C2P
C2P | |
---|---|
petrol 46 hp (34 kW) at 2,600 rpm | |
Power/weight | 16.7 hp/ton |
Suspension | Bogie on leaf spring, four rubber-tyred wheels each side |
Ground clearance | 30 cm (12 in) |
Fuel capacity | 70 L (18 US gal) |
Operational range | 150 km (93 mi) on road 110 km (68 mi) off-road |
Maximum speed | 40 km/h (25 mph) on road 20 km/h (12 mph) off-road |
C2P was a Polish light artillery tractor. Designed in the 1930s, it was the basic tractor of Polish anti-aircraft artillery during the 1939 Nazi and Soviet invasion of Poland. There are only two surviving vehicles, both in private hands in Poland.[1]
Development
The origins of the design can be traced to the
Initially designated C2T (Ciągnik 2-tonowy, "Trailer, 2-Tonne"),
The prototype was a promising vehicle. The design, to some extent similar to French
However, it was discovered that the rear of the vehicle was overloaded and that the vehicle's manoeuvrability was far from satisfactory.[13] To counter the first problem, the rear tension wheels were enlarged, equipped with leaf springs and lowered to the ground, thus converting them to driving wheels.[2] The problem with steering the tractor under heavy load was eventually solved by adding two steering clutches to both sides of the suspension system.[9] The latter modification in 1938 was included also in the development of the TKS tankette (in the TKS-B variant).[9] However, by then the serial production of TKS was stopped and in the end the C2P's undercarriage remained distinctive.[9] However, as both designs were being developed simultaneously at the same facility, both were supervised by Rudolf Gundlach and their designers sometimes referred to the C2P as "ciągnik TKS" (TKS tractor),[2] some sources call C2P a development version of TKS, which is not entirely true.[10]
After the second round of trials the prototype was also equipped with a simple windshield and a folding tarpaulin roof to protect the crew from rain or snow.[7] On 20 January 1936 the prototype left the PZInż factory for the third round of road tests.[7] The vehicle spent the best part of February travelling across Poland with a 75 mm gun attached. In June and July the tests were resumed, this time with a 1,480 kg (3,260 lb) fuel trailer, and again in September, towing the new Bofors 40 mm gun (Polish designation wz. 36 Bofors).[7] Altogether the prototype covered over 4,000 km (2,500 miles) without a serious malfunction.[7] On 15 February 1937 the trials ended and the C2P was proposed for serial production.[7]
Production
Serial production was started in 1937 at the
Operational history
Although initially designed for field artillery, in the end all C2P tractors were attached to anti-aircraft artillery units as the primary vehicle for towing the Bofors 40 mm gun, two for every gun: one towed the gun itself, the other towed an ammo caisson carrying 400 shells.[7] Both trailers also carried the gun's crew of 5 (plus two drivers), as well as up to 160 shells.[6][7] 292 tractors were used in regular units (with 31 A-type four-gun batteries and 11 B-type two-gun batteries).[14]
Variants
In 1936 two C2P tractors served as the basis for the TKS-D tank destroyer prototypes.[15]
Users
The C2P tractor was primarily used by the Polish Army. A number of C2P tractors were captured by the invading Wehrmacht and were pressed into German service under the designation of Artillerie Schlepper C2P(p) ("artillery tractor, C2P, Polish").[16][17]
See also
- Universal Carrier
- M29 Weasel
- Komsomolets armored tractor
- Raupenschlepper, Ost
- Renault UE
References
Citations
- ^ Krajewski 2011, pp. 926–927.
- ^ a b c d Magnuski 1995, p. 42.
- ^ a b Zasieczny 2006, p. 42.
- ^ Jurga 1990, p. 72.
- ^ a b Truszkowski 1973, p. 237.
- ^ a b c Kopczewski 2004, p. 60.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Magnuski 1995, p. 43.
- ^ a b Jurga 1990, p. 81.
- ^ a b c d Magnuski 1995, p. 36.
- ^ a b Jurga 1990, p. 74.
- ^ Truszkowski 1973, pp. 221, 237.
- ^ Truszkowski 1973, p. 221.
- ^ Magnuski 1995, pp. 42–43.
- ^ a b c Białkowski, Rafał. Polskie ciągniki do armaty przeciwlotniczej kal. 40 mm. „Poligon” Nr. 3/2012 (32), p. 27-28, ISSN 1895-3344 (in Polish).
- ^ Magnuski 1995, p. 41.
- ^ Carruthers 2011, p. 76.
- ^ Magnuski 1995, p. 48.
Bibliography
- Carruthers, Bob (2011). Panzers at War 1939-1942. Coda Books Ltd. ISBN 978-1-908538-24-6.
- Jurga, Tadeusz (1990). Obrona Polski 1939 (in Polish). Instytut Wydawniczy Pax. ISBN 978-83-211-1096-7.
- Kopczewski, Marian (2004). Obrona powietrzna wojska polskiego w latach 1920-2000 (in Polish). Warsaw: Wydawnictwo Adam Marszałek. ISBN 978-83-7322-988-4.
- Krajewski, Rafał (2011). Kazimierz E. Oczoś (ed.). "Odbudowa pojazdów zabytkowych z wykorzystaniem nowoczesnych technik inżynierskich" (PDF). Mechanik (in Polish). 84 (11/2011). Agenda Wydawnicza SIMP. ISSN 0025-6552. Retrieved 4 September 2014.
- ISBN 83-85314-06-7.
- Smaczny, Henryk (2001). Polskie budownictwo wojskowe i przemysł zbrojeniowy, 1919-1939 (in Polish). Białystok: Polskie Stowarzyszenie Morskie-Gospodarcze im. Eugeniusza Kwiatkowskiego, Okręg Podlaski. p. 416.
- Truszkowski, Stanisław (1973). Bordziłowski, Jerzy (ed.). "Polska artyleria plot. w dwudziestoleciu 1919-1939" [Polish Anti-Air Artillery in the 20 years between 1919 and 1939]. Wojskowy Przegląd Historyczny (in Polish). 4. Warsaw: Ministerstwo Obrony Narodowej: 201–249.
- Zasieczny, Andrzej (2006). Broń Wojska Polskiego 1939-1945: wojska lądowe (in Polish). Alma-Press. ISBN 978-83-7020-354-2.