Trubia light tanks

Discussions on all aspects of the Spanish Civil War including the Condor Legion, the Germans fighting for Franco in the Spanish Civil War.
User avatar
YC Chen
Host - Allied sections
Posts: 836
Joined: 29 Sep 2009, 14:35
Location: Nanking

Trubia light tanks

#1

Post by YC Chen » 24 Jul 2010, 05:22

Hello,
I'm very interested in this unique Spanish tank design. I know there's a book about Trubia tanks but I'm unable to get it and I can't read Spanish either.
So, how many types of Trubia tanks were built? Can anyone show me some 4-view plans and detailed info of each type?
Thanks!
Last edited by YC Chen on 24 Jul 2010, 09:39, edited 1 time in total.

User avatar
Ironmachine
Member
Posts: 5821
Joined: 07 Jul 2005, 11:50
Location: Spain

Re: Trubia light tanks

#2

Post by Ironmachine » 24 Jul 2010, 08:38

There were four prototype-preseries "Trubia Serie A" tanks originally built in 1926 in Trubia (Asturias). Of them, three were with Infantry Regiment nº 32 "Milán" and took part in the defense of Oviedo. The fourth tank was in the artillery factory when the war started, and was used by the goverment forces against Oviedo on 10 September, when it was lost.
Trubia.jpg
Trubia.jpg (14.88 KiB) Viewed 4091 times
Serie A.jpg
Serie A.jpg (27.15 KiB) Viewed 4091 times
Characteristics:
Crew: 3 men
Weight: 8,900kg
Length: 5.38m
Width: 2.11m
Height: 2.39m
Engine: Daimler MV-1574, 4-cylinder, 75hp at 900rpm
Maximum speed: 19km/h
Armour: 20mm (maximum)
Armament: 3 x 7mm Hotchkiss machine-guns
Vertical obstacle: 380mm
Trench crossing : 2.13m
Fording: 609mm

On 1 January 1936 the definitive plans for the "Carro de Combate Ligero para Infantería Trubia Modelo 1936", based on the work on this preseries vehicles, had been approved, but with the start of the war it was impossible to start the construction. The blueprints were taken to Euzkadi to use them to build a a tank using the heavy industries in that area. The work was carried out in Sestao, in the factory of the Sociedad Española de Construcción Naval (SECN). This new tank received different names, among them "Carro de Combate Ligero Trubia Modelo 1936" or "Trubia-Naval". There were plans to build 48, but only 16 were finished, though when the factory was occupied there was a number of them near finishing (for a total of 20-25?). They fought in the Campaña del Norte, the nine surviving vehicles being finally captured by the rebels. This was really a very bad design: it had a very small size, a noisy engine and an almost non-existent ventilation system that made it very uncomfortable for the crew, and its cross-country mobility was very poor.
trubia naval.jpg
trubia naval.jpg (32.52 KiB) Viewed 4091 times
Characteristics:
Crew: 3 men
Weight: 5,500kg
Length: 3.55m
Width: 1.70m
Height: 1.85m
Engine: MAN D-0530, diesel, 6-cylinder, 70hp at 1,800rpm
Maximum speed: 42km/h
Armour: 13 + 3mm (maximum)
Armament: 2 x 7.7mm Lewis machine-guns with 9,600 rounds
Vertical obstacle: 650mm
Trench crossing : 1.60m
Fording: 600mm

Both models of Trubia tanks were really very different: they had different chassis, different engines, different bodies, different turrets... The only thing that both vehicles had in common was the track system.

Hope this helps. Regards.


User avatar
YC Chen
Host - Allied sections
Posts: 836
Joined: 29 Sep 2009, 14:35
Location: Nanking

Re: Trubia light tanks

#3

Post by YC Chen » 24 Jul 2010, 09:39

Wonderful! Thank you very much!!
Does anyone have 4-view plans of both models?

normski-
Member
Posts: 102
Joined: 21 Nov 2006, 07:28
Location: UK
Contact:

Re: Trubia light tanks

#4

Post by normski- » 29 Jul 2010, 20:26

@Ironmachine - thanks for this useful data. Can I ask, where did you source it from?

Thanks,

normski-

normski-
Member
Posts: 102
Joined: 21 Nov 2006, 07:28
Location: UK
Contact:

Re: Trubia light tanks

#5

Post by normski- » 30 Jul 2010, 09:49

Also: is it correct that Trubia equipped its tanks with double armour?

