One of the clearer photos I have found I have of it. The first I posted was a scan from a book. As noted it does not have interleaving wheels. View attachment 14752
A BETTER PIC! THANKS! I'm digging around for adaptations of a Brit 17-pdr or US 90mm M3 to an Allied light tank hull in mid-war... but am coming up empty. It looks like it was "kluged together" from bits and pieces in an attempt to make a tank destroyer... by some "evil scientist". haha Just want to say how much I enjoy looking at these oddball things you come up with! I might never win the game again, but it's sure a helluva lot of fun playing.
There were three variants that I know of in this trial (I may keep the other pics for later now), the successful one made it into production (barely) by the end of WW2.
TOS - I looked at that, too. But, the drive and idler "wheels" don't match the chassis design. The drive sprockets look to be more of Allied type to me.
TOS I will say you are on the closest lines so far. The base for this vehicle is very very surprising though. Some photos of the Ardelt-Rheinmetall Waffentrager you posted. View attachment 14758
Nope its not Soviet. The running gear is not usually found on this type of vehicle if that's any help.
Yes. I gather that much now. You really found a "stumper" here. Congrats! Maybe a relative of the Swedish Stridsvagn 103 chassis?
Its German designed and the original idea on this vehicle base with a gun (but not this particular model) was put forward and successfully trialled in 1942. That may help or hinder. Any more questions.
Correct dazzerjeep, the Krupp-Steyr prototype for the 8.8mm Pak43/3 L/71 gun, Waffentrager. The running gear and track that stumped a few people was based on the RSO (Raupenschlepper Ost). One of the losers in the competition along with this beast, the Waffenträger Rheinmetall/Borsig mit 8,8 cm PaK 43 /L71 View attachment 14772
RSO for those that have not RSO 01 View attachment 14774 RSO 03 View attachment 14775 RSO based 75mm Pak 40 View attachment 14773 An odd choice for a basis maybe but Steyr did design and build the RSO so not surprising they used parts to hand. Information and original photo from 'Encyclopaedia of German Tanks in WW2' by Peter Chamberlain and Hilary Doyle, technical editor Thomas Jentz.
I had seen the standard RSO and Pak 40 armed variant and it already looked too much gun for the chassis, so I assumed the vehicle was in the 10 tonns class and didn't search further
To be fair they never used the chassis, just parts of the running gear etc. Both of the rejected entrants to the competition looked much better than the final winner, I suppose costs come into it though by 1944.
I'm not sure if this has been posted before but I would like the correct name please and a brief description View attachment 14776