Bob Semple Tank

History

At the start of World War II (1939-1945), New Zealand joined neighbouring Australia in recognising that no country had a viable arms production industry - especially as far as tanks and related armoured vehicles were concerned. When it became clear that these systems would not be arriving from Britain or the United States anytime soon, and were threatened by the expanding sphere of influence of the Japanese Empire in the Pacific, the two countries began to seek solutions within their respective borders.

A number of efforts led to a now-neglected contribution to World War II land-based warfare - some useful, some completely forgotten - a key example of the latter being the "Bob Semper Tank" from New Zealand.

The tank was named after then-acting Labour Secretary Bob Semple, who came up with the idea of ??a New Zealand native tank to protect the country from a Japanese land invasion. Tanks are hastily arranged around a Caterpillar D8 bulldozer that has been in production since 1935. In addition, there is an original corrugated metal construction designed to protect the operator from the pistol. The lack of available large-caliber weapons meant that the vehicle carried only machine guns - 6 x .303-inch BREN types - and these were mounted on each main hull - one on each side, a pair in the front, one in the rear, and one attached to the turret.

At the very least, this will provide some firepower to enemy infantry at long distances.

This production makes for a rudimentary, almost comical machine, with a crew of eight crammed into a cramped fighting compartment that also houses the engine and transmission of an original tractor, as well as a magazine for guns and ammunition. Although the hull structure had a turret and the vehicle relied on a tracked wheel arrangement, giving it the basic characteristics that identified the machine as a "tank", the vehicle had little combat value.

Power comes from an original Caterpillar 6-cylinder diesel rated around 127 hp, resulting in a pedestrian road speed limit of 15 mph under ideal conditions and a working range of up to 100 miles.

It soon became apparent that these vehicles were too slow and bulky to have any tactical value. Shifting requires the tank to come to a complete stop before changing, and accurate shots from the rocking hull are less than ideal. With essentially no additional armor protection, the vehicle proved itself underpowered when it was about four meters tall.

All of this, combined with no formal plans to build subsequent Bob Semple tanks to a specific standard, meant that the "tractor tank" approach was quickly abandoned, with only a few vehicles succeeding before Christchurch's inevitable recovery to the former industrial tractor state.

Despite the failure, at the heart of the Bomb Semple Tank project lies New Zealand's determination to provide its own defence through sheer ingenuity and a layer of desperation. Utilize local resources and workshops to complete missions, and the available tractors will quickly jump into battle when and where needed, dispatched to enemy forces trying to gain a foothold in the country.

Fortunately for the two islands, World War II was never fought on New Zealand soil, and any Japanese attempts to occupy Australia were ultimately foiled by Allied actions on the Pacific coast - leading to the fall of Bob Sempertan into the military history.

Specification

Basic

Roles

Dimensions

Performance

Performance

Armor

Not available.

Changes