Armored personnel carrier (military)

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M113 of the US Army in Iraq (2004)

Armored personnel carriers (abbreviated MTW ), in the army as armored transport vehicle (short TPz ) and Wehrmacht and NVA as armored personnel carriers (short SPW called) are armored tracked and wheeled vehicles, which are used for transport of personnel and material. The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) defines the term "armored personnel carrier (MTW)" in the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe (CFE Treaty) of November 1990 in Article II as follows:

"The term armored personnel carrier (MTW) ​​describes an armored combat vehicle that is designed and equipped for the transport of an infantry group and is usually equipped with an integrated or organic weapon of less than 20 millimeters in caliber."

- Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe, II 1 (D)

term

In German usage, the terms are transporting tanks , armored personnel carriers for historic vehicles - - and armored personnel carriers usually for half-track vehicles in use. In the English-speaking area, such vehicles are referred to as armored personnel carriers , abbreviated to APC , in the French-speaking areas as véhicule de transport de troupes , abbreviated to VTT . In Russian, the terms броневой транспортёр or бронированный транспортёр or бронетранспортёр , abbreviated as БТР (BTR) in all three cases , are common. In a corresponding sense, it is an armored transport vehicle .

In the Wehrmacht , vehicles that fall under the above definition of the transport tank were referred to as armored personnel carriers . The NVA the GDR also used this name, but also ranked among the vehicles that originally as a scout - and patrol vehicles were constructed and used ( BRDM-1 and BRDM-2 ). The Bundeswehr designated or designated such vehicles as personnel carriers ( M113 ), armored transport vehicles ( Tpz Fuchs ) or armored transport vehicles ( GTK Boxer ).

Differentiation from other armored vehicles

The M577 is a command vehicle on the chassis of the M113 personnel carrier
The SNAR-10 is a reconnaissance vehicle on the chassis of the MT-LB armored personnel carrier

The armored personnel carrier must be distinguished from the armored personnel carrier, which according to the OSCE definition is designed and equipped for the transport of a group of infantry, normally allows soldiers to shoot out of the vehicle protected by the armor, and usually with an integrated or organic weapon is equipped with a caliber of at least 20 millimeters. Armored fighting vehicles are armored combat vehicles according to the definition of the OSCE .

As armored MTW-like vehicle and SPz-like vehicle armored vehicles are referred to the same chassis and a similar appearance like an armored personnel carrier or infantry fighting vehicle, but not with a cannon or a gun of the caliber 20 mm, and are fitted above and were built or modified in such a way that no infantry group can be transported with them.

According to the Geneva Convention of August 12, 1949 - to improve the lot of the wounded and sick in the armed forces in the field - ambulance vehicles have a special status. Therefore, armored medical personnel carriers are not considered to be armored combat vehicles or armored personnel carriers.

Existing types are listed in the Protocol on Existing Types of Conventional Arms and Equipment , which is an annex to the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe. The protocol is updated regularly. In popular scientific literature and in common parlance, however , the term armored personnel carrier is not strictly applied. It is also difficult to classify historical vehicles whose use ended before the contract was signed and which are therefore not listed in the protocol. Depending on the point of view, these can also include protected vehicles , which, however, are predominantly built as a wheeled chassis on a conventional, civilian chassis. The exception to this is the protected version of the Bv 206 tracked vehicle .

Transport tanks serve in many cases as the basis for reconnaissance and command vehicles. A striking example of this is the American M113 or the Soviet MT-LB , whose chassis or its variant MT-LBu serve as a chassis for a large number of command and function vehicles. According to the definition of the OSZW, these vehicles are considered to be armored MTW-like vehicles . Transport tanks have been or are used as carriers of heavy weapon systems. If a cannon with a caliber of at least 75 mm for shooting in direct aiming is integrated or organically connected to the vehicle and its curb weight is at least 6 tons, it is a combat vehicle with heavy armament .

In contrast, weapons that can attack ground targets primarily by shooting in indirect aiming are known as artillery . Modern self-propelled artillery systems are often built on chassis derived from armored transport vehicles. Examples of this are the American M109 self-propelled howitzer and the Soviet 2S1 , which are built on a chassis derived from the M113 or MT-LBu armored transport vehicle . According to this definition, the M113 anti-tank mortar 120 mm and the Soviet 2S9 are not transport tanks, but belong to the artillery.

technology

landing gear

Transport tanks are armored wheeled or tracked vehicles . Half-track vehicles are only significant in a historical context. Both types have high off-road mobility, with wheeled vehicles being cheaper to purchase and maintain. Modern vehicles are powered by diesel engines . Power transmission and steering follow the design principles customary for wheeled and tracked vehicles. With armored vehicles, several axles are designed as steering axles in order to achieve a small turning circle.

protection

The armor used is aluminum or steel armor, which in modern vehicles can be supplemented with composite armor as well as active and other passive elements. Security against fire with medium calibers and against the effects of artillery fragments (155 millimeters) and bomblets is sought and also achieved in newer vehicles. In recent times, special emphasis has been placed on protection against mines. This protection is achieved not only through the armor, but above all through the construction of the tub floor and the arrangement of assemblies and equipment in the vehicle. The requirements are specified in STANAG 4569 - protection levels for occupants of logistics and light armored vehicles.

Armament

As armament, fast-firing, large-caliber machine guns are scaffolded into the vehicles. In modern vehicles, smoke throw systems are available. In Soviet vehicles, the armament was usually installed in a small rotating tower. The weapons system was installed free-standing on western vehicles, which exposed the operator to hostile effects. In modern vehicles, there is a trend towards remotely controllable weapon systems.

