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after world war i, european countries stepped up the mechanization of their armies. however, it was not easy to achieve high standards of mechanization, which required the dual support of national strength and industrial strength. under this circumstance, many troops set their sights on cheaper and simpler motorcycles. after world war i, many types of military motorcycles equipped with weapons appeared.

anti-tank motorcycle

during world war ii, the soviet army suffered heavy losses in the early battles, and the development of an effective and flexible anti-tank weapon became a key research topic for soviet military enterprises. among the many research projects, the motorcycle self-propelled anti-tank gun is a relatively mysterious one.

before world war ii, many countries installed machine guns on sidecar motorcycles and achieved success. it was proved that sidecar motorcycles could fully withstand the recoil of machine guns. since machine guns can be carried, what about small-caliber artillery?

sidecar motorcycle equipped with anti-tank rifle

the soviet union initially tested it on a harley-davidson motorcycle, but it was just an experiment. a 37mm recoilless gun was strapped to the motorcycle, and the specific performance of the gun is unknown. this structure is not a self-propelled artillery, but it is just like the idea of ​​towed artillery, giving the artillery mobility. after arriving on the battlefield, it needs to be disassembled and assembled for deployment, and it cannot be used on a motorcycle.

this structure was completely useless, and even required more disassembly and assembly procedures than a towed anti-tank gun. the soviet army did not even want to take a second look at this plan and immediately rejected it. the designers then began to optimize it, this time installing the gun on the sidecar attached to the motorcycle.

anti-tank motorcycle

the new plan seems to be more feasible. the cannon installed on the sidecar has the ability to shoot forward, and the sidecar motorcycle can also withstand the shooting power of the recoilless gun. it is said that it can shoot reliably at a speed of 10 kilometers per hour. the shooter is the member sitting in the sidecar.

a motorcycle anti-tank group consists of two sidecar motorcycles. the first one is for the driver, gunner and loader. the loader sits behind the driver and can load ammunition into the artillery in time. the second vehicle is for the driver, commander and another soldier, and this vehicle is also responsible for carrying additional artillery shells.

anti-tank motorcycle

this anti-tank motorcycle can also be airlifted or airdropped. because of its light weight, it can be stuffed into a glider or transport plane. it can also be airdropped with a large parachute, with the driver and gunner parachuting separately. it is said that this weapon may never have been used in the battlefield, but no clear information has been found.

in fact, judging by the standards of the late world war ii, it is difficult to say how effective this anti-tank motorcycle is. although the recoilless gun has a certain armor-piercing ability after installing a shaped charge warhead, the range was not far under the technology at that time, and its caliber was only 37 mm. it is hard to believe that the anti-armor capability of this gun is sufficient to meet actual combat.

a 20mm anti-tank weapon

in addition, using two sidecar motorcycles to form an anti-tank team is not as good as towing a 45mm anti-tank gun for the army. for the airborne troops, it takes up valuable organization. two sidecar motorcycles cannot provide reliable off-road and transportation performance. it may be more practical to directly distribute a few anti-tank rocket launchers.

in the late stage of world war ii, the soviet armored forces had become quite large, and the demand for anti-tank weapons was no longer so urgent. many anti-tank plans proposed during world war ii were abandoned, and the same was true for anti-tank motorcycles, which soon disappeared in the long river of history.