Goliath remote tank - Please fix !

[Crni vuk]

The small lidle tank driving around =3 ? Anyone know it ? Yes ? Goood!

http://www.lonesentry.com/articles/demolitionvehicles/demoveh_fig1.jpg

You see this lidle bugger is quite a funny tool. But many people use it to "scout" which should be changed as really ... that thing was a wire controled mine that would be controled by a telephone / telegraph line (similar to the Milan (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MILAN) anti tank system from 1970s if you want so just that the milan was a rocket based system). And the Goliath wasnt even that succesfull with its job, easily spoted and killed, got many times its cable disconected etc. BUT thats not important. What is really important is that it can be used to spot enemy units ! Or at least thats what some do with it.

I think the Goliath should get zero unit detection since its controled by some human person siting in a trench or bush somewhere not directly inside the rather small bomb. Its alright if you can see the area around it highlited like with a real human unit but as said it should not really give the position of the enemy away.

http://i236.photobucket.com/albums/ff35/abndeuce/767186713_f2e0e184fe.jpg

[KnightFandragon]

How in real life do you destroy that thing? My guess is it isnt armored that well but do Rifles penetrate it and disable it's inner workings or what?

[Korsakov829]

I'm sure you can roll it on its side with an infantry man.

[totte1015]

Umm... if i was a russian saw that thing coming closer... i would not run TO it and try to "flip" it :D

[Crni vuk]

How in real life do you destroy that thing? My guess is it isnt armored that well but do Rifles penetrate it and disable it's inner workings or what?

By simply shooting at it. It isnt very well protected and could definetly be disabled by small arms fire. Well thats what I can read about it anyway.

[Korsakov829]

You could shoot out the tracks with a pistol but why risk a human being? Why not implement trained pidgeons dropping AT grenades?

[Zeke Wolff]

How in real life do you destroy that thing? My guess is it isnt armored that well but do Rifles penetrate it and disable it's inner workings or what?

It´s armor (only 10mm thick soft steel) could be penetrated by a rifle bullet with ease, and that was usually enough to destroy some vital interior component.

It had a cirka 650 meter long wire attached to it (the wire contained three cables, one for reverse/forward speed, one for left/right turn and the third were used to detonate the vehicle when it reached its target).

It weighted 370 kilos, which means that it wasnt easy for a single enemy soldier to turn it over... but it could easily get trapped by the terrain etc.

Its main use was against bunkers, enemy stationary tanks and of course, infantry strongholds. It wasnt supposed to be used against any moveable tank.

Two versions were used; the Sd.Kfz. 303a carried a 75 kilos charge and had a weak engine. The later model, Sd.Kfz. 303b, introduced in 1942, carried a 100 kilos charge, and had a 703cc Zündapp motorcycle engine and the model weighted in at 430 kilos.

Main speed for both versions were about 12 KMH, whilst range was limited to roughly 1,2 kilometres (although the wire was only 650 metres long).

~Zeke.

[Crni vuk]

You could shoot out the tracks with a pistol but why risk a human being? Why not implement trained pidgeons dropping AT grenades?

heh, well the Russians used "anti tank dogs" with ... letz say mixed results :rolleyes:

http://xmb.stuffucanuse.com/xmb/image.php?&aid=1322&anti-tank-dog.jpg

Oh boy, thats a cruel way of using animals as weapons :-P

[totte1015]

But? did they use LIVING dogs?...
Poor bastards...

[Korsakov829]

100% Soviet ingenuity then. I would only send out a dog instead of a robot if I was desperate.

Was the Goliath in anyway quiet? It might not matter in the middle of a battle, but if it was fast and silent it would be perfect for ambushes.

[Crni vuk]

But? did they use LIVING dogs?...
Poor bastards...

Well, yeah how else to get the bomb to the target ? They simply striped a bomb to one of those dogs with the intention to crawl under a tank and explode ~ hence for the lidle wire or antena over the dog. Though training already has shown rather poor results with it simply as it was pretty difficult to teach the dogs to move under a tank the loud noice and size simply scared pretty much all of them them to much ... not to mention that the Soviets trained them with own tanks most of the time, so even if they would move under the tank it would be a Soviet one ... I think while there was for a short time a huge effort put in to the project and they have been geting all dogs together they could thinking it was a cheap anti-tank weapon it had only a very short life because of the mentioned difficulties well thankfully.

100% Soviet ingenuity then. I would only send out a dog instead of a robot if I was desperate.

I think the Germans only havnt done it knowing it was a useless try ~ Maybe they did such tests with dogs or other animals who knows ?. But its not like animals have not been used here for the war either. Not to mention the many horses in both the Soviet and German army I think for 1944 still some 14 thousand have been in German service (but I am not sure about the number anymore). Though they used Dogs for instaling telegraph wires sending them from one position to another attached with the wire, and you can guess that wasnt without risks either for the animal. But still better then sending a human I suppose.

This is really just rather speculation but if I am not completely wrong there have been at least after the war tests with dolphins by the US navy as a programm to find out how to use them for warefare ~ I think some kind of mine search programm is still in action Wikipedia at least says so. But that might be just a myth. But I would not be surprised. Animals have always ben used for all kind of situaitons. The Japanese infected Rats with certain bioilogical agents and used to grow louse on them which they would drop with bombs this was done so many times on conquered chinese areas as test how effective it might bei n combat eventualy leading to the deaths of thousands if not more.

[VXed]

As about AT dogs(lol, i think its quiet funny) i highly doubt why Soviets used them at all. They had their famous teletanks a long time ago before WWII (Also, they were successfully used in Winter War), their tech was far way more advanced, but... AT dogs?
Probably stuff like Goliath were just too expensive, while dogs were the cheapest way... not sure.