Bob Semple tank video

Thanks to FryaDuck for posting this video in comments

Hello everyone,

no list of worst tanks ever would be complete without the infamous Bob Semple tank. Built on New Zealand during the time of Japanese Pacific campaign (mostly as a propaganda vehicle, but also with the intention to actually fight), Bob Semple tank was named after a minister of New Zealand government, Robert “Bob” Semple, who commissioned it. Needless to say, the result was less than spectacular, as you can see yourselves…

 

39 thoughts on “Bob Semple tank video

  1. Was it a response to the mosquito-resistant & repelling vehicule to accompany the troops requirement or a of kill the enemies with laughter that was showcased in a monty python documentary?

    • Driving around the hobbit shire with tanks. Sounds interesting. Maybe i could drive my T1 Cunningham into one of those houses. :-)

    • Typical NZ landscape would make for a really nice open map, the likes of Steppes or Prokhorovka, maybe more hilly.

      • With only .303 caliber MGs? Seriously, what kind of weed are you smoking? Those MGs are useless against anything with even the SLIGHTEST amount of armor, and while the 12.7 mm M2 and the 15 mm BESA aren’t exactly good AT weapons they can at least damage low-tier tanks, whereas .303 caliber rounds would bounce off pretty much any vehicle in the game.

  2. Its a perfectly useable tank. Not a great tank, but useable.

    As for the issue of armor… NZ could always have imported it from Australia

    Or made the armor plate themselves if they put more money into the project.

    Or do the poor mans solution and double up on the carbon steel to equal armor plate.

    • If they were going to bother importing armor plate from Australia, they might as well have just ordered tanks from them instead (the Sentinel comes to mind).

    • Useable? How? Its slow, heavy, poorly armed and poorly armored. Its tank simply built for propaganda value, in combat it would get wrecked.

      The Australian built Sentinel on the other hand, thats what could be called useable. It had an adequate gun, armour and mobility, with the bonus of actually looking like a proper tank. Aussie industry was no better than NZs but they came up with a FAR better tank from scratch.

  3. My country’s proud tank history lol. -_-

    Schofield tank does look a little bit cool, Mad Max tank… and has a proper gun, at least somewhat useful against thin Japanese armour.

  4. Ouch SS, right in the national pride…
    I do my best to pretend we never made this monstrosity.

    Although, the Schofield tank was a cool concept IMO, just kinda pointless and unnecessary.
    Short article on that perhaps?