NDRC Division 12 Report

FarSight

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I found an interesting document while ago:


SUMMARY TECHNICAL REPORT OF DIVISION 12. NDBRC VOLUME 1 - TRANSPORTATION EQUIPMENT AND RELATED PROBLEMS

It describes some of the vehicle projects of National Defense Research Committee Division 12, Transportation during the world war II. Quality is not best but there are lots of interesting projects.

PDF document includes:

- DUKW and it's further development including associated special equipment
- Project Weasel also including many paper projects suchs as the screw-propulsion vehicle concepts
- Amphibious Motor Gun Carriages
- Cute little Paddy Vehicle
- Large amphibious truck and halftrack projects
- Swimming devices for tanks and cars; also includes amphibious demolition charges
- Modified LVT tracks and rocket-propelled landing craft
- Bridge, ferry and pontoon designs
- Torpedo protection

Land Vehicles section is even more interesting. Forget about the old and ugly Sherman tank! There is long description of a Future Combat System of 1941. This was to be a vehicle family containing both tracked and wheeled vehicles:

- IVI Tanks were to be super cool looking universal tanks to replace M4 Sherman or M3 Lee. Heavy armor, high speed, automatic main weapon(s) and low profile. One anti-aircraft version was meant to carry 16(!!!) .50-caliber machineguns and one other was to carry both infantry assault group and 105mm gun in IFV style. Deadly!

- Jumping Vehicles were to be a futuristic armored cars with many interesting features such as recoil control and special jumping system to cross obstacles.

- Twin-boom carrier aircraft meant to carry Jumping Vehicles

- Goliath-style demolition vehicle project is also mentioned

- There is also a long list of experimental devices, components and equipment for different land vehicles.

Special Projects section

- Egg was to be a 10-ton superheavy glide bomb for use against japanese battleships and dams. It was to be carried by slave/drone B-17 Flying Fortress with an B-29 as the controller aircraft.

That's all for now, happy?
 
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