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The Gear Krieg background features more then just cool walkers and some Infantry ideas. The setting is oozing with cool superscience ideas. One of the most interesting concept for me are the super science tanks. Churchill 3” Gun Carrier A22D In September 1941, the General Staff asked the Tank Board to investigate the possibility of producing cruiser and infantry tanks mounting large caliber high velocity guns specifically for engaging the largest German tanks.
To fulfill the cruiser tank requirement the Challenger was subsequently developed with the 17pdr gun. For the infantry tank requirement it was proposed to fit a 3" AA gun in a limited traverse mount on a Churchill chassis. These weapons were available having been replaced in AA units by the 3.7" gun.
A hundred vehicles were originally planned, but in December 1941 it was decided that all Churchill production would be needed for gun tanks, fitted with the 6pdr. The order was reduced to 24. The first prototype was ready in February 1942.
Out of the box Mid War Monster FoW 3” Gun Carriers
Churchill Tesla Gun Carrier A22D-T After encountering the German Tiger tanks in North Africa it was becoming obvious that additional measures had to be taken against these heavily armored giants.
Churchill 3” Gun Carrier Platoons were issued one special tank per Platoon: the Tesla Gun Carrier A22D-T. It was planned to cripple German tanks with the haywire effect of the tesla gun while the other Gun Carriers moved in for the kill.
The Tesla tank variant featured a fully insulated hull to protect the crew against the Tesla gun effects. That enabled British engineers also to mount a highly experimental Electric Close Area Defence System near the rear of the tank. The insulation however proved to be even more demanding in the hot desert climate on tank crews than normal tank hulls. In addition the air inside the A22D-T was highly electrostatic charged which resulted in a very stressful combat environment and also frequent equipment breakdown.
A huge ventilation system was installed on the roof of the hull to counter the effects of the insulated hull and the static energy buildup. The commander’s cupola was moved to the front of the vehicle to make space for the ventilation system. The British Tesla Gun was designed after the French Tesla guns and was roughly the equivalent of the Soviet Tesla 43 gun.
After all these changes the Tesla Churchill was in fact quite comfortable to ride. Churchill 3” Gun Carrier Platoons that worked together with their Tesla brethren were feared opponents for all German tanks.
E-Series During late war the German military leadership realized that previous tank designs were often too complex and had resulted in poor production rates and mechanical unreliability.
These AFV's were to replace all of the existing German vehicles making future tank production, maintenance and service easier and cheaper. The tanks were named by weight class. Therefore the E 10 was to be the German AFV in the 10 ton weight class. There were six weight classes planned, designated E-5, E-10, E-25, E-50, E-75, and E-100.
E-50 The E-50 Standardpanzer was intended as a standard medium tank, replacing the Panther and Tiger I and the conversions based on these tanks. The weight of these vehicles would fall between 50 and 75 tons.
The E-50 would use the same turret as the late Panther F and Panther II, the so called Schmalturm (narrow turret). The Schmalturm had been developed as a joint effort by Daimler-Benz and Skoda. It was to be armed with the new KwK 44/7.5 cm gun developed by Krupp and Skoda.
Conversion Note: The tank is based on a Flames of War Tiger II. The Tiger II box contains 3 tanks and is shock full of extra parts. Basically all is inside to start the project. Many drawings of the E-50 show a different wheel configuration, but since none was ever built, who knows. So for me the standard wheels of the Tiger II will do. The turret is from a Peter Pig (204.) Panther G schmalturm tank. The kit is a wonderful tank model by itself. Luckily for me Martin sold be 2 separate turrets.
E-75 Tiger III The E-75 Standardpanzer was intended to be the standard heavy tank to be used as a replacement of the Tiger II and Jagdtiger. The design was similar to the E-50, but heavier, in the 75 to 85 tons weight class. The main armament was a slightly modified (a different gun barrel was used) 12.8cm KwK 44 L55 anti-tank gun of the Jagdtiger.
Conversion Note: The tank is again based on a Flames of War Tiger II. Basiclly I just removed the gun and replaced it with a suitable long brass rod. Done!
