Let's go, Canada!!
Today's topic is about an armored vehicle that was developed to provide anti-aircraft protection for allied forces in WWII, but when it came to completion, the allied air superiority was overwhelming. With that, the order for 135 Canadian vehicles and another 130 for the British were cancelled, with the construction of only 3 complete units (in addition to many turrets...). Today we are going to talk about the Skink AA 20mm Quad tank.
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| Skink Anti Aircraft 20mm Quad tank |
History:
Tank AA, 20 mm Quad, Skink was a Canadian self-propelled anti-aircraft gun (SPAAG), developed in 1943-44, in response to a requirement from the Canadian Army Overseas. Due to a lack of threat from the German air force, the Skink was cancelled in 1944 , after only 3 were built from Grizzly I cruisers.
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| Skink AA tank awaiting shipment from Waterloo to Montreal in a flat rail car. July,1944. Notice the CDP tracks and sprocket wheel. |
The development of a fully enclosed quadruple 20mm mounting on the chassis of the Grizzly tank (Canadian-built M4A1 Sherman tank) was approved by the Canadian Army Technical Development Board as Project 47 in March, 1943.
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| Early concept drawing of the Skink, as presented to the Army Technical Development Board in May, 1943. |
In keeping with the tradition of giving Canadian armoured fighting vehicles animal names, the proposed tank was named Skink, Ontario’s only native specie of lizard.
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| Five-lined Skink - Plestiodon fasciatus |
The Canadian Ministry of Munitions and Supply had the turret designed in-house by its Army Engineering Design Branch (AEDB) with help from the Inspection Board. The Waterloo Manufacturing Co. in Waterloo, Ontario, was given the task of building a preliminary wooden mock-up. This was completed on 15 September 1943.
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| Wooden mock up turret and turret basket. Front view. Waterloo Manufacturing Company - 15 September, 1943. Two dummy Hispano-Suiza guns have been fitted. |
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| Wooden mock up turret and turret basket. Right side view. |
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| Wooden mock up turret and turret basket. Front top view. |
The construction of two welded rolled armour pilot turrets was then authorized. The first pilot turret was demonstrated in mid-December. In January 1944 a pilot turret was successfully tested on a Grizzly chassis.
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| Welded rolled armour turret, with Hispano Suiza guns at full elevation. All hatches are open and the deflector sight deployed. Waterloo Manufacturing Company - 20 December, 1943. |
Due to the challenges of welding a turret of such a complex shape from rolled homogeneous armour plate, Dominion Foundries of Hamilton was contracted to produce a fully enclosed cast turret (the largest armour casting ever made in Canada).
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| Cast turret (first pilot), with 20mm Hispano-Suiza guns. January, 1944 |
Originaly it was planned to arm the Skink with four 20 mm Hispano-Suiza cannons and the first prototypes were so-armed. In January 1944, the 21st Army Group in Europe decided that only British 20mm Polsten guns would be used (the Polsten was a simplified derivative of the Oerlikon cannon) by its units.
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| Skink AA 20mm tank at Lulworth Army Camp - Fall,1944. Notice the 20mm Polsten guns and T54E1 VVSS Sherman tracks and sprocket |
This required a redesign of the turret, which was completed in April. This change delayed the project by 3 to 4 months, while 21 Army Group's reduction in the number of AA guns to be issued to its units led to a reduction in the number of Skink turrets which were required. This dwindled to zero in late July 1944, when 21 Army Group decided that as the German air force - the Luftwaffe - had been virtually eliminated over North West Europe, there was no longer a requirement for anti-aircraft tanks. The Skink contract was cancelled in mid-August and only three complete vehicles and eight turret kits were completed.
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| Skink, as sent to England for trials, with all its markings and stowage. Notice the CDP tracks and "high bustle" turret |
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Skink number 62-728 (WD Number CT163962) on display at Dennison Armouries - Toronto, Canada - 1946. VVSS Sherman tracks and sprocket. |
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| Skink firepower: 4x20mm Polsten guns and .30 Browning MG |
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| Skink "low bustle" - 3/4 rear view |
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| Skink "low bustle" - left side view |
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| Skink "low bustle" - rear view |
The Skink’s four 20mm Polsten guns could fire 650 rounds per minute per gun. A modified oilgear hydraulic traverse with two pumps could rotate the turret at up to 65 degress per second and - crucially for a quick response - accelerate from rest to 60 degrees in 2 seconds.
The guns elevation was also hydraulically assisted so the guns could move at up to 45 degress per second in an arc from -5 to +80. The gunner controlled both elevation and rotation with a joystick, and used a Mk.IX reflector sight. Initially it had been planned to build 300 Skink turrets for the Canadian and British armies.
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| Skink high bustle turret schematic drawing |
In action:
Some sources claim that 2, or perhaps all 3 Skinks were sent to England for evaluation and that at least one, or perhaps two, were sent to Europe with the First Canadian Army for combat testing, in early 1945.
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| 1st Canadian Army formation sign |
At that time, the task of refitting and replacing vehicles for the front line was in charge of the 25th Armored Delivery Regiment - "The Elgin Regiment", whose responsibility was to ensure that replacement and reinforcement vehicles could be constantly fed to front-line units, to compensate for mechanical or combat losses.
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| 25th Armored Delivery Regiment "The Elgin Regiment" - AoS |
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| Possible markings of the Skink AA 20mm Quad tank under the care of 25th Armored Delivery Regiment - "The Elgin Regiment" in evaluation in England - early 1945 |
After being transhipped to Antwerp on 24 January 1945, it reached the Canadian forces a few miles surroundings of Nijmegen, Holland, on 4 February, and entered combat in support of the 6th Canadian Armoured Regiment (1st Hussards) at north of Nijmegen bridge. In this action, the Skink saw combat, in the ground support role, during the Allied push into Germany, working with two Shermans and an Infantry platoon, in the second wave infantry mopping up role with devestating effect. In this action, the Skink firing several bursts into a building occupied by about 50 German's, 10 of whom were wounded by 20mm HEI-T fragments and the remainder quickly surrendered.
