MODERN SUPER-TANKS.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 16905, 2 December 1922, Page 19

MODERN SUPER-TANKS.

TERRIBLE NEW WEAPON. IMPROVEMENTS SINCE WAR When the next war comes—may the day be long distant —some of tlie engines of destruction that will then bo employed are enough to make the nnagnation reel with terror. Of these engines of death, not one will be more terrible than tlie tank, which was employed with such devastating effects against the Germans by the British in the autumn of 191(5. But the tank which astonished the Germans in that year is relatively a mild weapon of destruction which compared with the terrible monster that will do duty in the Ever since the Armistice, armament designers have been busily evolving a type of land battleship which "ill produce tho maximum havoc among the enemy ar a minimum risk to ourselves. One of the essentials is invisibility to hostile artillery, and as a largo tank obviously presents a better target than a small one, compactness, consistent with efficiency, has become a recognised primary factor in tank designs. These limited dimensions imply small crews—half a dozen at tlie most. But to counteract any possible disadvantage in that direction, the most marvellous ingenuity has been bestowed on the apparatus to provide a clear and wide range of vision to the tank crews, and at the same time safeguard them to the utmost against the risks of exposure.

A TRAVELLING CITADEL. * To see without being seen is a fun- j iameutal principle of tank warfare, j and its attainment represents the sue- j CGssful solution of the difficulties which , confronted tnose who took the first tanks into action in 191(5. Gone are j the days when the Tank Corps grouped i about the front line seeking their direction through primitive flap-screened j spyholes. The modern tank is a travel- ■ ling citadel of shot-resisting metal without apertures through which chance ; bullets can reach the occupants. Yet ' «%very detail of the landscape is revealed to them by. a species of camera ' obscura. Not only is every object with- j in 500 yards depicted on the screen, I but mechanical devices are arranged in the interior by which tlie gun can be instantly turned, on the desired target. In other words, deatli and destruction will overtake an enemy directly he is seen. •Such is The precision that any object not smaller than a bushel basket can be hit with a certainty which is positively uncanny. These eyes of death "ill force tlie enemy in future wars to j keep his distance. Once within range ' in ihe open, escape is impossible for • enemy infantry, as the speed of the latest tank enables it to pursue successfully. except over difficult country. RESPIRATORS WORN BY CREW. lusiue this armoured box ol tricks a constant supply of fresh air is brought* to tiie crows uy automatic air pumps from below. Special respirators are worn by tlie crew as a. protection Against tho suffocating dust and cordite fumes which the suction of the air pumps may introduce. The begrimed : appearance of a tank crew after action snows how necessary it is for them towear respirators. This is particularly noticeable in sandy deserts or when passing over parched vegetation. It must not be imagined that the latest tank is the invention oi only one . masterful mind. Countless adaptations and improvements have occupied the combined skill and attention of an iirmy of experts for years until the latest tank is as distinct from the original pattern as tlie present day warship is n advance of the first iron-clad. In the same way that our naval constructors have evolved distinct types of ships for the performance of tlie varying functions of the fleet, so, too, the constructors of tanks recognise that i just one type of tank could not fulfil j all the purposes that are required. For night attacks there are tanks which differ essentially in certain details. They are equipped with searchlight and \ other means—which may not be reveai- i ed—of spreading panic among enemies 1 who rely on the cover of darkness to I gain some strategic or tactical advantage.