The Na Ispug (For Fear) AKA the Odessa tank or "Terror tank" was a improvised Soviet AFV built on the STZ-5 farm tractor chasis.And 68 were produced in Odessa during the early stages of the war. Does anyone know what happened to them? Did they see combat? Any Pics?

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For the first time I have seen "History" at close quarters,and I know that its actual process is very different from what is presented to Posterity. - WWI General Max Hoffman.

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The war against Russia will be such that it cannot be conducted in a knightly fashion. This struggle is one of ideologies and racial differences and will have to be conducted with unprecedented, unmerciful and unrelenting harshness. -Adolf Hitler

Thanks Sloniksp. Any information on them?

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For the first time I have seen "History" at close quarters,and I know that its actual process is very different from what is presented to Posterity. - WWI General Max Hoffman.

The Odessa one's are very obscure and information is scarce, if the Kharkov versions are anything to go by there's not really any such thing as a 'standard' tractor factory 'tank'. The ones we know more about were certainly cobbled up on a variety of different artillery tractor chassis (STZ-3, STZ-5 etc,) with a variety of plate and armament arrangements, hardly surprising given the exigencies of the day.

This one's a copy of a KhTZ-16 (SU-45) (the 'KH' indicating Kharkov, they were knocked up in the pocket in '41 at the rate of 50-60 over September and October until the factory was overrun), Afraid I can't remember where it is but a quick web-search should turn it up.


Another small variant:




I believe Kubinka has a survivor (or two?):
Tank museum, Kubinka, Russia

Cheers,
Adam.

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It's only the Internet.

Looks like another " coffin for several comrades" really.....

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Those are some "beauties".
Tank-Tractor/Tractor-Tank, Tank-Dozer/Dozer-Tank.. Syntax
Necessity is the "Mother of Invention".
I wonder who came first (chicken/egg question), Bob Semple or Odessa?
Go Team go !

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There's one way to find out if a man is honest-ask him. If he says "Yes", you know he's a crook. Groucho Marx

Or the John Deere Armoured AS Tractor of 1940?
(and this one really is based on 'a tractor' in the most conventional sense of the word)
The Yanks, along with most other nations, had their Bob Semple moments too .



http://www.classictractors.com/image...lendar/may.jpg

Cheers,
Adam.

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It's only the Internet.

I like it !

John Deere GREEN olive & everything.
I wonder if the crew had to lie prone on a mattress to avoid getting burned as well
Appears that "Bar-Stools" would fit the bill. Flat tires might be a considerable problem in combat. As I recall those old tractor seats are pretty bouncy (yet fun)

What were they thinking? Fighting rock/bottle tossing protesters ?, or someone who would shoot back

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There's one way to find out if a man is honest-ask him. If he says "Yes", you know he's a crook. Groucho Marx

I guess Von beat me to it

Simply put, it was a tractor with armor...

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The war against Russia will be such that it cannot be conducted in a knightly fashion. This struggle is one of ideologies and racial differences and will have to be conducted with unprecedented, unmerciful and unrelenting harshness. -Adolf Hitler

Looks as though they at least put armor on the bottom...Shooweeew (head swipe).
Kills me that the turret was invented with the Monitor, regressed/devolved to the sponson, regenerated/evolved to a turret/sponson mix, and further regenerated/evolved into the turret again.
What's next, a devolve-ment/degeneration back down the ladder again ?
No one has cornered the market on "silliness" ?
The drives as well...rubber wheels-tracks-rubber tracks-tracks-back to rubber wheels....next ?

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There's one way to find out if a man is honest-ask him. If he says "Yes", you know he's a crook. Groucho Marx

Some steel plate and a few modifications and who knew it? My John Deere 410D backhoe is a bonified "tank!"

He He
Perhaps that was the point of it all.
Have a "bolt-on" armor "Houser" (like the old heat housers) in the barn.
Be the "Minuteman" version of an of a tank

The only thing those tractors are missing are names on the nose.
The one with the narrow front "Peggy Sue"
The other "Peggy Sue, 10 years after"

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There's one way to find out if a man is honest-ask him. If he says "Yes", you know he's a crook. Groucho Marx

Adam, it looks like your museum piece might have a slight problem with gun elevation. Fine if all the Germanskii showed up at 15º up, but if they came up at a different angle it would be something else

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Heres a few more strange tanks










This one is just awesome if you owned it

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"A soldier will fight long and hard for a bit of colored ribbon." Napoleon Bonaparte

Back on topic, this is the only shot I have found of a Soviet? improvised tractor/tank in action. Well at least moving. I plucked it from a Polish forum.

John Deere tanks!!
That's cool! My cousin the farmer will appreciate that!!
Thanks!!

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Scott

The second one is actually a Leopard 1 Driver training vehicle.

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http://jagdpanther.myminicity.com/
OR
http://jagdpanther.myminicity.com/ind
OR
http://jagdpanther.myminicity.com/tra

You know how to spoil it, dontcha ?

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LOL. I was wondering how this got turned into a stange tanks thread .

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For the first time I have seen "History" at close quarters,and I know that its actual process is very different from what is presented to Posterity. - WWI General Max Hoffman.