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Sturmpanzerwagen Oberschlesien

1918 WORLD WAR 1

Sturmpanzerwagen Upper Silesia History

The only truly operational German main battle tank of the First World War became the hulking A7V series Sturmpanzerwagen, of which only 20 were purchased before the end of the fighting in November 1918. The car was a flawed concept from the start and could only be salvaged by its strong armor protection. It was slow, poorly off-road, required a crew of 18 or more, and proved mechanically unreliable.

Add to that the cost of producing larger vehicles and seek alternatives in the form of lightweight systems with more traditional armor designs.

One design was the "Sturmpanzerwagen Oberschlesien" - classified as an "Assault Armored Vehicle" - and had a cannon in a moving turret. The French could use their successful turret-equipped Renault FT-17 light tank to great effect in wartime, while the British preferred their turretless diamond-shaped steel beast. The route taken by the French FT-17 was taken as the large turretless A7V proved to be a limitation for the Germans. The idea of ??the program was to equip German armored forces with a large number of fast, mobile chain-attack platforms that could be acquired within budget and could be mass-produced under the pressure of war.

It is worth noting that by the end of the war, German armored forces consisted mainly of captured British and French tanks.

The base plan calls for a 19-ton vehicle with a 5-person crew - a far cry from the 33-ton A7V with an 18-person crew. The vehicle would utilize many of the qualities demonstrated by other armored vehicles of the period, most notably the padded track area that contained part of the hull sides and largely protected the undercarriage.

The engines will be installed in the aft compartment and fuselage superstructure, under the 360-degree rotating turret. Vision slots will support situational awareness. In addition to the proposed cannon armament in the turret, a pair of 7.92mm Maxim MG08 machine guns will provide an anti-infantry measure, while armor-piercing rounds (AP) can in turn be used against enemy tanks.

The dimensions are 6.7 meters long, 2.34 meters wide and 2.9 meters high. Armor protection will peak at a thickness of 14mm.

Power should come from an Argus petrol engine. From 180 hp. This, together with the chosen chassis layout and overall vehicle weight, enables road speeds of 10 mph, while off-road speeds are reduced to around 5.5 mph. Range is estimated at 35 to 37 miles.

The orientation of the lightweight airframe and chassis combination makes for a low-powered engine - unlike the A7V, which struggles very much with its weight and underpowered propulsion system.

Work on the vehicle began in mid-1918, when construction applications were handed down. Two subsequent prototypes proved the viability of the design, although these were only partially completed before heavy German losses caused it to collapse due to the armistice in November 1918. The pilot vehicle was built in October at Oberschlesien Eisenwerk in Glewitz (Upper Silesia, Poland).

Even before it was designed for official service, the improved model was known as the "Oberschlesien II". In any case, due to the surrender of Germany, neither line has ever appeared.

At the time, the Oberschlesien would be a fairly modern looking main battle tank, although its combat effectiveness and performance can only be guessed at. When the Allies used hundreds of British and French tanks, problems with the German military industry were sure to further hinder the arrival of tanks.

Of course, the German tank problem of World War I should not be repeated in World War II.