74-726: The Jutland Division ( Jyske Divisionskommando ) was a mechanized infantry formation of the Danish Army during the Cold War . It was formed during 1951-1952 as 3rd Division from assets of the III Military Region and the division headquarters was initially located in Aabenraa . As initially formed, the division had only one active brigade (1st Brigade) and two reserve brigades (the 2nd and 3rd Brigades). The division changed its name to "Jutland Division" in 1961. In 1975,
148-495: A heavy tank introduced by Germany in 1918 during World War I . One hundred chassis were ordered in early 1917, ten to be finished as fighting vehicles with armoured bodies, and the remainder as Überlandwagen cargo carriers. The number to be armoured was later increased to 20. They were used in action from March to October 1918, and were the only tanks produced by Germany in World War I to be used in combat, as well as being
222-605: A "motor infantry" battalion mounted in Universal Carriers or later in lend-lease halftracks. "Type B" brigades lacked a motor infantry component and were subordinated to infantry formations. The Canadian Army and, subsequently the British Army, used expedients such as the Kangaroo APC , usually for specific operations rather than to create permanent mechanized infantry formations. The first such operation
296-614: A 57 mm before entering service. Number 501, Gretchen , took part in the action at St. Quentin before her 57 mm was fitted. The A7V carried between 40 and 60 cartridge belts for its machine guns, each of 250 rounds, giving it a total of 10,000 to 15,000 rounds. Officially, it carried 180 shells for the 57 mm gun, of which 90 were canister , 54 were armor-piercing , and 36 were high-explosive ; in practice, however, A7V crews stowed up to 300 57 mm rounds for combat. Power came from two centrally mounted Daimler 4-cylinder petrol engines delivering 75 kW (101 hp) each;
370-414: A battlefield obstructed by craters , barbed wire , and trenches. Tracked or all-wheel drive vehicles were to be the solution. Following the war, development of mechanized forces was largely theoretical for some time, but many nations began rearming in the 1930s. The British Army had established an Experimental Mechanized Force in 1927, but it failed to pursue that line because of budget constraints and
444-598: A cannon at the front and rear as well as several machine-guns, and reach a top speed of at least 12 kilometres per hour (7.5 mph). The running gear was based on the American Holt tractor , copied from examples loaned by the Austro-Hungarian Army . After initial plans were shared with the army in December 1916, the design was extended to be a universal chassis that could be used as a base for both
518-420: A comparatively larger proportion of manpower is required to crew and maintain the vehicles. For example, most APCs mount a section of seven or eight infantrymen but have a crew of two. Most IFVs carry only six or seven infantry but require a crew of three. To be effective in the field, mechanized units also require many mechanics , with specialized maintenance and recovery vehicles and equipment. As early as 1915
592-510: A division of a roughly similar composition to a Soviet mechanized corps, which fought in the Italian Campaign , but it had little scope for mobile operations until near the end of the war. The Romanian Army fielded a mixed assortment of vehicles. These amounted to 126 French-designed Renault UE Chenillettes which were licence-built locally, 34 captured and refurbished Soviet armored tractors , 27 German-made armored half-tracks of
666-554: A group of Whippet tanks and destroyed one of them. A counterattack later re-established the Allied line, by which time three A7Vs were out of action in No Man's Land or behind German lines. Nixe was badly damaged, and a German team destroyed it with explosive charges during the night of the 24th. Elfriede had overturned; it was righted and recovered from No Man's Land three weeks later by French troops and British tanks, and handed over to
740-467: A mechanized infantry element for combined arms teamwork. For example, US armored divisions had a balance of three battalions each of tanks, armored infantry, and self-propelled artillery . The US armored infantry was fully equipped with M2 and M3 halftracks . In the British and Commonwealth armies, "Type A armoured brigades," intended for independent operations or to form part of armored divisions, had
814-493: A second officer to lead the assault team. During the Battle of St. Quentin in late March 1918, A7Vs were accompanied by twenty stormtroopers from Rohr Assault Battalion, but it is unspecified if they were acting as dismounts or were accompanying the tanks on foot. During the battle, tank crews were reported to have dismounted and attacked enemy positions with grenades and flamethrowers on numerous occasions. Another example of
