- Yes
- No
Hello! and Welcome to my suggestion for arguably the most well known iteration of an armed land rover in british service, I present to you, the Land Rover fitted with a 120mm WOMBAT Recoilless Rifle, I feel this could come to game as a unique Light Tank/Tank Destroyer vehicle for the British tree around 6.3/7.
History
Spoiler
The L2 BAT (Battalion, Anti Tank) Rifle was introduced in the 1950s to replace the Ageing 17 Pdr in the Towed Anti Tank role, and at the time was a fairly potent weapon, with its HESH shell being able to Penetrate up to 400mm of armour, offering the penetration of weapons like the 20 Pdr gun mounted on the Centurion on a smaller, lightweight platform, however it was not all good. The BAT suffered from rather poor range, having a maximum engagement distance of around 800 Yards, and the original designs gun shield was impractical for quick deployment increased the platforms weight considerably.
This lead to several improved designs, most importantly the WOMBAT (Weapon Of Magnesium, Battalion, Anti Tank) which was designed to replace the older 106mm M40 Recoilless Rifle equipped by the recon platoons of the Para regiments and Royal Marines, which by the mid 60s, was outdated and nearing obsoletion in the face of advances in Soviet armour. The WOMBAT was a large scale redesign of the BAT, being far lighter and allowing the weapon to become fully airmobile due to the weight saving measures such as the removal of the Gunshield (something started by the earlier MoBAT).
Like the Previous M40, the advantages of fitting the L6 directly onto the Land rovers that carried them was judged far superior to simply towing the the weapons instead, and in certain cases actually gave the rifle a whole new role, such as with the “Berlin Brigade” in which superior AT weapons, such as the MILAN, were judged impractical for the close quarters urban combat that would erupt if conflict began, and whilst fitted on the land rover, the WOMBAT allowed for “shoot-and-scoot” tactics, hitting the enemy hard and before they could react, retreating to a new position.
In all the WOMBAT served on board Land rovers from the mid 1960s, when it replaced the M40, all the way to the late 80s, even being deployed to the Falklands conflict (although never seeing combat), before being almost entirely replaced by the MILAN due to the far reduced need for a close quarters AT gun after the fall of the Berlin wall.
Images
Spoiler
A Land Rover (WOMBAT) during exercises in Berlin
A WOMBAT on Salisbury Plain in the '80s, Clearly shows the Ammunition canisters behind the driver, Capable of holding up to 6 more shells.
The Sight of the WOMBAT rifle
A Land Rover (WOMBAT) fitted with a Camo Net (possible modification in game?)
Photo dump of WOMBATs during Training exercises
Specifications/Armament
Spoiler
Specs (Land Rover, Series 3 (LWB))
- Dimensions;
- Wheelbase: 109.0 in (2,769 mm)
- Length: 175.0 in (4,445 mm)
- Width: 66.0 in (1,676 mm)
- Height: 81.0 in (2,057 mm)
- Crew: 5 (Gunner, Loader, Commander, Driver, Machine gunner)
- Engine: 2.25 L, four-cylinder petrol engine (73 Hp)
- Mass (without Gun): 1500 kg (3307 lbs)
- Top Speed (Without Gun): 110 Km/h (68 mph)
- Armour: Structural Steel, almost non existent
Specs (120mm WOMBAT)
- Calibre 120mm
- Weight: 308 kg (680 lb)
- Length: 3.86 m (12 ft 8 in)
- Ammunition: HESH, Cannister (7 Rounds, 1 in rifle + 6 reloads)
- Penetration: 400mm@all ranges
- Machine gun: 12.7mm M8C Ranging Gun
Place in game
Spoiler
Personally I feel this could be a nice addition to the British Tech Tree as a fast Recon Tank/ Tank Destroyer around 6.3/7, its speed and mobility would be some of the best in the game, and offering a significant punch, however its limited ammunition and lack of any kind of meaningful armour means it would struggle past initial engagements, very quickly having to rush to the capture points to rearm (unless given the TD ammo crates).
In terms of gameplay it would play similarly to vehicles such as the FIAT 6614, M18 and other fast Tank destroyers, however unlike these this would have two main downsides, the main being ammunition count (as explained above) and the current modeling of HESH, in which the round would likely underperform considerably (largest HESH in the game currently has sub 300mm of pen), however the gun would still be incredibly potent for the BRs it would most likely sit at anyway.
Source
Spoiler
Land Rover series - Wikipedia
120 mm BAT recoilless rifle - Wikipedia
https://www.landyonline.co.za/specs/series3.htm
L6 WOMBAT Recoilless Rifle | ParaData
https://hmvf.co.uk/topic/25123-120mm-wombat/page/2/
L6 Wombat mounted on a LWB Landrover - Cold War - KitMaker Network
120mm L6 WOMBAT | Weaponsystems.net
