Artillerie-Panzerbeobachtungswagen III, 75. Panzer-Artillerie-Regiment

Source: Author's collection

     As World War Two continued, the German military utilized more and more self-propelled artillery though such guns were never able to fully replace horse-drawn or those guns drawn by half-tracks or other soft-skinned vehicles. Of course, for artillery of any kind to be truly effective during the war, it required forward observers who would watch the fall of the rounds and radio back corrections to the firing batteries to ensure that as much of the incoming fire was as close to on-target as possible and thus maximize the destruction. These forward observers were often small teams on foot or moved about the battlefield in lightly armored vehicles such as armored cars or light tanks. By 1943, such vehicles had a very limited lifespan. Typically artillery was used defensively to break up an attack or was used on the offense to soften up the enemy prior to committing ground troops. Either way, it meant the forward observers had to be in the vicinity of the action in order to witness the incoming fire missions and correct as needed. Thus, it was seen that something better was needed to support the self-propelled artillery batteries and give forward observers the means to survive the front lines. The initial answer was the Artillerie-Panzerbeobachtungswagen III (PzBeobWg III).

     The Artillery Tank Observation Vehicle III was, in reality, a stop-gap measure which was undertaken to provide such a vehicle while development of a purpose-built armored observation vehicle was conducted (something that did not happen). Using war-weary and obsolete Ausf E through Ausf H models of the Panzerkampfwagen III medium tank, several modifications were done to convert them to their new role. The biggest change was the removal of the main gun armament. In place of the main gun, a Maschínengewehr 34 (MG 34) in a ball mounting was fitted and provided with 1,500 rounds of ammunition. The weight savings by not having a main gun nor the associated shells allowed for the fitting of an additional 30mm of armor plate on the hull front and on the entire rear of the tank. In addition, a new gun mantlet replaced the original, increasing the thickness from 30mm to 50mm. A feature of this mantlet was the addition of a dummy gun fitted to the right of the MG 34. The hull machine-gun was removed and the hole for the machine-gun was fitted with a metal plug. For radio equipment to allow communication back to the battery, the PzBeobWg III was fitted with a Funkgerät 4 (FuG 4) and the FuG 8. The FuG 4 utilized a 2 meter tall star antenna though specifics about it are not well known. The FuG 8 was heavily used for divisional communication with later models using a 30 watt transmitter, MW receiver C, and had a frequency band of 835 to 3,000 kilocycles per second. It used a 8 meter tall mast antenna. The FuG 4 had a much shorter range, with a Wireless Telegraph (WT) range of 2.3 miles and a Radiotelephone (RT) range of 1.2 miles. The FuG 8, on the other hand had a WT range of 31.1 miles and a RT range of 6.2 miles. In all, 262 PzBeobWg III vehicles were constructed between February 1943 to April 1944 and two such vehicles were deployed to each Hummel (“Bumblebee”) or Wespe (“Wasp”) self-propelled gun batteries as supply permitted.

     The photograph was reportedly taken following the German defeat at the hands of the Soviets following Unternehmen Frühlingserwachen (Operation Spring Awakening) in mid-March 1945 near Lake Balaton, Hungary. If this is accurate, then the PzBeobWg III belonged to 75. Panzer-Artillerie-Regiment underneath the III. Panzerkorps, 6. Armee, Heeresgruppe Süd. This unit was equipped with “Wespe“ 10.5cm self-propelled guns on the Panzerkampfwagen II chassis. It is difficult to assess what model the PzBeobWg III shown was built on but given the late date in the war, it is likely an Ausf H version. The crew had secured three links of track to the front of the tank in an effort to increase the protection. Since the hull machine-gun was not fitted, the track covered where it had been but one can see a portion of the track missing to allow the driver to see through his vision block. Just visible are the schürzen (armored skirts) fitted to the turret and hull. The front part of the skirt on the hull can be made out to the right (as one looks at the photograph) of the Soviet soldier. The turret skirt is visible just behind the dummy gun mantlet. These skirts were designed to reduce the velocity or divert the trajectory of incoming kinetic rounds. In the upper, right corner of the photograph is the star antenna for the FuG 4 radio. 