User avatar
Ironmachine
Member
Posts: 5821
Joined: 07 Jul 2005, 11:50
Location: Spain

Re: Trubia light tanks

#6

Post by Ironmachine » 31 Jul 2010, 13:12

Well, kind of. The Trubia-Naval had an internal armor sheet of 3 mm, an external sheet of 13 mm, and between them there was some other material that AFAIK has not been identified. Probably the intention was to increase protection without adding too much weight, but it must be remembered that making armor steel was difficult for the Spanish industry so perhaps it was simply that there was nothing else available.

normski-
Member
Posts: 102
Joined: 21 Nov 2006, 07:28
Location: UK
Contact:

Re: Trubia light tanks

#7

Post by normski- » 31 Jul 2010, 22:30

Thanks Ironmachine

Source for the data? Later than the 2 Mazarassa books I think?

User avatar
Ironmachine
Member
Posts: 5821
Joined: 07 Jul 2005, 11:50
Location: Spain

Re: Trubia light tanks

#8

Post by Ironmachine » 01 Aug 2010, 12:51

AFAIK, the best (and only?) book about the Trubia tanks is Los Carros de combate “Trubia” (1925 -1939) by Artemio Mortera Pérez.
portada.jpg
portada.jpg (11.82 KiB) Viewed 4007 times

normski-
Member
Posts: 102
Joined: 21 Nov 2006, 07:28
Location: UK
Contact:

Re: Trubia light tanks

#9

Post by normski- » 01 Aug 2010, 23:04

Thanks, I hadn't seen that one before.

Mazarassa's books contain data on the Serie A, but no data on the Trubia Naval, only some photos of it.

Does Perez' book contain schematics of the Serie A?

User avatar
Ironmachine
Member
Posts: 5821
Joined: 07 Jul 2005, 11:50
Location: Spain

Re: Trubia light tanks

#10

Post by Ironmachine » 03 Aug 2010, 19:19

I'm not at home now and it will be some time before I can get back to my books. I will ask you ASAP.
Regards.

User avatar
YC Chen
Host - Allied sections
Posts: 836
Joined: 29 Sep 2009, 14:35
Location: Nanking

Re: Trubia light tanks

#11

Post by YC Chen » 05 Aug 2010, 13:51

Are there any plans of the Trubia tanks in the book? If so, I would like to see them.
Thanks!

normski-
Member
Posts: 102
Joined: 21 Nov 2006, 07:28
Location: UK
Contact:

Re: Trubia light tanks

#12

Post by normski- » 17 Aug 2010, 23:36

@YC Chen

There are schematics of the Trubia-Naval on page 4 of the pamphlet 'Tanks & Trucks of the Spanish Civil War' , John Wilson, Partizan Press 1989 ISBN 094652559 5

http://www.caliverbooks.com

But they are a bit rough and probably inaccurate.

User avatar
YC Chen
Host - Allied sections
Posts: 836
Joined: 29 Sep 2009, 14:35
Location: Nanking

Re: Trubia light tanks

#13

Post by YC Chen » 20 Aug 2010, 03:06

Thanks, but I have already had that plan. I'm looking for a plan of "Trubia Serie A".

User avatar
Ironmachine
Member
Posts: 5821
Joined: 07 Jul 2005, 11:50
Location: Spain

Re: Trubia light tanks

#14

Post by Ironmachine » 17 Sep 2010, 11:29

Sorry, YC Chen, I had completely forgotten about this. This is the best I have at the time:
Trubia.jpg
Trubia.jpg (80.81 KiB) Viewed 3814 times

User avatar
Ironmachine
Member
Posts: 5821
Joined: 07 Jul 2005, 11:50
Location: Spain

Re: Trubia light tanks

#15

Post by Ironmachine » 27 Sep 2010, 12:09

normski- wrote:Thanks, I hadn't seen that one before.
Mazarassa's books contain data on the Serie A, but no data on the Trubia Naval, only some photos of it.
Does Perez' book contain schematics of the Serie A?
The book contains a 2-view schematics of the Serie A that is almost the same that the one I have in my previous post (except that the one in the book do not have the measures; the one I posted did not come from the book but from a Trubia Association's newsletter) and a 3-view schematics of the Carro de Combate Ligero para Infantería Modelo 1936, that was the original design on which the Trubia-Naval was based (they are quite similar, at least in appeareance).
Regards.

Post Reply

Return to “Spanish Civil War & Legion Condor”