  • Diesel engine JaMZ-238 of the MT-LB

  • The South African Mamba was one of the first armored transport vehicles in which the shape of the hull and the chassis suspension made it possible to achieve greater protection against mines

  • Detail of the armor of the GTK Boxer. The composite armor can be seen, which is attached to the basic armor in a shock-absorbent manner

  • The 14.5 mm machine gun KPWT was or is the standard weapon of Soviet and Russian transport tanks

  • Remote-controlled weapon system of the GTK Boxer.

  • Adjustment of the remote controlled weapon system of the GTK Boxer

  • Weapon system of Radschützenpanzer 93 with smoke throwing system, practice fog bodies used, covers removed

  • GAZ-2975 Tigr with grenade machine gun (left) and machine gun (right)

history

Time until the end of the First World War

The British Mark IX was the first armored vehicle built to carry troops on the battlefield

Prior to World War I , the need to protect troops on the battlefield was not recognized. This was also due to the generally low motorization of the troops at that time. The battle was carried out on foot, relocations also took place on foot and over longer distances by rail. At first nothing changed at the beginning of the world war. During the border battles, the attacking troops suffered devastating losses against defenders who used machine guns. With the beginning of the trench warfare, however, the need for protected vehicles receded into the background. For a long time, neither side found any means to overcome the enemy trench systems, which were secured by barbed wire and defended with machine guns.

This only changed with the deployment of the first tanks from 1916 onwards. As a result, it became clear that although a break in or a breakthrough through the enemy trench systems was successful, the success could not be extended. The infantry advancing with the tanks were exposed to the defensive fire and were forced to take cover. As a result, they were unable to follow the tanks as they breached, take possession of sections of the trench and hold terrain taken by the tanks. So one tried at first to transport infantrymen in tanks on the battlefield. However, space and breathing air did not allow this, so that corresponding attempts had to be broken off.

As a result, the Mark IX was developed from 1917 . In addition to a crew of four, the vehicle could accommodate up to thirty infantrymen. It was armored with steel plates with a thickness of 10 mm. The Mark IX was powered by a Ricardo 6-cylinder petrol engine with an output of 150 hp, which enabled the vehicle to reach a top speed of 6.9 km / h. The Mark IX was armed with two 7.7 mm caliber machine guns. In addition, the mounted infantrymen could fire their handguns through 16 hatches. The speed and level of protection were on par with the tanks of the time. 200 Mark IX were commissioned, but only three vehicles had been completed by the armistice. Both in terms of its purpose and its design features, the Mark IX can be described as the world's first transport tank.

In the other warring countries there was no development of such vehicles. In France and Germany, the production of armored vehicles started late, in Russia there was a lack of an industrial base for the development and production of such vehicles. In addition, there was no need for armored breakout vehicles on the Eastern Front. Instead, armored cars were built in the countries mentioned, but also in the United Kingdom .

Time between the world wars

Soviet transport tank D-14

In the 1920s, Tukhachevsky and Triandafillow ( deep operation ) in the Soviet Union , Lidell Hart in the United Kingdom, de Gaulle in France, and Nehring and Guderian in Germany developed concepts for agile combat management based mainly on armored troops. These ideas consequently also required the development of suitably mobile, protected transport vehicles. On the other hand, there were approaches that proceeded from a more static battle management based on positions such as in the First World War. The development of this dispute was changeable. Ultimately, in Germany and the Soviet Union, the advocates of a flexible battle command prevailed, while in France a fight based on fortifications prevailed as a doctrine. As a result, armored transport vehicles on wheeled and tracked chassis, but also half-track vehicles, were developed in many countries. The development was characterized on the one hand by the search for useful technical solutions, on the other hand by the dispute between the representatives of the two military-theoretical approaches, which led to different and often changing requirements.

Soviet Union

In the Soviet Union, the D-14 transport tank (десантный танк Д-14) was developed from 1930. The vehicle was 6–10 mm thick, armed with two machine guns and could accommodate 25 infantrymen. It was powered by a four-cylinder gasoline engine with an output of 75 hp, which gave the 12.6-ton vehicle a speed of 6 km / h. After the construction of a prototype, the project was discontinued because the achievements were unsatisfactory.

The BA-22 (БА-22) armored personnel carrier was originally designed in 1938 as a medical vehicle (санитарно-транспортный бронеавтомобиль or бронированный монированный мото-медицинсктийпунсктий). The vehicle built on the chassis of the GAZ-AAA truck could accommodate four to twelve wounded. The armor was 6 mm thick and there was no main armament. Here, too, the unsatisfactory performance after the construction of a prototype led to the project being discontinued.

As a result, the Red Army did not have a transport tank at the beginning of the Second World War .

United Kingdom

Armored transport vehicles were also developed in Great Britain. When necessary, especially in the colonies, armored vehicles took over the role of transport vehicles . These had proven themselves on the British side during the First World War in Turkey, but also in the Arab region. The transport capacity of these vehicles was naturally limited, but the nature of the military conflicts in the colonial areas in the interwar period did not require the massive use of motorized infantry. Problems with the cross-country mobility of armored wheeled vehicles were already evident during this period. Sometimes improvised solutions were used, such as the Lancia Armored Lorry , which was used during the Irish War of Independence .

Another focus was on the development of armored artillery tractors that could safely transport the operator and ammunition. The best-known example of this is the Universal Carrier , built from 1934 onwards , which was based on a tractor for agriculture. Originally built in different versions by different manufacturers, the design was standardized in 1940. The vehicle was armed with a machine gun. The main disadvantage of the Universal Carrier was its armor, which only reached shoulder height of the mounted operator.

Half-track vehicles were also developed in the UK. The Burford 30cwt Kegresse was developed by Burford in 1926 and was used by the British Army from 1926 to 1929 . Four to eight millimeters thick armored, the vehicle could accommodate up to eight soldiers. During use, both the motorization and the off-road mobility turned out to be inadequate.

