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Verdeja was the name of a series of light tanks developed in Spain between 1938 and 1954 in an attempt to replace German Panzer I and Soviet T-26 tanks in Spanish service. The program was headed by major Félix Verdeja Bardales and led to the development of four prototype vehicles, including a self-propelled howitzer armed with a 75 millimeter (3 in) gun. It was designed as an advanced light tank and was one of the first development programs which took into account survivability of the crew as opposed to the protection of the tank itself.〔de Mazararrasa, pp. 11–12〕 The tank was influenced by several of the light tanks which it was intended to replace, including the Panzer I and T-26, both of which were originally used during the Spanish Civil War. The Verdeja was considered a superior tank to the T-26 after a lengthy testing period, yet was never put into mass production.〔Armas, p. 28〕 Three light tank prototypes were manufactured between 1938 and 1942, including the Verdeja 1 and the Verdeja 2. Interest in the vehicle's development waned after the end of the Second World War. Despite attempts to fit a new engine in the Verdeja 2 and convert the Verdeja 1 into a self-propelled artillery piece, ultimately the program was unofficially canceled in favor of adopting the U.S. M47 Patton Tank in 1954.〔Manrique & Molina, p. 31〕 A prototype of the 75 millimetre self-propelled howitzer〔Ministerio de Defensa, ''Materiales'', retrieved on 2008-05-27〕 and of the Verdeja 2 were put on display in the early 1990s.〔Núñez, p. 85〕 ==Development== Spain received its first tank in mid-1919, a French Renault FT, for testing purposes, and later received ten more tanks on 18 December 1921.〔García 2004, pp. 5–9〕 The use of these tanks during the Rif War, including the first amphibious landing with tanks,〔García 2000, pp. 49–54〕 offered valuable experience for Spain's first indigenous armor program, the Trubia A4. The Trubia tank program, based on the FT, led to the development of four prototypes, but ultimately the program failed due to lack of interest from the national government.〔García 2008, pp. 54–56〕 These prototypes influenced a subsequent indigenous attempt to produce a tank, named the Trubia-Naval.〔García 2008, p.64〕 This design also failed to get past the prototype type stage.〔Manrique & Molina, p.9〕 Due to the failure of Spanish efforts to produce a tank, and the ineffective attempts to procure foreign designs such as the Italian Fiat 3000,〔de Mazararrasa 1998, pp. 74–76〕 by the start of the Spanish Civil War there were only ten working FT light tanks available in the country.〔García 2004, pp. 6–7. On 24 August 1925, the Spanish government successfully petitioned to procure six more FTs, to replace those operating in Morocco since 1922=; García 2004, pp.19–21. At the start of the war there were 15 FTs, but only 10 in working condition.〕 The lack of armor prompted the Soviet Union to supply the Popular Front and Nazi Germany and Italy to supply the Nationalist Front with light tanks. Between 1936 and 1939, the Germans provided the Nationalists with 122 Panzer Is〔Manrique & Molina 2006, p.311〕 and the Italians provided 155 L-3-35s.〔Manrique & Molina 2006, p.314〕 Meanwhile, the Soviets issued Republican Spain 281 T-26s and 50 BT-5s.〔Manrique & Molina 2006, pp.320–321〕 The Nationalists quickly found out the light machine guns on their tanks could not penetrate the T-26's armor at over , and Republican tankers could routinely knock out Panzer Is and L-3-35s at ranges of up to .〔Candil, p.36〕 In order to re-equip Nationalist armored forces with the T-26, German Major Ritter von Thoma offered Spanish troops 500 ''peseta''s for each tank captured.〔Perrett, p.35〕 There were also attempts to up-gun the Panzer I with an Italian Breda 20 millimetre Model 1935 anti-aircraft gun, due to its high Muzzle velocity and low recoil. Despite four successfully converted vehicles, designated Panzer I ''Breda'', there was no widespread program to retrofit the gun into the Panzer I.〔Molina 2005, pp. 47–50〕 Instead, the Nationalists began to press captured T-26s into service against their previous owners, with the first Nationalist T-26 unit formed in June 1937.〔Molina 2007, p. 16〕 On 6 September 1937, Captain Félix Verdeja, commanding the maintenance company of the Nationalist ''Batallón de Carros de Combate'' ("Tank Battalion"), began to privately develop a new light tank. His position, with direct access to Panzer Is and T-26s, gave Verdeja direct evidence of the shortcomings of current tank models in terms of combat ability and maintenance issues. Verdeja established a future tank requiring the 45 millimetre (1.77 in) gun fitted in the T-26; two coaxial light machine guns; a low profile, all-around armor greater than 15 millimetres (0.6 in), with a turret mantlet plate of at least 30 millimetres (1.2 in); road speed of , combat range of , and a capable suspension and new track system. This latter requirement was based on experiences with existing light tanks, which frequently lost their tracks in combat. These requirements and solutions were presented in October 1938 to Colonel Díaz de la Lastra, commanding officer of the ''Agrupación de Carros de Combate''. Although the project was approved, the program had to use scrap to build the first prototype due to a lack of resources and money.〔de Mazararrasa, pp.11–14〕 Despite early obstacles, including criticism from von Thoma, the program continued and Verdeja was awarded a warehouse in Zaragoza to continue with the construction of the prototype. 〔de Mazararrasa, pp. 14–16〕 The prototype was manufactured from spare parts and equipment scavenged from other light tanks, and featured a rectangular turret with 16 millimetre (0.6 in) basic armor. The chassis was divided into four quarters, with the forward right half occupied by the engine, gear box, clutch and final drive, beside the driver. The rear half of the vehicle was taken up mostly by the turret basket and forty-six 45 millimetre rounds, as well as two 60 liter (13 Imp gal) fuel tanks.〔de Mazararrasa, p.20〕 Turret space was used by the tank commander-gunner and the loader, as well as the 45 millimetre model 1932 anti-tank gun and two MG-13 machine guns. The main gun was originally commissioned as the Soviet 45 millimetre 19K anti-tank gun in March 1932, and featured heavier ammunition and a faster rate of fire than older anti-tank guns. Starting in 1934, a newer model began to be fitted into newly assembled T-26s.〔Baryatinskiy, p.28〕 Apart from the gun, the tank commander's model 1932 panoramic periscope was also scavenged from a T-26. The vehicle was powered by a Ford Model 48 engine taken from a civilian automobile, displacing 3,622 cc (221 in3) and producing 85 hp (63 kW) at 2,000 rpm. The engine was paired with a brand-new radiator and exhaust system. The Verdeja prototype used the Panzer I's Aphon PG-31 gearbox, although this worked at excessive revolutions for the engine, offering less torque which made slopes greater than 40° difficult. Possibly the most unusual features of the Verdeja were the suspension and tracks. To prevent the tank's tracks slipping off the roadwheels, two track pieces were fitted together to create a central groove for the roadwheel to travel in.〔de Mazarrasa, pp. 20–25〕 With a weight of under the Verdeja had a maximum speed of and a combat radius of .〔de Mazarrasa, p. 44.〕 Following the prototype's success in testing between 10 January and 20 January 1939, Captain Verdeja was ordered to begin construction of the definitive model of the light tank. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Verdeja」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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