Nahuel (tank)

Infobox Weapon
is_vehicle=yes
name=Medium Tank "Nahuel"


caption=Argentine "Nahuel" Tank
type=Medium tank
origin= flagcountry|Argentina
service=
used_by= flagcountry|Argentina
wars=
designer= Alfredo Baisi
design_date=
manufacturer= Arsenal Esteban de Luca
unit_cost=
production_date=
number= 16
variants=
crew=5 (Commander, gunner, loader, driver, co-driver)
length= 6.22 m
width=2.33 m
height=2.952 m
weight=35 tonnes
armour=80 mm
primary_armament=Krupp Model 1909 75/30 mm gun, with ?? rounds
secondary_armament=1x .50 cal machine gun
3×8mm machine guns?? rounds
engine=FMA-Lorraine Dietrich 12 EB, 12 cylinders in W, water cooled
engine_power=500 hp @ ? rpm
suspension=not available
speed=40km/h (? mi/h) (on road)
pw_ratio= ? hp / tonne
vehicle_range=250km (on road)The "Nahuel" D.L. 43 tank was a medium tank developed in Argentina during World War II. It was the Argentine equivalent of the M4 Sherman and the M3 Grant American medium tanks.

Design

The designer was Lt. Colonel Alfredo Baisi. The name Nahuel means Tiger in Mapudungun.cite web |url=http://mailer.fsu.edu/~akirk/tanks/argentina/argentina.html |title=Mailer Edu. - Argentina tanks |accessdaymonth=February 24 |accessyear=2008 |language=English] It was armed with a 75mm gun (taken from the Krupp Model 1909 Field Gun used by the Argentine Army) in a rotating armored turret.

Similarity

Its design is similar to that of the United States Army M4 Sherman and the early versions of the M3 Grant but with sloped armor. Contrary to popular belief it was not a copy of the M4 Sherman, but the design of the M4 influenced it.

Production

Only 16 were produced by the Arsenal Esteban de Luca in Buenos Aires and supplied to the Argentine Army, because of the availability of cheap surplus Sherman tanks, several of which were provided by the United Kingdom in the late 1940s. Most of the tanks that were provided were given by the United States of America.

Operators

*flagicon|Argentina Argentine Army

Notes and references

;Footnotes

;Bibliography
*es icon Sigal Fogliani, Ricardo Jorge, "Nahuel DL 43 - Tanques Argentinos (desde sus origenes hasta 1950)", Editorial Dunken, Buenos Aires, 2004, ISBN 987-020788X.
*es icon Sigal Fogliani, Ricardo Jorge, "Blindados Argentinos, de Uruguay y Paraguay", Ayer y Hoy Ediciones, Buenos Aires, ISBN unknown
*en icon Ness, Leland "Jane's World War II Tanks and Fighting Vehicles - The complete guide", Harper Collins Publishers, London 2002, ISBN 0-00-711228-9

External links

* [http://mailer.fsu.edu/~akirk/tanks/argentina/argentina.html Photo gallery TANKS! Armoured warfare prior to 1946]
* [http://ww2photo.mimerswell.com/tanks/arg/nahuel.htm Photo gallery Mimerswell]
* [http://www.pbase.com/image/37611734 Picture Pbase by Drake Goodman]