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Andrew Hills @fwdpublishing.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

Robert Macfie's Aug. 1915 Experimental Armoured Caterpillar. Part of the revamp of my 2018 book on his work. Colour added to highlight areas although the transmission isn't shown in this view. The adoption of rear wheels for steering is particularly notable. #tanks #afv #ww1

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Andrew Hills @fwdpublishing.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

This is a good illustration of why thorough testing of vehicles is essential. Here the US T113 Pilot vehicle no.2 is identified to potentially trap men in the back thanks to the open commander's hatch. In an emergency this could have proven fatal for them. #afv #tank

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Andrew Hills @fwdpublishing.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

Prior to WW1 there were interesting concepts for specialised AFVs like Maj. Palliser's AFV based on the Ivel tractor of 1903 proposed as a mobile fort, ammo carrier, or armoured ambulance. tanks-encyclopedia.com/ww1/uk/ivel-... #Tanks #AFV #History #WW1

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Andrew Hills @fwdpublishing.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

There must be more to this story somewhere. A British Comet tank hit by a train in Korea 1950-1953. Damage appears light compared to another incident, this time in 1955 in Hong Kong (image and text via Reddit) which wrecked the tank and derailed the train. #tanks #afv #history

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Andrew Hills @fwdpublishing.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

A British Lanchester Armoured car, knocked out in Romania c.1917. Images show touches like the grappling hook, tools (a spade and an axe), and chains over the different tyres on the rear axle. I do not know why there is cord around the machine gun's water jacket. #WW1, #afv

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Andrew Hills @fwdpublishing.bsky.social · 25/08/2026

Looking more like something you see from the Roger Moore bond era chasing him across the snow - this is actually a WW2 German vehicle from legendary designer Hans Trippel. Known as the Kabinschlitten this was a 1943 prototype of a propellor-driven snow mobile. #ww2 #history

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Andrew Hills @fwdpublishing.bsky.social · 19/08/2026

This has to be one of the best looking firearms ever designed. Almost a shame it never went into production. Intended for use by tank crews the Ribeyrolles machine pistol of 1918 was quite a handful.

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Andrew Hills @fwdpublishing.bsky.social · 18/08/2026

Experimenting to try and make a rotating 3D view of parts of the TOG, in this case - the driver's plate which is such a complex and critical piece of the tank's development.

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Andrew Hills @fwdpublishing.bsky.social · 16/08/2026

Front armour of TOG-II*. A 40 mm plate (purple) backs a 12 mm (brown) MS plate and a front 95 mm (green) plate. 147 mm at its thickest down to 107 mm & 113 mm counting the framing (blue) at thinnest. I added the purple area on the front to show its coverage. 1/2 #tanks #history #ww2

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Andrew Hills @fwdpublishing.bsky.social · 10/08/2026

1957 Demonstration of the British 80 lb. ‘1st Division Trolley’ handcart. Shows it crossing walls, ditches & water, haul mortars/ammo or radios, and even serve as a defensive shelter or small boat. Full video: youtu.be/U1t9LGMSszY

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Andrew Hills @fwdpublishing.bsky.social · 10/08/2026

Not a surprise but you have to start somewhere - results from a dozen shots from a 12-gauge at 10 m with 8-shot game load c.370 m/s does only the most superficial damage to Class 5 Ballistic Fibreglass at 0 deg. and bounces off even at very modest angles. #ballistics

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Andrew Hills @fwdpublishing.bsky.social · 07/08/2026

The Perrinelle-Dumay amphibious heavy tank was an ungainly idea from 1918-1933 for a colossal 20m-long machine. Designed to cross rivers and crush obstacles, it pushed ambitious ideas over engineering and military practicalities. #tanks #ww1 #history tanks-encyclopedia.com/ww1/france/p...

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Andrew Hills @fwdpublishing.bsky.social · 03/08/2026

Notwithstanding there are original photos and video of troops holding it by the mag well. Behold the proper Sten holding and firing technique from the waist for targets at up to 25 yards. 1/2

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Andrew Hills @fwdpublishing.bsky.social · 27/07/2026

Editted clips of Medium Mark C 'Hornet' T.1804? seen during exercises in c.1925. Notably this tank is fitted with a 360 gall. (1,637 l) oil emulsion tank for injecting into the exhaust to produce a smoke screen. 1/2 Posted for educational and historic purposes only. #Tanks #History

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Andrew Hills @fwdpublishing.bsky.social · 24/07/2026

More footage of the rotating petrol 'Cow'. This is dated to about 1960 and the men are from the Royal Army Service Corps (R.A.S.C.) again. Giant rubber fuel bladders provide fuel to the Cow, which, in turn fills the jerry cans for use in equipment including tanks. #tanks #history

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Andrew Hills @fwdpublishing.bsky.social · 23/07/2026

British soldiers from the Royal Army Service Corps (R.A.S.C.) demonstrating a rubber 9,000 gall. (49,900 l) fuel tank and jerry can filling point. c.1956. What's this rotating filler called? #tanks #history

