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Interesting photos...

By The Armorer on July 24, 2007 | | Comments (11)

...looking at this picture of England during the Blitz - some of the inspiration for Dr. Who becomes apparent.

London during the Blitz - little proto-Daleks...

Then there's this fascinating little horse-drawn gizmo from the drafting tables of Krupp.

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11 Comments

By DougK on July 24, 2007 8:56 AM
Those horsie-drawn Krupp mobil pillboxes turn up in the most surprizing places. I found five of them in Chile...three in Army Camo where I couldn't photograph them (no pics allowed, burly young men with automatic weapons to enforce this rule) and two at the wonderful beachside Museum of Naval Armaments next to the Escola de same-same. Got some nice pics of those (along with some other hardware that you might find of interest). There used to be shots of a nicely restored one inside and out on the AFV Interiors website (of sainted memory) now no longer available, but it's pretty much what you'd expect inside. If you want more detailed shots, just email me, I got's some.
 
By DougK on July 24, 2007 9:03 AM
Well, whaddaya' know...here's a link to a thread on it...with some of the stuff mentioned above (pics included). Enjoy.... http://com-central.net/index.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&p=33710&highlight=chile#33710
 
By John of Argghhh! on July 24, 2007 9:20 AM
Doug - one can *always* stuff my inbox with photos of milgear!
 
By DougK on July 24, 2007 9:54 AM
John, Email me that addy (our email is on the fritz at the moment, but it'll be up soon) and I'll file it. I travel internationally and moderate the AFV forum over 'yonder and get into some purty interesting places (generally places with AFV's and artillery, sometimes wingy-things...), often with a camera. Access sometimes exceeds what you might ordinarily expect. I'll try to send you some of the "less usual" or more challenging to identify. Some of the more memorable lately have been Romania, Poland and Argentina. (Boy, do they have a great museum in Bucharest...you'd go apoplectic.)
 
By KCSteve on July 24, 2007 1:01 PM
I can't help but snork at that first photo. Ok, really at whoever had the idea of putting handles on the top of the 'baby helmets'. And for the mobile pillbox - something tells me no one ever attempted to fire it on the move more than once (not that it was intended to do so, just that I can see someone having a sudden 'good idea' when attacked).
 
By AFSister on July 24, 2007 1:37 PM
KEWL! I'm diggin' the baby gas-helmets-with-handles!!! Kind of like the forerunner to the child harness systems I refer to as 'kid on a leash'. hehe!
 
By DougK on July 24, 2007 2:01 PM
A little more detail on the "Krupp Mobile Pillbox" or more correctly, the fahrbare Panzerlafette usually, just "Fahrpanzer". The best source on this for pics since the loss of the AFV Interiors page of Mike Kendall (*sniff, sniff*) is this one: http://www.landships.freeservers.com/new_pages/matador__fahrpanzer_kitreview.htm Nice interior views of the one on display in Brussels. Intended for provisional defense of static positions (think, semi-permanent). Variations of this item were also put on rails. Served for a long time. Quite a few were built.
 
By JimC on July 24, 2007 2:57 PM
The fahrpanzer is very interesting but how good was the armor. Could it stop a 7.62 bullet for instance?
 
By DougK on July 24, 2007 3:31 PM
The horse-drawn fahrpanzer, unlike the rail mounted type, had relatively uniform armor thickness and was not necessarily expected to be in defilade like the other type, which had thick dome armor, but thin sides. I was able to examine the former type up close and personal and it's my impression that it would have defeated most sorts of small arms up through .30 cal MG's common through the first war. AT rifles and .50 cal certainly not, but that's not when or for what it was designed. I think it's safe to say you'd be safe from most WWI infantry weapons, grenade and smallish shell fragments. In other words, it's better than nothing.
 
By John of Argghhh! on July 24, 2007 3:38 PM
Well, if you *like* being in a tin can with little lateral observation ability, perhaps it's better than nothing... Certainly probably for riding out mortar and artillery barrages, but in an infantry fight? Hmmmmmm.
 
By DougK on July 24, 2007 3:58 PM
I don't think it was intended that the opposing infantry really get that close...I was just addressing the question posed...that of penetration. While it does lack for lateral visability, the cupola dome does rotate, to provide fires. I don't have the impression it was expected to operate unsupported, and it did have a crew of 6, not all of which were to be inside or just holding the horses. ;-)