John Walter Christie
John Walter Christie (born May 6, 1865 in River Edge ( New Jersey ), † January 11, 1944 in Falls Church ) was an American automobile racing driver , engineer , inventor and entrepreneur . He is best known for developing the Christie drive , which was used in a number of tanks during World War II , particularly the Soviet BT and T-34 series tanks , the British Covenanter tank, and the light Crusader . Tanks, also in the heavier Comet tank.
Life
Christie started working at the age of 16 and continued her education at the same time. He designed various vehicles, including front-wheel drive racing cars . He had no business success.
In the early 20th century, John Walter Christie operated several automotive companies in New York City under the Christie brand. He competed in national and international automobile races with his car. So he stepped z. B. at the French Grand Prix in 1907 with a car with 19,881 cm³ displacement . According to one source, this was the largest displacement ever used in a Grand Prix race .
In 1916 he developed a four-wheeled cart with a rifle for the US Army. But he did not adhere to the strict rules for weapons and did not want to revise his design. This stubbornness in dealing with the bureaucracy was to haunt him throughout his life.
Later innovations and bureaucratic frustrations
In 1928 he succeeded in building a revolutionary tank chassis, the M1928 model. The chains could be removed so that the vehicle could also drive on wheels. The new thing was that each wheel was suspended individually. This made the vehicle faster and more agile off-road, but it was poorly armored. Only on the front was it more protected with sloping armor. The army bought some vehicles to test.
When the M1928 was demonstrated at Fort Myer , Virginia, some were impressed, but the army preferred heavily armored tanks to support the infantry on the front lines rather than fast, agile vehicles that could penetrate the enemy hinterland. Therefore, Christie's tanks were passed on to the cavalry. The cavalry wanted to develop the M1928 further as an armed car. Again there was disagreement between the Army Agency and Christie over the concept.
Ultimately, the Defense Minister rejected mass production of the M1928 because of its high cost. Christie tried to sell his invention to the highest bidder, Poland, the Soviet Union and Great Britain expressed interest. It was illegal because Christie did not have permission to sell his invention to potentially hostile foreign countries.
Negotiations with foreign governments
At first Christie wanted to sell his tank to Poland. A vehicle was supposed to be delivered in 1930, but Christie withdrew from the contract.
The Soviet Union had no diplomatic relations with the US at the time and was not allowed to buy weapons. Soviet agents got hold of the plans for the M1928 anyway. In 1930, Christie's company agreed to supply the Soviets with two M1931 tanks, the successor. The two tanks were shipped to the Soviet Union disguised as tractors. The Soviets improved Christie's design for their BT series, on which the T-34 tank was based.
After the British observed Soviet activity, the British government approved the purchase of a Christie license by the Morris Motor Company . This became the basis for the Cruiser Tank Mk. III (A13).
Next life
After the US Army rejected the M1928, Christie worked on other models in the 1930s, including a tank with wings. Although the Army bought various prototypes and built on them with their own designs, none of Christie's models were mass-produced by the US.
After the outbreak of World War II in 1939 and the United States' entry into the war in 1941, Christie again sent several design designs to the Army, all with its suspension system and large, interchangeable wheels. But as before, all negotiations with the army ended in rejection and frustration. He died disappointed in 1944 while the tanks based on his design changed the course of world history.
literature
- Whittaker Chambers: Witness. Random House, New York 1980, ISBN 0-89526-789-6 .
- Janusz Magnuski: Armor in Profile 1 / Pancerne profile 1. Pelta, Warsaw 1997, ISBN 83-8531411-3 . (translated by Witold Kaluzynski)
- M. Pavlov, I. Pavlov, I. Zheltov: Tanki BT Chast '1 (BT Tanks Part 1). Armada, Moscow 1999.
- Steven J. Zaloga , James Grandsen: Soviet Tanks and Combat Vehicles of World War Two. Arms and Armor Press, London 1984, ISBN 0-85368-606-8 .
Web links
- Flying Tanks that Shed Their Wings by Lew Holt in Modern Mechanics and Inventions , July 1932
- Christie and the Vanderbilt Races (VanderbiltCupRaces.com)
- George S. Patton Papers , collection at the University of North Dakota, Grand Forks. Including Christie Tank - Report on Acceptance Test, 1930 and a 1943 letter from J. Walter Christie to Sereno Brett
- The Los Angeles Fire Department's Nine Mechanical Horses by Walt Pittman - an article mentioning Christie's fire machines
- Campbell-Christie House by Kevin Wright: History of Christie's family and birthplace with pictures and a brief biography
- Christie's patent for its drive
- Christie's patent for an endless track for truck tractors
Individual evidence
- ↑ Beverly Rae Kimes, Henry Austin Clark Jr .: Standard catalog of American Cars. 1805-1942. Digital edition . 3. Edition. Krause Publications, Iola 2013, ISBN 978-1-4402-3778-2 , pp. 305 (English).
- ↑ US Patent 1836446 patft.uspto.gov
- ↑ Janusz Magnuski: Armor in Profile 1 / Pancerne profile 1. Pelta, Warsaw 1997. (translated by Witold Kaluzynski)
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Christie, John Walter |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American racing car driver, engineer, inventor, and entrepreneur |
| DATE OF BIRTH | May 6, 1865 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | River Edge, New Jersey |
| DATE OF DEATH | January 11, 1944 |
| Place of death | Falls Church (Virginia) |