New Zealand Light Tank
Wheel-and-Track, Schofield
In 1940, faced with the possibility of war with Japan and no tanks available from
mother England, the New Zealand government considered building tanks of its own.
This is the only tank to make it to the prototype stage, and only one model was built.
After the war, the British tested the vehicle determining it to be impracticable.
The tank was based on a locally (Wellington, New Zealand) produced General Motors
commercial truck. It sported wheels for road movement, and tracks for off-road
movement. The tank's tracks were held up by chains when in road movement mode
as shown in the image above. Evidently, the tank could be switched from road
to cross-country mode with levers from within the tank's hull, but the wheels
were intended to be stowed on stub carriers extending from the side of the vehicle
(these also can be seen in the image above).
This tank never saw combat.
| Designation: | Light Tank, Wheel-and-Track (Schofield) |
| Crew: | 3 (Commander, Gunner, Driver) |
| Battle Weight: | 11,680 lb |
| Main Armament: | 1 x 2pdr OQF |
| Secondary Armament: | 1 x 7.92 cal Besa MG (co-axial) |
| Armor thickness: | 10mm maximum, 6mm minimum |
| Traverse: | 360o Open top turret |
| Road speed (wheeled): | 45.6 mph |
| Cross country speed (tracked): | 25.7 mph |