The news that the Syrian rebels were again using their home-made Sham-2 BMP made us remember other examples of heavy military equipment, created almost at home. It is worth noting that there are quite a few masters who skillfully create replicas of tanks from tractors that decorate the backyard, or even a scene in a movie about World War II, and their works are not of interest to us. We will tell you about the developments that have become participants in real battles.
Homemade combat vehicles in history
The first mentions of the use of handicraft armored vehicles date back to the First World War. Scattered detachments of partisans, rebels, militias, faced with the need to build defensive and offensive positions, were forced to oppose homemade armored vehicles to military equipment of regular armies, which was gradually transplanted from horses. Often, tractors became the basis for such ersatz machines, already then turning into the main agricultural and construction equipment.
So, in revolutionary Russia, the first to use homemade armored vehicles were the White Guards. Professional officers of tsarist Russia lost in battles against the peasants and the proletariat due to the insufficient technical staffing of their troops. They tried to compensate for this with homemade weapons and machines. One of the most striking examples of handicraft technology of that time was the armored vehicle "Prayer Colonel". Built on the basis of the Clayton tractor by the Don Army in 1918, the armored vehicle accommodated 11 crew members, sheathed with thick metal sheets, and armed with a 76, 2-mm field gun in the rear and six 7, 62-mm Maxim machine guns of the 1910 model of the year. However, in battle, the vehicle turned out to be extremely inconvenient due to its bulkiness and dimensions. The ordinary horse moved the guns and implements of the time much faster.
The interwar period was the brightest in the development of the construction of armored vehicles. In Russia and Europe, many copies of such equipment were created, often in a single copy. However, it would not be entirely correct to call it handicraft production, since tractors were sheathed with armor in the factory, under the supervision of engineers and designers, and, as a rule, they did not participate in real battles.
The Second World War also pushed enthusiasts to hastily create heavy military equipment, which this time had to withstand the aviation and tanks of professional armies. So, for example, in the USSR was created the tank NI-1 ("To Fear"), an improvised armored vehicle, built in 1941 in Odessa for the defense of the city. A light cannon or machine gun on a rotating turret was installed on the roof of the NI-1. These tanks took part in many battles in the early years of the war, and some of them have survived to this day.
There are a lot of examples of this kind of technology, such ersatz tanks, armored vehicles and other surrogate heavy equipment were manufactured in many cities with developed industry. However, again, it would not be entirely correct to call such production handicraft.
But tiznaos, widely used during the Spanish Civil War, were a real example of "home production". Not much is known about tiznaos due to the fact that this collective concept does not have any general characteristics. Many of these machines were quite formidable equipment in urban conditions: machine guns, turrets and light cannons mounted on their roofs were a serious force in the fight against government forces.
Post-war history was also rich in various examples of such technology. Wherever the battles of the regular army took place against scattered rebel associations, starting from Vietnam, Afghanistan, the Middle East, and then the Balkans and the post-Soviet countries, unique examples of the fantasies of local designers were found.
Speaking of homemade equipment, one cannot but recall the armored bulldozer by Marvin Hemeyer. The brainchild of the last American hero participated in just one single battle, but deserves attention for some kind of technical excellence. Armored with thick metal sheets, the Komatsu D355A-3 was not armed, but had special embrasures for firing from the inside, cameras for navigation hidden in bulletproof plastic cases, an engine cooling system and ventilation of a sealed cabin. 200 bullet hits and several explosions of grenades did not cause any damage to the bulldozer, and only the collapsed roof of the building could stop it.
"Sham-2" and Syrian artillery
Actually, "Sham-2" itself. Country of origin - Syria. Built on the chassis of an unknown vehicle, armor thickness - 2.5 centimeters. Cannot withstand a direct hit from a grenade launcher or tank gun. The dimensions of the improvised BMP are 4 x 2 meters. An easel 7.62 mm machine gun is installed on the roof. The crew includes two people - a driver and a gunner. Navigation is carried out at the expense of five video cameras mounted in the body of the equipment, the shooter controls the machine gun using a gamepad. The car is on alert not far from the city of Aleppo. There is no official evidence of the participation of Sham-2 in the battles, however, given the harsh economic conditions in which the Syrian rebels are forced to exist, it is safe to say that the vehicle was not built for entertainment and can serve as an infantry fighting vehicle, providing fire support to local militants in urban and field conditions.
It is worth noting that, in general, modern Syrians are leaders in the production of homemade weapons. The internet is filled with examples of handicraft grenades, artillery fire systems, flamethrowers, and more.
Unnamed multiple launch rocket system
This system was discovered by the Israeli military in 2010 in the Gaza Strip. MLRS is installed on the basis of a dump garbage truck. The trailer is equipped with nine guide tubes for launching Qassam missiles, which, incidentally, are the pride of the Palestinian artisanal production. Such a rocket is made from a hollow tube from 70 to 230 centimeters in length, filled with explosives, and the accelerator is the usual mixture of sugar and potassium nitrate, which is commonly used as fertilizer. Burning up, this mixture releases a large amount of gas that can send a rocket at a distance of 3-18 kilometers. However, the quality of aimed shooting on such installations leaves much to be desired.
Plus such a MLRS - in excellent disguise. Driving up to city facilities without hindrance, such a garbage truck can be quickly put on alert.
Homemade armored vehicles of drug cartels
The criminal elements involved in the production and sale of drugs are distinguished by their special imagination. For example, we previously wrote about how Colombian drug lords build real submarines to transport cocaine. And their colleagues from Mexico prefer other equipment - armored transport vehicles. The guns on such armored personnel carriers are not installed, however, the crew can conduct aimed fire through special loopholes. However, the Mexicans do not pay attention to the wheels, focusing on the speed of movement of such equipment, which, as a rule, becomes a weak point in improvised armored personnel carriers. If the rubber is punctured, movement on such a machine, given the weight of the armor, becomes almost impossible.
Armored vehicles of the Syrian Kurds
The photographs of these "wunderwaffe" were allegedly taken in Syria and have been circulating through various information portals since the spring of 2014. There is no official information about home-made armored vehicles, the ownership of the equipment can be determined by the drawings on the armor - such a logo is the official symbol of the Syrian People's Defense Force, the fighting wing of the Kurdish Supreme Committee involved in the Syrian armed conflict.
Homemade equipment of the Libyan rebels
The favorite weapons of the Libyan rebels, the so-called "technical vehicles", are a homemade symbiosis of Soviet units of the NAR, SZO, anti-aircraft guns and various pickups.
Homemade equipment of security forces and militias of Ukraine
Photos of homemade equipment of various forces fighting on the territory of Ukraine have also been circulating on the Internet since the summer. With limited funding, Ukrainian security forces and militias are booking Russian KamAZ trucks and remodeling old Soviet equipment.
Confirming the participation of most of these exhibits in battles is difficult enough. However, for example, the armored KamAZ "Zhelezyaka" of the "Azov" battalion took part in the battles near Mariupol and even became a news hero.
