Tuesday, December 10, 2019

Amphibious Vehicles of ww2

The amphibious vehicles of WW2 were interesting, to say the least. Nicknamed the "Donald Duck tanks", they were developed to be used in the Normandy beach landings but the development of amphibious tanks started at the end of the first great war in 1918. The British tested their own tanks during the interwar period and discovered that only light thin armored tanks could float, which was impractical as they wanted thicker armor-plated tanks to float. This led to the development of a folding canvas hull for the tanks. They would fold all the way up to form a hull for the tank to float and it would collapse down which would allow the tank to function normally. The British wanted to use their valentine tanks but realized the American Sherman tanks were better for this because they could keep their turrets pointing forwards and could shoot immediately after landing on the shore. The tanks had to be sealed and have a boat-shaped platform welded to them to support the rubber tubes that would provide floatation.
Image result for sherman amphibious tank

The tank also had a system of propellers to drive the tank forward in the water. It utilized a hydraulic line that would steer the propellers to maneuver the tank in the water.

Image result for wading tanksThe main use of these tanks was in the Normandy beach landings but many of these tanks failed. The waters were sometimes too choppy and sunk the tank, taking the lives of the crew. The canvas's collapsed due to the rough waters and sunk the tank. Although there were emergency hatches and oxygen bottles, it was no help and many crew members died. The tanks, however, were useful in Operation Plunder, where the allies had to cross the Rhine river. Although a few tanks were lost in the river, it was considered a success.

The Germans also developed their own amphibious tank, but they took a very different approach. Instead of floating on the surface they decided to make their tank drive on the bottom of the river. They sealed the entire tank up and hooked the tank up with an oxygen line to supply the crew with oxygen.

Sources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DD_tank
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/514184482439919441/
 
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2 comments:

  1. AnonymousDecember 11, 2019 at 5:43 PM

    This was a very interesting post and I enjoyed it a lot! Not only were amphibious tanks introduced during World War II, but the American troops also used DUKWs. These were essentially based on the same idea, but instead of tanks, they were loaded with supplies and artillery. It was revolutionary because instead of taking dangerous amounts of time unloading ships after they reached a point of invasion, these DUKWs loaded with supplies and men could simply drive off of the vessel and up on the shore. And, of course, the DUKWs are the origin and inspiration of the famous Duck Boat tours in many coastal cities.

    Source: https://www.history.com/news/duck-boats-world-war-ii-d-day

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  2. AnonymousDecember 11, 2019 at 8:29 PM

    I enjoyed this blog post and it really showed me some of the vehicles that were being planned and developed during WWII. It seems like an amphibious tank is a smart idea, but with rough waters, it shows how truly dangerous these tanks can be if you are trapped inside one. I did some research and learned that there were 290 amphibious tanks that were used for during DDay, and power 290 tanks requires a lot of people.

    http://worldwar2headquarters.com/HTML/normandy/HobartsFunnies/DD-sherman.html

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