FutureWarTHINK 002: CACI-90 = The Wiesel's Tankette Inspiration

CACI-90 = The Wiesel's Tankette Inspiration

Observations

* Easily paradrop or airland 2 x CACI-90s in a C-130E/H/J Hercules fixed-wing STOL transport

* External sling-load under a CH-47B/C/D/F, CH-53D/E/K, CH-54/S-64 winched up tight

* Internal RO-RO from inside a CH-47B/C/D/F, CH-53D/E/K

Too bad it wasn't in service for Operation DRAGON ROUGE, Congo parachute assault by Belgian Para-Commandos in 1964 by USAF C-130Es

https://tanks-encyclopedia.com/coldwar/belgium/cold-war-belgium

...and even the venerable old Carden-Loyd carrier lived on until the early 1960’s with Belgian forces mounting a 90mm MECAR gun and known as the CATI-90.

https://tanks-encyclopedia.com/coldwar-belgium-canon-antitank-dinfanterie-90mm-cati-90/

Canon Antitank d’Infanterie 90 mm (CATI 90)

Post author
By Leander Jobse
Post date
June 27, 2019
1 Comment on Canon Antitank d’Infanterie 90 mm (CATI 90)
Belgium (1953-62)
Tank Destroyer – Aprx. 32 Converted

The Canon Antitank d’Infanterie 90 mm (CATI 90, Infantry Anti-Tank Gun) was a light tank destroyer developed in Belgium in 1953 and based on the British Loyd Carrier vehicle from World War 2. By adding a light but powerful gun to the old carrier, the Belgian Army had created a cheap vehicle which provided direct infantry support, especially to be used against enemy armored vehicles.

The most famous picture of the CATI showing it with the left armor plate hinged down, and a crew of three. The photo is likely to have been taken by the fourth crewmember on a firing range. Source: N/A

Background

After the end of the Second World War, the Belgian army was equipped with an array of surplus British armored vehicles, among them a rather large quantity of Loyd Carrier TTs. During the early 1950s, the army initiated a large re-equipment program which was largely made possible by the USA with their Mutual Defence Assistance Program (MDAP). The army received large quantities of U.S. tanks, half-tracks, and self-propelled guns. However, the army still felt a need for an armored vehicle to directly support the infantry. To keep costs low, it was decided to convert Loyd carriers into tank destroyers as these carriers were largely available.

The light carriers, however, could not carry a large gun with heavy recoil. During the early 1950s, the Belgian joint-stock company MECAR S.A. (Mécanique et Armement – Mechanics and Armament), which was situated in the city of Roeulx-lez-Nivelles, had been developing a low-pressure semi-automatic 90mm gun. Due to its low pressure, the gun had very low recoil and low weight. This gun could be mounted on the carrier without too many issues.

Construction of the new vehicles was initiated in 1953 and the guns were mounted onto the Loyd carriers by Usines Émile Henricot (Émile Henricot Factories), located at Court-Saint-Etienne, central Belgium. In 1954, each infantry battalion was equipped with a platoon of four of these CATI vehicles together with four regular carriers which served as ammunition carriers.

Two CATIs with tactical numbers 016 and 018. The relatively small size of the CATI can be appreciated as one of the crew members in front offers a good size comparison. Source: museumbsd

The idea to repurpose an older chassis by mounting a rather large gun did not come out of the blue. In fact, before the Second World War, such an idea was already executed in Belgium, which resulted in the T13 tank destroyer.

https://tanks-encyclopedia.com/ww2/belgium/Belgian_T13.php

The Loyd carrier had been used as a gun carrier before as well, although this conversion was attempted out by the UK during the Second World War, when they tried to mount a 25-pounder [87mm] gun on the Loyd chassis. This attempt failed.

