40M Nimród
| 40M Nimród | |
|---|---|
|
A Nimród in German service | |
| Type | Self-propelled anti-aircraft gun |
| Place of origin | Kingdom of Hungary, Ganz, Budapest |
| Specifications | |
| Weight | 10.5 tonnes |
| Length | 5.32 m (17 ft 5 in) |
| Width | 2.31 m (7 ft 7 in) |
| Height | 2.8 m (9 ft 2 in) |
| Crew | 6 |
|
| |
| Armor | 6–13 mm on the hull, 28 mm on the turret |
Main armament | 40 mm Bofors/60 AA-gun |
| Engine |
VIII EST 107, 8-cylinder, gasoline, water-cooled 150 hp (110 kW) |
Operational range | 300 km (180 mi) |
| Speed | 50 km/h (31 mph) |
The 40M Nimród was a World War II Hungarian self-propelled anti-aircraft gun based on a license-built copy of the Swedish Luftvärnskanonvagn L-62 Anti II tank. Originally, it was intended to be used both in the anti-aircraft and tank destroyer roles, but it proved to be ineffective against Soviet tanks like the KV-1 tank. Therefore, it was primarily utilized against lightly armored vehicles and for air defense.
Design
The 40M Nimród was based on the chassis of the Hungarian 38M Toldi tank, which was itself based the Swedish Landsverk L-60B tank; however the chassis of the Nimród was longer. The vehicle had a crew of six men: commander, driver, two loaders and two gunners.
The vehicle's only armament was a 36M 40 mm Bofors anti-aircraft gun also made in Hungary under license. The gun fired the usual anti-aircraft ammunition as well as a Hungarian anti-tank round. It had a rate of fire of 120 rounds per minute and a penetration of 46 mm at 100 m and 30 mm at 1000 m. The Nimrod carried 160 rounds.
Late in the war, the vehicle was issued with the 42M "Kerngranate" round. This was a rocket grenade fitted over the muzzle in the fashion of a rifle grenade.
Service history
The 40M Nimród was manufactured by the Manfred Weiss Works. A first batch of 46 vehicles powered by a German Büssing-NAG L8V/36TR engine was followed by another batch of 89 vehicles powered by a Hungarian Ganz IP VGT 107 Type II (built under license from Büssing-NAG).
Although it was originally intended for anti-tank use, in 1943 the 40M Nimród was reclassified for anti-aircraft use; as it was unable to penetrate the armor of the tanks in use by the Red Army.
The following units have employed this vehicle:
- 51st Heavy Armor Battalion, 1st Hungarian Armored Division
- 52nd Heavy Armor Battalion, 2nd Hungarian Armored Division
- 1st Hungarian Cavalry Division
A total of 135 Nimrods were built, most of which were deployed by the 51st and 52nd Armoured Autocannon Battalions of the 1st and 2nd Hungarian Armoured Divisions, respectively. Nimrod batteries attached to armoured and motorized battalions were allocated six vehicles each. A platoon consisted of two vehicles.
Gallery
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A 40M Nimród. In the background is Zsámbék, Nicholas Zichy.
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40M Nimróds anti-aircraft machine guns in marching column near Zsámbék. In the background is the Premonstratensian Monastery.
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A Nimród anti-aircraft gun battery in firing position along the Zsámbék Páty road.
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A Nimród anti-aircraft gun battery in firing position along the Zsámbék Páty road.
Comparable vehicles
References
Notes
Bibliography
- The Royal Hungarian Army, 1920-1945, Volume II, Hungarian Mobile Forces, by Dr. Peter Mujzer
- A Magyar Királyi Honvédség Fegyverzete, by Attila Bonhardt, Gyula Sárhidai and László Winkler
- Becze, Csaba. Magyar Steel. Mushroom Model Publications. Sandomierz 2006