Big thanks to the team at Armoured Archives for doing this Q&A! Make sure to subscribe to their YT channel here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCIgjPAYn253oyWLsYgiHDw
1. What other projects did Nicholas Straussler did that the public does not know of?
After that excellent article of Hungarian tanks, we should look into more of Straussler’s works.
There are quite a few Stuassler’s projects recorded, from small contraptions to large vehicles – like his four-track MBT and an 88mm SPG, among others.
Sadly while parts of the text survive at Bovington, the attached pictures and plans are missing.
2. Which British tank, in your opinion, contributed the most to WW2?
A question with many answers, while Churchill’s are up there for numbers, and Cromwell’s for further growth. For me, it’s the plucky Matildas who fought gallantly at Arras.
Despite being outnumbered and unsupported, they were able to stall the Germans and aid with Dunkirk’s evacuation, at a heavy cost.
3. Is the Super Conqueror from World of Tanks completely fictional or was it ever actually designed?
Partially fake. A WOT player entirely made up the name – Super Conqueror. The underlying turret was based on a napkin design; the burster plates were real but never fitted to vehicles in service. The vehicle we have in-game is modeled from a few that were used as range targets only to test HESH and HEAT warheads’ effect. It’s not entirely fake, but far from the truth. Meanwhile, the Caernavon AX is entirely fake from top to bottom.
4. Is there documentation on the rationale behind giving the Centurion’s hull sides a slope? If it was to accommodate a turret ring, why not use a more conventional (and more spacious) layout like having straight hull sides with sponsons similar to a Sherman or Panther?
Alas, much of the early Centurion’s work is missing. There are tank board minutes and discussions between the war office and Ministry of Supply (MOS), but the most initial stuff has been lost. In the way of plans and design notes and even older photos. We now know the project’s first work goes to 1942, but what/where and when is all gone.
5. Please list all British and Commonwealth military vehicles in Hong Kong military, the vehicles those were captured by axis power in ww2, and captured by allied power in ww1, and the vehicles that fight against communists( China, Korean, Vietnam,Russia in 1920s, etc.). Thank you.
This is far too big and wider a topic for a simple Q/A.
6. How many tank designs like the Cobra are out there in the archives, unknown to the world, waiting to be uncovered?