Aufgabe 57 [🇩🇪 Germany, HT-9]
Historical Reference:
The 1950s marked the beginning of the revival of German tank development. The first conceptual designs and proposals appeared, often quite revolutionary. One of them was Aufgabe 57 (Task No. 57). The emphasis was placed on automation and vehicle protection. The main feature of this tank was a gun with a loading mechanism, around which the entire concept was built. It was also proposed to separate the gun from the fighting compartment. For this reason, the turret of the Aufgabe 57 ended up being asymmetrical. The crew in the turret was positioned on the right side, while the gun and the mechanized ammunition rack were shifted to the left. This solution made it possible to reduce the turret’s dimensions and lower its mass, which in turn allowed the armor thickness to be increased. Like many radical ideas of that time, Aufgabe 57 did not progress beyond the sketch stage. At the same time, the ideas of a mechanized ammunition rack and an asymmetrical turret would repeatedly reappear in German tank designs.
