T-26 with a 120mm mortar

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Mangrove
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T-26 with a 120mm mortar

#1

Post by Mangrove » 04 Jul 2010, 18:24

I do not remember reading on this on any of the Finnish tank reference books although it is quite clear the project was abandoned after the 1944 attack. The mortar in question is perhaps Tampela's 120 Krh/40?
http://digi.narc.fi/digi/fullpic.ka?kuid=4468849 (Ase-esikunta. Panssarivaunutoimisto. SPK 4813)

April 23rd - 24th
Mission to Lappeenranta on 23rd - 24th [19]44.
- [Attendance of] General Lagus and Colonel Björkman.
Negoations [on]
[...]
2. To place a 120mm mortar to T-26. Favoured. Is considering to found a mortar battery (twelve mortars). Needs, for example, technical information on 120mm mortar and the tanks. These were sent.

April 29th
Negoations at Varkaus [with] [Engineer] Major Ruotsi / Major L.
- The placement of 120mm mortar to T-26. The Center requests a mortar for a mockup.

June 3rd
[...] - Ready a T-26 to June 8th - 9th. The purpose is to design a mortar carrier.

June 30th
Lagus announced, that
[...] T-26s [are to be modified] to tractors.
23.4.-24.4.
Komennus Lappeenrantaan, 23.-24.4.44.
- jossa Kenr. Lagus ja ev. Björkman.
Neuvoteltu:
[...]
2. 120 krh:n sijoitusta T26:een. Kannatti. Harkitsee krh.pston (12 krh) perustamisesta. Tarvitsee esim. tekn. tietoja 120 krh:sta ja vaunusta. Nämä lähetettiin.

29.4.
Neuvotteluja Varkaudessa ins.maj. Ruotsi/maj.L:i
- 120 krh:in sijoitus T26:een. Keskus pyytää krh:ta malliksi. [...]

3.6.
Ruotsi:
[...] - T26 kuntoon 8.-9.6. Tarkoituksella silloin suunnitella "krh. psv.".

30.6.
Lagus ilmoittaa, että
[...] - T26 vetäjäksi

8.7.
Ruotsi:
- Kokeilut T26 vetäjäksi on aloitettava heti, [...]

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JTV
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Re: T-26 with a 120mm mortar

#2

Post by JTV » 06 Jul 2010, 12:26

I have not heard about such project either, but there were some unusual projects going on around that time. The comments from 30th of June (by R. Lagus) and 8th of July (by G. Ruotzi) don't necessarily refer to that particular project. Also towing tractor version of T-26 tank called T-26V was under work that time. They were to manufactured by converting them from existing T-26 tanks, which according plans were to be replaced by more modern Pzkw-IVJ, T-34 and Stu 40G bought from Germany. While 10 - 12 T-26V had been ordered ultimately only three T-26 tanks were converted as such. Presumably T-26V were intended mainly as towing vehicles for 75 Pstk/40 antitank-guns (for towing which captured Komsomolets A-20 were somewhat small and weak).

Jarkko
Last edited by JTV on 06 Jul 2010, 21:06, edited 1 time in total.


Mangrove
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Re: T-26 with a 120mm mortar

#3

Post by Mangrove » 06 Jul 2010, 20:58

This photo was posted on a Finnish forum. According to the original author it shows a prototype of the weapon at Niinisalo on July 25th 1944. The mortar is Tampela's 120 Krh/40.
http://www.pkymasehist.fi/phpBB2/viewto ... =21&t=9539

Image

larth
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Re: T-26 with a 120mm mortar

#4

Post by larth » 12 Jul 2010, 21:13

Martti Kujansuu wrote:I do not remember reading on this on any of the Finnish tank reference books although it is quite clear the project was abandoned after the 1944 attack. The mortar in question is perhaps Tampela's 120 Krh/40?
Interesting! At the armor museum in Munster (http://www.deutsches-panzermuseum.de/) there is a post-ww2 APC of German make with a Tampella mortar: http://www.bredow-web.de/Panzer_und_Kan ... _kurz.html. Maybe Tampella managed to sell the concept after the war!

best regards,
Lars

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JTV
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Re: T-26 with a 120mm mortar

#5

Post by JTV » 12 Jul 2010, 22:13

larth wrote: Interesting! At the armor museum in Munster (http://www.deutsches-panzermuseum.de/) there is a post-ww2 APC of German make with a Tampella mortar: http://www.bredow-web.de/Panzer_und_Kan ... _kurz.html. Maybe Tampella managed to sell the concept after the war!
I would be willing to bet quite a lot of money, that the "type Tampella" mortar in that German vehicle wasn't manufactured by Tampella. We can also forget "selling the concept" - nobody in his or her right mind would have bothered to pay about it, since it could be easily copied for free. Patents might mean something - but this sort of technical concept is free for anyone to grab. German military had already used lighter mortars from half-tracks during World War 2, so I doubt it was much of a leap for German developers from there.

BTW: Practically none of "type Tampella" mortars used around the world nowadays were/are manufactured by Tampella and Tampella doesn't get any part of their profit either. The reason behind this is disastrous contract signed between Tampella and Salgad in year 1974, this contract gave Salgad all Tampella patents and at the same time limited Tampella's further mortar sales to Finland, while Salgad got the international market.

Jarkko

larth
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Re: T-26 with a 120mm mortar

#6

Post by larth » 12 Jul 2010, 23:19

Jarkko, thanks for the info! Seems like Tampella is in the same situation as "Björn Borg" (he doesn't own his name as a trademark). There should have been a smiley after the "selling"!

Here are two photos I took by raising the camera and shooting blind into the vehicle. It looks a bit like a mock-up with a plastic tube.

best regards,
Lars
3351_Panzermoerser-scaled.jpg
3351_Panzermoerser-scaled.jpg (40.36 KiB) Viewed 2379 times
3350_Panzermoerser-scaled.jpg
3350_Panzermoerser-scaled.jpg (38.39 KiB) Viewed 2379 times

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