Sturmpanzerwagen Oberschlesien

Sturmpanzerwagen Oberschlesien
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Place of origin	Germany
Specifications
Weight	~19 t
Length	6.7 m (7.3 yd)
Width	2.34 m (2.56 yd)
Height	2.9 m (3.2 yd)
Crew	5
Armor	14 mm (0.55 in)
Main armament	1 x or 37 mm (1.5 in) cannon
Secondary armament	2 x 8 mm machinegun
Engine	Argus As III 190 hp (140 kW)
Power/weight	10 hp/t (7.3684 kW/t)
Operational range	60 km (37 mi), ~100 km (62 mi) paved road(s)
Speed	16 km/h (9.9 mph) on roads 9 km/h (5.6 mph) off road

The Sturmpanzerwagen Oberschlesien ("Upper Silesia assault armoured wagon" from German: der Sturm, the storm, the assault; German: der Panzer, gepanzert the armour, armoured; German: der Wagen the vehicle, wagon) was a German tank project of the First World War. It was a radical design for a fast-moving, lightly armored assault tank.

The Oberschlesien included a track which was placed under the tank and only wrapped around half of it. The design sacrificed armor for the sake of speed and only required a 180 hp engine for the 19 ton body, giving it a projected ground speed of 16 km/h (9.9 mph).

The tank featured such advanced features as a main cannon mounted on top of the tank in a central revolving turret, separate fighting and engine compartments, a rear-mounted engine and a low track run.

History

Towards the end of the First World War it was clear that the only operational German tank, the A7V, was too expensive to produce and had too large a crew. Therefore, it was decided that a lighter tank was required which could spearhead assaults and which could be mass-produced.

Thirteen companies bid for the contract and in the middle of 1918, construction of a design by Captain Müller was assigned to the Oberschlesien Eisenwerk of Gleiwitz, which had partially completed two prototypes by October. The project received the pseudonym Oberschlesien (Upper Silesia).

Neither the ordered test models, nor the improved "Oberschlesien II" already planned were finished before the end of the war.

See also

• LK I

References

• Achtung Panzer! - First Panzers 1917 - 1918