A blurry picture of the CATI, seen from the front left. Source: Royal Army Museum Brussels

Design

The Loyd Carrier was designed just before the war by Captain Vivian G. Loyd. The vehicle was based upon the 4×2 Fordson 7V truck 15cwt and used the same chassis, gearbox, transmission, front axle, and 85 hp Ford V8 Side-valve engine. On this chassis, a bodywork made of mild steel was added, against which 7 mm armor plates were installed. A total of 26,000 of these carriers were built until 1944 when production was ceased. The vehicle, which had a top speed of 48 km/h and weighed 4.5 tons, had dimensions of 4.24 x 2.06 x 1.42 meters.

To accommodate the gun, a hole was made in the front armor plate. This also meant that the storage box which was located on the front had to be divided into two smaller ones. The gun had a movement to each side of 22°, could be elevated 15°, and depressed 13°. The side armor plates were also changed, on both sides the middle section of the armor was hinged, which eased the accessibility of the vehicle.

The vehicle was operated by a crew of four, a driver who sat on the right side of the gun, a gunner who sat left of the gun, a commander, and a loader, who were both seated behind the gun.

This CATI bears the registration number 59412 and shows its gun in the depressed position. Source: De Carapat no.1 2017

Illustration of the Canon Antitank d’Infanterie 90 mm (CATI 90), produced by Ardhya Anargha, funded by our Patreon campaign.

Gun

The CATI 90 was the first armored vehicle that was equipped with the low-pressure MECAR 90 mm gun. The total weight of the gun was only 274 kg and featured a hydraulic recoil system. The gun had a recoil of 2500 kg and a recoil length of 40 cm, both of which are relatively low. The breech mechanism was semi-automatically cam-operated, the cases were ejected automatically. The rifling of the gun was unconventional as it was thin, shallow, and with a very low inclination.

The CATIs were equipped with two kinds of ammunition, HE and HEAT. The HEAT projectile weighed 2.28 kg and its accuracy and stabilization were achieved by the combination of the projectiles’ initial low rotation and eight stabilizing fins. It had a relatively low velocity of 633 m/s and an effective range of only 1 km, and a maximum range of 3.5 km. Within the effective range, the HEAT projectile could penetrate 350 mm of armor or 1200 mm of concrete. The HE projectile had an effective range of 2.1 km and a maximum range of 4 km. The maximum rate of fire consisted of 10 rounds per minute, with a sustainable rate of fire of 7 rounds per minute. The CATI had an ammunition load-out of 18 shells, the ammunition carrier could carry 54 additional rounds

The MECAR 90/28 mm gun, which was mounted on the CATI. Source: Jane’s Armoured Fighting Vehicle Retrofit Systems 1993-94

Production and Service

How many CATIs were eventually made is still unclear. It is known that each infantry battalion was equipped with four CATIs and four Loyd ammunition carriers, forming anti-tank companies, but the actual number of infantry battalions in the Belgian Army during the 1960s is hard to come by. We may find a clue in the history of the Kanonenjagdpanzer 90, of which eighty were used by Belgium, ten for each infantry battalion. These vehicles were put in service in 1973, twenty years later than the CATI, so it is likely that during the 1960s there were eight infantry battalions as well. This would implicate that probably 32 CATIs were made. According to Alexander Lüdeke, a German historian, up to a hundred CATIs were used by the Belgian army, however, this number seems unlikely as Belgium never had 25 infantry battalions in service, although some vehicles could have been kept in reserve.

Known registration numbers, visible on photographs, include 59603, 59412, and 59568. On two photographs, tactical numbers are visible, one having 016 and the other 018.

The only CATI that survived resides now at the Royal Museum of Armored Forces and Military History in Brussels. Source: Wikimedia

Fate

After the vehicles were taken out of service in 1962, most were scrapped and only one example is known to have survived. It is on display at the Royal Army Museum in Brussels. Some of the guns were re-used and mounted in the FN-AB (Auto Blindée) armored cars. These armored cars were produced by FN Herstal and based upon their 4RM-62F truck chassis. 61 of these armored cars were produced from 1965-1968 in three variants. 24 of these vehicles were armed with the 90 mm gun. This version was called FN-ABC (Auto-Blindée Canon). The FN-AB armored cars were in use by the Gendarmerie Nationale, the Belgian military police.