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Andrew Hills @fwdpublishing.bsky.social · 22/07/2026

I'm still pleased with this graphic illustrating one of my favourite TOG discoveries - the SVDC Amphibian (14 Ton Special Tank). We could speculate on what could have been if it had been approved for production. www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0FMFQZLR9/ #tanks #history #ww2 #dday

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Andrew Hills @fwdpublishing.bsky.social · 22/07/2026

Experimental French St. Chamond tank in c.1917 fitted with a hook and plough system to cut ditches and drag out obstacles - a type of Armoured Engineering Vehicle suited for warfare often based around static defensive positions needing cleared or broken up. #tanks #history #ww1

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Andrew Hills @fwdpublishing.bsky.social · 17/07/2026

Demonstration of the utility of an amphibious landing craft for delivering supplies. In this case, an LVT delivers a landrover to the beach (no location but probably south coast of England) c.1955. 30 secs. No sound. #tanks #history

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Andrew Hills @fwdpublishing.bsky.social · 14/07/2026

From a recent trip to the Nebraska National Guard Museum, Seward, Nebraska. The M60 looks better now the landscaping is finished since I last saw her in 2019. #tanks #history 1/4

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Andrew Hills @fwdpublishing.bsky.social · 13/07/2026

A British Conqueror Mk. I tank being loaded onto an Antar transporter and receiving a police escort through town. 1:17 - No sound. #tanks #history

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Andrew Hills @fwdpublishing.bsky.social · 13/07/2026

Help for anyone modelling a Chieftain during transshipment. Images of 02EB78 being loaded onto an LCT for travel to Germany via Antwerp c.1967. Headlamps, smoke dischargers, muzzle, and commander's cupola taped up. Later 02EB74 and 02EB82 covered with tarpaulins. #tanks #history 1/3

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Andrew Hills @fwdpublishing.bsky.social · 10/07/2026

1967, and a British Chieftain tank named 'DEFIANT' comes ashore from a landing ship during an amphibious landing exercise 'Wagon-Trail' at Lee-on-the-Solent. #tanks #history

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Andrew Hills @fwdpublishing.bsky.social · 10/07/2026

Sometimes official reports make you scratch your head, or chuckle, or both. #ww2 #dday #history

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Andrew Hills @fwdpublishing.bsky.social · 09/07/2026

I recently went back to the Nebraska National Guard Museum in Seward, Nebraska and took some additional photos of their M59 APC. #tanks #history 1/3

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Andrew Hills @fwdpublishing.bsky.social · 09/07/2026

My 5 min. photoshop of what I think Sir Albert Stern had in mind for the Valentine (c. May/June 1941). He disliked the idea of the track run being so exposed on an infantry tank and an armoured side skirt would be the logical solution to the issue. #tank #history #ww2

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Andrew Hills @fwdpublishing.bsky.social · 07/07/2026

In the planning for DDay every element of delivering forces on an enemy beach was considered. One big problem was AT guns where the angle of disemarkation could cause problems like this. Note the waterproofing material on the gun too. 1/2 #ww2 #dday

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Andrew Hills @fwdpublishing.bsky.social · 06/07/2026

It been 10 years since I drew this - the 1941 design by Col. Pawel Chrobok, Polish Army (based in Scotland) combining elements of tank, amphibian and APC. Reminds me a little of the LVTP-7. Link to my TE article tanks-encyclopedia.com/ww2/polish/t... #tanks #ww2 #history

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Andrew Hills @fwdpublishing.bsky.social · 06/07/2026

How do you attach the tyre to the roadwheel on a tank? - this is one method, ribs on the inner face of the tyre to sit in circumferential grooves on the wheel. Remains of the ribs seen here on a British WW2 A.27 at The Tank Museum, Bovington, June 2026 #tank #ww2

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Andrew Hills @fwdpublishing.bsky.social · 01/07/2026

The V8 Ford GAA 500 hp petrol engine is a modestly sized motor. Its a pity this wasn't available earlier in the war. This example is at the Heartland Museum of Military Vehicles, in Nebraska. #tanks #ww2 #history

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Andrew Hills @fwdpublishing.bsky.social · 30/06/2026

Looking back to last year's meet up with ConeOfArc on his journey across the US. I think he was impressed the with unique M113/M901 GLH-H with its turret -mounted Hellfire missile pods. Definately a distinctive vehicle. #tank #history

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Andrew Hills @fwdpublishing.bsky.social · 29/06/2026

The German Schell I hydrofoil model (left) and at the Sachsenberg naval yard, 1941. It could deploy a floating pontoon able to hold a light tank as part of a landing - a neat idea to avoid some of the problems of vessels working in shallow water. #tank #ww2 #history

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Andrew Hills @fwdpublishing.bsky.social · 29/06/2026

A pair of Holt tractors pull a 6" 20-cwt. howitzer over the Narin River as the retreating Ottomans had blown the bridge. Repaired by the British, it partially collapsed after a flood in ~1964. In 1981, the Hamrin Dam was completed and the whole area lies under Lake Hamrin. #ww1 #history

