WesWorld

I wish General Piron bon chance in his endeavors to persuade the Belgian General Staff to change their strategies and defense priorities. As I recall there was much discussion surrounding the Belgian decision to fortify its borders and turn its cities into fortresses in following the 'Tar Baby' strategy. That sounds great on paper but presumes that the enemy will attack you head on and not maneuver around you. Piron obviously sees that fault.

The (WW) French Army underwent a very similar transformation between 1930 and 1940-ish, so General Piron has at least one relevant example at hand. Granted, the resources of France are significantly larger than those of Belgium, and their experience is significantly more varied.

Currently, the French leadership (and associated military thinkers, writers, etc) sees the Western Front, with it's static slogging match, as somewhat aberrant even within the context of the Great War. After all, the only equivalent was the Italian front, where the Italians failed to defeat Austria-Hungary even when the Atlanteans knocked on the gates of Vienna. The Atlantean-led campaign that started in Asia Minor and ended in southern Germany definitely figures more prominently in French estimates of "how we want to win a war in the future". France is, however, saddled with the puzzle of how to conduct such a war of maneuver in the mountains and jungles of the northern Vietnamese border, which is now viewed as their most likely zone of conflict...

I recommend adhering to Vizzini’s advice, “Never get involved in a land war in Asia.” There are far more effective modes of warfare. 8)

Well its only a matter of time before Belgian doctrine changes. Fixed defences are always useful to a degree but obsessively large forts are at best a sponge to soak up the invader's initial attack.
With the CATI and a new generation of recoilless rifles, the seeds of the change are there for a more mobile defence and cheaper too.

11 September
The 2nd Motor Torpedo Squadron at Zeebrugge has taken officially taken over the last pair of new M1948 Class boats to complete its re-equipment. The Finance Ministry earlier this year released funds to modernise a third squadron which will receive the first of its six new boats before the end of the year.

12 September
A newcomer in the trade brochures sent out among the shipbuilding and ship repairing industry is a small firm just opened in Antwerp. ETAP is a manufacturer of ship's lighting for all purposes (navigation, external and cabin lighting).

30 September
The Navy’s latest cruiser, Westdiep was commissioned into service today with the 1st Cruiser Squadron at Antwerp. The Westdiep will replace the Wandelaar, which has been laid up for several months and will be placed up for disposal or sale very soon.

9 October
Sobelair has taken delivery of its first large airliners today with two examples of the Fokker F.26 being handed over by Fokker representatives at Brussels Airport this afternoon. The two Fokkers will replace the currently leased Douglas DC-3 and will join Sobelair’s two Renard R.45 light transports mostly used on cargo charters for the flower and vegetable transport market. Sobelair hopes to soon begin regular services to France and Britain with their new Fokkers.

23 October
The prototype Renard et Stampe RS-9 basic trainer made its maiden flight today. The RS-9 is a variant of the RS-7 with a tricycle undercarriage and an imported 210hp Continental piston engine. The type is likely to go into Aéronautique Militaire service in small numbers next year.

4 November
The 2nd Motor Torpedo Squadron has been transferred from Zeebrugge to Ostend to join the 3rd Motor Torpedo Squadron.

The Belgian Army in the summer of 1949 had issued a requirement to replace the current T-20 tank, the Chiliean-acquired Carro de Combate Modelo 1941. A total of 340 new medium tanks were required for delivery from 1950, with potentially another 170 following later in the early years of the next decade to replace the T-21, the British Cromwell.

The technical requirements were flexible to ensure getting a wide range of designs to choose from. The 90mm L/60 Cockerill gun as used in the Dutch T-44 tank was specified.
No less than nine designs were offered from a range of European nations from France to German, Italy and Poland.