The CATIs were replaced in service by ENTAC AT missiles, either mounted on jeeps or AMX-VCI. 2500 of these missiles were ordered from France in 1961 and delivered until 1966. The AMX-VCI was put into service between 1963-1969.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loyd_Carrier

Type Armoured personnel carrier
Place of origin United Kingdom

Service history

In service 1939 -1960s
Used by British & Commonwealth.
Post-war Danish, Dutch and Belgian armies
Wars Second World War

Production history

Designer Vivian Loyd
Designed 1939
Manufacturer Vivian Loyd & Co, and others (see text)
Produced 1939 - 1944
No. built 26,000 (Not Verified)
Variants Mark 1, Mark 2

Specifications

Mass 4.50 t (4.43 long tons) 9, 000 pounds
Length 13 ft 11 in (4.24 m)[1]
Width 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)[1]  81 inches
Height 4 ft 8 in (1.42 m)[1]
Crew 1
Armour up to 7 mm where fitted

Main
armament
unarmed

Engine Ford V8 Side-valve petrol
85 bhp (63 kW)
Power/weight 18.9 hp/tonne
Payload capacity 7-8 passengers or similar load
Transmission Ford 4 forward, 1 reverse gearbox[2]
Suspension Horstmann twin wheel bogies
Ground clearance 8 inches[2]
Fuel capacity 22 gallons[2]
Operational range

140 miles (220 km) on roads

Speed 30 mph (48 km/h) maximum on road

Steering system braked - two

A Belgian variant was the CATI 90 (Canon antitank d'infanterie automoteur 90mm), a self-propelled gun in use from 1954 to 1962. The vehicle served in infantry units with a paired ammunition carrier.

https://tanks-encyclopedia.com/ww2/belgium/Belgian_T13.php

T13 Tank Destroyer
Post author
By David.B
Post date
June 27, 2014
5 Comments on T13 Tank Destroyer

belgian tanks Belgium (1935) Tank destroyer – around 306 built

First attempts with the FRC C47 AT gun

The project started in 1936, when the Rheinland (in Germany) was reoccupied and remilitarized. Along with a drastic plan of modernization and extension of the existing fortifications, lengthened military service and higher defense budget, the army had already requested a large plan of motorization, and later of modernization of its armored forces, which had already started in 1929.

By then, the core of the Belgian armor was made of 75 obsolescent Renault FTs and two WWI Minerva armored cars. By 1929, British Carden Loyd experiments had drawn attention from all military commissions throughout Europe.

After seeing them in maneuvers, the Belgians chose to buy the already largely exported Mark VI for extensive tests, which were all passed near Brussels in 1931.

At the same time, both the C47 FRC AT gun and the FRC 76 mm (2.99 in) AT gun were heavily tested, but it took way too long to unhook and prepare the gun for shooting when it was towed. Six Carden-Loyd Mk.VI tankettes previously used for training were converted as improvised carriers, and largely tested, first with the 76 mm (3 in) gun. But the light chasis of these machines proved too weak to sustain the blast and recoil of the gun.

They had a tendency to pitch violently and the rate of fire was slowed down for this reason. The FRC C47 gave better results, but the hull was still pitching too much to be quickly on line with the target, as required. For these reasons, and the fixed position of the gun, they proved of dubious utility in the heavily forested Ardennes area, and were passed in 1938 from the “Chasseurs Ardennais” to the “Cyclistes-Frontiere”.

A Troop of Belgium Army T13 Type 1 Tank Destroyers on Parade (WHI)

Genesis of the T13 tank-hunter

By 1934, the army has purchased 23(21?) Vickers-Carden-Loyd Artillery Tractors for the Chasseurs Ardennais, all towing Bofors 75 mm (2.95 in) M34 mountain guns. Despite being unarmed and unarmored, they were a stronger basis for experiments and, later on, 35 others were purchased from Vickers, to test the C47 mounted on a pivoting half turret, where the gun was protected by a partial shield.

