MADE IN NEW ZEALAND

Wairarapa Times-Age, 31 March 1941, Page 6

MADE IN NEW ZEALAND

LARGE AND POWERFUL TANKS I — VULNERABLE ONLY TO BIG GUNS. BODIES FITTED TO HEAVY TRACTORS. | (By Telegraph—Press Association.) CHRISTCHURCH. This Day. When New Zealand's own tanks r show their paces before the public for the first time in a few weeks, ' there will be presented the fulfilment of a dramatic chapter in the history of the Public Works De- _ I partment. The genesis of these 25 I ton heavy tanks was a photograph ,| I taken in the United States, which was given to the then Minister of ,| Public Works (Mr Semple). That photograph showed a converted .- caterpillar tractor and so impressed was Mr Semple that, when Belgium and France.fell last year, he became convinced that something “hot" for any potential invader of New Zealand could be prepared on the lines of that valuable photograph. The work was put in hand and carried out under the supervision of Mr T. G. Beck, now Public Works 1 engineer in Christchurch. Armour was devised which passed severe firing tests and it was then decided to go ahead - and build the first tank. The whole cf - that important task was carried out at s Temuka and the completed tank was r tested before Army representatives :. and all were satisfied. With the decision to construct fur2 ther tanks, operations were shifted to - the Addington Railway Workshops, s In addition big trailers were made to - transport tanks at high speeds to places 2 where they might be needed. The r trailers were designed by the Public s Works Department in Wellington, and - the first was built under Mr. Beck’s 1 supervision at Temuka. Complete . with their camouflage paint, these New Zealand made tanks look grimly efficient and their performances bear out their looks. The armoured bodies are on big 98 horse-power caterpillar tracI tors, brought into New Zealand by Mr. Semple to do heavy Public Works construction jobs. These tractors are the most powerful in the world, and as tanks they have immense power. Not only can they climb a grade of 1 in 2, but they will travel through flood waters four feet six inches deep, traverse an embankment four feet six inches high, smash through gorse hedges. scrub and saplings up to six inches in diameter, and move across country where roads do not exist. The armament consists of a number of quick-firing guns. A hail of lead can be released. Each tank has a crew of eight, and normally carries 25,000 round of ammunition. In addition there is room for the carriage of troops and ammunition in safety over country that might be under enemy fire. Furthermore each tank is fitted with a drawbar, with which an armoured trailer can be towed. These tanks, which incidentally are officially known as mobile pill boxes, burn crude oil and accordingly cannot be vulnerable to incendiary bombs. The only thing that could put these tanks out of action would be a big gun. The tanks are not fast-travelling units, but they can be taken wherever they are wanted on trailers as fast as any tank ever built. Thus they can be moved as fast as infantry, whether the troops are on foot or in trucks. Not

y only can the tanks go virtually any:t where, but they can operate for 60 hours without refuelling. “If’ this country is going to be a invaded, we needed to have equipment e as good as that of the other fellow, if not better." explained Mr. Semple, r “We could not buy tanks from outside, g but had to act on our resources, r. Luckily we had big tractors here, and I they proved a godsend. They have t proved one of the greatest boons the f country has ever known, and have I permitted us to build highways, aeroc dromes, camps and fortifications in record time in the Dominion, and they . have proved invaluable for other f urgent purposes outside New Zealand.” i Mr. Semplb added that it would not ; be necessary to withdraw tractors from s service to have them converted into tanks. The tank bodies could be mass- ’ produced and bolted on to tractors when required.