Technicals and Guntrucks

Mossie · March 17, 2011, 02:36:27 AM

Nice pic!

NARSES2 · March 17, 2011, 04:09:18 AM

Interesting photo.

Do you know if it's a captured Russian weapon ? I ask because I've not seen German Maxim's mounted on that type of small wheeled carriage before

rickshaw · March 17, 2011, 04:23:34 AM

Quote from: NARSES2 on March 17, 2011, 04:09:18 AM
Interesting photo.

Do you know if it's a captured Russian weapon ? I ask because I've not seen German Maxim's mounted on that type of small wheeled carriage before

Most armies of the period wore similar uniforms with that style of forage cap - even the British had them for a while. Could be Russian, could be German, could be Austro-Hungarian. The weapon does look Russian, with that wheeled carriage.

NARSES2 · March 17, 2011, 04:35:54 AM

Preaty sure the troops are German from the uniforms. Thats why I was wondering if it was a captured weapon

Rheged · March 17, 2011, 05:38:46 AM

http://www.ripten.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/tank_image1.jpg

The earliest guntruck

??

NARSES2 · March 17, 2011, 07:52:27 AM

Probably - off the top of my head I can't remember if that predates the Hussite war wagons. They carried hand gunners and sometimes small bombards

Someone does a resin kit of that Leonardo machine and it might be in the range Italeri have/are bringing out

Rheged · March 17, 2011, 08:01:55 AM

Quote from: NARSES2 on March 17, 2011, 07:52:27 AM
Probably - off the top of my head I can't remember if that predates the Hussite war wagons. They carried hand gunners and sometimes small bombards

I salaam to your encyclopaedaic knowledge ! Hussites were about 1420 to 1435, as I recall, and Leonardo wasn't born until 1452. Anyone care to offer an earlier war wagon than 1420?

rickshaw · March 17, 2011, 05:11:32 PM

IIRC various ancient peoples utilise different types of war wagons to varying degrees of success. The Persians and the Indians are two which spring to mind. One could suppose that you could include chariots in this classification and if that is allowed, then the field is open from ancient China through to ancient Briton via Egypt and Northern Africa.

NARSES2 · March 18, 2011, 01:49:29 AM

Well I would only include vehicles that carried a weapon rather then being a vehicle from which troops fight with their normal weapons or dismount and fight.

In that case I go for the Romans possibly. Somewhere I have a reference to a waggon carrying a small Ballista which was used in combat mounted. I've seen reference to small Onagers mounted on waggons as well but if that's true, and it's harder to believe, then that would probably get classed as the earliest SPG

Weaver · March 18, 2011, 02:28:37 AM

Quote from: Thiel on March 17, 2011, 12:47:50 AM

Just in case you though gun-trucks were a new idea.

It's a Russian "Tachanka", captured by the Germans (same pic in the link below). They were allegedly invented by the Ukrainian Anarchist commander Nestor Makhno during the Russian Civil War, but whether he invented them or not, he was certainly an enthusiastic and skilful user of them, to the point where they became his "signature" weapon.

Wiki: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tachanka

Rheged · March 18, 2011, 02:47:05 AM

Quote from: NARSES2 on March 18, 2011, 01:49:29 AM
Well I would only include vehicles that carried a weapon rather then being a vehicle from which troops fight with their normal weapons or dismount and fight.

In that case I go for the Romans possibly. Somewhere I have a reference to a waggon carrying a small Ballista which was used in combat mounted. I've seen reference to small Onagers mounted on waggons as well but if that's true, and it's harder to believe, then that would probably get classed as the earliest SPG

I seem to have instigated another bout of thread drift. Apologies! What started out as a sensible contemporary question has wandered off into the mediaeval realm............but I'm impressed with the scolarship being revealed.

Weaver · March 18, 2011, 03:27:07 AM

Oh I dunno - you could do a "timeslip" diorama with a technical full of Arab guys with AK-47s and a DShK driving past a horse-drawn wagon full of Arab guys with spears and bows. Use the same figures in both vehicles to make the point that nothing ever changes....

(Sure I've seen "Arab Warriors" figure packs somewhere....)

Mossie · March 18, 2011, 03:51:56 AM

There's a few, just do a search on Hannants for Arab under All Figures, ignore the French Carabiniers. There's camel sets too that might be useful.

Talking of Camels, do these count as gun 'trucks'? The weapons are mounted on the beasts....

Going a step further....

Old Wombat · March 18, 2011, 07:28:29 AM

Nah, they're a sub-division of Horse Artillery.

Why has the Arab in the bottom picture got PIAT's?

Nobody uses PIAT's...

... Well, not if they can get a decent blow-pipe, anyway.

NARSES2 · March 18, 2011, 08:22:06 AM

I don't think Gatlings were fired from the camels Mossie but that camel mounted heavy "musket" in Jaipur definately was. Of course there were also Elephant mounted guns.

Quote from: Weaver on March 18, 2011, 02:28:37 AM
It's a Russian "Tachanka", captured by the Germans (same pic in the link below). They were allegedly invented by the Ukrainian Anarchist commander Nestor Makhno during the Russian Civil War, but whether he invented them or not, he was certainly an enthusiastic and skilful user of them, to the point where they became his "signature" weapon.

Wiki: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tachanka

Only problem I have with that is that the uniforms look "classic" WWI to me. They could be "Frei Korps" circa 1918/1920 but look far to smart for that (the braiding in particular). Just looks to early for Russian Civil War ??