Hello Everyboby,
This is Terry here, I am building the trumpeteer 1/16 T34 and recently seen a photo of one with big boxes and louvers on the side which was labeled a propaganda tank, can anyboby help with info? might make an intresting conversion for the vehicle.
Thanks,
Terry.
No clue, but would be interested in learning more. Someone should have an answer, so hang in there.
Hey Terry. I’m not sure either but here are some Ref.'s from the Mad T-34 post.
Refrence Websites:
http://armor.kiev.ua/Tanks/WWII/T34/
As mentioned by a number of Wehrmacht veterans, including Rudel, the Soviets mounted load speakers on tanks, then drove them near the German lines to allow “pacificed” POW passengers to broadcast sedition to their countrymen; urging them to desert, surrender, shoot their officers, etc. As you may , …or may not know,… Von Paulus was one of them.
Hey Terry…great idea! That’d be a great variation on the T-34 theme.
Is this the picture you saw?
I found it here…
http://www.battlefield.ru/t34_76_3.html
The same picture is in the book “Soviet Tanks in Compat 1941-1945” published by Concord. It’s on page 58 and has the caption…
“The heavy losses suffered by the Wehrmacht in 1944 made it more susceptible to dessertions. This is a T-34 Model 1943 converted as a propaganda vehicle with loudspeakers in armored containers on the fenders. This tank was sent near the front lines with volunteers from amongst Germain POWs in an effort to encourage futher dessertions.”
I found there’s a resin kit for the speakers. Although it’s the wrong scale, it’s interesting there’s a kit out there…
http://www.chakoten.dk/anmeld/byg16.html
Apparently it’s common to use loudspeakers in combat. There’s a page about it here…
http://www.psywarrior.com/combatloudspeakers.html
It shows a Sherman Stuart with a loudspeaker…
…and it’s modern day equivalent…
Interesting stuff. Here is what they say about how loudspeakers were used in WWII…
"The many diverse uses for loudspeakers in a combat environment during World War II and in subsequent wars include: 1) To eliminate pockets of enemy concentration; 2) To broadcast surrender appeals to locations where the enemy is hiding or resisting; 3) To deliver surrender ultimatums to towns holding up the advance; 4) To do consolidation work in by-passed areas including ensuring citizens cleared roads, to report presence of mines and booby-traps, to report enemy soldiers in civilian clothing who might be hiding, and to turn in weapons; 5) To solicit white flag actions prior to attack; 6) To exploit evidence of low morale within enemy ranks, to encourage defection, provide current news and provide surrender procedures; 7) To control civilians, displaced persons, and prisoners.
Early loudspeaker systems, such as those used by the Allies at the Normandy landings (1944) were only capable of broadcasting 200-300 meters. Their success made obvious the need for more powerful speakers. By the end of the war, speakers were capable of broadcasting over two miles. In the Pacific Theater, loudspeakers were mounted on landing craft to facilitate the capture of Japanese soldiers on small islands."
Although this story doesn’t mention loudspeakers being mounted on tanks, it is a story about how the Russians used loudspeakers in WWII in "Soviet Operational
Deception: The Red Cloak"
http://cgsc.leavenworth.army.mil/carl/resources/csi/Armstrong/ARMSTRONG.asp
In the operation, the Russians used mock-up tanks and loudspeakers to simulate armor buildup where there was none…to confuse the enemy.
What’s interesting is that we used the same strategy in the current war…
http://www.psywarrior.com/OpnIraqiFreedomcont1.html
PSYOP Loudspeaker Team
PSYOP Loudspeaker teams continue to work side by side with combat units. One report told of a US Army loudspeaker team playing ‘tank’ noises as part of a deception operations for the Royal Marine Commandos. In still another action, in the vicinity of Najaf, sixty-four members of the Nebuchennazer Division surrendered to Coalition forces after they heard the PSYOP loudspeaker team’s broadcast message calling on them to throw down their arms. The PSYOP loudspeaker team was close enough that an Iraqi rocket propelled grenade (RPG) later struck and blew the loudspeakers off of the team’s humvee.
Yeah, a propaganda tank would be cool. Hey…you could even wire it up and use it as a radio.
Good luck with it.
Actually that would be a Stuart with a loudspeaker[:D], athough blasting the same propoganda nonetheless.
Andy
Thanks…I fixed it. I think all the noise from the loud speakers addled my brain.