Armoured Trains Sneak Preview
Armoured Trains Sneak Preview
9 1/2 x 11 3/4 in
528 single-color pages, plus 16 pages of color
1,400 b/w photos & 64 color photos;
100 drawings;
Publication date: November 2016
List price: $75.00
Armoured Trains
An Illustrated Encyclopaedia 18262016
Paul Malmassari
Translated and Edited by Roger Branfill-Cook
Contents
Preface
Introduction
Angola
Argentina
Armenia
Austria
Austro-Hungarian Empire
Belgium
Bosnia Herzegovina
Brazil
Bulgaria
Burma (Myanmar)
Cambodia (Kampuchea)
Canada
Chile
China
Colombia
Congo-Lopoldville
Croatia (Post 1991)
Croatia, Free State of
Cuba
Czechoslovakia
Egypt
Estonia
Finland
xx France
xx Georgia
Germany
xx Great Britain
xx Greece
xx Guatemala
xx Honduras
xx Hungary
xx India
xx Indonesia
xx Iraq
xx Ireland
xx Italy
xx Japan
xx Latvia
xx Lithuania
xx Malaysia
xx Malawi
xx Mauritania
xx Mexico
xx Morocco
xx Mozambique
xx The Netherlands
xx New Zealand
xx Nicaragua
xx North Korea
JAPAN
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
Norway
Paraguay
Peru
Poland
Portugal
Republic of Congo
Rhodesia (Zimbabwe)
Romania
Russia and URSS
Slovakia (Free State)
Slovakia (post 1944)
South Africa
South Korea
Spain
Sweden
Switzerland
Thailand
Tunisia
Turkey
Ukraine
United States of America
Uruguay
Vietnam
Yugoslavia/Serbia
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
Index
xx
6 JAPAN
and also the latest modifications like
the searchlight mounted on the roof.
Wagon N 1.
1.
The 12th Division was the first to land on 3 August 1918 and went into
action alongside the Czechs in the region of the Amur and the Ussuri rivers. At
their peak, the Japanese contingent counted 72,000 men commanded by
General Otani, who in theory was nominal head of all the Allied troops. In fact
the Russo-Japanese War was still fresh in local memory, and Russians mistrusted the growing power of Japan.
2.
The AEFS, the American Expeditionary Force in Siberia, was withdrawn on
1 April 1920.
3.
The Japanese intervention had cost their forces 5000 dead from combat and
disease.
8 JAPAN
JAPAN 9
6.
The rail network in that region belonged to the Japanese Railway Company
of Southern Manchuria.
7.
8.
9.
The island of Formosa had been Japanese since 1895, and only became
Chinese again in 1945. We do not know if the defence of the islands rail
network included armoured trains.
MASSARI Collection)
Another similar view, perhaps the other end of the same train, showing the
various different types of protection, riveted plates, welded plates, sandbags.
(Photo: Paul MALMASSARI Collection)
The lack of good roads in this immense territory meant that the
railways were vitally important. The Japanese deployed large numbers
of troops to protect the railway lines, and in turn these became a
principal target for sabotage. The Imperial Army used several
armoured trains10 and armoured trolleys. These units were obliged to
operate over two different rail gauges depending on the area:
1520mm (5ft) Russian gauge in the northern zone of Manchuria,
and 1430mm (4ft 81/2in) European gauge in the rest of the territory.
10.
10 JAPAN
JAPAN 11
12 JAPAN
JAPAN 13
A superb view of the complete train, which gives off an aura of invulnerability,
aided by its homogenous design. It underwent running trials from 16 November
to 16 December 1934, and had its firing trials on 89 December.
(Photo: All Rights Reserved)
The protection (track control) wagon at the head of the train, equipped with a
30cm diameter armoured searchlight. Clearly visible are the 7.7mm Type 92
MGs for close-in defence and the sliding shutters closing the observation ports.
The central coupling knuckle indicates that this wagon has been built on the
base of a 30-tonne Type Ta-I mineral wagon.
temporary armoured train, and it too carries rails and sleepers mounted on its
sides. (Photo: All Rights Reserved)
14 JAPAN
JAPAN 15
The K wagon was fitted with a single
turret armed with a 100mm Type 14
anti-aircraft gun (here used solely
against ground targets) with a 270degree field of fire. Its maximum range
was 15km (9.4 miles). The 7.7mm Type
92 MGs in the forward turrets are for
use against ground targets, while those
in the rear turrets are dual-purpose
ground/AA. (Photo: All Rights Reserved)
As with the other artillery wagons, the Hei wagon was constructed on the base of a 60-tonne wagon Type Chi-i. The
cannon are 75mm Type 88 anti-aircraft guns, also capable of engaging ground targets, with a horizontal range of 14km (8.75
miles), provided with 300 rounds each. (Photo: All Rights Reserved)
This interior view shows one of the turret baskets of Hei wagon. At the very top
of the photo the breech of the 75mm gun is just visible. Although it seems to be
a relatively small weapon compared to the size of the wagon, each gun had a rate
of fire of some 20 rounds per minute. (Photo: All Rights Reserved)
16 JAPAN
A postcard, based closely on the photograph on page xxx, depicts a typical train
on the Manchurian front, with its distinctive camouflage scheme and a rangefinder
in the near artillery wagon. (Postcard: Paul MALMASSARI Collection)