40M Nimród
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| 40M Nimród | |
|---|---|
.jpg) 40M Nimród in the Kubinka Tank Museum | |
| Type | Self-propelled anti-aircraft gun |
| Place of origin | Hungary |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 10.5 tonnes |
| Length | 5.32 m (17 ft 5 in) |
| Width | 2.31 m (7 ft 7 in) |
| Height | 2.8 m (9 ft 2 in) |
| Crew | 6 |
| Armor | 6–13 mm on the hull, 28 mm on the turret |
Main armament | 40 mm Bofors/60 AA-gun |
| Engine | VIII EST 107, 8-cylinder, gasoline, water-cooled 150 hp (110 kW) |
Operational range | 300 km (180 mi) |
| Maximum speed | 50 km/h (31 mph) |
The 40M Nimród was a World War II Hungarian self-propelled anti-aircraft gun based on a license-built copy of the Swedish Landsverk L-62 Anti II SPAAG but with a new turret, and developed independently. Originally, it was intended to be used both in the anti-aircraft and tank destroyer roles, but it proved to be ineffective against Soviet tanks like the KV-1 tank. Therefore, it was primarily utilized against lightly armored vehicles and for air defense.
Design
The 40M Nimród was as previously mentioned a license built variant of the Landsverk L-62 Anti I SPAAG. The L-62 Anti I was based on the chassis of the Landsverk L-60 tank which was already produced under license in Hungary as the 38M Toldi.
The L-62 did differ though from the original L-60 chassis. It was longer and wider and had one more roadwheel per side. Besides that the 40M Nimród differed on its own from the original L-62 Anti I design. While the chassis was basically the same as the L-62 Anti I, although utilizing parts from the 38M Toldi, the turret was modified to house one more crew member from the original 5 of the L-62 Anti I. The crew of the 40M Nimród consisted of six men: commander, driver, two loaders and two gunners.
The vehicle's armament consisted of a single 40 mm 36M anti-aircraft gun, a Hungarian license built 40 mm Bofors L/60 with a rate of fire of 120 rounds per minute. The gun fired the usual ammunition of the 40 mm Bofors: proximity-fuze, impact-fuze and armour-piercing as well as a Hungarian dedicated anti-tank round. It had a penetration of 46 mm at 100 m and 30 mm at 1000 m. The Nimrod carried 640 rounds split into 4 stowages of 160 rounds each.
Late in the war, the vehicle was issued with the 42M "Kerngranate" round. This was a rocket grenade fitted over the muzzle in the fashion of a rifle grenade.
Service history
The 40M Nimród was manufactured by the Manfred Weiss Works. A first batch of 46 vehicles powered by a German Büssing-NAG L8V/36TR engine was followed by another batch of 89 vehicles powered by a Hungarian Ganz IP VGT 107 Type II (built under license from Büssing-NAG).
Although it was originally intended for anti-tank use, in 1943 the 40M Nimród was reclassified for anti-aircraft use; as it was unable to penetrate the armor of the tanks in use by the Red Army.
The following units have employed this vehicle:
- 51st Heavy Armor Battalion, 1st Hungarian Armored Division
- 52nd Heavy Armor Battalion, 2nd Hungarian Armored Division
- 1st Hungarian Cavalry Division
A total of 135 Nimrods were built, most of which were deployed by the 51st and 52nd Armoured Autocannon Battalions of the 1st and 2nd Hungarian Armoured Divisions, respectively. Nimrod batteries attached to armoured and motorized battalions were allocated six vehicles each. A platoon consisted of two vehicles.
Gallery
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Nimróds at military demonstration, Mátyásföld, Budapest, 1943 -
A 40M Nimród. In the background is Zsámbék, Nicholas Zichy. -
40M Nimróds anti-aircraft machine guns in marching column near Zsámbék. In the background is the Premonstratensian Monastery. -
A Nimród anti-aircraft gun battery in firing position along the Zsámbék Páty road.
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Comparable vehicles
References
Notes
Bibliography
- The Royal Hungarian Army, 1920-1945, Volume II, Hungarian Mobile Forces, by Dr. Peter Mujzer
- A Magyar Királyi Honvédség Fegyverzete, by Attila Bonhardt, Gyula Sárhidai and László Winkler
- Becze, Csaba. Magyar Steel. Mushroom Model Publications. Sandomierz 2006
External links
