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Romfell Model 1915

1915 WORLD WAR 1

History

The First World War (1914-1918) proved to be both the first war in which armoured vehicles were used on a large scale, and the first war in which the so-called "tanks" were used. Armored vehicles are more economical to produce and maintain (usually built on existing commercial chassis) and easier to operate with a crew of two or more.

The Austro-Hungarian army was slow to recognize the use of armored vehicles before the war, but that all changed when they faced the Russian Empire and later the Italians in the east, both of which had adopted armored vehicles.

Awareness of this prompted Austria-Hungary to hurriedly build its own armoured convoy (through local operations, purchase or conquest), in limited numbers. One such contribution was the forward-looking Romfell model of 1915, with its armored superstructure, solid wheels and tires, and a machine gun turret on top of the hull with sloping surfaces.

Despite their promising designs, only two were completed by the end of the war, and their history says little about their exploits in the conflict.

Romfell (and its name) stems from a partnership between Romanic and Fellner (hence the name "ROM-FELL"), a pair of Austro-Hungarian officers. As with other armored vehicle designs of the time, the duo decided to rebuild an existing commercial chassis for their military vehicle, which appeared to be a Mercedes product, with a 95-horsepower Mercedes gasoline engine equipped with a "chain drive." coupling. Transmission system.

The wheels are a 2x2 arrangement on two axles, the rims are solid, and so is the rubber on the wheels - giving the vehicle some survivability (no flat tires). Armor protection is measured on the most critical 6mm thick panels.

Heavy armored superstructure was added to the chassis, a design that showcases the uniqueness of the Romfell - the armor plates taper from top to bottom, giving the Romfell a rather modern (or futuristic) look and elegance Lines from front to back. As usual, the engine bay remains up front, while the cab follows. Viewing slots are cut into the armor plate in obvious places to provide a degree of situational awareness.

Above the rear of the truck chassis and on top of the superstructure is a 360-degree rotating turret armed with a 7.92mm Schwarzlose 07/12 heavy machine gun. About 3,000 x 7.92mm bullets were carried on board. A crude Morse telegraph-like radio was also installed - a pioneering measure at the time. The operator is likely to consist of three people - the driver, the commander and the dedicated machine gunner.

The overall dimensions are compact - 5.7m long, 1.8m wide and 2.5m high - which makes the interior quite cramped.

The Army built its first car at a factory in Budapest in August 1915, when Austria-Hungary had been at war for nearly a year. The initial vision of the war was fluid and overwhelming numbers, but this quickly gave way to the network of trenches and the bloody battle that defined trench warfare, centered on the exchange of artillery fire, machine-gun kill zones and bayonet charges.

Armored vehicles were valuable in the early stages, as the front was still unstable, but as the war faltered and the battlefield became less hospitable, they gradually lost the initiative.

Despite its interesting design, the Romfell armoured car had little effect on the wars in Austria-Hungary - it inevitably suffered the same pain as all armoured cars at the time due to its long nose, which resulted in a large turning radius Awkward, poor visibility outside the car (situational awareness), armored superstructure plus full metal/rubber wheels provides decent protection for occupants and critical systems, adds weight and doesn't perform well on soft ground. Little is known about the vehicle's direct combat performance, but it was spotted during operations on the Italian front at least in 1918.

The second car is not thought to have been completed until late 1917 or early 1918, this version used a different chassis/powerplant entirely.

By the end of the war, which ended in the armistice in November 1918, the Romfell carriage appears to have gone down in history - its existence is preserved today by only a few documents and photographs.