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#1732801839978888-507: A tank and unarmoured Überlandwagen ("over-land vehicle") cargo carriers. The first prototype was completed by Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft at Berlin-Marienfelde and tested on 30 April 1917. A wooden mockup of a final version was completed in May 1917 and demonstrated in Mainz with 10 tons of ballast to simulate the weight of the armor. During final design, the rear-facing cannon was removed and
962-453: Is generally accepted that single weapons system types are much less effective without the support of the full combined arms team; the pre-World War II notion of "tank fleets" has proven to be as unsound as the World War I idea of unsupported infantry attacks. Though many nations' armored formations included an organic mechanized infantry component at the start of World War II, the proportion of mechanized infantry in such combined arms formations
1036-544: Is highest, after Russian tank and motor infantry units suffered heavy losses fighting Chechen troops in Grozny during the First Chechen War in 1995. Many APCs and IFVs currently under development are intended for rapid deployment by aircraft. New technologies that promise reduction in weight, such as electric drive, may be incorporated. However, facing a similar threat in post-invasion Iraq to that which prompted
1110-590: Is no known official record or photographic evidence of A7Vs in Polish service. The design of the A7V is featured on the 1921 Tank Memorial Badge, awarded to German veterans of World War I who served as tank crewmen. [REDACTED] [REDACTED] [REDACTED] Drawings for two improved designs were prepared, but the war ended before any were produced. Thirty chassis were assigned for completion as Überlandwagen supply carriers, but not all were completed before
1184-639: The British instigated a tracked vehicle that could carry 50 equipped troops under armour but the project got no further than trials before cancellation. Some of the first mechanized infantry were German assault teams mounted on A7V tanks during World War I . The vehicles were extra-large to let them carry sizeable assault teams and would regularly carry infantry on board in addition to their already large crews that were trained as stormtroopers . All machine-gun-armed A7V tanks carried two small flamethrowers for their dismounts to use. A7V tank would often carry
1258-607: The Bulldog APC as "mechanised infantry". This convention is becoming widespread; for example the French Army has " motorisées " units equipped with the wheeled VAB and " mécanisées " units with the tracked AMX-10P . The transport and other logistic requirements have led many armies to adopt wheeled APCs when their existing stocks of tracked APCs require replacement. An example is the Canadian Army, which has used
1332-668: The Federal Republic of Germany , an approximate analogue, the Marder , appeared only in 1970. Unlike the APC, which was intended merely to transport the infantry from place to place under armor, the IFV had heavy firepower that could support infantry. The Infantry fighting vehicle concept was subsequently copied by almost all countries of the world. The introduction of the BMP-1 prompted
1406-641: The IDF Achzarit , that are converted from obsolete main battle tanks (such as the Soviet T-55 ). Such vehicles are usually expedients, and lack of space prevents the armament of an IFV being carried in addition to an infantry section or squad. In the Russian Army, such vehicles were introduced for fighting in urban areas, where the risk from short range infantry anti-tank weapons, such as the RPG-7 ,
1480-743: The LAV III wheeled IFV in fighting in Afghanistan. The Italian , Spanish and Swedish armies are adopting (and exporting) new indigenous-produced tracked IFVs. The Swedish CV90 IFV in particular has been adopted by several armies. A recent trend seen in the Israel Defense Forces and the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation is the development and introduction of exceptionally well-armored APCs (HAPC), such as
1554-662: The Sd.Kfz. 250 and Sd.Kfz. 251 types, over 200 Czechoslovak Tatra , Praga and Skoda trucks (the Tatra trucks were a model which was specifically built for the Romanian Army) as well as 300 German Horch 901 4x4 field cars. Sd.Kfz. 8 and Sd.Kfz. 9 half-tracks were also acquired, as well as nine vehicles of the Sd.Kfz. 10 type and 100 RSO/01 fully tracked tractors. The Romanians also produced five prototypes of an indigenous artillery tractor. On July 9, 1945, Decree of