Germany

In Germany, after the surrender, ten armored artillery tractors Marienwagen II were fitted with an armored superstructure. The possession of armored vehicles for police tasks was granted to Germany in the Versailles Treaty . The vehicles were four to seven millimeters thick and armed as standard with a machine gun in a rotating turret. Additional weapons could be installed.

In Germany, the development of armored vehicles was hampered by the provisions of the Versailles Treaty. Due to the prohibition on the development and construction of tanks, no suitable base vehicles were available. The Panzerkampfwagen I and II did not become operational until 1934 and 1935, respectively. Both vehicles were too small and inefficient to serve as the basis for transport tanks. Instead, armored half-track vehicles were developed here . One of the origins of this development was the Daimler-Benz ZD5 artillery tractor .

The Sd.Kfz armored personnel carrier developed from 1937 . 251 was 8 to 12 mm thick, armed with two MG and powered by a Maybach engine with 100 hp. It could transport up to ten soldiers. Compared to a truck, the vehicle had better protection and, thanks to the chassis, more off-road mobility. The inclined side surfaces were new, providing better protection compared to vertical surfaces of the same thickness. Series production of the armored personnel carrier began in 1938. Numerous command vehicles and weapon carriers were built on its basis.

However, the Sd.Kfz 251 produced fewer than 1000 vehicles per year until 1941. In 1939, only 232 armored personnel carriers were built, and normal sheet steel was used in a further 305 vehicles instead of the hardened armor plates. At the beginning of the war, therefore, only a few units of the Wehrmacht were equipped with this vehicle, the bulk of the German infantry relied on trucks or marches for transport and led the battle on foot.

United States

In the USA, too, the development of armored transport vehicles was concerned in the interwar period. The development there was significantly influenced by French solutions. The Ordnance Department tested two Citroën vehicles with Kégresse drives in 1925 . Cunningham & Sons of Rochester, New York developed the first half-track vehicle in 1932. From this vehicle, known as T1, development went up to the T9, which was primarily used as a traction device for artillery. The White Motor Company developed on this basis a method known as T7 half-track vehicle in which the structure of the armored car M3 was used. The T14 emerged from the T7. Finally, in 1940, the various approaches were standardized. The M2 half-track car , which could transport seven soldiers, emerged from the previous development . In 1941 the M2 was introduced into the force.

For the mechanized infantry, the vehicle was developed into the half-track M3 . Compared to the M2, the M3 has a longer body and can transport up to ten soldiers. The armor is 6 to 13 mm thick and protects against fire from hand weapons, machine guns and splinters. For the drive, the power transmission and the chassis, assemblies from truck production were largely used.

France

The half-track vehicles with Kegresse drive developed in France, such as the Unic P107 , formed the starting point for the development of half-track transport tanks in other countries. Such vehicles were also developed in France, but could not establish themselves. A special feature is the small Citroën Type N , which was developed as a supply vehicle for the infantry.

The Panhard 179 was a transport tank that was based on the Panhard 165 \ 175 truck. It could transport six soldiers, was four to nine millimeters thick and armed with a machine gun. However, only about thirty vehicles were produced. The Berliet VPDK, also a wheeled armored vehicle, was a three-axle vehicle. The eight to seventeen millimeter armored transport tank could transport up to seven soldiers. The testing of the prototype was satisfactory, but preference was given to the Panhard 178, which is easier to manufacture.

  • BA-22

  • Burford Kégresse 30 cwt

  • Universal carrier

  • Marienwagen II in use during the Spartacus uprising

  • Sd.Kfz. 251/1 version A

  • M2 half-track car

Second World War

The Second World War had shown the superiority of agile combat management. During the attack on Poland , the western campaign and in the initial phase of the German-Soviet war , German troops succeeded in breaking through the opposing defenses and penetrating into the depths of the area. The defenders' associations that had been bypassed were wiped out in kettle battles . This was made possible by the use of armored forces, which did not proceed with the slow infantry, but acted independently. On the German side, however, only a few units were equipped with the armored half-track vehicles known as armored personnel carriers, as their production only exceeded 1000 units a year from 1942. At the beginning of the attack on Poland only 3 out of 400 motorized Wehrmacht companies were equipped with this vehicle. Up until the beginning of the war against the Soviet Union, one company each in the 2nd, 6th, 8th and 10th Panzer Divisions could be equipped with the armored personnel carrier, the tank battalions of the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 10th Panzer Divisions The Panzer Division received six armored personnel carriers each.

The need for armored troop carriers was also recognized on the Allied side. With the M2 and M3, a powerful vehicle was available on the American side. Here, too, large-scale mass production did not begin until 1941. Therefore, armored artillery traction devices had to be used as transport tanks. In the course of the war, the lack of armored means of transport forced the Allies to convert reconnaissance tanks and weapons carriers that were no longer needed into transport tanks.

The types of transport tanks developed before the start of the war were further developed and used. Conceptually new vehicles were developed, but were only used on the American side shortly before the end of the war. At the end of the war, the armored half-track vehicle armed with machine guns had become the standard solution. These vehicles also served as the starting point for the development of a large number of reconnaissance and command vehicles, as well as weapon carriers.

Soviet Union

Infantry mounted on tanks was a makeshift solution for the missing transport tanks

No armored transport vehicles were manufactured in the Soviet Union during the war. Only a few hundred copies of the American M3 made it to the Red Army. However, the lack of an armored troop transport resulted in heavy losses of the attacking infantry from 1943 onwards. They managed by the fact that infantry mounted tanks during the attack. This provided mobility and a certain level of protection, but this was not a satisfactory solution.

