FD scale Alternate Universe Designs

[klagldsf]

[indiajuliet]

Wow, love the Starfire, Nighthunter! Very nice
Will you be drawing it in any other liveries or with other units?

Thiel - Great Heinkel. Would that have been captured and operated by the Danish or bought?

[Blackbuck]

My turn at some armour. Atlantian stuff from the 1943-44 period (the same sort of period I depict most of my WW2 stuff).

First the Serval, an M3 derived family (the later ones are M5 derived) powered by a Napier Lion aero-derived petrol engine delivering roughly 420HP. As you can see there are several variants to the Serval (not all depicted but the main ones are). They are as follows.

• Light Tank Mk.III - RO-QF 2pdr AT gun and 3x FN30 .30-06 MMGs
• Light Tank Mk.IV - RO-QF 6pdr AT gun and 3x FN30 .30-06 MMGs
• Light Tank Mk.V - RO-QF 75mm DP gun and 3x FN30 .30-06 MMGs
• Light Tank (Support) Mk.I - RO-QF 18pdr Field Gun and 3x .30-06 MMGs
• Light Tank (Support) Mk.II - RO-QF 25pdr (short) Field Gun and 3x FN30 .30-06 MMGs
• Light Tank (Reconnaissance) Mk.II - 1x M2 .50 Browning HMG and 3x FN30 .30-06 MMGs

Other variants would include 81mm and 120mm mortar carriers, artillery tractors, ammunition carriers, flame-thrower vehicle, Kangaroos and SPAAGs. It should be noted that the Serval family saw somewhat equal service between armoured and infantry units, acting as infantry support tanks in the latter role. They wouldn't be anywhere near as durable as a Churchill or Valentine in the role but they are manoeuvrable and fast. The 6pdr armed variant would be a real headache for most axis armoured vehicles including Panthers and Tigers being so small and armed with something that stands a good chance against them.



Next up, the Dire Wolf family, going down the same lines as nighthunter did with his M6 my Mediums are derived from the M4/M10 family of vehicles, having somewhat thicker armour than the latter and an enclosed turret amongst other features. The re-designed engine compartment houses a Rolls-Royce Meteor delivering around 600HP.



The illustrated variants boil down to the following.

• Medium Tank Mk.IV - RO-QF 6pdr AT gun and 3x FN30 .30-06 MMGs
• Medium Tank Mk.V - RO-QF 75mm DP gun and 3x FN30 .30-06 MMGs
• Medium Tank Mk.VI - RO-QF 17pdr AT gun and 3x FN30 .30-06 MMGs
• Medium Tank (Support) Mk.I - RO-QF 25pdr (short) Field Gun and 3x FN30 .30-06 MMGs

The majority of vehicles in service by/on D-Day were of the Mk.IV and Mk.VI varieties with the Mk.V and Mk.I Support tanks providing more infantry support more effectively than the two former vehicles could with their AT orientated armaments. There were of course a multitude of other variants in service by D-Day and these included but were not limited to. Flame-thrower tanks (Mk.IVs with a flame projector replacing the hull machine gun fed by a towed trailer), turretless armoured recovery vehicles, bulldozers, crabs and kangaroos.

A note regarding the guns, the 6pdr would remain the standard tank gun until the end of the war due to it's performance still making it a valid armament with 17pdrs and 75mms supplementing them in units as required. The 18pdrs on the older Servals would in turn be replaced with short 25pdrs and the 2pdrs would be replaced by either of the two larger calibre tank guns or they'd be converted into RECCE tanks or Kangaroos.

~Regards, Mark.

[Trojan]

Excellent Excellent work though I don't know if a 75mm would fit on a M3 type tank but I'm probably wrong to doubt and for the Dire Wolf if the armor was increased would the side armor not look at least a bit different as it is still riveted which did not make good armor
sorry to criticize your work I always enjoy your drawings

[Blackbuck]

The 75 should fit fine albeit with a reduced round count as it's a bored out 6pdr. I suppose welded armour would make a better idea especially the later models.

[nighthunter]

The M10 Hull is not riveted, those are mounting points for additional armor iirc

[Blackbuck]

Upon reading into it I thought they were for spare links and wheels rather than armour?

[Trojan]

Oops well that's what i get for assuming instead of doing my research I apoligize

[nighthunter]

Blackbuck is correct and what I meant by additional armor is sandbags and camoflauge

[klagldsf]

Can't wait to see the full-length 25 pndr variant.