     Of interest, however, is the dummy gun itself. The crew of this PzBeobWg III fashioned an entirely new dummy gun and fit it over the existing one. The likely reason for this is because the standard dummy gun gave the appearance of the far weaker short 5cm KwK L/42 or the 3.7cm KwK L/46.5. By adding the additional wooden mantlet sleeve and the longer wooden barrel with a muzzle brake, it gave the PzBeobWg III the appearance of a Panzerkampfwagen IV fitted with the potent 7.5cm KwK40 L/48 gun. This was made more so by the use of the schürzen which many late-war PzKpfw IV tanks were equipped with. In so doing, the elaborate wooden dummy gun assembly helped the PzBeobWg III blend in more and not be singled out. Of course, the Soviet soldier hefting the broken gun tube for the camera means it didn't make much of a difference for this PzBeobWg III.

Russo-Ukrainian War: The FV103 Spartan

Source: General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine

     Photographed around August 2024, a FV103 Spartan belonging to the 82nd. Air Assault Brigade traverses a muddy field. The FV103 is an armored personnel carrier (APC) and was part of the Combat Vehicle Reconnaissance (Tracked) family of vehicles. The CVR(T) program was developed by the British company Alvis PLC and spawned a number of vehicles based around a common chassis of which the FV103 was one. The FV103 Spartan first entered British Army service in 1978 and was used as a armored transport for specialist combat teams (artillery spotter teams, anti-aircraft missile teams, etc.) which is why the passenger capacity is limited to 4 personnel, not including the 3 man crew of commander, driver, and gunner. As part of the British military aid to Ukraine, decommissioned FV103 vehicles were provided to Ukraine in 2022 while crowdfunding by Ukrainian charities have also seen the procurement of additional FV103 Spartans between 2022 and 2023.

     The 9-ton FV103 was originally fitted with a Jaguar J60 4.2 litre, DOHC (Dual Overhead Cam), 6-cylinder, inline petrol engine but later, a Cummins BTA 5.9 litre diesel motor was installed. Assuming this is the primary engine used in Ukrainian FV103 APCs, the Cummins develops 190 to 195 horsepower. This is paired to a TN15X transmission made by the British company Self-Changing Gears. On roads, the FV103 can attain a top speed of 50 miles per hour and with 112 gallons of diesel fuel carried onboard, the FV103 has a maximum operational range of 300 miles.

     The FV103 is protected with welded, aluminum alloy armor plating. From the front, the steep slope of the FV103 provides the equivalent of 60mm thick protection and this is enough to shrug off rounds of up to (and including) 14.5mm heavy machinegun ammunition. However, the rest of the FV103 is not as heavily armored nor has the slope angle to bolster defense. As such, the remainder of the FV103 is only proof against 7.62mm assault rifle ammunition at a maximum. It should be noted that as the engine is placed in the right front of the hull, this offers another layer of protection that might increase crew survival. The only other defensive system are two banks of smoke dischargers, each bank with  4 launch tubes, on the front of the FV103's hull.

     Defensive armament consists of a single mount for a general purpose machinegun up to 7.62mm in caliber. In British service, this would have been a L43A1 FN MAG with 3,000 rounds of ammunition. The mount is attached to a No.16 cupola which allows for the weapon to be aimed and fired from within the FV103. The FV103 does not have gun ports for the personnel in the troop compartment to deploy their weapons.

     It is likely that FV103 vehicles sent to Ukraine were demilitarized, especially those purchased from private dealers authorized to sell ex-British Army vehicles. The FV103 was retired from British Army service in 1985. The commander has a total of 8 periscopes and a single monocular sight that offers up to 10x magnification. The gunner has two periscopes while each passenger in the troop compartment has a periscope and there is one in the rear door. Systems likely removed from the FV103 upon sale to the civilian market include the ZB 298 battlefield surveillance radar (if fitted), the Rank Precision Industries built passive night sight, and military radio sets.

     What the FV103 in the photograph is towing cannot be determined with certainty. The basis looks to be a single-axle dolly used for cargo box trailers but what is upon the dolly is not clear.

     To date, the Ukrainian military has lost 35 FV103 vehicles with 28 of them be destroyed, 3 damaged, 2 abandoned, and the final 2 vehicles having been captured by Russian forces.

