Orion-wagen

Orion-Wagen - a light experimental tank of the German Empire during the First World War. At the end of 1916, 1 prototype of this tank was assembled. A total of 29 pieces were made, 16 of which were used as transporters. In 1917, Orion-Wagen II was developed.

Orion-wagen
Light tank Orion-Wagen I
Orion-wagen
Crew	2
Story
Manufacturer
Years of operation	1917-1918
The number of issued, pcs.	29th
Key Operators
Dimensions
Body length mm	7000
Width mm	2000
Height mm	2000
Armament
Machine guns	4 × 7.92 mm MG-08
Mobility
Engine type	carburetor
Engine power, l from.	45 (prototype, in subsequent modifications the engine was more powerful)
Speed ​​on the highway, km / h	10

Design

The Orion-Wagen chassis was a mover and 1 front wheel, and therefore the patency of the tank left much to be desired. In fact, the tank resembled a tractor. There were 2 machine guns in front and one on each side.

Tests

In the first test, the prototype crashed the chassis. The tracks were repaired and improved. The tank more or less could only move on a flat surface. He could not even cross the smallest trench, where he was immediately stuck. But soon they put a better engine on the tank, which, however, took a lot of time. By 1917, 29 cars were manufactured. The only army unit that received these tanks was Armee-Kraftwagen-Kolonne (Raupe) 1116. In 1918, all tanks were dismantled.

Orion-Wagen II and Orion-Wagen III

In 1917, Orion-Wagen II and Orion-Wagen III were developed. The project is very different from the Orion-Wagen I. The chassis remained the same, but the armored hull completely covered it. It was planned to establish a circular tower with machine gun or cannon weapons. The design of Orion-Wagen III was supposed to install two towers. However, both projects were rejected by the German command.

Scheme of the light tank Orion-Wagen II

Orion-Wagen III Schematic