Building on experience with American and German transport tanks, the TB-42 was developed from 1942 onwards on the basis of the unarmored half-track vehicle ZIS-42 . In terms of construction, it did not differ significantly from the American or German models. However, after testing and building five pre-production models in mid-1943, the project was canceled because the development potential was assessed as too low. The B-3 (Б-3), which was developed from 1944, also adopted the design features of American and German armored half-track vehicles. The drive was taken over by the T-70 light tank and the ZIS-5 truck . A prototype was tested, but the project was discontinued due to unsatisfactory results.

Germany

In Germany the armored personnel carrier Sd.Kfz. 251 constantly evolving. In 1939 the development of the conceptually similar but smaller armored personnel carrier Sd.Kfz began. 250 . Production started in 1940. Of greater importance, however, was the Sd.Kfz. 251. However, it was not until 1942 that production was increased to such an extent that more than 1,000 vehicles were delivered each year. However, the lack of armored transport vehicles remained a problem until the end of the war. Therefore, captured French half-tracks like the SOMUA MCG were provisionally converted into transport tanks. The Unic P107 was also given an armored structure.

Attempts to develop new and partly innovative armored transports like the Kitten could not be successfully completed. What was new about this vehicle was the tub, with surfaces sloping on all sides, and the full-track running gear with torsion bar suspension .

United States

On the American side, the massively produced M2 and M3 as well as their numerous variants remained the dominant armored personnel carrier during the Second World War. Numerous vehicles were also delivered to allies. The American vehicle was also the basis for numerous reconnaissance and command vehicles as well as weapon carriers.

A new development was the M39 , based on the M18 Hellcat tank destroyer . Conceptually, new approaches have been taken with a full-track vehicle. However, the vehicle was not produced until 1944. During the war, the vehicles were used as artillery tractors.

Other states

Transport tanks were also built in other countries. As with the Japanese Type 1 Ho-Ha , the design was closely based on the American and German models.

The Canadian troops, like the British and Australian troops, suffered from a lack of transport tanks, as only the unsuitable Universal Carrier was available for these purposes. Lieutenant-General Guy Simonds therefore ordered the conversion of 72 M7 Priest self-propelled howitzers to armored transport vehicles, as the artillery was replaced by other types.

  • Armored personnel carrier Sd.Kfz. 250

  • Armored personnel carrier Sd.Kfz. 251/1 version C

  • M2

  • M3

  • Type 1 Ho-Ha

  • M39

  • M7 Priest Kangaroo

Cold War

During the Cold War , from 1947 to the 1980s, the Western powers under the leadership of the United States of America and the Soviet Union with its European and Asian satellite states faced each other. According to the ideas of the time, a military conflict would mainly take place in Central Europe . Tank and mechanized infantry units should be used. From the 1950s, both sides also planned the use of tactical nuclear weapons on the battlefield. The development of self-propelled anti-aircraft weapons was largely shaped by these framework conditions, but also by the technical and economic possibilities available in each case.

Immediate post-war period

M3 in the Korean War, 1951

Initially, the half-track vehicles of the Second World War continued to be used and developed. American armed forces used the vehicles of the M2 / M3 family and the M39 until the Korean War, when the Universal Carrier was also used again. These numerous transport tanks were also part of the initial equipment of the armed forces newly established in Western Europe after the war.

In some cases, new types such as the Czechoslovak OT-810 were created based on these vehicles . However, with their open, non-hermetic fighting compartment, these vehicles soon no longer met the requirements. The half-track chassis was also too expensive to design and manufacture; the same off-road mobility could also be achieved with caterpillar vehicles and increasingly with armored vehicles. At the end of the 1950s it therefore disappeared as a constructive solution. An exception is the Iranian Shahid Farsi , which was developed in the 1980s but did not go into series production.

In the Soviet Union, the ZIS-153 was also developed as a half-track vehicle, after which new constructive approaches were used.

1950s

M113 of the US Army in the Vietnam War

In the 1950s, several trends emerged in the development of armored personnel carriers. In the USA the concept of a lightly armored vehicle on a full track chassis was developed. The box-shaped structure had straight side walls. This reduced protection compared to sloping side walls, but resulted in a larger and more usable interior space. The concept can already be recognized in the M75 and led via the M59 to the M113 . A similar path was taken at times in the Soviet Union. In contrast , the BTR-50, which was added to the armed forces of the Soviet Army in 1954, was a caterpillar vehicle with a closed, hermetic combat compartment. It did not convince as a personnel carrier, but became the basis for numerous command vehicles.

In the Soviet Union, the concept of the armored vehicle was preferred. Both the BTR-40 and the BTR-152 were built on the chassis of conventional, all-wheel-drive trucks and their design was based on the vehicles of the Second World War. A similar path was followed in Great Britain with the Humber Pig . However, the use of truck chassis was soon abandoned. After the ZIL-135 and the BTR-60 had been tested, wheeled armored vehicles also prevailed in the Soviet Army. The BTR-60P, which was initially open at the top, was given a closed combat area as the BTR-60PA, and a rotating turret to accommodate the armament as the BTR-60PB. The latter formed the starting point of a series of types that ranges from the BTR-60 to the BTR-70 to the BTR-80 . The problem with these vehicles was the arrangement of the engine in the rear. As a result, the crew was forced to leave the vehicle via the side walls, which exposed them to enemy weapons. The engine system was also problematic overall. Since a correspondingly powerful and light diesel engine was not available until the 1980s, the BTR-60 had to be equipped with two petrol engines. Only the BTR-80 was equipped with only one diesel engine. Like many other Soviet vehicles, the Soviet armored transport vehicles were buoyant in order to meet the requirements of the Central European theater of war.

