Dardo]

French "tank" project, 1874 (120 t, 200 crew, 12 cannons, 4 machine guns, 40 HP steam engine, 10 kmph):
View attachment 637248
View attachment 637250
Bysantine (?) wagon:
View attachment 637252
Suggestion of Voltair (to Russian empress Ekaterina II), XVIII century, reconstruction:
View attachment 637245
Medieval wagons:
View attachment 637253
View attachment 637247
View attachment 637254
View attachment 637251
View attachment 637246
Tower-dragon:
View attachment 637249

Can you be kind enough to show us the data concerning the figure of armed men in a chariot pulled by 2 horses and wording in German.
Thank you

 

[Bottleship]

S. Apostolov armoured car project, Russia, 1905: