Melee cannon 1
| Melee cannon 1 | |
|---|---|
Melee gun I in the Thun tank museum |
|
| General properties | |
| crew | 5 |
| length | 6.46 m |
| width | 2.60 m |
| height | 2.50 m |
| Dimensions | 12,500 kg |
| Armor and armament | |
| Armor | 25 up to 40 mm |
| Main armament | 7.5 cm field howitzer or 10.5 cm howitzer 42 |
| Secondary armament | No |
| agility | |
| drive | 6-cylinder four-stroke in-line Saurer CT1D 123 hp |
| suspension | Leaf springs |
| Top speed | 55 km / h on the road, 25 km / h off-road |
| Power / weight | |
| Range | 200 km of roads, 120 km of terrain |
The melee cannon 1 is an armored vehicle developed in Switzerland , of which only a prototype was made.
History and Development
In 1943 and 1944, Switzerland also made its first experience of designing and building its own armored vehicles. The melee cannon 1 was manufactured on a chassis of the armored car 39 ( ČKD-Praga LT-H ), which is extended by a roller, by the Berna company in Olten . However, since only a few parts were available, spare parts for Panzerwagen 39 were used in some cases, mainly for the chassis and transmission.
The vehicle was only a makeshift construction. The armor was made of thin sheet metal and the structure was temporary. In the first attempts a 7.5 cm cannon was installed, for later attempts a 10.5 cm howitzer. Only one example was built, which was only used for trials in troops from 1944 to 1947 (M + number 7236). The vehicle is exhibited today in the Thun Tank Museum.
Web links
- Melee cannon 1 on militaerfahrzeuge.ch