Another trend was the derivation of personnel carriers from reconnaissance vehicles and light tanks. So the UK from which it was in Saladin the Saracen developed in France from the AMX-13 AMX 13VTT and from the EWC-75 EWC TT.

The Federal Republic of Germany played a special role. With the HS 30 , which was developed by Hispano-Suiza on behalf of the German Armed Forces , a conceptually new vehicle was put into service. It was a full-track vehicle with a 20 mm machine gun installed in a rotating tower. However, the vehicle did not prove itself. Instead of the 10,000 ordered, only 2176 HS 30 were produced. With its conception, however, the HS 30 was one of the starting points for the development of armored personnel carriers . In his function he was replaced by the Marder armored personnel carrier.

  • Humber Pig

  • ZIL-153

  • BTR-60P

  • BTR-60PA

  • HS 30

1960s

These tendencies continued into the 1960s. The M113 was continuously developed and built in large numbers. To this day it can be found in almost all NATO armies and almost all current and former allied armies of the United States. Numerous reconnaissance and command vehicles as well as various weapon carriers were built on the basis of the M113. Approximately 80,000 vehicles were made of the M113 and its versions. The Soviet MT-LB was developed as an armored artillery tractor . Three to ten millimeters thick armored and armed with a machine gun in the turret, it was, however, quite suitable as a transport tank. In contrast to the BTR-50, the engine was now in the front of the vehicle, which made it possible to install rear doors like the American M113. The LVTP-7 , which was designed as an amphibious vehicle for landing operations, plays a special role among tracked vehicles .

Numerous armored vehicles were developed internationally during this period. Initially, three- and four-axle vehicles with a front drive system prevailed. Examples are the Czechoslovak OT-64 or the Dutch YP-408 . The TPz Fuchs , which was developed in the Federal Republic of Germany from 1961 , is a three-axle armored vehicle. Despite its name, it was used less as a transport vehicle for infantry and more as a carrier for various reconnaissance and command systems.

The trend towards smaller wheeled armored vehicles that could also be used as reconnaissance vehicles was new. In addition, these vehicles were also suitable for fighting riots and civil unrest. The American V-150 was developed for these tasks from 1964. As is usual with other transport tanks, command vehicles and weapon carriers were derived from the type.

1970s

Even in the 1970s, the M113 and the Soviet BTR-60, supplemented by the improved BTR-70 from 1971 , remained the world's dominant armored transport vehicles.

The armored personnel carrier with a full-track chassis had developed into the more armed and usually more heavily armored infantry fighting vehicle, which in many cases became the combat vehicle of the mechanized infantry. Due to high procurement and operating costs, the infantry could not be fully equipped with armored personnel carriers, so that mechanized units were equipped with both transport and armored personnel carriers.

A trend towards vehicles that could be used as universally as possible also set in with full-track vehicles. One example is the FV103 Spartan , which arose from the Combat Vehicle Reconnaissance (Tracked) . Other vehicles of the family are for example the FV106 Samson or FV107 Scimitar .

The trend towards the development of smaller, universally usable armored vehicles continued. One example of this is the Pandur , which was developed in Austria from 1979 , or the Swiss Mowag Piranha , each of which formed the basis for an entire family of vehicles. The same applies to the French Véhicule de l'avant blindé , or VAB for short. Even states that had no or only a poorly developed arms industry, such as Spain or Portugal, developed light armored vehicles. This was favored not least by the possibility of exporting these inexpensive vehicles to numerous countries in the Third World . The Saxon was also a lighter armored vehicle. The mechanized infantry battalions of the British Army of the Rhine were equipped with the first copies from 1983 .

  • Piranha

  • Pandur

  • Saxon

1980s

Achzarit

In addition to the M113, which has a special role due to its widespread use, the multi-axle wheeled armored vehicle had established itself as the standard for armored transport at the end of the 1980s. Sufficiently off-road, armed and armored, it was widely used worldwide.

In the 1980s there was a tendency to derive transport armored vehicles from more heavily armed armored personnel carriers or reconnaissance vehicles, an example being the M3A1 . In general, tracked vehicles of this class are used universally as armored transport vehicles, reconnaissance vehicles, artillery traction devices and weapon carriers. In some cases, transport tanks were also equipped with more powerful weapons. So the LAV-25 received a 25-mm automatic cannon.

The transport tanks , which are derived from more heavily armored vehicles, are a specialty. The Israeli transport tank Achzarit was converted from captured Arab tanks of Soviet production. Despite its strong armor, it is only armed with machine guns and thus, by definition, a transport tank. In the case of the OT-90, the chassis of the BMP-1 armored personnel carrier was combined with a small rotating turret that can accommodate a machine gun as armament. A similar path was followed in Bulgaria, where the chassis of the 122 mm Sfl 2S1 was combined with the tower of the BMP-2 .

Types

The protocol of existing types of conventional weapons and equipment lists the following armored personnel carriers:

  • Greece:
    • Leonidas
  • Italy:
  • Spain:
  • Portugal:
    • Chaimite V200
  • USSR

  • BTR-50

  • BTR-40

  • BTR-152

  • BTR-60PB

  • BTR-70

  • BTR-80

  • MT-LB

  • CSSR

  • OT-810

  • OT-62

  • OT-64

  • OT-90

  • Hungary

  • FUG D-422

  • PSZH

  • Romania

  • TAB-71M

  • TAB-77

  • TABC-79

  • MLVM

  • USA / Canada

  • M75

  • M59

  • M113

  • YPR-765

  • LVTP-7

  • AFV 432

  • Grizzly

  • V 150

  • United Kingdom

  • Humber

  • FV603 Saracen

  • Saxon

  • Spartan

  • France

  • EWC ETT

  • AMX-13VTP

  • VAB

  • various

  • TPz fox

  • YP 408

  • Leonidas

  • Fiat 6614

  • Chaimite V200

Development from 1990

From the 1990s, the fight against asymmetrically fighting opponents increased in importance. In contrast, the fight against armored and mechanized forces withdrew. As a result, the focus shifted in the development and use of transport tanks. Since conventional armed forces were reduced in most industrialized countries, armored personnel carriers there largely replaced the armored personnel carrier as a vehicle for mechanized infantry.