Because of the weight and compartmentation of the tractor, the gun had to be placed at the rear and pointing rearwards. The only way to protect the driver and gun servants was a set of folding armored panels in an open-top configuration.

The frontal panel had a vision slit on the left for the driver. As a consequence, the gun had a very limited traverse with full protection (120°), and, in order to be aimed in any direction, the three forward panels had to be folded down. This left the crew unprotected, but at least the gun servants still had the gun shield as partial cover.

The gun was the 47 mm (1.45 in) FRC M32 AT, derived from the infantry model, and the turret was fitted on the right with an additional fixed machine-gun port, housing a F.N. model 30, a Belgian-built BAR automatic rifle. The T13 passed all tests successfully, and 32 units of this first variant, called Type 1, were produced by Miesse, a truck maker from Buysinghen, near Brussels. Armor was limited to 12 mm (0.47 in) on the main armored panels, hull sides and front, but the bottom, turret top and hull vertical surfaces were only 6 mm (0.24 in) strong.

The name

In Belgium it was known as Vickers Carden Loyd T13 Belgium (V.C.L. T13 B). The different versions were called Type 1, Type 2 and Type 3. The Dutch and English word for ‘type’ are the same. In some sources you will see the different versions called B1, B2 and B3. The letter B stands for Belgium so this does not make sense.

Abandoned Belgium Army T13 Type 2 tank hunter self-propelled gun. Notice the rear mudguards are angled inwards not outwards as on the T13 Type 1. The gun was designed to fire across the rear of the gun and change position quickly so it could not be targeted. Shoot and Scoot. (WHI)

The T13 Type 2

The Type 1 design was judged satisfactory enough to serve as a basis for the conversion of the remaining 23 gun tractors of the Chasseurs Ardennais. It was powered by a Meadows E.P.T. 3,300 cc, 6-cylinder 55 hp petrol engine. They were converted in 1936 on the same lines as the Type 1, with small differences of hull fittings, suspension and internal compartmentation. As such, these Type and Type 2s formed the bulk of the motorized regiments of the Chasseurs Ardennais, generally placed in 6-strong mobile units.

The main visual difference was the rear mud guards. The T13 Type 2 tank Hunters had longer mudguards. It also had a more robust rear towing hook. Slight alterations were made to the turret and hinges on the upper side armor plates. The T13 Type 2 was armed with a Canon anti-char de 47mm Fonderie Royale de Canons Modèle 1931 (C.47 F.R.C. Mod.31) anti-tank gun. It was developed in 1931 and designed to be a towed. The gun had good armour penetration capabilities and could knock out German Panzer 38(t), Panzer III and Panzer IV tanks used during the 1940 invasion of Belgium. It had a muzzle velocity of 720 m/s (2,400 ft/s) when firing armour-piercing shells and 450 m/s (1,500 ft/s) when firing high explosive shells.
One Type 2 of the cyclist frontier of Limburg, (Maaseik group) is still preserved at the Brussels tank & army museum. However, the need for more motorized defense units and a more satisfactory design, as far as crew protection was concerned, led to a redesign of the type.
Belgium Army 1940 Carden Loyd T13 Type 3 Tank
Belgium Army 1940 Carden Loyd T13 Type 3 Tank used the improved Vickers-Carden-Loyd Dragon Mk II B light tank chassis that could handle more weight.

The T13 Type 3

Searching for a better base to improve the tank-hunter design, a commission turned to the traditional supplier, Vickers, and purchased a single Vickers-Carden-Loyd Light Dragon Mk.II B (export version) for trials. This was found more stable, with better suspension, and sturdier than the original tractor, and led to a complete rebuild of the type, known as the Type 3. This was to be the most successful of all, built at “Atelier de construction de Familleureux”.