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Andrew Hills @fwdpublishing.bsky.social · 25/06/2026

This 1946-dated American report on the WW2 Japanese KI-84 fighter is not very long and certainly not complimentary. #ww2 #history #aircraft

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Andrew Hills @fwdpublishing.bsky.social · 23/06/2026

The 225 hp, air-cooled , 7-cylinder, 11-litre, Continental W670-9A engine as used in some light tanks and LVTs. Light and compact - this was a good choice for a light vehicle. This example is at the Heartland Military Vehicle Museum, Lexington, Nebraska. #tank #ww2 #history

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Andrew Hills @fwdpublishing.bsky.social · 22/06/2026

Building on the American Holt track system, this system was patented in Germany in February 1918 by D.A.C. of Charlottenburg. It embodied several improvements and was designed specifically for the German heavy tank programme resulting in the A7V.

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Andrew Hills @fwdpublishing.bsky.social · 20/06/2026

The WW1 British 3" Stokes mortar Mk. I had a special handle and special mirror sight fitting to allow anti-aircraft use. Seen here c.1919 in the War Dept. handbook. Quite how effective this arranhement might be seems open to question and somewhat optimistic. #WW1 #history

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Andrew Hills @fwdpublishing.bsky.social · 20/06/2026

M60A1 MBT upgraded to M60ATTS (1983) formerly of 195th Armor/561st Support Group, Lincoln, NE (Nat. Guard). Previously displayed at Colon, NE and now in Grand Island, NE (since Aug. 2025). [Vehicle history from the data board with tank] #tanks #history

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Andrew Hills @fwdpublishing.bsky.social · 18/06/2026

In the car park at The Tank Museum, Bovington is a rare survivor of WW2. A British 'Bison' mobile pillbox. Cast in concrete ~ 6" (152 mm) thick these were a relatively crude but effective measure to protect sites such as airfields. #tanks #history #ww2

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Andrew Hills @fwdpublishing.bsky.social · 17/06/2026

Soviet G-16 High Speed Assault Light Tank, c.1934. With a crew of 3 men and a pair of MG turrets straddling the central hull and a single track it is a novel concept. Steering is done by means of braking the outer (unpowered) wheels to create a skid steer. #tanks #ww2 #history

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Andrew Hills @fwdpublishing.bsky.social · 17/06/2026

My 3D model of the TOG-2*'s 28 lbr. high efficiency muzzle brake is nearly complete based on my measurements from it IRL. Not sure about the details of the thread as that could not be examined without removing it. #tanks

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Andrew Hills @fwdpublishing.bsky.social · 15/06/2026

New arrivals for the TOG-obsessive. Thanks to V&K Production for these. My model making skills are not great but the kits will keep me busy expanding the TOG-empire for sure.

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Andrew Hills @fwdpublishing.bsky.social · 14/06/2026

More 'Snake' flexible track. Technical drawings of the tube aorund which the track flexes. These joints were hard to seal in practice and let mud, dirt, and water in.

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Andrew Hills @fwdpublishing.bsky.social · 14/06/2026

US Army Tractor Model 1922E during testing of experimental 'snake' flexible track in 1924 planned for a new US 15-ton tank. Modified per order 8116 this American experiment was copying British work and also used a controlled differential for steering. #tanks #history

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Andrew Hills @fwdpublishing.bsky.social · 11/06/2026

Lesot Automotive Train (France), c.1918. An unusual off-road contraption using four large timber rollers driven by chains. I've no additional info, but project does not appear to have been a success. #tanks #history #ww1

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Andrew Hills @fwdpublishing.bsky.social · 10/06/2026

Soviet proposal for an air-droppable one-man anti-tank gun emplacement (G-38) c.1933. Formed from a single armoured pod its a futuristic looking albeit unsuccessful idea. #tanks #ww2 #history

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Andrew Hills @fwdpublishing.bsky.social · 09/06/2026

Another carpark guardian at The Tank Museum Bovington is this Chieftain turret. The casting is more than a foot (300 mm) thick in places at the front as well as being an aesthetically pleasing shape to the curviness of it as well. #tanks

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Andrew Hills @fwdpublishing.bsky.social · 08/06/2026

The Centurion Mantletless turret. Its a rather nice casting and would have been a good upgrade to existing Centurions when it was made. Now its just a guardian of the overflow carpark at Bovington but one day who knows, maybe it'll find a home on a hull once more. #tanks

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Andrew Hills @fwdpublishing.bsky.social · 06/06/2026

For years TOG-2* was said to have a 17 pdr. gun. One thing identified in my research (pub. 2017) was the SVDC's focus on firepower and I identified this as a modified 3.7" (28 pdr.). Here's a view of the muzzle and yes I measured it. It's not a 17 pdr. #tanks #history #ww2

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Andrew Hills @fwdpublishing.bsky.social · 03/06/2026

TOG 2 is wearing its own bespoke tracks made specially for it and with its name cast into each link. Just one of the myriad of things learned from two days of going over the vehicle inside and out. #tanks #history #ww2

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