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#17328018399781628-679: The Second Battle of the Marne ), the Germans put eight A7Vs and 20 captured Mk IVs against the French lines. Although 10 of the Mk IVs were lost in this action, no A7Vs were lost. The final use in World War I of A7Vs was in a small but successful action on 11 October 1918, near Iwuy . Germany did not consider the A7V a success and planned other designs. However, the end of the war meant none of
1702-460: The Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979. At present, almost all infantry units from industrialized nations are provided with some type of motor transport. Infantry units equipped with IFVs rather than lighter vehicles are commonly designated as "heavy", indicating more combat power but also more costly long-range transportation requirements. In Operation Desert Shield , during the buildup phase of
1776-649: The St. Quentin Canal . Three of the A7Vs suffered mechanical failures before they entered combat; the remaining pair helped stop a minor British breakthrough in the area, but otherwise saw little combat that day. Three detachments ( Abteilungen ) of tanks were assigned to an attack in April 1918 at Villers-Bretonneux at the head of the four German divisions spread over a 6.4-kilometre (4 mi) front. Two tanks broke down en route, but
1850-659: The State Defence Committee No. GKO-9488ss, "On the Resupply of Armored and Mechanized Forces of the Red Army" was issued. It ordered the creation of mechanised divisions from many rifle divisions, included in the Armored and Mechanised Troops. In some cases, cavalry divisions and airborne divisions also became mechanised divisions The Soviet motorised rifle troops officially appeared in accordance with
1924-848: The United States Army , mechanized infantry is distinguished from motorized infantry in that its vehicles provide a degree of armor protection and armament for use in combat, whereas motorized infantry are provided with "soft-skinned" wheeled vehicles for transportation only. Most APCs and IFVs are fully tracked or are all-wheel drive vehicles ( 6×6 or 8×8 ), for mobility across rough ground. Some militaries distinguish between mechanized and armored (or armoured ) infantry , designating troops carried by APCs as mechanized and those in IFVs as armored. The support weapons for mechanized infantry are also provided with motorized transport, or they are built directly into combat vehicles to keep pace with
1998-453: The 13 that saw action achieved some success, and the British recorded that their lines were broken by the tanks. The first and second tank-against-tank combat in history took place on 24 April 1918 when three A7Vs (including chassis number 561, known as Nixe ) taking part in an attack with infantry incidentally met three British Mark IVs (two female machine gun-armed tanks and one male with two 6-pounder guns ) near Villers-Bretonneux. During
2072-454: The A7V carried 500 litres (110 imp gal; 130 US gal) of fuel. The top speed was about 15 km/h (9.3 mph) on roads and 5 km/h (3.1 mph) across country. The 24 wheel suspension was individually sprung – an advantage over the unsprung British tanks. The A7V's power-to-weight ratio was 5.1 kW/ton (6.8 hp/ton), it could cross trenches up to 2.1 m (6 ft 11 in) wide, and its ground clearance
2146-464: The A7V. In contrast, the French produced over 3,600 of their light Renault FT , the most numerous tank of World War I, and the British over 2,500 of their Mark I, II, III, IV, V, and V* heavy tanks. Two vehicles closely resembling the A7V, one of which was named Hedi , were among several used by Kokampf , a Freikorps tank unit, to quell civil unrest in Berlin in 1919. They were constructed using
2220-567: The Directive of the Minister of Defense of the USSR No. org. / 3/62540 of February 27, 1957. This directive ordered part of the mechanized divisions and all rifle units and formations reorganized into 'motorised rifle' in the period 1957 to 1964. Creation of the motorised rifle troops was facilitated by large-scale mechanisation of the whole Soviet Ground Forces . This became possible due to
2294-624: The First Gulf War, the U.S. Army was concerned about the lack of mobility, protection and firepower offered by existing rapid deployment (i.e., airborne) formations; and also about the slowness of deploying regular armored units. The experience led the U.S. Army to form combat brigades based on the Stryker wheeled IFV. In the British Army, "heavy" units equipped with the Warrior IFV are described as "armoured infantry", and units with
Jutland Division - Misplaced Pages Continue
2368-576: The French for examination. Mephisto lay stuck in a crater behind German lines for almost three months. After the area was taken by Australian troops, in July, the tank was towed to the rear by British tanks and, eventually, transported to Australia. In May, A7Vs were used with limited success in an attack on the French near Soissons , during the Third Battle of the Aisne . On 15 July, at Reims (during
