|
10.5 Cm LeFH 16 Geschützwagen Mk VI 736 (e)
The 10.5 cm leFH 16 Geschützwagen Mk VI 736 (e) was a German self-propelled artillery piece. It was created by mounting the German 10.5 cm leFH 16 field howitzer onto the chassis of the British Light Tank Mk VI. The vehicle was created by engineer Alfred Becker, who was battery chief of the 12th Battery in the 15th Artillery Regiment, 227th Infantry Division. Becker found abandoned vehicles while his unit was performing coastal protection duties in France. He made use of his artillery crews to build this vehicle and a number of others to motorize his battery. Becker's unit operated the first purpose-built self-propelled artillery of the war. A previous rough-and-ready conversion, the 15 cm sIG 33 (Sf) auf Panzerkampfwagen I Ausf B, had merely put a sIG 33 inside a superstructure, complete with wheeled carriage. Construction Following the German victory in France in July 1940, the 227th Infantry Division was assigned occupation, security, and coastal defense duties al ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Alfred Becker
Alfred Becker (20 August 1899 – 26 December 1981) was a German engineer and artillery officer who served during the First and Second World Wars. During the Second World War he took captured British and French vehicles and refurbished and rebuilt them to supply the German army with armoured fighting vehicles. With his engineering and organizational skills, he converted the Hotchkiss plant on the outskirts of Paris into a vehicle modification and fabrication center. He used the vehicles to motorize German guns, rocket launchers and mortars. Working with Altmärkische Kettenwerk Gmbh (Alkett), steel shielding was shipped from Germany to armour the vehicles. The men from his artillery command did the metal work and conversion on 1,800 recovered vehicles. During the winter of 1943-44 Becker's work focused on equipping the 21st Panzer Division. He used the tracked carriages of French light tanks to mobilize the 7.5 cm Pak 40 anti-tank gun and the 10.5 cm leFH 18 howitzer. Beck ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Self-propelled Artillery
Self-propelled artillery (also called locomotive artillery) is artillery equipped with its own propulsion system to move toward its firing position. Within the terminology are the self-propelled gun, self-propelled howitzer, self-propelled mortar, and self-propelled rocket artillery. They are high-mobility vehicles, usually based on continuous tracks carrying either a large field gun, howitzer, mortar (weapon), mortar, or some form of rocket (weapon), rocket/missile launcher. They are usually used for long-range indirect-fire, indirect bombardment support on the battlefield. In the past, self-propelled artillery has included direct-fire vehicles, such as assault guns and tank destroyers, which were typically well-armoured vehicles often based upon the chassis of a tank. In lieu of the standard tank's general-purpose tank gun, main gun that fired both high-explosive and anti-tank ammunition, direct-fire vehicles had specialized roles, with assault guns providing close fire-supp ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tarpaulin
A tarpaulin ( , ) or tarp is a large sheet of strong, flexible, water-resistant or waterproof material, often cloth such as canvas or polyester coated with polyurethane, or made of plastics such as polyethylene. Tarpaulins often have reinforced grommets at the corners and along the sides to form attachment points for rope, allowing them to be tied down or suspended. Inexpensive modern tarpaulins are made from woven polyethylene; This material has become so commonly used for tarpaulins that people in some places refer to it colloquially as "poly tarp" or "polytarp". Uses Tarpaulins are used in many ways to protect persons and things from wind, rain, and sunlight. They are used during construction or after disasters to protect partially built or damaged structures, to prevent mess during painting and similar activities, and to contain and collect debris. They are used to protect the loads of open trucks and wagons, to keep wood piles dry, and for shelters such as tents ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
54th Army (Soviet Union)