The hull was higher, allowing the driver to be fully enclosed, as well as the gun feeder, although the turret, now with full 360° traverse, still had a partial shield, open at the rear. The T13 Type 3 was also armed with a Canon anti-char de 47mm Fonderie Royale de Canons Modèle 1931 (C.47 F.R.C. Mod.31) anti-tank gun. It was developed in 1931 and designed to be a towed. The gun had good armour penetration capabilities and could knock out German Panzer 38(t), Panzer III and Panzer IV tanks used during the 1940 invasion of Belgium. It had a muzzle velocity of 720 m/s (2,400 ft/s) when firing armour-piercing shells and 450 m/s (1,500 ft/s) when firing high explosive shells.

The suspension was sturdier, there were two return rollers, the tracks links were thicker and larger, and the engine was more powerful, but the armor was still light, with an average of only 13 mm (0.51 in) on the turret and hull bulkhead, protecting only from infantry fire.
A first order of 194 units was placed in 1938, followed by a second one in September 1939, which were delivered until May 1940. Total production figures are not known precisely. The second order called for 158. This gives an estimation of 250-255 vehicles, but because of the lack of time for training and organization, many of the late production vehicles never reached operational level.

Belgium Army T13Type 3 Tank Destroyer

The T13 in action

When war broke out in 1939, the T13 formed the bulk of the Belgian armored forces, with nearly 200 units. Symptomatic of its foreign policy, all were strictly intended for a defensive role, armed with the proven 47 mm (1.45 in) antitank gun. But the circumstances led them to be used as tanks, a task they were never designed for.

The deficiencies in crew protection and gun traverse of the Type 1/Type 2 were partially compensated by the high muzzle velocity of the gun, which was described to have been capable of piercing through an armored half-track and then hitting the Panzer behind. The larger Vickers tractors proved up to the task, and provisions were affected to the motorized border units, namely the Cyclist Frontiere regiments (generally equipped with 4 T13 Type 1/Type 2 each), and the elite Chasseurs Ardennais (6 T13 Type 3 for each unit). Others served as infantry support, in pairs or even as single units.

In the harsh terrain of the Ardennes their tracks proved useful and they were small enough to be well camouflaged. But their main drawback was their weak armor. They had to shoot first in any case, and to break quickly before the reply, which would be fatal in any case. The 20 mm (0.79 in) autocannon of the Panzer II, as well as the 37 mm (1.46 in) gun of the Panzer III, not to speak of the 75 mm (2.95 in) of the Panzer IV, were all lethal, at any range, as well as all German AT guns, starting with the PaK 36.

Ambushing and skirmishing tactics were preferred in the fierce delaying actions which took place at the frontiers on 10-11 May and went on until the 23rd, when the bulk of these motorized regiments had been almost annihilated, mostly because of the lack of air support, and lacking ammunition and fuel. But they had proven successful, with good crew training and well chosen and camouflaged positions. Another anecdote tells that a single T13 scored 5 Panzer kills, one after the other, before being spotted and silenced, during the border battles along the Meuse and the Ardennes.

Memories of a T13 driver

Franz Schmitz, of Marche-en-Famenne, was the driver of a T13 B2 self-propelled gun. He was mobilised in September 1939. He joined his unit, le 1er (régiment) Chasseur Ardennais, compagnie de tanks légers T.33

He was assigned to defend the fortified positions at Namur in the Belgium Ardennes when the Germans invaded 10th May 1940. He was in combat for 18 days. His company had orders to protect of the airfield in Evere and went to Woluwé St-Etienne. Later his mission was to protect the retreat of the Belgian Army.

His tank was mentioned three times in the regimental ‘order of the day’. They were instructed to withdraw west to Flanders. Several times they came in contact with the enemy. His company of T13 self-propelled guns destroyed German five tanks and enemy machine gun nests.
Finally, in the vicinity of Roulers (Roeselare), they found themselves surrounded by the Germans. They then learnt over the radio, that at 6am 28th May 28 about 6 o’clock in the morning, the capitulation of the Belgian army.

Franz Schmitz’s primary concern was to sabotage his T13 SPG so the Germans could not use it by double loading the gun barrel and firing off a round to make it explode. He can still remember his sergeant remonstrations, “Is it not unfortunate we now have to sabotage a so beautiful machine”. They then received orders from the Belgian authorities to hand their weapons and tanks back in the same condition they were issued.”

