Spanish tech tree for World of Tanks proposal by PikPikker

The Hispano Suiza MC-36 was a truck-based, little-known vehicle from the Spanish Second Republic. It was actually only a prototype vehicle, and was intended to see service with the security forces, but it lost out on the contract to the smaller Bilbao armored car.

It was based on the very large Hispano Suiza T-69 truck chassis. Hispano Suiza was a Spanish engineering firm founded in 1904, which, among other things, made luxury cars and commercial trucks. The Republican government took control of the Spanish side of the company during the Civil War in order to produce weapons, armored cars, and other vehicles. Similarly, it also had a French subsidiary which was taken under control by the French government in 1937 (by owning 51% of the shares) for the same reason – war-material production. However, the MC-36 was actually a pre-Civil War armored car, which was in direct competition with the Bilbao to be produced for the Republic’s security forces – probably the Assault Guard or Police.

They were reportedly built in Barcelona, with the hulls made in Madrid by La Sociedad Comercial de Hierros. It ultimately lost the competition, perhaps due to the Bilbao’s simpler design and smaller size. The MC-36 looks as though it would have been very unwieldy in urban combat – a rough estimate based on a scale model reveals it to be 7.4 meters long, which could make traversing around narrow streets an issue.

An estimated 5-15 vehicles were built (probably closer to 5), and were committed to combat in the Civil War with Republican forces. They were most likely sent to the southern front, with unknown combat results. Interestingly, the T-69 truck was used for towing field guns and artillery pieces during the Civil War, but there is a substantial lack of information on them.

More is perhaps known about their service with the Nationalists. According to slogans on the side of one vehicle, they were in service under Lieutenant Colonel Carlos Asensio Cabanillas (hence the slogan: “Columna Madrid, Tte. Coronel Asensio“). Assuming that this is more than just a slogan, these MC-36s were captured somewhere between Seville and Madrid, as this is where Cabanillas’ forces saw combat.

The Nationalists also did one huge modification – adding a T-26 turret to at least one. It is unknown why this was done, and if only one was modified in this manner. It was, reportedly, the command vehicle for “Agrupacion de Carros del Sur“. The Nationalists would have quite liked to operate a captured T-26, seeing as though they were easily the best tanks in the war, owing to their deadly 45 mm (1.77 in) gun. Perhaps the T-26 it came from was damaged, save for the turret, and this is why the turret was salvaged and placed onto a suitable chassis. Whilst quite a heavy turret (an estimated 0.94 tons), the chassis would be able to carry such a load, although it would raise the center of mass substantially, thus making it top heavy and more prone to toppling over. The MC-36 with a T-26 turret has been photographed in service with Agrupacion del Ejercito del Sur during the Victory Parade in Seville, 17th April, 1936, and again in Andalucia.

Hispano-Suiza MC-36 with its original turret:

The UNL-35 was perhaps the most mass-produced armored vehicle in Spain during the 1936-1939 Civil War. Built by Unión Naval de Levante, it was essentially a better copy of the Soviet BA-20, owing to its use of a truck chassis, as opposed to a saloon car. It is sometimes suggested that the UNL-35 is a Spanish copy of the FAI, which makes sense, as FAIs were actually sent to Spain. However, the UNL-35 seems to have more in common with the BA-20. The easiest way to tell them apart from a BA-20 is the four-piece wheel guards, the differently-shaped turret, and the Spanish scenery in the background of photos. Sturdy, reliable, sensible, the UNL-35 was kept in service with the Spanish army until retirement in 1957, but also may have seen service in WWII with the French and even the Germans. 120-200 vehicles built.

The AAC-1937 (Autometralladora blindado medio Chevrolet-1937), sometimes known as the “Chevrolet 6×4 1937”, was an armored car made by the Republican forces in Spain during the Civil War. It was, essentially, a copy BA-3/6 (although it closely resembles a BAI).

