M1919 Christie Medium Tank

History of the M1919 Christie Medium Tank

The First World War (1914-1918) proved the effectiveness of the "tank" as a future battlefield prop, so the U.S. Army, which relied heavily on foreign designs during the conflict, insisted on using domestic designs to develop solutions in the postwar period. wartime.

This commitment came with the advent of automotive designer J. Walter Christie, who eventually lent his name to Christie Suspension and achieved worldwide fame.

From 1918 to 1919, Christie was interested in several U.S. Army Ordnance "gun motor vehicle" designs, but none of them were adopted. Regardless, these projects have allowed Christie to fine-tune a suspension system called "convertible suspension," which allows heavy vehicles to run on street wheels or connected track sections.

This hybrid arrangement was important when tanks proved so unreliable that they were driven forward by trucks to avoid wear and reduce the number of mechanical failures. Christie's approach will allow vehicles to enter the road at high speeds using proven car/truck capabilities.

Reaching the front, the track can be attached and the usual bogies come into play.

In November 1919, Christie was awarded an Army contract through his Front Drive Motor Company to produce a new combat vehicle using a convertible suspension system. The following February, he returned with a design for the Type 1919 (M1919) tank.

M1919 Christie medium tank placed as planned. In the extreme corners of the tank's hull there are four large wheels. Between the axles, along the mid-section on either side of the hull, there is a single bogie that controls a pair of small wheels.

Power comes from the rear axle, and when the vehicle is ready at the front, all wheels have chain links. The fuselage was a boxy structure supporting a circular turret housing the American equivalent of the British 6-pounder, the 2.24 in (57 mm) M1920. Above this structure is a smaller hemispherical casing that houses a .30 caliber machine gun.

Since the turret can rotate independently, the tank can attack two targets at the same time.

Power comes from Christie's 120 hp 6-cylinder water-cooled petrol engine. Top speed is 13 mph on the road and 7 mph on the track when using the road wheel configuration.

With a crew of three, the vehicle measures 18.1 feet long, 8.5 feet wide and 8.8 feet high. Total weight is 13.5 tons, and armor protection on various fairings measures 0.25 inches to 1 inch.

The famous Aberdeen Proving Ground (Maryland) is the location for the vehicle testing phase. Observers were quick to criticize the car's lack of suspension, which made the ride on rigidly mounted wheels very bumpy.

Off-road performance on the track also showed that the tank was too weak for the Army's planned new mechanized formations. Further attempts failed to convince Army authorities to keep tracking the vehicle, leading Christie to convince the Army to delay judgment -- and additional testing -- until he could make some modifications to the design.

Nearly a year later (1922) Christie came back with a revised attempt, adding springs to the front wheel components and dropping the turret completely. The weapon is now housed in a boxed turret with a limited firing arc.

This product, the M1921, was able to improve performance and comfort to a certain extent, but the Army still found the vehicle unreliable and underpowered, leading Christie's attempt to be abandoned. The M1921 was tested until finally scrapped in July 1924.

Specifications of M1919 Medium Christie Tank

Basic

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Dimensions

Performance

Performance

Armor

Not available.

Changes