The Christie Model 1919 was a prototype tank built by

J. Walter Christie John Walter Christie (May 6, 1865 – January 11, 1944) was an American engineer and inventor. He is best known for developing the Christie suspension system used in a number of World War II-era tank designs, most notably the Soviet BT and T-34 ...

's Front Drive Motor Company in 1919.

History and Development

Christie used the experience gained before and during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

to develop his "Convertible Suspension", which allowed a vehicle to run on either tracks or wheels. Most tanks of the time period weren't durable enough to be drive to the front on their own, so instead were delivered by trucks and then driven to where they were needed. The Convertible Suspension was designed to overcome this deficiency by allowing for high speed on roads using tires and then having the tracks installed on the tank before entering the battlefield. After developing several vehicles which culminated in the M.1919. The

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

ordered a single example for evaluation on 22 November 1919, which was approved on 8 June 1920. The tank featured four large road wheels with rubber tires on the corners of the hull, a central bogie on each side with a pair of road wheels with coil springs which could be lowered or raised depending on if tires or tracks were used, and it was driven by an axle at the rear. The hull was divided into sections for the driver, gunner, and engine. On top of the hull was a flat-topped, round turret armed with the U.S. version of the

Ordnance QF 6-pounder The Ordnance Quick-Firing 6-pounder 7 cwt,British forces traditionally denoted smaller ordnance by the weight of its standard projectile, in this case approximately . The approximate weight of the gun barrel and breech, "7 cwt" (cwt = hundredwe ...

. On top of the main turret a smaller, semi-spherical turret housed a .30 caliber machine gun. Both turrets could move independently of the other. In February 1921 the tank was delivered to the Aberdeen Proving Ground and underwent tests until 21 April 1921. The Army wasn't impressed by the new tank, citing the lack of suspension (and thus bumpy ride), as well as the lack of speed needed for new military doctrines being developed. Christie revised the design and debuted the M.1921 a year later. The M.1921 had added suspension and the turret was removed and the guns placed within the hull instead, but it was also rejected on the grounds of being unreliable and under-powered. Tests of the M.1921 continued until July 1924 Christie-M1919-tank-FAJ19210102-1

Specifications

*Length: 18 ft 2 in *Width: 8 ft 6 in *Height: 8 ft 9 in *Weight: 29,762 lb *Crew: 3 *Engine: Christie 6-cylinder 120 hp water-cooled engine *Max Speed: 7 mph (tracks), 13 mph (tires) *Range: 40.4 mi *Armament: One 57 mm Gun M1, one .30 caliber machine gun *Armour: 0.25-1 in *Track width: 15 in

References

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