Least successful vehicle of the war

[Mark V.]

Like someone is just going to let the Germans unload and wire up and fire up their little 800lb toy and then slowly drive this unarmored exploding target up to their bunker or other High dollar fixed target, without shooting it.

With a few smoke grenades - a deadly weapon.

[David Lehmann]

Did you know that these kind of radioguided or filoguided vehicles transporting a destruction charge was also developped by the French army before the Germans had their Goliath, Springer or Borgward B.IV dedicated to that function ?
In 1940 the Germans used a few Panzer I Ladungsträger.

In 1937-1940 the French army developped :
- the "véhicule P (P for Pommellet, the captain who invented it)" : constructed by Lorraine, 2000 ordered but only 11 constructed before the armistice
- the "engin K" (K for Alphonse Kégresse, the constructor) : 12000 vehicles ordered (6000 in April 1940, 6000 in May 1940), precursor of the Goliath
- In April 1940, 300 FT-17 tanks are also destined to be transformed in guided tanks (guided from a ground post or from a R-35 command tank, like later the Borgward and the Stug(Fkl) for example)

Regards,

David

[Mark V.]

Very interesting David, got any pictures.

[David Lehmann]

I have pictures of the engin K, véhicule P and R35 radio-command vehicle in a book called "l'automobile sous l'uniforme" by François Vauvillier :



Engin K



Véhicule P



R-35 for radio-command of the FT modified tanks

David

[Mauser K98k]

[post moved to proper forum]

[Mark V.]

Thanks for the pictures, David.