Trubia A4
Trubia A4 | |
---|---|
Type | Light tank |
Place of origin | Spain |
Service history | |
Used by | Spain |
Wars | Spanish Civil War |
Production history | |
Manufacturer | Fábrica de armas de Trubia |
Produced | 1926-1934 |
No. built | 4 |
Specifications | |
Mass | 9 tons |
Length | 17 ft 8 in (5.4 m) |
Width | 5 ft 9 in (1.7 m) |
Height | 9 ft (2.7 m) |
Crew | 3 |
Armor | 16 mm-12 mm |
Main armament | 3 x .303 in (7.7 mm) Hotchkiss machine guns |
Engine | 75 hp (56 kW) |
Operational range | 100 km or 62 miles |
Maximum speed | 19 mph (30 km/h) |
The Trubia A4 was a Spanish light tank of the Spanish Civil War based on the Renault FT. Only four prototypes were produced.[1]
History
Development
Due to their experiences in the Rif War, the Spanish Army decided to fund a development program for a new Spanish light tank. The new vehicle was to be based on the Renault FT, which was the most numerous armored vehicle in service with the Spanish Army at the time and one of the most widely used by foreign armies.[2] The program was spearheaded by Captain of the Artillery Carlos Ruiz de Toledo, who had first commanded the battery of Schneider CA1 assault tanks[3] in Morocco; Toledo felt that the tank would become an extremely important asset in future conflicts and felt that the Spanish Army required a Spanish-built model.[4] As a result, he toured a number of European states in an effort to collect information on new trends in tank design and attempt to integrate these into the Spanish tank program.[5] The first prototype began to be developed in 1925.[6] It was produced in the Trubia Artillery Factory (Fábrica de Artillería Trubia), in Asturias,[7] The resulting tank was known as the Carro de Combate Trubia serie A, or the "Series A Trubia tank".[4] The tank was powered by a four-cylinder Hispano-Suiza 40/50 engine, the same engine the Spanish Army's military trucks had been equipped with since 1915.[4] Given the Spanish Army's opinion that the FT was limited in firepower, the Trubia tank featured a special turret. The turret was designed in two articulated halves, which could traverse independently, each armed with a machine gun. Theoretically, if one of the machine guns jammed, the tank would still have another one to defend itself with. Furthermore, the vehicle's hull was provided with firing ports, to allow the crew to fire small arms from within the tank.[8] This prototype was put through a series of tests, and its success brought about the decision to continue development on a Spanish tank, leading to an improved Trubia tank design, known as the Modelo Trubia 75HP, tipo rápido, serie A (Model Trubia 75 hp, fast tank, series A).[9]
While touring Europe for a second time, in an attempt to integrate foreign design trends into the new Trubia, Captain Ruiz de Toledo found a new type of track system in Germany. Designed to avoid having problems with the tracks coming off the vehicle, the new design substituted the traditional tracks with a system which was held together by a lateral metal wall, with the roadwheels suspended from the chassis.
Combat
In the Spanish Civil War, The three Trubia A4 prototypes issued to the Milan Infantry Regiment at Oviedo were turned over to the Nationalist uprising during the siege, while the fourth prototype located in the Trubia Factory was taken by the factory's workers and quickly repaired so that it could be pressed into service in the Republican Army.[20][21][22] One of the Nationalist ones was blown up by its crew after developing mechanical troubles at Argañosa to prevent its capture. The two surviving tanks were last used against another attempted Republican assault on Oviedo In February 1937, when they spearheaded a successful counterattack in the area of Postigo.[23]
Fate
It is unknown what happened to the rest of them after the war although they were likely scrapped, however a running replica was built for the Museo de la Historia Militar Española, el Cueto in Asturias.[24]
References
- ^ "There are so many tanks in Spain?The birth of the new generation "Connector Overlord"".
- ^ García (2008), pp. 54–55
- ^ In the Spanish Army, the Schneider CA1 was considered a carro de asalto, or "assault tank"; de Mazarrasa (1998), p. 99
- ^ a b c de Mazarrasa (1998), p. 99
- ^ García (2008), p. 55
- ^ García (2008), p. 56
- ^ García (2008), p. 54
- ^ García (2008), pp. 55–56
- ^ de Mazarrasa (1998), pp. 99–101
- ^ García (2008), pp. 56–57
- ^ de Mazarrasa (1998), p. 101
- ^ García (2008), p. 57
- ^ García (2008), pp. 57–58
- ^ de Mazarrasa (1998), p. 102
- ^ Manrique (2006), p. 292
- ^ García (2008), pp. 58–59
- ^ de Mazarrasa (1998), pp. 102–103
- ^ García (2008), p. 59
- ^ de Mazarrasa (1998), p. 103
- ^ García (2008), pp. 62–63
- ^ Lanington, George (18 May 2022). "The T-32, the Russian tank that destroyed its German opponents during the Civil War".
- ^ García, Dionisío (March 2008). "Trubia: El Primer Carro de Combate Español". Serga (in Spanish) (52). Madrid, Spain: Almena.
- ^ Feito Álvarez, Félix (2019). "Arqueología del cerco de Oviedo (1936–1937): Guerra Blindada en torno a Oviedo". Cuadernos de Arqueología Militar (in Spanish). 1–2019: 45–51.
- ^ Cabrero, José E. (December 29, 2019). "Tanques de película ocultos en Granada con una única misión: proteger la Historia". Ideal.
Bibliography
- de Mazarrasa, Javier (1998). Los Carros de Combate en la Guerra de España 1936–1939 (Vol. 1º). Valladolid: Quirón Ediciones. p. 160.
- García, Dionisio (March 2008). "Trubia: El Primer Carro de Combate Español". Serga (52). Madrid: Almena: 54–64.
- Mortera Pérez, A. Los Carros de Combate Trubia 1925–1939. Valladolid. Quirón Ediciones, 1993
- Mortera Pérez, A. Los medios de comunicación de la Guerra Civil Española. Teatro de Operaciones de Levante, Aragón y Cataluña 36/39 2.ª Parte. Valladolid. AF Editores, 2011