Tank, Heavy Assault, Tortoise (A39)

History

The British Army's "Turtle" (Tank, Heavy Assault, Turtle A39) is one example in a long list of "Super Heavy Tanks" which were maintained and in some cases developed by various parties during WWII . Many of these wartime designs failed or only appeared in a few evolutionary forms, and the turtle was no exception. In early 1943, Allied war planners began to map the outcome of a direct European invasion of Nazi-held territory. After roughly gaining a foothold, moving closer to Berlin and ending the war in Europe in time was considered a "priority".

Thus, the Allies set out on this voyage to assess the level of German defenses and correctly concluded that Hitler and his ardent supporters would undoubtedly respond strongly and disciplined. As such, the tortoises were designed to counter expected German fortifications, especially those found along the fabled "Siegfried Line".

The "Siegfried Line" was a powerful defensive line developed in response to the French "Maginot Line", which itself was built in the 1930s and 1940s. Or stop - any advancing ground troops. The frontline spans approximately 390 miles of land and consists of more than 18,000 solid bunkers connected by a network of underground tunnels. Hitler planned a counterattack against the Maginot Line as early as 1936, followed by the construction of the German Line in 1938-40.

Turtles seem to be made for such a role.

The British have started trying to convert several of their existing tank platforms into assault tanks, adding more powerful weapons and more armor protection. After being convinced of the special "commando" concept, a general guideline for a powerful heavy system was issued in April 1943 to meet the requirements. Nuffield Group submitted no less than 18 designs as concepts "AT1" to "AT18".

The AT16 design was eventually approved by the British Tank Board, who ordered a batch of 25 production vehicles directly from the model, eliminating the need for time-consuming pilot (prototype) models. It was hoped that the new weapon system would be in service with the British Army by September 1945 and be able to operate as part of the 79th Armoured Division - a dedicated British armoured division formed in France on 14 August 1942 as part of the D-Day landings Part of it took place on June 6, 1944.

The Turtle design began in 1944 with an emphasis on robust armor protection, sacrificing mobility and overall performance in the process. Additionally, the design incorporates the primary weapon within a single hull structure, eliminating a complex turret system, and its dead weight ensures that the Turtle is a solid artillery platform that can be used to fire a powerful primary weapon.

This line of thinking fits the tortoise's strengths well, and its main role has always been to attack and destroy the enemy's fortifications, provided that Germany was clearly fighting a defensive war at the time.

However, the war in Europe ended more or less with Hitler's suicide in April 1945 and the surrender of Japan in the Far East in August of the same year. Already under construction, the initial Tortoise production order was reduced to just six production cars, and only one sample was delivered to Germany for evaluation, where it proved to be a sufficiently stable stand - the only real downside was its weight , which made transportation difficult a time-consuming ordeal and required the use of established railroads. Only six Turtle tanks were eventually fully completed and were never used in combat or put into mass production.

Like many other high-level developments by the Allies until the end of the war, the end of the war itself has proven to be a death sentence for projects like the Tortoise. The lucrative defense contracts that seemed to "run like water" during the war are now a thing of the past, with plans either being cut, abandoned or cancelled on the spot.

The tortoise's design created a rather unique look during the war compared to other armored vehicles of its class. The system is powered by two wide track systems mounted on either side of the fuselage, the wheels are connected to a torsion bar suspension system. The tracks will have armored "skirts" for added protection to the sides of the fuselage and critical wheels. The engine is housed in a compartment at the rear for maximum protection of this critical component.

There is no traditional tower, but a fixed structure. The superstructure has a relatively sloping front fairing - with a distinctly protruding mantle - and board sides with straight roofs. The hull and superstructure are heavily armored to bear the brunt of any enemy counter-attack, with main and secondary armament in the form of Bessa-type machine guns. A circular access hatch is located on top of the superstructure. The overall thickness of the armor protection ranges from 178mm to 228mm.

The main gun protrudes from the cloak and is held in place by an inverted "V" bracket during transport. The dead end of the main gun was fitted with a muzzle brake. From every angle, the turtle has an imposing feel.

It was piloted by a crew of seven, including a driver, a co-pilot, a tank commander, a gunner, two main barrels and a dedicated machine gunner.

The main armament is centered on the powerful Ordnance QF 32lb (94mm) main gun, a derivative of the proven British 3.75in anti-aircraft gun. The weapon, although built into the fixed hull structure, actually received a small amount of powered traverse to aid aiming, although it was normal to turn the entire vehicle towards the target. The operation of the artillery stems from the commander's order, followed by the timely response of the two loaders - loading the charge and the projectile - and finally the all-important aiming and reaction of the designated gunner. The QF 32-pounder carries an armor-piercing round (AP) and weighs no less than 32 pounds (hence the weapon's name). During evaluation, the gun and its projectiles were able to penetrate the armor of a powerful German Panther series medium tank, which was recorded at a distance of about 1000 meters.

If the Turtle ever went into production, this weapon would be a pretty lethal addition to the British stockpile.

Self-defense - usually used against direct attack from infantry grenades - is provided by three 7.92mm Bessa machine guns. One is mounted on the ball seat to the left of the main gun. While rotation from this base is somewhat limited, it provides the crew with a good field of fire when aiming directly in front of the vehicle.

The remaining pair of Bessa machine guns were mounted on top of the superstructure.

The working weight of the Tortoise is approximately 79 tons, making the Tortoise one of the heaviest tank developments completed in the war. Her barrel is 33 feet long, nearly 13 feet wide and 9.8 feet tall. With this size and weight, it would be difficult for a tortoise to traverse old-fashioned roads and bridges in France, Belgium, Holland, Denmark or Germany alone. Undoubtedly, the system will utilize Europe's established rail network for a "rapid resettlement operation".

Power is provided by a Rolls-Royce Meteor V12 petrol engine with up to 600 hp. As a result, the tank's top speed on paved roads is only 12 miles per hour, and on off-road roads it doesn't exceed 4 miles per hour. The range is only 87 miles.

While the Tortoise was both a burden and a powerful addition on the battlefield, it was an often forgotten part of British WWII tank development by the Germans later in the war, and it could have provided the British Army with a formidable attack The system can even support the playing field to a certain extent. Although often referred to as a "super-heavy tank" and officially classified as a "heavy assault tank," the Tortoise's overall design - with its fixed armament mounted in the hull superstructure - is closer to an assault gun or self-propelled gun ( SPG ) system rather than a "real" system.

Tanks - Usually operated using a mobile turret system.

In the collection of the Bovington Tank Museum in Bovington, UK, a surviving Turtle tank can be found - it survived the war and post-war politics.

Specification

Basic

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Performance

Performance

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Armor

Not available.

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