2442-619: The German economy could not produce adequate numbers of its half-track APC, barely a quarter or a third of the infantry in Panzer or Panzergrenadier divisions were mechanized, except in a few favored formations. The rest were moved by truck. However, most German reconnaissance units in such formations were also primarily mechanized infantry and could undertake infantry missions when it was needed. The Allies generally used jeeps, armored cars, or light tanks for reconnaissance. The Red Army began
2516-547: The Russians to convert tanks to APCs, the occupying armies have found it necessary to apply extra armor to existing APCs and IFVs, which adds to the overall size and weight. Some of the latest designs (such as the German Puma ) are intended to allow a light, basic model vehicle, which is air-transportable, to be fitted in the field with additional protection, thereby ensuring both strategic flexibility and survivability. In
2590-765: The Soviet Armed Forces from the 1980s was the provision of specialized IFVs for use by the Russian Airborne Troops . The first of them was the BMD-1 , which had the same firepower as the BMP-1 but could be carried in or even parachuted from the standard Soviet transport aircraft. That made airborne formations into mechanized infantry at the cost of reducing their "bayonet" strength, as the BMD could carry only three or at most four paratroopers in addition to its three-man crew. They were used in that role in
2664-621: The Soviet Army, a first-line "motor rifle" division from the 1970s onward usually had two regiments equipped with wheeled BTR-60 APCs and one with the tracked BMP-1 IFV. The "light" regiments were intended to make dismounted attacks on the division's flanks, while the BMP-equipped "heavy" regiment remained mounted and supported the division's tank regiment on the main axis of advance. Both types of infantry regiment still were officially titled "motor rifle" units. A line of development in
2738-607: The Soviet Union and its allies in the Warsaw Pact . Armored vehicles meant infantry were capable of overcoming water barriers and having means of protection against Weapons of Mass Destruction . The US Army established the basic configuration of the tracked APC with the M75 and M59 before it adopted the lighter M113 , which could be carried by Lockheed C-130 Hercules and other transport aircraft. The vehicle gave infantry
2812-1038: The Soviet Union, the division would have defended Jutland against Soviet thrusts intended to sever Denmark from the rest of NATO. The division was part of the LANDJUT command and ultimately subordinated to NATO's AFNORTH command. With the end of the Cold War, the Danish Army reorganized, and the Jutland Division transformed into the Danish Division on January 1, 1997. The division in the 1980s before it changed to Danish Division 1 January 1997. Jutland Division (HQ Fredericia) Mechanized infantry Mechanized infantry are infantry units equipped with armored personnel carriers (APCs) or infantry fighting vehicles (IFVs) for transport and combat (see also armoured corps ). As defined by
2886-447: The auspices of its Allgemeines Kriegsdepartement, Abteilung 7 Verkehrswesen ("General War Department, Section 7, Transportation"), to investigate tank development. The project to design and build the first German tank was placed under the direction of Joseph Vollmer , one of Germany's foremost automobile designers. It was to weigh around 30 tons, be capable of crossing ditches up to 1.5 metres (4.9 ft) wide, have armament including
2960-462: The battle, tanks on both sides were damaged. According to the British lead tank commander, Second Lieutenant Frank Mitchell, the female Mk IVs fell back after being damaged by armour-piercing bullets. They were unable to damage the A7Vs with their own machine guns. Mitchell then attacked the lead German tank, commanded by Second Lieutenant Wilhelm Biltz , with the 6-pounders of his own tank and knocked it out. He hit it three times, and killed five of
3034-409: The battlefields quickly enough to maintain the pressure on the regrouping enemy forces. It was widely acknowledged that cavalry was too vulnerable to be used on most European battlefields, but many armies continued to deploy them. Motorized infantry could maintain rapid movement, but their trucks required either a good road network or firm open terrain, such as desert . They were unable to traverse
Jutland Division - Misplaced Pages Continue
3108-496: The chassis from Überlandwagen and armed with four MG08/15 machine guns. It is not known whether the vehicles were armour-plated. There is a popular myth that France handed over several A7Vs to Polish forces, which used them during the Polish–Soviet War in 1919–1920. However, reliable sources dismiss the idea because the fate of each A7V that saw service in World War I is known and includes no transfers to Poland and there