Aftermath

After the armistice was signed, the Germans took over large quantities of disabled, abandoned or half-sabotaged T13s, not counting those in depots or still under completion at the Familleheureux factory. Those which were repaired and pressed to service were called Beutepanzer Vickers T13(b). Some photos show regular and SS units using some of them, as well as the Feldgendarmerie.

They were probably painted in dunkelgrau, showing large Balkan crosses over the turret, but some were also camouflaged. There are no records of any of them committed to external operations (outside Belgium), but many of these were still active by 1944, participating in the operations in this sector.

Their main duty was probably to patrol and deal with Belgian resistance actions, local defense and crew training. None -outside the Type 2 at Brussels- seem to have survived to this day.

47 mm (1.45 in) FRC Mod.32 specifications

Rate of fire: 5 rpm
AT shell
Weight: 1.55 kg
Velocity: 675 m/s (2214 ft/s)
Penetration: 40 mm (1.57 in) at 600 m
HE shell
Weight: 1.65 kg
Velocity: 450 m/s (1476 ft/s)
Range: 3000 m (3300 yards)
Units equipped with the T13 (September 1939)

1st Guides (1DC): 7 T13s
2th Lanciers (1DC) : 7 T13s
3st Lanciers (1DC) : 4 T13s
1st Lanciers (2DC) : 4 T13s
1st Chasseurs à cheval (2DC): 4 T13s
2nd Chasseurs à Cheval (2DC) : 7 T13s
1st Chasseurs ardennais : 8 T13s
2nd Chasseurs ardennais : 16 T13s
3rd Chasseurs ardennais : 8 T13s
Cyclistes frontieres : 42 T13s
Infantry Divisions (1 to 11) : 116 T13s
Position Fortifiée de Liège : 10 T13s
Position Fortifiée de Namur : 12 T13s
Gendarmerie : 4 T13s
Ecole mobile : 1 T13s

Sources

T13 on WW2Vehicles
T13 on Wikipedia
T13 on Tank-Hunter.com
Photos on Maquetland

Specifications

T13 Type 1 – T13 Type 2

T13 Type 3

Dimensions 3.65 x 1.95 x 1.69 m
(11.97 x 6.39 x 5.54 ft) 3.65 x 1.95 x 1.84 m
(11.97 x 6.39 x 6.04 ft)
Total weight, battle ready 4.5 tons 5.08 tons
Crew 4 (commander, driver, gunner, loader) 4 (commander, driver, gunner, loader)
Propulsion Meadows E.P.T. 3,300 cc, 6-cylinder 55 hp engine 6-cyl Vickers-Armstrong (80 hp)
Speed 24.85 mph (40 km/h) 25.47 mph (41 km/h)
Range 150 miles (240 km) 250 miles (400 km)
Main Armament FRC 47 mm (1.45 in) Mod 1931 AT gun FRC 47 mm (1.45 in) Mod 1931 AT gun
Secondary Armament Belgian FN 7,65mm BAR (Browning auto rifle) Belgian FN 7,65mm BAR (Browning auto rifle)
Ammunition carried 18 HE shells and 24 AT shells 18 HE shells and 24 AT shells
Front Hull Armor 12 mm 12 mm
Superstructure Armor 8 mm 8 mm
Gun Shield Armor 8 mm 8 mm
Gun Shield Roof Armor 7.5 mm 7.5 mm
Track Width 28 cm 28 cm
Total production 56 in 1935-1937 ~250 in 1938-1940
SA FRC C47
SA FRC 47 mm (1.45 in) mounted on a Carden-Loyd Mk.VI tankette. This early experiment was unsuccessful, as the hull was too light to cope with the muzzle blast and recoil of the gun. Only six were so converted. They were passed, in 1938, from the Chasseurs Ardennais to the Cycliste Frontiere regiment, and placed in fixed ambushing positions between Vivegnis and Lixhe (Meuse river western banks), firing some rounds on the Germans on 10-11 May 1940.

