/Vehicles/Axis/4-Others.02-Hungary/01-Tanks/04-SPG/File-Nimrod/1-Genesis-Models.htm | Last Up-date: - |
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40M Nimród Anti-Aircraft Tank Genesis En mars 1939, la Hongrie subira quelques bombardement durant l'annexion du sud de la Slovaquie par l'armée allemande. Grâce à l'aviation hongroise, des dégâts furent minimes mais l'armée hongroise pris conscience de son manque de capacités dans la protection anti-aérienne de ses unités mobiles au sol. L'Etat-major hongrois décida donc rapidement de se munir d'un canon automoteur antiaérien et antichar performant, utilisant un maximum d'équipements déjà présents en son sein. La firme Ganz propose de produire sous licence le L-62 Anti-II suédois. Le châssis du L-62 avait l'avantage de dériver de celui du Landsverk L-60 produit également en Hongrie sous le nom de 38M Toldi I. Cette solution enlevait tout soucis de maintenance et de pièces détachées. C'est sans surprise que cette solution (qui en plus n'avait aucune concurrence) fut adoptée en décembre 1940. Les essais se révélèrent très concluants en prime. Le char fut baptisé officiellement 40M Nimród. In March 1939, Hungary will undergo some bombardment lasting annexation of the south of Slovakia by German army. Thanks to Hungarian aviation, the damage were tiny but Hungarian army become aware of its lack of capacities in the anti-aircraft protection of its mobile units on the ground. Hungarian staff thus decided quickly to provide a powerful anti-aircraft and anti-tank self-propelled gun , using a maximum of equipment already available. The Ganz firm proposes to produce under licence Swedish Anti-II L-62. The chassis of L-62 had the avantage to derive from that of Landsverk L-60 also produces in Hungary under the name of 38M Toldi I. This solution removed any problem of maintenance and spare parts. It's without surprise that this solution (which in more no competition had) was adopted in December 1940. The tests appeared very conclusive in premium. The tank was officially baptized 40M Nimród.
The production began immediately and 135 specimens of this tank left the lines of assembly between 1940 and 1943. At its incorporation, the 40M Nimród was without equivalent in the world in war, largely higher and in advance than all that was done a this time like anti-aircraft armored vehicle. The German for all to say were still at the stage of Flakpanzer I Ausf.A armed with a gun of 20 mm Flak hardly protected by a frontal shield.
Lehel A/S
On the Eastern front, the Hungarians discovered that their tanks were particularly vulnerable to the attacks of Soviet infantry which did not hesitate to come to the contact. On its side Hungarian army had no armored vehicle of transport for its infantrymen, Germans not being able to provide some to them (Sd.Kfz.251/1) having already hard to provide their own troops. The trucks were too quickly vulnerable and little to ease in cross country. The infantrymen could climb on the tanks but were consequently extremely exposed. In 1942, the ministry of defense emitted a schedule of conditions for an armored transport of troop based on existing material in preoccupation of standardization. Ganz thus proposed to adapt the anti-aircraft tank 40M Nimród in transport of troop. The turret was simply removed, and a space of transport was arranged, slightly protected by an armored box, however opened on the top so that the infantrymen can quickly to go out from the vehicle. Two versions were considered; Lehel A: transport of troop provided with 2 benches for 8 infantrymen and armed with a machine-gun and Lehel S: a medical transport being able to accomodate 4 stretchers. The shielding of the hull varied between 6 and 13 mm. The armored box was thick of 20 mm. The prototype was equipped with the same engine as Nimród but the specimens of series were to receive in theory Ganz VII., VGT 107 V8 of 150 hp.
Il fut présenté aux autorités hongroises début 1943, mais aucun exemplaire ne sera jamais commandé, en raison de la situation désastreuse de l'armée hongroise sur le front de l'est. Cette dernière ne voulant pas en toute logique dilapider les châssis de ses précieux chars de combat devenus trop rares pour la fabrication de véhicules secondaires. Le 27 juillet 1943, les usines hongroises subirent un bombardement de masse. Il est probable que les prototypes de cette version disparurent sous les bombes avec d'autres prototypes hongrois. Il est donc logiquement envisageable que le Lehel ne fut jamais utilisé au combat. Il ne figurait en tout cas pas sur aucun des organigrammes des deux formations blindées hongroises. L'engin était en tout cas comparable au Kangaroos canadiens, eux aussi entièrement chenillés (basés sur le RAM et le M7 Priest). It was presented to the Hungarian authorities at the beginning of 1943, but no specimen will never be ordered, because of the disastrous situation of the Hungarian army on the Eastern front. The latter not wanting in all logic to waste the chassis of its invaluable tanks become too rare for the manufacture of secondary vehicles. On July 27, 1943, the Hungarian factories underwent a bombardment of mass. It is probable that the prototypes of this version disappeared under the bombs with other Hungarian prototypes. It is thus logically possible that Lehel was never used with the combat. It was not reproduced in any case on any the flow charts of the two Hungarian armored formations. The vehicle was in any case comparable with Canadian, Kangaroos them also entirely tracked (based on the RAM and M7 Priest).
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