5461908

Mystery tanks (for the keenest of tank-spotters)

January 30th, 2011 02:20 AM

Ok, this has me stumped. Possibly from a film, but it just seems too weird for that...

The turrets come from pre-war French designs (FT-17, and likely an early Char D1). Tracks look civilan bulldozer though, certainly not the kind of designs the French preferred in the early 30s, which aids the film idea.

5461928

Re: Mystery tanks (for the keenest of tank-spotters)

January 30th, 2011 05:55 AM

Haven't seen you around here in a while, welcome back

The turrets and tracks looks French, but the soldiers look Russian. Maybe some make-shift modification of an early French tank for river-crossing?

5461930

Re: Mystery tanks (for the keenest of tank-spotters)

Anlushac11

January 30th, 2011 06:03 AM

I am still looking. The tanks look to be French and the guy in front talking to the guy in the German helmet look to be wearing a French uniform.

The front tank looks almost like a WW1 St. Chamond with a Char B 2 turret on it. What looks like a track tensioner mechanism on the end of the side plate is similar ot a WW1 British Whippet tank but the mechanism is different.

Still looking.

5461939

Re: Mystery tanks (for the keenest of tank-spotters)

Anlushac11

January 30th, 2011 06:45 AM

I looked at a number of civlian bulldozers and tracked agricultural vehicles and most have a very different design. The track tensioner mechanism which is the big bolt through the slot at end of side hull makes me think this is a legit military vehicle that has been modified.

Closest thing I can find suspension wise is

a St.Chamond Artillery tractor http://mailer.fsu.edu/~akirk/tanks/f...IonFonosch.jpg

Possibly a modified St. Chamond model 1921 http://mailer.fsu.edu/~akirk/tanks/france/image4FT.JPG

A CHAR FAMH light tank http://mailer.fsu.edu/~akirk/tanks/f...HLightTank.jpg

5461946

Re: Mystery tanks (for the keenest of tank-spotters)

Joe Bonham

January 30th, 2011 07:09 AM

The photograph itself looks like it has had some work done on it, its too high quality to be an unaltered contemporary photograph.

My guess would be its from a film. I don't know enough about the early development of tanks to give an informed opinion about that.

5462162

Re: Mystery tanks (for the keenest of tank-spotters)

January 30th, 2011 03:12 PM

Yeah, the film idea does seem most likely, there were some magnificent tanks in the early 1930s, but it just seems way too unrealistic to be a film - people know what tanks look like, and these look like nothing else.

The non-flat FT17 turret at the rear (and the bizarrely-high placement of the climbing tail) are also worth considering.

If it was to be historical, I'd say Saarland.

5462183

Re: Mystery tanks (for the keenest of tank-spotters)

January 30th, 2011 04:40 PM

It looks like some sort of experimental tank that was built with various pieces from other tanks. Where did the image come from?

5462217

Re: Mystery tanks (for the keenest of tank-spotters)

Anlushac11

January 30th, 2011 05:52 PM

The guy standing second from left on the front vehicle appears to be wearing a WW1 German field cap. That IMHO places this setting in WW1.

5462221

Re: Mystery tanks (for the keenest of tank-spotters)

Joe Bonham

January 30th, 2011 06:04 PM

What?

5462236

Re: Mystery tanks (for the keenest of tank-spotters)

January 30th, 2011 06:38 PM

I'm saying that the tank looks like it was made using various pieces from other tanks. The turrets are from other French tanks while the hulls and treads are very strange looking.

It might be that these are fictional tanks of sorts used for movies back then?