With the remaining transport tanks, there is a trend towards stronger armament, so that the line between the armored personnel carriers is becoming blurred. In the Stryker Armored Vehicle , the installed remote-controlled weapon platform Protector M151 enables various types of weapons to be installed. The LAV III and the NZLAV are also armed with 25 mm automatic cannons, the Piranha V with a 30 mm automatic cannon , as is the Russian BTR-90 , which continues the BTR-60-70-80 series. A corresponding German development is the Boxer armored transport vehicle . Full track vehicles are rarer than the armored vehicles mentioned. The Russian BTR-T uses a chassis derived from the T-55 .

At the same time, however, there was also a need for lighter armored vehicles that could be used flexibly. Usually less or only partially armored, these are designated as protected vehicles , in the Bundeswehr specifically as protected command and control vehicles - GFF . In general, grenade machine weapons are also scaffolded in these vehicles or at least the possibility of scaffolding is provided. Protected transport vehicles - GTF , in contrast, are basically unarmed, but a machine gun can usually be scaffolded.

Protected vehicles that also take on the role of armored transport are also being developed internationally. Russian examples are the BPK-3924 (ВПК-3924) or the GAZ-2975 Tigr , an example from France is the Petit Véhicule Protégé , from Australia the Bushmaster Protected Mobility Vehicle .

  • Stryker

  • Protector M151 with M2

  • New Zealand Light Armored Vehicle (NZLAV)

  • BTR-T

  • BPK-3924

  • GAZ-2975 Tigr

  • Petit Véhicule Protégé

  • Bushmaster Protected Mobility Vehicle

literature

General
  • Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe
  • Janes Armor and Artillery 1986–1987 , Janes Publishing Company Ltd, 1986. ISBN 0-7106-0833-0 (English)
  • Philip Trewhitt: tanks. The most important combat vehicles in the world from World War I to the present day. Neuer Kaiserverlag, Klagenfurt 2005, ISBN 3-7043-3197-X .
  • TJ O'Malley: Fighting Vehicles: Armored Personnel Carriers and Infantry Fighting Vehicles , Greenhill Books, 1996. ISBN 1-85367-211-4 (English)
  • The International Institute for Strategic Studies: The Military Balance 2007 , London, 2007. ISBN 1-85743-437-4 (English)
To Soviet transport tanks
  • А. Г. Солянкин, М. В. Павлов, И. В. Павлов, И. Г. Желтов: Бронированные машины боевого, тылового и технического обеспечения. Отечественные бронированные машины. XX век. 1905–1941 , 2002. ISBN 5-94038-030-1 (Russian)
  • А. Г. Солянкин, М. В. Павлов, И. В. Павлов, И. Г. Желтов: Отечественные бронированные машины. XX век. 1941–1945 , Экспринт, 2005. ISBN 5-94038-074-3 (Russian)
  • Евгений Прочко: БТР-152 in: Техника и вооружение , 1999 (Russian)
  • М. В. Коломиец: Бронированный мотомедпункт - Броня на колесах. История советского бронеавтомобиля 1925–1945 гг. , Эксмо, 2007. ISBN 978-5-699-21870-7 (Russian)
  • Е. Д. Кочнев: Плавающий и санитарный бронеавтомобили - Автомобили Красной Армии 1918–1945 , Эксмо, 2009. ISBN 978-5-799-367 (Russian)
  • М. Барятинский: Отечественные колёсные бронетранспортёры БТР-60, БТР-70, БТР-80 , Моделист-конструктор, 2007 (Russian)
  • С. Шумилин: Советские бронетранспортёры БТР-60/70/80/90 , Кировское общество любителей военителей военителей военитей военимой техники, 2000 (Russian) техники, 2000 (Russian) техники, 2000 (Russian)
  • S. Zaloga, W. Luczak: Armor of the Afghanistan War , Concord Publications, 1992. ISBN 962-361-909-X (Russian)
  • М. Б. Барятинский: Советская бронетанковая техника 1945–1995 (часть 1) , Моделист-конструктор, 2000 (Russian)