The Red Army's 54th Army was a Soviet field army during the Second World War. It was first formed in the Leningrad Military District in August, 1941, and continued in service in the northern sector of the Soviet-German front until the end of 1944. It spent much of the war attempting to break the German siege of Leningrad, in which it helped to achieve partial success in January, 1943, and complete success one year later. During these operations the soldiers of the 54th served under five different commanders, most notably Col. Gen. Ivan Fedyuninsky in the winter of 1941–42. After helping to drive Army Group North away from Leningrad and into the Baltic states in the first nine months of 1944, the army was deemed surplus to requirements on the narrowing front, and was officially disbanded on the last day of the year. Formation The 54th Army was first formed in August, 1941, in the Leningrad Military District, to the east of the city in the vicinity of the town of Volkhov. Its fir ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kliment Voroshilov Tank
The Kliment Voroshilov (KV; ) tanks are a series of Soviet heavy tanks named after the Soviet defence commissar and politician Kliment Voroshilov who operated with the Red Army during World War II. The KV tanks were known for their heavy armour protection during the early stages of the war, especially during the first year of the German invasion of the Soviet Union. In certain situations, even a single KV-1 or KV-2 supported by infantry could halt German formations. The German ''Wehrmacht'' at that time rarely deployed its tanks against KVs, as their own armament was too poor to deal with the "''Russischer Koloss''" – "Russian Colossus". The KV tanks were practically immune to the 3.7 cm KwK 36 and howitzer-like, short-barreled guns mounted, respectively, on the early Panzer III and Panzer IV tanks fielded by the invading German forces. Until the Germans developed more effective guns, the KV-1 was invulnerable to almost any German weapon except the 8.8 cm Flak gun. Prior t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
223rd Infantry Division (Wehrmacht)
The 223rd Infantry Division () was an Infantry Division, infantry division of the German German Army (1935–1945), Heer during World War II. Operational history The 223rd Infantry Division was formed on 26 August 1939 as part of the third Aufstellungswelle, wave of deployment in the Dresden area in Wehrkreis, Wehrkreis IV (Saxony). The division initially consisted of the Artillery Regiment 223 and the Infantry Regiments 344, 385 and 425. The initial divisional commander was Paul-Willi Körner. In September 1939, the division became part of Army Group C (Wilhelm Ritter von Leeb), which guarded the German border to French Third Republic, France. The divisional emblem were two black short-thrusting swords crossed on a blue shield. In November 1939, the division was transferred east into occupied Poland, where it served on occupation duty in the newly formed Wehrkreis XXI (Posen (region), Posen) until February 1940. The 223rd Infantry Division was then once more transferred to the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Assault Gun
An assault gun (from , , meaning "assault gun") is a type of armored infantry support vehicle and self-propelled artillery, mounting an infantry support gun on a protected self-propelled chassis, intended for providing infantry with heavy direct fire support during engagement, especially against other infantry or fortified positions, secondarily also giving some armored protection and anti-armor capability. Assault guns were pioneered by the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany during the 1930s, initially being self-propelled guns with direct fire in mind (such as the Soviet SU-5-1), with Germany introducing the first purpose-built (and purpose-named) assault gun, the , in 1940. Concept, doctrine and design The concept of the assault gun can be simplified into: a protected self propelled infantry gun, intended for the infantry brigades, in order to give infantry: mobile heavy direct fire capability against protected enemy positions and threats, which can move with infantr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
T-40
The T-40 amphibious scout tank was an amphibious light tank used by the Soviet Union during World War II. It was armed with one 12.7 mm (0.5 in) DShK machine gun. It was one of the few tanks that could cross an unfordable river without a bridge. It was primarily intended to equip reconnaissance units. A land-based version of the T-40, the T-30/"T-40" T-60, was produced, although was later replaced by the "true" T-60. The T-60 was cheaper, simpler, better-armed, and could fulfill most of the same roles, so T-40 production was halted. The vehicle served mainly in Operation Barbarossa and the defense of Moscow, and it was rarely seen after that point, although it was used in Soviet training schools until 1946. A total 12 examples of the type were later fitted with Katyusha rocket launchers, firing 82 mm unguided rockets from a 24-rail launcher. Importance Amphibious capability was important to the Red Army, as evidenced by the production of over 1,500 amphibio ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