3182-424: The crew when they bailed out. He stated that he then went on to rout some infantry with case shot . The two remaining A7Vs in turn withdrew. As Mitchell's tank withdrew from action, seven British Whippet tanks also engaged the German infantry. Three of these were knocked out in the battle, and it is unclear if any of them engaged the retreating German tanks but they did carry out an attack on two German battalions in
3256-549: The development of similar vehicles in Western armies, such as the West German Marder and American M2 Bradley . Many IFVs were also equipped with firing ports from which their infantry could fire their weapons from inside, but they were generally not successful and have been dropped from modern IFVs. Soviet organization led to different tactics between the "light" and the "heavy" varieties of mechanized infantry. In
3330-413: The division headquarters was moved to Fredericia and the 2nd and 3rd Brigades received full equipment sets. By 1979, each brigade was made up of two mechanized infantry battalion, a tank battalion, a self-propelled artillery battalion, and an armored reconnaissance squadron (company). In 1981 the three armored reconnaissance squadron was merged into V/JDR Reconnaissance Battalion. In the event of war with
3404-521: The end of the war. The only surviving A7V is Mephisto , which was abandoned by its crew during the Battle of Villers-Bretonneux in April 1918. It was recovered three months later by British and Australian troops, and taken to Australia in 1919 as a trophy. The vehicle stood outside the old Queensland Museum in Bowen Hills, Brisbane , under an open-sided shelter for many years until being moved into
3478-464: The equipment and doctrine for mechanized infantry. With the exception of airborne formations , the Red Army mechanized all its infantry formations. Initially, wheeled APCs, like the BTR-152 , were used, some of which lacked overhead protection and were therefore vulnerable to artillery fire. It still gave the Soviet Army greater strategic flexibility because of the large land area and the long borders of
3552-478: The exploitation phase of offensives, as part of the prewar Soviet concept of deep operations . The Soviet Army also created several cavalry mechanized groups in which tanks, mechanized infantry and horsed cavalry were mixed. They were also used in the exploitation and pursuit phases of offensives. Red Army mechanized infantry were generally carried on tanks or trucks, with only a few dedicated lend-lease half-track APCs. The New Zealand Army ultimately fielded
3626-602: The first operational German Tank. It was developed as a response to British tanks. Although the A7V is generally considered to be better designed compared to its counterparts , it struggled to procure high production numbers due to its relative complexity and high cost. After the first British tanks appeared on the Western Front , in September 1916, the German War Ministry formed a committee, under
3700-462: The formation than the lighter motorized infantry formation, in which vehicles were considered "battle taxis" due to poor protection. The earliest experiment was the short-lived Soviet Light Motor Rifle Division in 1987, which consisted of wheeled BTR platforms for its primary armament. In the 1990s, the United States explored Stryker Brigade Combat Team (SBCT) formation and doctrines, which
3774-430: The increase in the production of armored personnel carriers , self-propelled guns and so on. For example, in the period before the formation and in the initial period of the formation of the motorized rifle troops : One or two motorised rifle regiments were also present in each tank division, and many tank regiments included one motorised rifle battalion. After 1945, the Soviet Armed Forces and NATO further developed
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#17328018399783848-407: The late Cold War and early 21st century, various countries developed medium infantry forces armed with armored vehicles, which typically consisted of wheeled armored personnel carriers, infantry fighting vehicles, and assault guns. Medium mechanized forces are characterized by having more strategic air and road mobility than heavier, tank-based armored forces while offering better armor protection for
3922-586: The mechanized infantry in combat. For units equipped with most types of APC or any type of IFV, fire support weapons, such as machine guns , autocannons , small-bore direct-fire howitzers , and anti-tank guided missiles are often mounted directly on the infantry's own transport vehicles. Compared with "light" truck-mobile infantry, mechanized infantry can maintain rapid tactical movement and, if mounted in IFVs, have more integral firepower. They require more combat supplies ( ammunition and especially fuel ) and ordnance supplies (spare vehicle components), and
