- Yes
- No
caid’s suggestion #78
I would like to suggest the first success of Panhard in military production, the Panhard 165/175 also known as Panhard AMD TOE
the Panhard 165 was the initial version of this vehicle, it is about identical to the final version. externally little difference can be found so I would consider only suggesting the final version but still mentioning the difference between them.
designed in 1929, the Panhard 165 was based on the Panhard 20 CV. it was specifically developed to be an armoured car for the survey in the overseas territory. in other words, it was a colonial armoured car. this armoured car was tested in the early 30s and put into service in 1934. two versions were known, the Panhard 165 and Panhard 175. they differ by a stronger suspension and a different engine providing the same power. ingame, those 2 vehicles would show very little difference. to a point, they would not be noticed to have any difference in their performance or their appearance.
the Panhard 165/175 are Panhard 165 upgraded to Panhard 175.
the Panhard 175 served in Mainland France for a short time, until the AMD 35 was put into service. but the Panhard 175, going under the designation of AMD Panhard TOE was specifically designed for the colony, mainly the North African one. this is particularly evident as the inside of the vehicles was recovered with wood to isolate the crew from the heat (the metal tends to be very hot under the sun) and a clean water tank to provide the crew with drinkable water. in other words, it was tropicalized. the AMD Pahanrd TOE saw a bit of action in the Moroccan War of 1907-1934 but also during WW2 from 1939-1943. they were mostly used as reconnaissance vehicles and convoy escort. in most cases, they were used along with the AMD 35 which was less adapted for the desert but still performed well. the AMD Panhard TOE was not designed to fight other tanks. the 37mm gun was his main armament and had little anti-tank capacity. but it still has some. This gun was mainly chosen for its capacity to fire HE rounds. As it remained in service until the middle of WW2, it would had access to some of the best anti-tank rounds the 37mm SA18 could offer. 39 AMD Panhard TOE was built, but some experts believe there could have been much more. up to 59 built.
during WW2, the AMD Panhard TOE was usually equipped with a conical muzzle at the end of the gun, which was to hide the flash of the gun when the vehicle was shooting. this muzzle often makes people misidentify the gun as a 25mm by those who are not aware the cavalry was using a modified SA18 that allows to have attachment on the muzzle.
Firepower
the firepower of this tank is a bit weak for the game standard. but not completely useless. The 37mm SA18 is known to be a terrible gun for the game. but at the same time, it is still present in the game on different tanks. while the decent rounds for this gun were starting to be available. the rate of fire reaching 20 rounds minutes is pretty fast for the game’s standard. the loss of the commander shouldn’t affect the reload either as the gunner was the only one to reload the gun. the elevation is hard to confirm but an elevation of -16°/+20° was found online. which is pretty possible. the vehicles carry 194 rounds for the 37mm which is about 5 times what anyone might want to carry. the main armament is shoulder stabilized which allows a quick aiming upon stop and the vehicle was in service until the late days of WW2 wich may be possible to have access to the APDS round introduced early in 1940
a coaxial 7.5mm MAC 31 machine-gun is placed in the turret, the machine-gun is fed with 150 rounds magazine and carries a total of 3900 rounds which means it has 26 magazines.
Mobility
the mobility of this armoured car will not be bad at all without being exceptional. the engine providing 86 hp will allow the 6.75-ton vehicle to move at a speed of up to 65 km/h which is fairly good. The armoured car being a wheeled vehicle will suffer a noticeable reduction of mobility in softer ground such as mud and snow. in urban terrain It will shine and show outstanding mobility which allows it to be much faster than most vehicles of the interwar era. the reverse speed is rather interesting and can reach 40 km/h just like the AMD 35 which is a relative development.
Protection
the vehicle is armoured but only on a minimal scale. the armour ranging from 7 to 9mm will only be enough to stop the LMG fire. the crew of 4 men are including 2 men in the cabin and 2 in the turret. the crew being completely protected will be saved from the artillery shrapnel unless a hit lands too close. the engine at the front offers a decent chance to absorb a hit at the cost of the engine. the
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