Tachanka- тачанка - Taczanka -Tatschanka - Tačianka
 

Tough about introduction of such vehicles for some OOBs when was mentioned in Polish OOB thread about Taczanka wz.28 & wz.36 This vehicle was genuine Russian invention first build during civil war in Russia and used by both sides Reds and White. That is simple horse four wheel cart with installed machine-gun able to shoot in rear sphere and sometimes even AA-fire usually MG was possible to disassemble and using in conventional way. Generally they were created to give cavalry MG fire without complicated unpacking and placing on the position. They where able to follow cavalry with the same speed.

Tachanka's in Soviet Union

Improvised version from civil war times
Usually civilian version of cart with two horses with added Maxim HMG without any special standing point
http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images...chankacr8.jpg/

M1928
Looks like that was some standardization in that times M1928 was even able to AA fire

http://img286.imageshack.us/img286/5...722962xcw7.jpg
http://lib.rus.ec/i/92/375592/pic_15.jpg
http://img0.liveinternet.ru/images/a...ogo_010544.jpg
http://img452.imageshack.us/img452/5...722966xtc9.jpg

How long they were use there is photo from Moscov defense and even from 1944. Polish LWP Manual after the war in 1951 mentioned about tachanka in MG-units what mean that they were as long as cavalry units in soviet and satellite states what my means somewhere until 1955?

http://lib.rus.ec/i/92/375592/pic_18.jpg
Moscov defense

http://lib.rus.ec/i/92/375592/pic_19.jpg
Photo from 1944 looks like civil war improvised pattern

http://img301.imageshack.us/img301/4985/rg1zu2.jpg
http://img168.imageshack.us/img168/3096/rg2vf3.jpg
Pictures from Polish military manual about Taczanka. Is rather certain that such schema was taken from soviet organisation of such units as we can see there was 6 solders who were involved in keep such vehicle running.

http://getwar.ru/wp-content/gallery/maksim/04.jpg
http://war1945.ru/uploads/posts/2011...fense-kiev.jpg
http://war1945.ru/uploads/posts/2011...fense-kiev.jpg
Wartime photos from Kiev defence 1941

Re: Tachanka- тачанка - Taczanka -Tatschanka - Tačianka
 

So, it appears that the "technical" is actually a pretty old invention...

Joking aside, it seems like a highly sensible way of moving the MGs for traditional horse cavalry. Do you know if the Soviet or Polish cavalry tried using anti-tank rifles or light mortars in a similar way? (I suppose 50mm mortars could work.)

Re: Tachanka- тачанка - Taczanka -Tatschanka - Tačianka
 

As for the Polish - no. As for the Soviets, I haven't heard about it.

Re: Tachanka- тачанка - Taczanka -Tatschanka - Tačianka
 

I also never heard about such installations by default tachanka has only MG

German has two standard models German army used lf.3 and lf.5 tachankas armed with 2 Anti-Aircraft machine guns each. Their propose was a little bit different they were mainly use for AA protection with ability to ground fire in polish a soviet army they were mobile MG with AA fire as an option

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...er_Gebiete.jpg
MG Wagen 36 (If. 5), German anti-aircraft variant, armed with a double MG34, in Sudetenland, 1938

http://odkrywca.pl/forum_pics/picsforum2/19633258.jpg

http://www.super-hobby.dk/zdjecia/0/...auto_downl.jpg

http://www.model-making.eu/zdjecia/2...auto_downl.jpg

Re: Tachanka- тачанка - Taczanka -Tatschanka - Tačianka
 

And finally Polish army. After improvised version during Polish-Soviet war tachanka was standardised as

Taczanka wz.28

AS mentioned in polish OOB thread equipped with Maxim MG on Schwarzlose stand able for AA fire

http://odkrywca.pl/forum_pics/picsforum11/1_copy101.jpg
http://i361.photobucket.com/albums/o...l/prev1982.jpg
http://odkrywca.pl/forum_pics/picsforum24/2_f_copy1.jpg
http://odkrywca.pl/forum_pics/picsfo...1_copy2809.jpg
http://odkrywca.pl/forum_pics/picsforum25/_tacz.jpg


Taczanka wz.36 with wz.30 MG was able for AA fire as well ground MG what is interesting that some of them collected from battlefields was hidden and use also in partisan actions of AK polish underground especially in operation Tempest


http://www.dobroni.pl/foto_news/36_2.jpg
http://www.dobroni.pl/foto_news/36_4.jpg
http://odkrywca.pl/forum_pics/picsfo...1_copy3619.jpg

Re: Tachanka- тачанка - Taczanka -Tatschanka - Tačianka
 

Game terms this would not be much different to loading machine guns on wagons / sleds. Not a great way of moving them but certainly I have used sleds playing as Russians to move MGs.

This is because the unit should not be able to move & fire, rear arc would only make that a useful tactic to cover retreat anyway.

Re: Tachanka- тачанка - Taczanka -Tatschanka - Tačianka
 

As is apparent from a number of photos on German ebay, the If.5 was quite common vehicle. After a quick search (http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtop...2124&start=555) it seems, that it was used in infantry division for transporting of MG-34 as MMG and in a secondary role, to give AA cover (although during combat the MGs should be rather dismounted and used on the ground?..)

There's a nice page: http://www.kfzderwehrmacht.de/Homepa...__5/if__5.html

If.3 was solely a transport wagon http://www.kfzderwehrmacht.de/Homepa...__3/if__3.html

.

Re: Tachanka- тачанка - Taczanka -Tatschanka - Tačianka
 

That's a pretty clever solution as well. The AA sights seem to be an integral part of the Zwillingssockel double mount, so no fumbling with detachable AA sights and the guns are always ready to fire at aerial targets when mounted.

It appears that the tripod mounts for the MGs were usually carried in the same cart, so definitely they would be used when not on the march. The cart mount is high enough to be very vulnerable to machine gun fire and artillery. Unfortunately there is no way to model this flexibility in the game.