TNT 47

Once again, the French magazine TnT is giving us big value and lot of useful informations with lot of photos and drawings!

Tank Biathlon 2014: les olympiades des chars (the tanks olympics) :

Russia organised that competition for the first time in 2013, with 4 participants coming from ex-USSR republics: Russia, Kazakhstan, Belarus and Armenia. Each country participated on a T-72. There were painted in red, green, blue and yellow! Based on the ski biathlon principle, the competition included a race (sprint, pursuit, fire and sport for crew) and Russia was victorious.

In 2014 lot of other countries were uninvited including Occident, but due to the international situation, no occidental country participated. Again, Russia was the winner of that competition of 12 participants: Russia, Serbia, Angola, Armenia, Belarus, Venezuela, India, Kazakhstan, Kirghizistan, China, Mongolia, Kuwait. All used Russian T-72 except China that came with their Type 96A.

(4 pages, 8 photos)

Les derniers coups de canon des Panzers: les blindés allemands sous couleurs syriennes (the last shots of the Panzers: the german tanks bearing Syrian colors)

Syrian army used WWII German tanks until the sixties. They participated into two conflicts against Israel. There used amongst other things: Hummel, PZ IV J, StuG III, Jagdpanzer IV.

(4 pages, 1 photo, 5 drawings)

Schwerer Zukraftwagen 18T FAMO: le “buffle” de la Wehrmacht (the buffalo of the Wehrmacht)

The Schwere Zukraftwagen 18T FAMO is the result of a program that the reichswehr started in 1926 to obtain transport and specialized vehicles. The production of the 18T FAMO started in 1938 and was grandly helped by the experience acquired in the conception of the lighter versions. The 18T FAMO accomplished many tasks; amongst other things: artillery tractor. There will be 5 variants, 3 of them entering in more or less important production. It’s an exceptional vehicle that never had any equivalent in other armies.

(14 pages, 14 photos, 2 pages of technical drawings, 5 technical datas)

Panzerauto Romfell: le RadPanzer austro-hongrois (the Austro-Hungarian RadPanzer)

That vehiocle was concepted in 1915 on the basis of a civilian chassis from Mercedes. There were only a few exemplars built.

(2 pages, 1 drawing, 1 technical drawing, 1 technical data)

NB: I particularily like that kind of article. TnT permit us to discover unknown vehicles situating them in historical context. Well done!

Berlin 1945: les dernières cartouches du Troisième Reich (The last ammunitions of the Third Reich)

Stalin wanted the fall of Berlin at any cost, best date being 22 of april (birthdate of Lenin). The Red Army disposed of 908.000 men and 3.100 tanks; Germans had 129.000 men and 512 Panzers only. Even if the ratio was terrible, Germans will struggle and resist until the last moment, using all what could be available: some WWI tanks were taken in the museum and put into the battle! Tanks like Panther, Tiger I & II that were conceived to face the T-34 in Russian landscape, revealed very effective in the streets of Berlin.

That long article depicts all the material used by the Germans to defend the city. A very rich text with exceptional photos and documentation.

(22 pages, 29 photos, 18 drawings, 4 pages of technical drawings)

M-84 Jugoslovanski osnovni bojni tank

During the seventies, the SRFJ wished to equip his army with a modern MBT. After long and hard negotiations with the USSR, SRFJ will obtain the license of the T-72. The MBT will be named “M-84” and will be presented to the public during a parade on 9 of may 1985. The article depicts the different versions. The M-84 will also be used by Kuwait.

(10 pages, 20 photos, 1 page of technical drawings, 1 drawing, 1 technical data)

Faun ZRS : le camion rail-route allemande (the German rail-road truck)

Firstly conceived to be used on road, the Faun type ZR is declined into a rail-road version due to the immensity of Soviet territory. After the war, it will also be used by the French army.

(2 pages, 8 photos, 1 technical data)

Le Panzer IV Lang sous toutes les soudures! (The Panzer IV Lang under all the weldings)

The first part of that article was published into TnT#46 and was based on the operational use of the panzer IV Lang. The second part is more oriented on the technical aspects of that tank.

(14 pages, 21 photos, 1 page of drawings, 3 technical datas)

AMX-13 vs T-54A

As always in TnT, two vehicles are compaired for their performances: protection, mobility and firepower. To be noted that the AMX-13 is more a tank hunter than a MBT so its role is more defensive; the AMX-13 have to slow the enemy advance until the arrival of reinforcements from America.

(6 pages, 2 of drawings, 2 technical datas, 2 comparative datas)