Vickers T13 B1

Vickers T13 Type 1, first version of this prolific tank-hunter (32 units delivered). The gun was partially protected, and could be fully traversed only when the driver compartment armored panels were folded. Unknown unit (unicorn), Cyclist Frontiere unit, central plains near Liege, May 1940.

Vickers T13 B.II

Vickers T13 Type 2, 3rd Lanciers (1DC), May 1940. The panels were folded, which left the crew unprotected, but the gun had full traverse. Only 21 Type 2s were produced (23 from other sources).

T13 B3

T13 Type 3 of the elite Chasseurs Ardennais with the famous Ardennes wild boar insignia, Albert Canal, 10-12 May 1940. Over 255 units seem to have been delivered until May 1940, but far fewer were actually serviceable in time.

T13 B3 Feldgendarmerie

Beutepanzerkampfwagen T13(b) of the German feldgendamerie. The camouflaged livery is as seen from a photo probably taken in 1943 (photographer unknown)

Gallery

T13 B1 tank destroyer fording a stream. The gun is pointing backwards.
T13 Type 1 tank destroyer fording a stream. The gun is pointing backwards. (photographer unknown)
Belgian T-13 tank destroyer
A German ambulance passing aside a knocked out Belgian T-13 Type 1 near Libramont May 1940. Notice the short rear mudguards. (WHI)
Belgian T-13 B2 spg
Captured Belgium T-13 Type 2 self-propelled gun. It was abandoned at les hauteurs de Trois-Ponts, Belgium Ardennes in May 1940, after it’s clutch developed a fault. (WHI)
T13 B2 captured SPG
Front view of the same T13 Type 2 SPG showing the gun pointing forward and the crew front and side upper armor in the down position. (WHI)
T13 B3 Tank Hunter
T13 Type 3 Tank Hunter (WHI)
abandoned T13 Type 2 tank
Abandoned Belgium Army T13 Type 3 tank (WHI)
Two German soldiers looking at a captured Belgium Army T13 Type 3 Tank Destroyer
Two German soldiers looking at a captured Belgium Army T13 Type 3 Tank Destroyer (WHI)
The Germans used Captured Belgium T13 B3 tanks
The Germans Army SS units used Captured Belgium T13 Type 3 tanks. (photographer unknown)
ss t13 B3 tanks
Germans Army SS T13 Type 3 Tank Hunter Beutepanzer (photographer unknown)

Surviving tanks

There is only one surviving Carden Loyd T13 Type 2 tank destroyer self-propelled gun. It is on display at the Belgium Royal Army and Military History Museum, Jubelpark 3. Brussels.
Carden Loyd T13 Type 2 tank destroyer self-propelled gun
Carden Loyd T13 Type 2 SPG at the Belgium Tank Museum Brussels.
Carden Loyd T13 B2 tank destroyer SPG

By David.B
Tank Encyclopedia's Creator, webmaster and illustrator since 2010.

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5 replies on “T13 Tank Destroyer”

Stefan De Meyersays:
January 21, 2016 at 19:27
Drawing of T.13B2 is not correct.
Different mudguards and towing hook than those of the B1.
2 Ch.A. had 12 T.13 in May 1940, six of which were T.13B3
REPLY
petersays:
March 28, 2016 at 19:27
Why not make in specification of all tank how armor is angled? Because for example 45mm armor in 60@ angle is about 80mm armor…
REPLY
Aaronsays:
March 21, 2019 at 19:27
Did all the T13 variants have 360 degree traverse for the 47mm?
REPLY
Stan Luciansays:
March 21, 2019 at 19:27
Once the pannels were taken down, yes, pretty much.
REPLY
BY POST AUTHOR
Magussays:
November 11, 2019 at 19:27
Did the B3 really have a capacity of 69 HE shells AND 69 AT shells? 138 rounds seems surprisingly high ammo capacity for such a small vehicle. The German Panzerjäger I was a ton and a half heavier, larger in all dimensions, lacked a turret and also mounted a 47mm gun, yet only carried 86 rounds.
REPLY