O-I / Mi-To SuperHeavy Tank - Design
From the outset, the project was determined to create an armored vehicle capable of withstanding the anti-tank firepower of the time and capable of responding with similar firepower. It had a total length of 10.1 meters, a total width of 4.84 meters and a full height of 3.6 meters. It is similar in size to the German "Maus" tank. The body of the vehicle was made by welding. As a tank in the early 1940s, this approach is quite forward-looking. In order to withstand the impact of the anti-tank artillery at that time, the front and rear armor thickness should reach 150 mm, and the tilting design is better for ballistic resistance. However, the front and rear body armor was only 75 mm thick, relying on riveting a 75 mm thick additional armor plate to achieve a total thickness of 150 mm.
The purpose of using additional armor panels is to facilitate manufacturing and transportation from factory to the front. On the side of the vehicle body, the angle of the armor is vertical. The main armor on the side of the tank body is 70 mm thick, while the main armor deck covering the suspension system is 35 mm thick. The entire side is also attached with a 35 mm. thick detachable armor plate, but as such, the thinnest part of the side armor is only 70 mm. On the surface of the car body, 40 rung climbing ladders are distributed for the crew of the tank.
A main turret, two auxiliary turrets and a machine gun tower were installed on the body. Two sub-turrets were located at the front of the car, and one machine gun tower was located at the rear of the car. These turrets and machine gun towers The planar shape is hexagonal. A 96- meter 105mm howitzer was installed on the main turret. The height of the turret was 1.065 meters, the diameter of the seat was 1.87 meters, the thickness of the side armor was 150 mm, and the thickness of the top armor was 50 mm. A trial-produced 47mm tank gun was installed in each of the two auxiliary turrets, and the armor thickness was the same as that of the main turret. Two 7.7-mm-97 heavy-duty machine guns are installed in the machine gun tower at the rear , and the armor thickness is the same as that of the main turret.
This vehicle would be disassembled and transported by railways and assembled at a maintenance site, and then self-propelled for a short distance toward the enemy position and battles. Super Heavy Tanks did not travel long distances, including roads and bridges, and were never used in combat maneuvers for mechanized units. Because of this, the O-I can demove the side armor with a bolt. The vehicle was placed on a trailer, or the track and wheels were removed to make it a tow specification, and it was moved by a tow bar. Armor and equipment are shipped separately on trucks.
The original material of the "Trial Production of Overweight Brakes" clearly states the way it goes to the battlefield, that is, remove the turret, remove the track, and all Additional armor and part of the road wheel, in a relatively light posture, loaded the train to the front line through the railway, arrived at the temporary preparation site not far from the front line, and then assembled it to enter the battlefield with its own power. If you want to go to an area where there is no railway line, you must also unload eight pieces, install different trailers and drag them by tractor, and assemble them for a short distance. In short, "Oy" can't rely on long-distance marching because the roads and bridges that can be used for 150-ton vehicles are extremely limited, and the powertrain and suspension system are not enough to support their own weight for too long.
The suspension system consists of 8 groups (4 groups on the left and right), each consisting of 2 road wheels, and the shock absorber is a coil spring. Considering the need to disperse the total weight of 150 tons against the ground, the treads had a width of 800 mm.
In terms of power system, the car is equipped with two Kawasaki 12-cylinder nine-eighth gasoline engines, which are modeled after the German BMW air-cooled engine and have been modified for tank use. The output power is 1,100 horsepower. In addition, unlike other Japanese tanks, considering the weight balance with the turret, the engine and gearbox are mounted at the rear of the car body, and at the same time, the rear wheel drive is used, so that there is no front and rear through the vehicle body. The drive shaft, although the huge suspension device takes up a lot of space, still frees up a lot of vehicle content. The interior of the car body is divided into two spaces by two 20 mm thick armor plates, and each door has two doors, so that each space can be used as a relatively independent safety zone. In order to leave enough room for operation of a machine gun tower installed at the rear of the vehicle, the two engines are arranged in parallel in the longitudinal direction. The gearbox is based on the design of the 1997-type medium tank, but the components are larger and heavier.
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