Its armament varied quite a bit – usually two machine guns (various models), but sometimes a French 37 mm (1.46 in) gun, and even cannibalized Soviet turrets with 45 mm (1.77 in) guns were used. Like many AFVs in the Spanish Civil War, it changed hands quite a lot, and saw service with Republicans, Nationalists, and even with the French and Germans during WWII. With such an impressive list of users, it seems odd that it is such an obscurity.

By 1937, the German and Italian navies had control of, or were blockading, all Spanish ports, meaning that the USSR could not supply more tanks and armored cars to the Republicans. Knowing this, the Republican government turned to local industry to produced AFVs.

There was, apparently, a specification for a heavy armored car, and a number of prototype armored cars were made in April, 1937, generally based on the BA-6 design. One which the Republicans liked the most was a prototype of the AAC-1937. It was based on a Chevrolet SD 1937 lorry chassis, and produced at the General Motors Factory in Barcelona.

AAC-1937s, in their various models, started leaving production lines in April 1937. Four were made every month, but by March, 1938, there was a shortage of steel armor plates as a result of the Nationalists dividing Republican held territory in two. Small numbers were made until February, 1939, when Catalonia was captured by Nationalists. A reported 70 were built in total, but perhaps as many as 90, according to combat data.

The Trubia Modelo 1925 was developed by the Fabrica de Artilleria Trubia in Asturia, in the industrial north of Spain. The hull was made of bolted 18 mm (0.7 in) armored plates over a steel frame, like the original Renault, and roughly the same dimensions and configuration. The first of this new prototype pre-series (four were ordered) was built in 1928 and passed all tests successfully at the Firing School. The second one was ready in 1931, followed by the two others in 1934. The latter three were issued to the Milan Infantry Regiment, in Oviedo, for field exercises and trials, while the first A4 returned to the factory in 1935, for repairs and modernization.

Plans of the Trubia were handed over - thanks to Captain Ignacio Larrea, who headed the project - in Republican-held Sestao, near Bilbao. A new production run was quickly authorized by the autonomous government of the Basque country, based on the Landesa tractor, as the “Carro ligero Trubia naval modelo 1936” or M36 (built by the Spanish Shipbuilding company of Sestao). It is sometimes known as the “Euzkadi” (“Basque” in basque language). The vehicles, often compared to “toy tanks”, were quite small, but retained a crew of three. They were deprived of their steering tail and had a one-stage simplified turret. The armament consisted of two Vickers machine guns, one in the hull, used by the driver and the other in the turret. They were not compartmented, and the engine was so hot and noisy (the ventilation system proved inadequate at best) that it is said that the already crouched crew could not bear it for more than thirty minutes inside. Plus, the vehicles were underpowered, had a bumpy, rough ride (no suspensions) and were utterly slow. Armor varied from 6 to 16 mm (0.24-0.63 in), with a first level of 3 mm and 13 mm (0.12/0.51 in) armor plates bolted over with a gap of 25 mm (0.98 in). The overall weight was 5 tons. The series was initiated in 1936 and ended in 1937. Little is known about their total production, numbers ranging from 15 to 20 or even 30 or more depending on the source. The confusion with the four Trubia 75hp prototypes adds to the uncertainty. Exact records disappeared. They saw combat but were more intended as local morale boosters rather than for long wartime operations.