  • J. Kinnear. Russian Armored Cars 1930–2000 , Darlington, MD: Darlington Productions, 2000. ISBN 1-892848-05-8 (Russian)
  • Конкин П.Ф., Пуденко Л.Я., Совельев С.В., Одноуров А.Н., Колотушкин А.И., Лашенчук С.МН., Гдокино во.С., Гдокино во.С., Гдокино во.С. .Я., Семечкина В.А .: Руководство по материальной части и эксплуатации бронетранспортёров БТР-40 и БТР-40Б , Военное издательство Министерства обороны СССР, 1966 (russian)
To American armored personnel carriers
  • Jim Mesko: M3 Half-Track in Action . Squadron Signal Publ No. 34, 1996 (English)
  • Steve Zaloga : M3 Infantry Halftrack 1940–1973 , Osprey New Vanguard 11, 1994 (English)
  • Peter Chamberlain / Chris Ellis: British and American tanks of the Second World War , Lehmanns Verlag Munich, 1972 (English)
  • El-Assad, Moustafa. Blue Steel III: M-113 Carriers in South Lebanon. Sidon, Lebanon: Blue Steel Books, 2007 (English)
  • Dunstan, Simon. The M113 Series London, UK: Osprey Publishing, 1983. ISBN 0-85045-495-6 (English)
  • Dunstan, Simon. Vietnam Tracks-Armor In Battle 1945-1975. (1982 edition Osprey Books); ISBN 0-89141-171-2 (English)
  • Foss, Christopher F. Jane's Armor and Artillery 1987-88 . London: Jane's Yearbooks, 1987. ISBN 0-7106-0849-7 (English)
  • Nolan, Keith W. Into Laos: Dewey Canyon II / Lam Son 719. Novato, CA: Presidio Press, 1986. ISBN 0-89141-247-6 (English)
  • Starry, Donn A., General. "Mounted Combat In Vietnam" Vietnam Studies; Department of the Army. First printed 1978-CMH Pub 90-17 (English)
  • Tunbridge, Stephen. M113 in action . Carrollton, TX: Squadron / Signal Publications, Inc, 1978. ISBN 0-89747-050-8 (English)
  • Zaloga, Steven. Armored Thunderbolt, The US Army Sherman in World War II. 2008, Stackpole Books. ISBN 978-0-8117-0424-3 (English)
  • Zumbro, Ralph. The Iron Cavalry. 1998, New York, New York, Pocket Books. ISBN 0-671-01390-4 (English)
  • Fred W. Crismo: US Tracked Military Vehicles , Motorbooks International Osceola WI 1992 (English)
To German transport tanks
  • Wolfgang Fleischer, Richard Eiermann: The motorized riflemen and tank grenadiers of the German army 1935-1945 , Podzun-Pallas Verlag, ISBN 3-7909-0687-5 .
  • Walter J. Spielberger: The half-track vehicles of the German army, 1909-1945 , Volume 6, Motorbuch Verlag Stuttgart, ISBN 3-87943-403-4 .
  • Horst Scheibert: Armored personnel carrier, Volume 64, Podzun-Pallas-Verlag, ISBN 3-7909-0137-7 .
  • Lutz-Reiner Gau, Jürgen Plate, Jörg Siegert : German military vehicles Bundeswehr and NVA , Motorbuchverlag, ISBN 3-613-02152-8 .
  • Jochen Vollert: Fuchs - The transport tank TPz-1 of the Bundeswehr. Development - Variants - Technology - Use , Tankograd Publishing, ISBN 3-936519-00-5 .
  • Dieter H. Kollmer: Defense procurement in the development phase of the Bundeswehr. The HS 30 armored personnel carrier as a case study (1953–1961) , Steiner, Stuttgart 2002 (= contributions to economic and social history, 93), ISBN 3-515-08077-5 .
  • Blume, Peter: Armored personnel carrier short, Hotchkiss - long, HS 30. , Tankograd Publishing, Erlangen, 2008.
  • Wolfgang Fleischer, Richard Eiermann: The German tank reconnaissance 1935-1945 , Podzun Pallas Verlag, ISBN 3-7909-0797-9 .
To British armored personnel carriers
  • David Fletcher, Tony Bryan (Illustrator): Universal Carrier 1936-48 - The 'Bren Gun Carrier' Story . Osprey Publishing, 2005, ISBN 1-84176-813-8 (English)
To French transport tanks
  • François Vauvillier, Jean-Michel Touraine: L'automobile sous l'uniforme. 1939-1940. Massin, Paris 1992, ISBN 2-7072-0197-9 (French)