254th Infantry Division (Wehrmacht)
The 254th Infantry Division () was an infantry division of the German Heer during World War II. History The 254th Infantry Division was created on 26 August 1939, the day of German mobilization, as part of the fourth '' Aufstellungswelle''. It was raised in Detmold and Düsseldorf in Wehrkreis VI, using Replacement Battalions from Infantry Regiment 18 (Detmold), Infantry Regiment 37 ( Lingen / Osnabrück), Infantry Regiment 58 ( Herford), and Infantry Regiment 79 (Münster / Wahn). These various battalions from various regiments were formed into the Infantry Regiments 454, 474, and 484, which made up the initial structure of the 254th Infantry Division along with Artillery Regiment 254. The initial commander of the division was Fritz Koch, appointed on 26 August 1939. On 1 February 1940, the 254th Infantry Division passed one infantry battalion and one artillery battery to the 292nd Infantry Division of the eighth ''Aufstellungswelle''. On 9 June 1940, the motorized fourth ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Eastern Front (World War II)
The Eastern Front, also known as the Great Patriotic War (term), Great Patriotic War in the Soviet Union and its successor states, and the German–Soviet War in modern Germany and Ukraine, was a Theater (warfare), theatre of World War II fought between the European Axis powers and Allies of World War II, Allies, including the Soviet Union (USSR) and Polish Armed Forces in the East, Poland. It encompassed Central Europe, Eastern Europe, Northern Europe, Northeast Europe (Baltic states, Baltics), and Southeast Europe (Balkans), and lasted from 22 June 1941 to 9 May 1945. Of the estimated World War II casualties, 70–85 million deaths attributed to World War II, around 30 million occurred on the Eastern Front, including 9 million children. The Eastern Front was decisive in determining the outcome in the European theatre of World War II, European theatre of operations in World War II, eventually serving as the main reason for the defeat of Nazi Germany and the Axis ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lake Ladoga
Lake Ladoga is a freshwater lake located in the Republic of Karelia and Leningrad Oblast in northwestern Russia, in the vicinity of Saint Petersburg. It is the largest lake located entirely in Europe, the second largest lake in Russia after Lake Baikal, and the List of lakes by area, 14th largest freshwater lake by area in the world. It is comparable in size to Lake Ontario. ''Ladoga Lacus'', a methane lake on Saturn's moon Titan (moon), Titan, is named after the lake. Etymology In one of Nestor the Chronicler, Nestor's chronicles from the 12th century a lake called "the Great Nevo" is mentioned, a clear link to the Neva River and possibly further to Finnish language, Finnish ''nevo'' 'sea' or ''neva'' 'bog, quagmire'.:ru:Поспелов, Евгений Михайлович, Evgeny Pospelov: ''Geographical names of the world. Toponymic dictionary.'' Second edition. Astrel, Moscow 2001, pp. 106f. Ancient Norse sagas and Hanseatic treaties both mention a city made of lakes named ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Army Group North
Army Group North () was the name of three separate army groups of the Wehrmacht during World War II. Its rear area operations were organized by the Army Group North Rear Area. The first Army Group North was deployed during the invasion of Poland and subsequently renamed Army Group B. The second Army Group North was created on 22 June 1941 from the former Army Group C and used in the northern sector of the Eastern Front from 1941 to January 1945. By then, this second Army Group North had gotten trapped in the Courland Pocket and was accordingly redesignated Army Group Courland. On the same day, the former Army Group Center, which was now defending the northernmost sector of the contiguous Eastern Front, was renamed Army Group North, assuming the status of the third and final iteration of the army group. First deployment of Army Group North: September – October 1939 The staff of Army Group North was formally assembled on 2 September 1939 from the headquarters of 2nd ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