3996-836: The new Queensland Museum on Southbank in 1986. It was damaged by floodwater in 2011, and taken for restoration to the Workshops Rail Museum , North Ipswich, Queensland. After restoration it was displayed at the Australian War Memorial , Canberra , from 2015 until 2017. It has now been returned to the Queensland Museum. The cannon from A7V 504 Schnuck is on display at the Imperial War Museum North in Manchester . There are numerous modern replicas, made to look like
4070-510: The number of machine-guns was increased to six. The first pre-production A7V was produced in September 1917, followed by the first production model in October 1917. The tanks were given to Assault Tank Units 1 and 2, founded on 20 September 1917, each with five officers and 109 non-commissioned officers and soldiers. The tank's name was derived from that of its parent organization, Allgemeines Kriegsdepartement, Abteilung 7 (Verkehrswesen) (General War Department, Section 7, Transport). In German,
4144-400: The offensive with tank-heavy formations during the Six-Day War , the Israel Defense Forces found in the Yom Kippur War of 1973 that a doctrine that relied primarily on tanks and aircraft had proven inadequate. As a makeshift remedy, paratroopers were provided with motorized transport and used as mechanized infantry in coordination with the armor. A7V The Sturmpanzerwagen A7V was
4218-448: The open to the rear causing them to break and flee. Mitchell's tank lost a track towards the end of the battle due to damage from an exploding mortar shell and was abandoned. The damaged A7V limped back to the German lines, but eventually broke down. It was later destroyed by a German demolition squad, to prevent its capture and reuse by the Allies. During the same day however, another tank-against-tank fight took place where an A7V engaged
4292-536: The other infantry and support units, this gave both armies highly mobile combined-arms formations. The German doctrine was to use them to exploit breakthroughs in Blitzkrieg offensives, whereas the French envisaged them being used to shift reserves rapidly in a defensive battle. As World War II progressed, most major armies integrated tanks or assault guns with mechanized infantry, as well as other supporting arms, such as artillery and combat engineers , as combined arms units. Allied armored formations included
4366-409: The other tanks in development or planned ones – such as the Sturmpanzerwagen Oberschlesien and the 120-ton K-Wagen – would be finished. With only 20 produced, the A7V made only a very minor contribution to the German war effort in World War I, and the approximately 50 captured British Mark IV tanks (renamed Beutepanzer in German operation) the Germans fielded in action during the war outnumbered
4440-440: The prior need to garrison the frontiers of the British Empire . Although some proponents of mobile warfare, such as J. F. C. Fuller , advocated building "tank fleets", other, such as Heinz Guderian in Germany, Adna R. Chaffee Jr. in the United States, and Mikhail Tukhachevsky in the Soviet Union , recognized that tank units required close support from infantry and other arms and that such supporting arms needed to maintain
4514-400: The same mobility as tanks but with much less effective armor protection (it still had nuclear, biological, and chemical protection). In the Vietnam War , the M113 was often fitted with extra armament and used as an ad hoc infantry fighting vehicle. Early operations by the Army of the Republic of Vietnam using the vehicle showed that troops were far more effective while they were mounted in
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#17328018399784588-402: The same pace as the tanks. As the Germans rearmed in the 1930s, they equipped some infantry units in their new Panzer divisions with the half-track Sd.Kfz. 251 , which could keep up with tanks on most terrain. The French Army also created "light mechanized" ( légère mécanisée ) divisions in which some of the infantry units possessed small tracked carriers. Together with the motorization of
4662-431: The tank was called Sturmpanzerwagen (roughly "armoured assault vehicle"). The A7V was 7.34 m (24 ft 1 in) long and 3 m (9 ft 10 in) wide, and the maximum height was 3.3 m (10 ft 10 in). The tank had 20 mm of steel plate at the sides, 30 mm at the front and 10 mm for the roof; however, the steel was not hardened armour plate , which reduced its effectiveness. It