Russo-Ukrainian War: The FV101 Scorpion

Source: Reddit

     Usually, the rank and file consumer of news about military aid to Ukraine only knows of the aid packages sent by the U.S. and other NATO nations. However, this is not the only source of military equipment that is being deployed by Ukrainian ground forces. There are a number of non-profit organizations which utilize crowdfunding to collect monies with which to make purchases of surplus equipment, including vehicles. The largest of these is the Serhiy Prytula Foundation whose funding drive efforts allowed for the purchase of 101 former British Army armored vehicles in 2023. Likewise, since demilitarized British Army vehicles (to include armored ones) are available on the open market, other organizations or even groups of individuals can obtain such vehicles. One of these is shown here in this photograph, belonging to the 1st. Operational Battalion “Forpost”, 1st. Presidential Operational Brigade “Bureviy”. The vehicle is the FV101 Scorpion. Entering British service in 1973, the FV101 is just one of a number of vehicles within the Alvis Vehicles designed and built Combat Vehicle Reconnaissance (Tracked), CVR(T), family. The FV101 was classified as a light tank and also served as a reconnaissance vehicle and while it was withdrawn from British Army service in 1994, the FV101 remains in service with a number of countries. The largest current operator is Oman, with some 120 in service.

     Power for the 8-ton FV101 comes from a Cummins BTA series diesel engine that develops 190 horsepower and this is paired to a TN15 transmission manufactured by Self-Changing Gears Limited. The TN15 has a 7-speed gearbox, a Merritt-Brown triple-differential, and a electro-hydraulic, semi-automatic control system. This provides for a top road speed of 45 miles per hour and enough fuel is carried to give a maximum cruise range of 470 miles.

     For a main gun, the FV101 was normally fitted with either a 76mm L23A1 gun or the 90mm Cockerill Mk.3 gun along with a L43A1 7.62mm coaxial machine-gun. However, since this FV101 was demilitarized, the main gun and coaxial machine-gun were not present. So, the men of the 1st. Operational Battalion installed a 14.5mm KPVT heavy machine-gun. The KPV, designed in 1944 and entering Soviet service in 1949, continues to see combat and is the primary armament of vehicles such as the BTR-70 and BTR-80 8x8 armored personnel carriers and the BRDM-2 4x4 armored scout car. The KPVT is a variant of the KPV meant for installation in vehicles. With a rate of fire of 600 rounds per minute, the KPVT is fed from 40-round belts. Two of the main rounds are the B-32 API (Armor-Piercing Incendiary) and MDZ HEI (High-Explosive Incendiary). The B-32 uses a full metal jacket with a tungsten-carbide core which is capable of penetrating 32mm of rolled homogeneous armor at a 90 degree slope (RHA) at a range of 500 meters. At further ranges, the penetration value is reduced until it is ineffective against even the lightest armored vehicles. The MDZ round has an effective range of 1.8 miles with a maximum range of 2.5 miles. Assuming the original gun mounting remained, this would allow the KPVT to be elevated to a maximum of 35 degrees and a maximum of 10 degrees of depression. The turret can be traversed a full 360 degrees but as standard, it is not powered. This means the gunner uses a crank to turn the turret.

     The three man crew (commander, driver, and gunner) is protected by 7059 aluminum-zinc-magnesium alloy armor. The front hull supports 13mm of armor but due to the slope, the effective armor is 25mm thick. The sides and turret also support 13mm of armor but lack the sloping to increase the protection. Thus, from the front, the FV101 is resistant to some 14.5mm ammunition at 200 meters while the remainder of the FV101 can protect against shell fragments and some 7.62mm rounds. The standard FV101 was NBC (Nuclear Biological Chemical) protected but this was likely removed as part of the demilitarization along with the smoke grenade launchers. Likewise, the standard thermal night sights, communication systems, and navigational systems were also certainly removed as well. However, the commode underneath the commander's seat and the boiling vessel (with its internal water tank) were probably left installed.

     In addition to the KPVT, the crew has added at least three drone jammers to the turret. The white smudge on the hull side looks to be a censor, masking some sort of emblem, tactical symbol, or other identifiable insignia. Another photograph of this same FV101 shows the crew posing with their vehicle but they, too, are blocking the view of the hull side.

     As a side note, the group Armored Turtle: International Volunteers has been attempting to crowd fund for a FV101 Scorpion that is for sale in Britain which is not demilitarized as of March 2023. It has the L23A1 gun and the gun sights but it appears that the group has not been successful in obtaining it. Of course, one has to consider how available ammunition would be for it. Also, even the British Army did not like the gun as it lacked a fume extractor and so the turret tended to fill with fumes from firing.