Following the technical evaluation the result was as follows:

AMX-40B3 Tigre: seems on paper to be the best all-round choice with a nice blend of all the attributes
T-44: perhaps over-armoured for its size but still a capable tank despite its age
T-47 Tskilon: a good design overall, politically not a likely choice to buy from Russia but its a good design
Standardpanzer I Panther: has firepower but let down by its sheer bulk and weight, although the performance is good due to its powerful engine but the armour is lagging behind rivals in thickness if not in quality, the bow MG doesn't help here
32TP Wzor.46 Lwica: the chassis is good but the turret is cramped and it can't fit the 90mm gun
Centurion Mk.4: suitable for the gun and well armoured but too heavy and slow
M.37/45 Princeps: good performance despite being under-powered but the bow MG affects the already thin frontal armour although other aspects of the hull are well armoured
Skoda TVP vz.47: good performance despite being under-powered but the armour leaves a lot to be desired.

The Belgian Defence Ministry issued invitations to the manufacturers of the AMX-40Be, T-44 and the Standardpanzer I to each send three of their tanks for a comprehensive evaluation at the Army's main armoured workshops at Sint-Truden during October 1949 with picked crews from the 1er Brigade Mécanisée being used to evaluate the tanks.
Of the three vehicles, two would be extensively used for performance and mobility trials while the third would be used for armament firing tests.

AMX-40B3 Tigre

Physical: the AMX was the narrowest of the three tanks but had a longer hull than the T-44 and was ergonomically well designed with the crews liking their interior layout and comparative comfort with nice touches to make the crew's life easier. These include the folding loader's seat to reveal a portable latrine that could be emptied out the bottom hatch in the hull; this made it possible for the crew to operate more comfortably in a bio-chemical warfare environment. The loader also had access to a small electrically-powered cooker in the space behind his seat that could be used to heat coffee or pre-cooked meals.The turret housed three of the four crew members, with the gunner located on the forward right, the commander seated behind him, and the loader in the center-left of the turret, on the opposite side of the main gun. The driver was centrally located in the front of the hull. The commander and loader had hatches in the turret roof, and the driver had a hatch located immediately forward of the turret. The commander had eight episcopes ("tank periscopes") in his hatch for visibility, while the gunner and the driver both had three (one facing forward, and two angled right and left at 45°. The loader had no sighting aids but had a ready rack of five rounds located near the gun. The remaining ammunition was stored beneath the loader's footrest in a wet-stowage rack.

Performance: The AMX-40 was designed to achieve a high degree of strategic mobility and reliability ,with most major drive-train components designed to last three thousand kilometers. The Millot dit Laval gearbox is only rated for an average of twenty-two hundred kilometers, which is considered acceptable. The Renault MD.10/46 V-10 diesel engine is rated at 782hp and although designed to run primarily on diesel fuel can also be operated with regular petrol, kerosene, or even vegetable oil. A second engine, a small 40hp Renault flat-four diesel engine was installed to power major electrical components such as turret motors, lights, radios, and other electrical gear. During cold weather, the auxiliary engine could be used to warm and turn the main diesel engine. During regular operation, the small engine powered an electrically-powered compressor connected to the main engine, acting as a low-level turbocharger. The engineers liked the good access to the engine and its accessories and an engine change could easily be accomplished.
Despite a potent engine and power-to-weight ratio, the AMX-40's speed was artificially limited to 45km/h in order to protect certain engine and drive train components, principally the gearbox. Unlimited, the tank could reach nearly 60km/h on paved roads, although this reduced the life of the gearbox. The speed governor could be deactivated in the field with a specialised tool, or according the French crews that accompanied the tank a hammer could be used! Mobility was good due to the ground pressure in even muddy conditions and no problems were encountered during the trials.

Firepower: the tanks had their standard CN-90 Mle.42 m.46 F2 (90mm/L64) main guns, these were tested mainly to see how the fire-control system operated and how the chassis coped with the recoil. The assessors were highly impressed with the Sentinelle Mle.45 main gun stabilization system. This device used a series of gyros to measure the movements of the tank and automatically made minor adjustments to the gunlaying drive to keep the gun more stable during vehicle movement. The improvements allowed the AMX-40 to achieve a reliable 75% hit ratio against targets at a range of one kilometer while moving. The Nice-455 stadiametric rangefinder was also installed, with the two optics located on the upper side of the turret.