Web links

Commons : Armored Transport  - Album with pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe
  2. ↑ a b Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe, II 1 (D)
  3. ↑ a b Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe, II 1 (S)
  4. ^ Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe, II 1 (F)
  5. ^ Marienwagen II. (No longer available online.) In: aviarmor.net. Archived from the original on September 9, 2016 ; Retrieved December 25, 2015 (Russian). Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.aviarmor.net
  6. ↑ Burford-Kegresse 30cwt half-track ( Memento of the original from May 17, 2012 on WebCite ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (Russian) @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.aviarmor.net
  7. ↑ Marienwagen II ( Memento of the original from January 25, 2010 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (Russian)  @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.aviarmor.net
  8. ↑ С. Л. Федосеев: Иллюстрированный справочник Танки Первой Мировой войны , Москва. 2002 (Russian)
  9. ↑ Daimler-Benz ZD5 ( Memento of the original from May 9, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.aviarmor.net
  10. ↑ Reinhard Frank: The heavy towing vehicles of the Wehrmacht 1934-1945 , Waffen-Arsenal 144, Podzun Pallas, 1994
  11. ↑ see also Janes Armor and Artillery 1986–1987 , p. 462ff (English)
  12. ↑ Citroen Type N ( Memento of the original from May 9, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (Russian) @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.aviarmor.net
  13. ↑ Panhard 179 ( Memento of the original from December 27, 2010 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (Russian) @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.aviarmor.net
  14. ↑ Л. Кащеев: Колесные бронеавтомобили Франции 1920–1945 , Бронеколлекция 2009, № 5 (Russian)
  15. ↑ Christopher F. Foss: The Encyclopedia of Tanks and Armored Fighting Vehicles , 2002 (English)
  16. ↑ Berliet VPDK ( Memento of the original from July 1, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (Russian) @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.aviarmor.net
  17. ↑ А. Г. Солянкин, М. В. Павлов, И. В. Павлов, И. Г. Желтов: Отечественные бронированные машины. XX век. 1941-1945
  18. ↑ SOMUA MCG \ MCL  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (Russian)@1@ 2Template: Dead Link / www.aviarmor.net  
  19. ↑ Unic P107  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (Russian)@1@ 2Template: Dead Link / www.aviarmor.net  
  20. ↑ see Janes Armor and Artillery 1986–1987 , p. 294f (English)
  21. ↑ Iranian Armored Personnel Carriers (Iran) (English)
  22. ↑ a b see Janes Armor and Artillery 1986–1987 , p. 451 (English)
  23. ↑ a b see Janes Armor and Artillery 1986–1987 , p. 450 (English)
  24. ↑ see Janes Armor and Artillery 1986–1987 , p. 442ff (English)
  25. ↑ see Janes Armor and Artillery 1986–1987 , p. 399ff (English)
  26. ↑ see Janes Armor and Artillery 1986–1987 , p. 411ff (English)
  27. ↑ see Janes Armor and Artillery 1986–1987 , p. 408ff (English)
  28. ↑ see Janes Armor and Artillery 1986–1987 , p. 430ff (English)
  29. ↑ see Janes Armor and Artillery 1986–1987 , p. 406ff (English)
  30. ↑ see Janes Armor and Artillery 1986–1987 , p. 404ff (English)
  31. ↑ see Janes Armor and Artillery 1986–1987 , p. 403f (English)
  32. ↑ a b see Janes Armor and Artillery 1986–1987 , p. 421 (English)
  33. ↑ see Janes Armor and Artillery 1986–1987 , pp. 304ff (English)
  34. ↑ a b see Janes Armor and Artillery 1986–1987 , p. 310 (English)
  35. ↑ see Janes Armor and Artillery 1986–1987 , p. 401ff (English)
  36. ↑ see Janes Armor and Artillery 1986–1987 , p. 467ff (English)
  37. ↑ see Janes Armor and Artillery 1986–1987 , pp. 290ff (English)
  38. ↑ see Janes Armor and Artillery 1986–1987 , p. 359f (English)
  39. ↑ a b see Janes Armor and Artillery 1986–1987 , p. 454 (English)
  40. ↑ a b see Janes Armor and Artillery 1986–1987 , p. 423 (English)
  41. ↑ see Janes Armor and Artillery 1986–1987 , p. 264ff (English)
  42. ↑ see Janes Armor and Artillery 1986–1987 , p. 383ff (English)
  43. ↑ see Janes Armor and Artillery 1986–1987 , p. 306ff (English)
  44. ↑ see Janes Armor and Artillery 1986–1987 , p. 427ff (English)
  45. ↑ see Janes Armor and Artillery 1986–1987 , p. 435ff (English)
  46. ↑ on the United States Light Armored Vehicle Competition (LAV) see Janes Armor and Artillery 1986–1987 , p. 451 (English)
  47. ↑ see Janes Armor and Artillery 1986–1987 , pp. 279ff (English)
  48. ↑ see Janes Armor and Artillery 1986–1987 , p. 278 (English)
  49. ↑ In the list, the designations used in the protocol are used for reasons of comparability; for the sake of clarity, the vehicles have been grouped by developer / manufacturer
  50. ↑ see Janes Armor and Artillery 1986–1987 , p. 408 (English)
  51. ↑ see Janes Armor and Artillery 1986–1987 , p. 411 (English)
  52. ↑ see Janes Armor and Artillery 1986–1987 , p. 399 (English)
  53. ↑ see Janes Armor and Artillery 1986–1987 , p. 406 (English)
  54. ↑ see Janes Armor and Artillery 1986–1987 , p. 404 (English)
  55. ↑ see Janes Armor and Artillery 1986–1987 , p. 403 (English)
  56. ↑ see Janes Armor and Artillery 1986–1987 , p. 396 (English)
  57. ↑ see Janes Armor and Artillery 1986–1987 , p. 401 (English)
  58. ↑ see Janes Armor and Artillery 1986–1987 , p. 295 (English)
  59. ↑ see Janes Armor and Artillery 1986–1987 , p. 292 (English)
  60. ↑ see Janes Armor and Artillery 1986–1987 , p. 291 (English)
  61. ↑ see Janes Armor and Artillery 1986–1987 , p. 336 (English)
  62. ↑ see Janes Armor and Artillery 1986–1987 , p. 364 (English)
  63. ↑ see Janes Armor and Artillery 1986–1987 , p. 442 (English)
  64. ↑ see Janes Armor and Artillery 1986–1987 , p. 435 (English)
  65. ↑ see Janes Armor and Artillery 1986–1987 , p. 439 (English)
  66. ↑ see Janes Armor and Artillery 1986–1987 , p. 467 (English)
  67. ↑ see Janes Armor and Artillery 1986–1987 , p. 279 (English)
  68. ↑ see Janes Armor and Artillery 1986–1987 , p. 430 (English)
  69. ↑ see Janes Armor and Artillery 1986–1987 , p. 427 (English)
  70. ↑ see Janes Armor and Artillery 1986–1987 , p. 413 (English)
  71. ↑ see Janes Armor and Artillery 1986–1987 , p. 306 (English)
  72. ↑ see Janes Armor and Artillery 1986–1987 , p. 328 (English)
  73. ↑ see Janes Armor and Artillery 1986–1987 , p. 270 (English)
  74. ↑ see image military today , BDX Armored Personnel carrier
  75. ↑ see Janes Armor and Artillery 1986–1987 , p. 359 (English)
  76. ↑ see Janes Armor and Artillery 1986–1987 , p. 335 (English)
  77. ↑ see Janes Armor and Artillery 1986–1987 , p. 347 (English)
  78. ↑ see Army Guide, VCC 1 (English)
  79. ↑ see Janes Armor and Artillery 1986–1987 , p. 349 (English)
  80. ↑ see Janes Armor and Artillery 1986–1987 , p. 373 (English)
  81. ↑ see Janes Armor and Artillery 1986–1987 , p. 375 (English)
  82. ↑ see military today, BLR Armored Personnel carrier (English)
  83. ↑ see Janes Armor and Artillery 1986–1987 , p. 361 (English)