The appearance of the resulting Verdeja 1 prototype was close to that originally envisioned in Captain Verdeja's first designs. The vehicle's hull was elongated and the rear plate sloped, while the fuel capacity—and thus combat range—was increased, as was the ammunition capacity and the thickness of the armor. The vehicle was fabricated in Bilbao, the only city in Spain with a heavy vehicle assembly line. Due to the end of the Spanish Civil War and a shortage of funds, construction was postponed until May 1940. The prototype was completed three months later and delivered to the proving grounds in Carabanchel, Madrid, powered with basically the same Ford flathead V8 engine also used as the motive power of the three-tonne weight British Universal Carrier. A major external difference between the previous model and this prototype was the new, low-profile turret which allowed the 45 millimetre gun to depress and elevate from 8° to 70°. The original 45 millimetre model 1932 gun was exchanged with a new 45 millimetre Mark I tank gun fabricated by S.A. Placencia de las Armas, in Spain. However, the new prototype adopted the suspension and tracks from the original prototype. In essence, the main advantages of the new prototype were its low-profile, high elevation of the main gun and the increased sloping of the armor from 12° to 45°. It should be noted that the Verdeja 1 retained the original configuration by placing the engine in the front, to increase crew survivability. Testing against T-26B shown that Verdeja tank was definitely better by the most of parameters. Plans to produce one thousand Verdeja tanks were approved on 2 December 1940, divided into ten batches of one hundred tanks each. The Verdeja production prototype was to adopt the 120 horsepower (89 kW) Lincoln-Zephyr gasoline V12 engine, requiring a contract between the Spanish government and Ford Motor Ibérica, Ford's Spanish subsidiary. Simultaneously, in case of failure of talks between Ford and Spain, the government also began to contact a number of German companies, including Maybach. In order to begin production, the Tank Workshop in Zaragoza was to be expanded to allow final assembly of at least five tanks per month. Despite funding and two years of construction allotted, the factory construction and expansion was never completed. Other problems arose, including the failure to reach an agreement with Ford or Maybach. These factors, the poor economic situation in Spain, the lack of clients other than the Spanish Army and the lack of incentives for Spanish companies to partake in the construction program, led to the abandonment of the attempt to fabricate the Verdeja 1. Another attempt was undertaken at contracting the ADESA (Armamento de Aviación, S.A.) company, to manufacture two Verdeja light tanks for experimental purposes. Despite the failure to procure an engine, ADESA offered to construct 300 units, but these attempts failed and the program was abandoned by 1941.

As the Verdeja 1 program dissolved, Captain Verdeja began to design a successor taking into consideration lessons learned during the opening campaigns of the Second World War. The new design featured a redesigned engine bay at the rear of the chassis, which meant moving the drive sprocket to the rear as well. The movement of the engine's location allowed for better cooling of the vehicle's motor and the fighting compartment, as well as allowing the turret to be moved forward. The vehicle's armor was also increased substantially by between five and ten millimetres. This new tank was not approved for production or further development due to continued postponement of the production of the Verdeja 1 for reasons which included offers by the German government to supply the Panzer IV's engine for the Verdeja 1. Although production of the new vehicle finally began in 1942, it was not until August 1944 that the Verdeja 2 prototype was delivered. The program was delayed by the incorporation of twenty Panzer IV Ausf. H's and ten Sturmgeschütz IIIs into the Spanish Army in late 1943, as well as failed attempts to procure one hundred more Panzer IVs and even Panthers and Tigers during 1944. With these new vehicles integrated into the army and the fiscal problems which plagued the Verdeja 1, the Verdeja 2 remained unimproved until 1950, when there was an attempt to fit a Pegaso Z-202 engine. Despite this, the Verdeja remained on factory grounds until 1973, when it was transferred to the Infantry Academy of Toledo.

It was supposed to be the Spanish T-34 "replica" - sloped armor, overall arrangement. At the same time it was going to be slow as a heavy tank. It's a project from 1944.

A further development of Verdeja tank dated 1942-43. It was supposed to be like a mix of Verdeja II and Soviet T-34. But the project was abandonned because Verdeja II cound not even go into mass production.

M41 modified by the Spanish Army with a new diesel engine; this increases the tank's range to about 483 km (300 miles). Also the new equipment was installed: rangefinders, driving camera ect.

Spanish M41E upgraded with Israeli 60 mm HVMS gun. The only prototype was built in 1988. It also got some new tech upgrades, sideskirts and an engine from M2 Bradley.