T-44

Physical: The hull was quite short and consequently the engine and crew spaces were cramped. The turret housed three of the four crew members, with the gunner located on the forward right, the commander seated behind him, and the loader in the center-left of the turret, on the opposite side of the main gun. The driver was centrally located in the front of the hull. The commander had eight periscopes in his hatch for visibility, while the gunner and the driver both had three (one facing forward, and two angled right and left at 45°. The comfort was poor and the loader's position was the best, he could load the gun quite easily, the gunner's position was very cramped.


Performance: the 650hp DAF V-12 diesel was well-known the assessors. The 8-speed transmission had some issues with premature wear but was overall capable enough to withstand heavy use. The torsion bar suspension design was smooth and gave a good ride over rough country. A speed of 43km/h was achieved on paved roads and 30km/h over open-country. The engineers found accessing the engine difficult and removing an engine took some time to accomplish.


Firepower: the main armament 90mm L/60 gun was the required weapon and performed well and as expected. The fire-control system was adequate but not up to the standard of the other two tanks and holding a target on the move was difficult and the gun stabilisation system broke in one of the tanks.


Standardpanzer I Panther

Physical: the Panther was the heaviest and largest of the entrants, there were some concerns about the bulk of the vehicle, especially when transported by rail and long distance road route marches might be problematic. The turret housed three of the five crew members, with the gunner located on the forward right, the commander seated behind him, and the loader in the center-left of the turret, on the opposite side of the main gun. The driver was located in the front right of the hull with the radio operator/machine gunner on the left. The commander and loader had hatches in the turret roof, and the driver had a hatch located immediately forward of the turret. The commander had eight tank periscopes in his cupola for visibility, while the gunner, driver and radio operator had three (one facing forward, and two angled right and left at 45°). The crew were comfortable and the layout was well designed, it lacked some of the creature comforts of the AMX-40 but was overall an efficient space in which to work.

Performance: the Junkers 230 P30 water-cooled V-12 diesel is rated at 850 hp at 2800 rpm. The engine was comparatively more thirsty due to its greater power but it did an adequate performance given the bulk of the vehicle. A speed of 46km/h was achieved on paved roads and 30km/h over open-country. The suspension was composed of Einheitslaufwerke, in which the road wheels were mounted on geared swing arms suspended against springs made of simple Belleville washers held in tubes, with a hydraulic shock absorber down the centre of each. The suspension is external to the vehicle and can be far more readily repaired in the field than a torsion bar suspension. This system worked well although one of the tanks did get bogged down once and required a sizeable amount of assistance to free from the mud. Mechanically no problems were encountered and all the components have been tried and tested with long use by the German Army.

Firepower: the tanks had their standard 8.8cm KwK 42 L/71 main guns, these were tested mainly to see how the fire-control system operated and how the chassis coped with the recoil. The fire control system was not rated quite as highly as the AMX-40's but gave good accuracy over long ranges, some gunners found it slightly fiddly to use but overall gave good use when proper training was provided.

The overall conclusion of the assessment panel favoured the AMX-40B3 Tigre fitted with the 90mm L/60 Cockerill gun but retaining the French fire-control and stabilisation systems. This was their recommendation to the Ministry of Defence, who would then begin financial and industrial negotiations with the French parties involved.

OOC: For what it is worth, the Standardpanzer Panther does not employ a torsion bar suspension. It employs Einheitslaufwerke - standardized running gear units, in which the road wheels were mounted on geared swing arms suspended against springs made of simple Belleville washers held in tubes, with a hydraulic shock absorber down the centre of each. The suspension is thus external to the vehicle - making for more room inside the hull for crew and ammunition - and can be far more readily repaired in the field than a torsion bar suspension.

Ah ok, wasn't aware of that. Was trying to find good specs but didn't come across any. I know Brock did a detailed write up at one point.
Have edited my post accordingly.