Tiger (P) EXS The Tiger was the first vehicle equipped with guided missile systems. Two Tiger (P) prototypes were send to Africa in late 1942. One featured the R-104 Lenkrakete. The so called Tiger (P) EXS was deployed alongside a conventional (P) Tiger and a Panzer III L.
T-34 superscience tanks
Sonic Projectors - Sonic weapons were developed by the Kriegsmarine for the Walrus amphibious Panzerkaempfer, though this weapon was also fitted to a number of Panzers and used in a land-based role. Like their German counterparts, Russian scientists also became interested in the applications of sound as a weapon. Concentrated sound waves caused exposed vehicle crew and infantry to experience nausea, disorientation and unconsciousness within a wide area. However, troopers wearing heavy armour and vehicle crew inside their tanks were protected from this effect. The weapon was indiscriminate as well, and Russian troops were often caught in the effects of their own weapon. Nevertheless, the Russians, hard-pressed to find any weapon to combat the Germans, eagerly mounted these large rotating dishes on the tops of T-34 tanks and sent them into the field in considerable numbers.
Thermal Ray - Russian scientists were also fascinated by the immense defensive potential of Russia's harsh temperatures, and started to work on technological means to control heat for defensive purposes. The result was a series of special "thermal rays," capable of generating localized heat and cold zones.
Modeling Note: I used a Battlefront FoW T34 tank and fitted the DP9 Tesla gun to the turret. The Tesla gun is from the Allied weapon pack of DP9. To make it look more fitting to the tank I shortened it to 3 “dishes”.
PzKpfw VIII Schwebepanzer “Mantikor”
The Mantikor (or Manticore) is a jet powered Short Take-Off and Landing (STOL) design that enabled a tank to attain an altitude of a couple of meters during flight trials. It used an ingenious design of liquid oxygen, superheated and fed directly into the jet engine intakes, to create additional thrust. By use of carefully placed thrusters and hull design, they were able to lift a sizeable platform into the air.
The full background will be featured in a future book. I liked the concept right from the start and always wanted a suitable model. There is only one picture of the Mantikor in all DP9 GK books, it looks like a Panther without the tracks with a laser as main armament and two big jet engines. The conversion is based on a FoW Panther hull and crewman, two jet engine of a 1/100 Me 262 plane, a laser from DP9s Axis weapon pack, Miliput and lots of imagination! See for yourself:
PzKpf VII Uller Ausführung M “Rhino” This Uller variant is mentioned in DP9s book “Fighting Vehicles of the Modern Age.
Iosef Stalin 2 Tesla
The conversion is again based on a FoW tank, the Tesla gun is from the Allied weapon pack of DP9, the additional heat sink on the engine deck is from the GZG 15 mm building fittings and the plastic heat sink might be GW Tau parts (I am not sure - they came out of my “bits” box)...
Su-85 EKC
One application of Tesla technology was the EKC "electrokinetic cannon," a combined energy projectile weapon of great destructive potential. The Soviets based this weapon on schematics from reverse-engineered German "Thor's Hammer" artillery guns, applying the same principles they had used to shrink the Tesla ray. The result was a rudimentary combat railgun small enough for common battlefield deployment. Firing large armour-piercing rounds at velocities far faster than normal cannon rounds, the electrokinetic cannon became the primary weapon of the Russians' new SU-series tank killers. The conversion is based on some Gear Krieg artwork. I used a cheap Armourfast Su-85 1/72 kit to start, the EKC is made of plastic-rod with additional plastic pieces to represent the outside magnetic projectors. Crewmen by AB, engine deck superscience stuff by GZG. KV-2 T - Heavy Tesla tank
The mini is a simple conversion based on a (Trumpeter repaint - see before conversion here) 1/72 KV-2 with AB crewman. The gun is straight from the DP-9 Allied weapon pack, the turret side mounted Tesla Coil is made from wire, a washer and the 1st dish of a DP-9 Tesla gun. Works for me.
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T34/85 Sn Sonic Tank
T34/85 H Thermal Tank
T34/85 T Tesla Tank
