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| Tank, Heavy Assault, Tortoise (A39) |
|
| Type |
Super-heavy tank |
| Place of origin |
United Kingdom |
| Production history |
| Designed |
1944 |
| Number built |
6 |
| Specifications |
| Weight |
78 tonnes |
| Length |
10.0 m |
| Width |
3.9 m |
| Height |
3.0 m |
| Crew |
7 (Commander, gunner, machine gunner, 2 loaders, driver, co-driver) |
|
|
| Armour |
178-228 mm (33 top) |
Primary
armament |
32-pounder (96 mm) |
Secondary
armament |
3 x 7.92 mm Besa MG |
| Engine |
Rolls-Royce Meteor V12 petrol
600 hp ( kW) |
| Power/weight |
7.7 hp/tonne |
| Suspension |
torsion bar |
| Speed |
19 km/h (road), 6 km/h (offroad) |
The Tank, Heavy Assault, Tortoise (A39) was a British heavy tank design developed in World War II but never put into production. It was developed for the task of clearing heavily fortified areas. As a result, the design favoured armour protection over mobility.
[edit] Development
The project started with a series of heavy tank designs. Over the design period the vehicle grew in size and weight, and the original specification for heavily armoured tank was met when the Churchill tank was put into use. The project continued, envisioned as a specialist weapon in the same mould as the many unusual vehicles of the 79th Armoured Division. It was now to be optimised for breaching the defences of the Siegfried Line, just as the French FCM F1 of 1940.
The A39 Tortoise being towed on a trailer during trials in BAOR, 1948
The gun design was adapted from the British 3.75 inch anti-aircraft gun. The ammunition was separate charge and shell, the latter a 32 pound (14.5 kg) armour piercing shot (APCBC). In tests the gun was successful against a German Panther tank at nearly 1000 yards.
The 32-pdr was carried in a ball mount in the front of the hull. To the left was a Besa machine gun in a heavy armoured ball mount. The other two machine guns were mounted in a turret on the top of the hull to the right. Internally it was split into three compartments, the transmission to the front, the crew in the centre and the Meteor engine at the rear.
In strict terms, since the Tortoise had a fixed superstructure instead of a turret, it should be classified as a self propelled gun or an assault gun and not a tank.
The crew included the commander, driver, gunner with two loaders for the 32 pounder gun and two machine gunners.
[edit] Deployment
The Tortoise was not used in the war but was sent to Germany where it performed adequately in trials but was ultimately too tall and heavy for easy transportation.
One of the six pilot vehicles can be seen at the Bovington Tank Museum, UK.
[edit] See also
Wikimedia Commons has media related to:
[edit] External links
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Scout Cars and Armoured cars |
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| Scout Cars |
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| Light Reconnaissance Cars |
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| Armoured Cars |
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| Armoured Trucks |
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| Armoured Command Vehicles |
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