MIKROPOJAZDY - A27 CROMWELL MK IV , DODGE WC-51 , DAIMLER DINGO MK IA

The Challenger 1 was a British Main Battle Tank from the Cold War period. The first prototypes of this vehicle were made in the mid-1970s, and serial production was carried out in 1982-1990. Over 400 vehicles of this type were created in its course. The car was powered by a single 1,200hp Rolls-Royce CV-12 diesel engine. Its armament consisted of a single 120mm L11A5 rifled cannon and two 7.62mm machine guns. The Challenger 1 was developed as the British Army's new main battle tank to replace the Chieftain line. Its design, however, was based on many elements of the Shir-2, which was to be produced for Iran, but which was based on the Chieftain tank. The new tank, which received the designation Challenger 1 by the British Army, compared to its predecessor, had much better Chobham armor, which protected it very well against e.g. HEAT shells. It also received a new engine with more power, as well as other electronic equipment. However, the car was not free from problems - above all, compared to such tanks as Leopard 2 or M1 Abrams, it had very poor performance and maneuverability. Its main armament was also inferior to 120mm smoothbore guns. Bearing in mind all these shortcomings, the vehicle manufacturer - Vickers Defense Systems - decided to improve it and create the Challenger 2 tank. It is worth adding, however, that despite the shortcomings, the Challenger 1 tanks performed very well during the First Gulf War (1990-1991). Vehicles of this type remained in the line of the British Army until 2001.The Dodge WC-51 is an American military truck from the Second World War. The first prototypes of the family of these vehicles appeared in 1940, and serial production was carried out in 1940-1945. Approximately 124,000 Dodge WC-51 cars were produced in its course. The drive was provided by a single engine Dodge T-214 with 92 hp. The car was 4.24 meters long and 2.11 meters wide. The maximum payload was 800 kilograms. The Dodge WC-51 was one of the vehicles belonging to the Dodge WC family of off-road vehicles and trucks. Together with the famous Jeep produced by the Ford and Willys factories, they were the basic light, trucks and off-road vehicles of the American army during World War II. Dodge WC-51 was, however, characterized by worse off-road maneuverability than the Jeep and a larger silhouette, which negatively influenced its popularity among soldiers. Dodge WC-51 was built in a pick-up body, with an open driver's cab, which could optionally be fitted with a machine gun position (e.g. Browning M2 or M1919 rifles). The Dodge WC-51 was used extensively by the US military in 1941-1945, for example during the campaigns in Italy (1943-1945) and Normandy (1944).The Cromwell A27M was a British tank of the Second World War. The first prototypes were built as early as 1941, but serial production continued in the period 1943-1945. In total, about 4,100 copies of this tank were built. Cromwell was powered by an engine Rolls-Royce Meteor V12 with 600 hp. It was armed with a single 75mm ROQF cannon and two 7.92mm Besa machine guns. Tank Cromwell was constructed as the successor to the Crusader tank. The technical requirements for a new tank for the British Army were already specified in 1940, and analytical work and the first prototypes appeared at the beginning of the next year. However, due to problems with serial production of the drive unit, serial production started only in 1943. The Cromwell, when it entered service, turned out to be a very successful tank, technically refined, and above all, having a lot of maneuverability. However, its poor armor and mediocre main armament were criticized, which was inferior to the 17-pounder cannon, which was the main armament of the Sherman Firefly tanks at the time. Despite this, Cromwell is recognized as one of the most successful British armored designs of World War II. Several versions of this tank were created in the course of serial production. Chronologically, the first was the Cromwell I, which was the first mass-produced version of this tank. Shortly after, the Cromwell V was created, in which the hull production technique was changed and the armor at the front of the car was strengthened (from 76 mm to 100 mm). There was also a version VII with even more reinforced armor and wider tracks - it was also the last production series. Cromwell tanks were also used by the Polish Armed Forces in the West (PES), namely the 1st Armored Division.The Daimler Dingo was a British armored car from the Second World War. The first prototypes were built in 1938, and serial production continued in 1939-1945. In total, about 6,600 copies of this vehicle were built. The Daimler Dingo was powered by an engine Daimler with 50 HP. The basic version of the vehicle was armed with a single 7.7 mm Bren. The Daimler Dingo was created in response to the British Army's demand for a new light reconnaissance vehicle from the late 1930s. When designing the new vehicle, emphasis was placed on high mobility, low production costs and high top speed, at the expense of the main armament and armor. Three main development versions of the Daimler Dingo were produced in the course of production. The first - marked as Mk. And - it was, of course, the first production run. The next version was the Mk. II, in which the steering of all wheels was abandoned. The last version, the Mk. III, did not have an armored roof, and the crew compartment was covered with a tarpaulin. Regardless of the version, the Daimler Dingo turned out to be a very successful and technically efficient vehicle. It made its debut in combat in the course of the campaign in France in 1940, and later were used in North Africa (1941-1943) and in battles in Europe - in Italy, France and western Germany. They were also used by the Polish Armed Forces in the West (PES).