4736-449: The terrain directly in front of the tank was obscured by the vehicle's hull, which meant that there was a blind spot of about 10 metres (33 ft). However, in open terrain, the A7V could be used to some success, and offered more firepower than the armoured cars that were available. The A7V was first used in combat on 21 March 1918. Five tanks of Abteilung I (Detachment I) under the command of Hauptmann Greiff were deployed north of
4810-450: The use of such a method of fighting is the capture of Villers-Bretonneux , in which A7Vs would suppress the defenders with machine gun fire and assault teams would dismount and attack them with grenades. The British heavy tank design was given an extended hull to cross wide German trenches . This Mark V** had space for fourteen troops. The Mark IX tank based on the Mark V was designed solely for carrying troops with space for 30 but
4884-422: The vehicles than when they dismounted. American doctrine subsequently emphasized mounted tactics. The Americans ultimately deployed a mechanized brigade and ten mechanized battalions to Vietnam. The motorized rifle troops of the Soviet Armed Forces were the world's first infantry units that adopted a new class of combat vehicles in 1966 – Infantry fighting vehicles . BMP-1 began entering service in 1966. In
4958-500: The war ended before the order was complete and they could be used. Towards the end of World War I , all the armies involved were faced with the problem of maintaining the momentum of an attack. Tanks, artillery, or infiltration tactics could all be used to break through an enemy defense, but almost all offensives launched in 1918 ground to a halt after a few days. The following infantry quickly became exhausted, and artillery, supplies and fresh formations could not be brought forward over
5032-427: The war while still in the process of reorganizing its armored and mechanized formations, most of which were destroyed during the first months of the German Invasion of the Soviet Union. About a year later, the Soviets recreated division-sized mechanized infantry units, termed mechanized corps , usually with one tank brigade and three mechanized infantry brigades, with motorized supporting arms. They were generally used in
5106-474: Was Operation Totalize in the Battle of Normandy , which failed to achieve its ultimate objectives but showed that mechanized infantry could incur far fewer casualties than dismounted troops in set-piece operations. The German Army, having introduced mechanized infantry in its Panzer divisions, later named them Panzergrenadier units. In the middle of the war, it created entire mechanized infantry divisions and named Panzergrenadier divisions. Because
5180-417: Was 190 to 400 mm (7.5 to 15.7 in). Compared to that of other World War I tanks, the A7V's road speed was quite high, but the vehicle had very poor off-road capability and a high centre of gravity, which made it prone to getting stuck or overturning on steep slopes. The large overhang at the front and the low ground clearance meant that trenches or very muddy areas were impassable. The driver's view of
5254-450: Was a medium mechanized infantry formation with all-wheeled platforms centered around Stryker armored personnel carrier. In the early 21st century, China reformed its ground forces with the concept called Medium Combined Arms Brigade (CA-BDE), armed with Type 08 universal wheeled platform. A similar trend of adopting the medium mechanized forces was observed in European countries, including the Italian, Polish, and French armed forces. It
5328-548: Was armed with six 7.92 mm MG08 machine guns and a 5.7 cm Maxim-Nordenfelt cannon mounted at the front. Some of these cannons were of British manufacture and had been captured in Belgium early in the war; others were captured in Russia in 1918 and appear to have included some Russian-made copies. Some A7Vs originally were built with two forward-facing machine guns instead of a 57 mm gun. Most were converted to carry
5402-485: Was increased by most armies as the war progressed. The lesson was re-learned, first by the Pakistani Army in the 1965 war with India , where Pakistan fielded two different types of armored divisions: one which was almost exclusively armor (the 1st), while another was more balanced (the 6th). The latter division showed itself to be far more combat-capable than the former. Having achieved spectacular successes in
5476-410: Was sufficient to stop machine-gun and rifle fire, but not larger calibre rounds. The crew officially consisted of at least 17 soldiers and one officer : commander (officer, typically a lieutenant ), driver, mechanic, mechanic/signaller, 12 infantrymen (six machine gunners, six loaders), and two artillerymen (main gunner and loader). A7Vs often went into action with as many as 25 men on board. The A7V
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