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| 6th Canadian Armoured Regiment "1st Hussards" - AoS |
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| Possible markings of the Skink AA 20mm Quad tank with 6th Canadian Armoured Regiment (1st Hussards) north of Nijmegen bridge, Holland - early February 1945 |
Thanks to colleagues Paul Roberts and Rick Cooper for helping with the historical research on the Skinks' operational actions at the end of WWII.
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| Thanks, Lads!! |
All units found it to be a valuable asset. However no enemy aircraft presented itself to the Skink's guns and its main function was to flush out stubborn pockets of enemy infantry and force their surrender.
The remaining Skink pilots and the completed turrets went into long-term storage in Canada where, at some point, they were scrapped. Only some unfinished turret castings salvaged from the firing range survive.
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| Heavilly damaged Skink after artillery fire trials. A true sad vision... |
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| This Skink "high bustle" turret survivor is in much better condition... |
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| Casting markings in the rear bustle of turret |
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| Skink "high bustle" turret |
Specs:
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| Skink AA tank - 3 views - notice the high bustle turret above right |
| Tank AA, 20mm Quad, Skink | |
|---|---|
| Type | self propelled anti-aircraft gun |
| Place of origin | Canada |
| Production history | |
| Number built | 3 (?) |
| Specifications | |
| Weight | 25.9 tonnes combat load |
| Length | 5.82 m |
| Width | 2.62 m |
| Height | 3 m |
| Crew | 5 |
| Armour | 50 mm (glacis) |
| Main armament | 4 x 20 mm Polsten automatic guns |
| Engine | Continental R975C1 radial engine, gasoline 350 hp (253 kW) at 2,400 rpm |
| Power/weight | 14 hp/tonne |
| Suspension | Vertical Volute Spring Suspension (VVSS) |
| Ground clearance | 43 cm |
| Fuel capacity | 660 litres |
| Operational range | 193 km |
| Speed | 38.5 km/h brief level |
The kit:
Existed on the market a conversion resin kit for the low bustle Skink, by (today extinct) Panzer Resin Models. And at that time I received the commission to make the master for the "high bustle" turret version... Today, these kit (with upgrades) is currently available from the Bold Division.
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| Old (and extinct) PRM conversion kit - Skink "low bustle" |
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| Skink AA 20mm Quad tank (low bustle) conversion kit BoldDivision conversion kit (#35045) |
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| Improved Bold Division´s Skink AA 20mm Quad tank box art #35045 kit |
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| The old PRM turret and parts |
I had already built the low bustle version, for my collection. So Fabio de Melo (the owner of Panzer Resin Models) commissioned me to master the high bustle version of this turret.
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| Skink AA 20mm Quad tank high bustle turret |
And since I love scratch things, let's get to work!! I received some low bustle turrets and a hull to serve as a template for the works...
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| My Skink low bustle in background and the new high bustle turret under scratch... |
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| adding details and texture to the new turret... |
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| Comparative image of the profiles between Skink turrets rear to rear side view |
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| Comparative image of the profiles between Skink turrets side by side rear view |
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| Comparative image of the profiles between Skink turrets front to front side view |
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| Adding casting markings decals with modified Archer resin foundry symbols decals |
The new high bustle turret casted:
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| PRM high bustle turret - 3/4 front view |
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| PRM high bustle turret - 3/4 rear view |
Today, this high bustle turret (with great improvements and correct metal guns...) is commercialized by Bold Division:
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| New high bustle Skink turret from Bold Division Kit #35046 parts |
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| Skink turret (high bustle) from Bold Division (#35046) with parts in position |
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| Skink turret (high bustle) from Bold Division (#35046) box art |
Using the Italeri´s Sherman M4A1 as host. The upper hull was PRM resin conversion kit.
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| My old PRM Skink high bustle kit... |
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| For my old kit, I used the 3 piece front transmission cover (spare part) from Dragon |
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| Testing the front cover transmission... |
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| Testing the PRM high bustle turret in the resin hull... |
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| Driver and co-driver hatches are Dragon, too... |
Putting teeth in the turret: using cooper wire to estabilize the guns...
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| Open holes for the guns... |
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| Copper pins to stabilize the mantlets of the 20mm guns |
Using surgical needles for gun tubes (old times):
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| Old times: no metal guns in the perfect scale and shape... The best option in those dark and sad times.... |
Eighteen milimeters:
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| 20mm metal guns in the resin mantlets |
And the turret armed and dangerous...
The turret in the hull. The metal machine gun .30 is from RB Models.
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| My Skink high bustle growing fast... Notice the .30 Browning MG from RB models, in the front hull. |
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| Right view |
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| tracks and aerials (acupuncture needles) |
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| Skink with fenders |
Now, it´s primer time:
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| primer |
But here we have a big problem: at the time of the construction of this kit (2000), there were no Canadian Dry Pin tracks in 1/35 scale on the market. And, in the real Skinks photos, the version with VVSS "American Sherman" tracks (and drive sprocket) was the low bustle, as in the photo below :
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| Skink low bustle with Sherman VVSS tracks and sprocket |
The "high bustle" version shows the CDP (Canadian Dry Pin) tracks.
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| Notice the high bustle turret and the CDP tracks. |
Today, there are CDP tracks from Panda Plastics and Friulmodels ....I chose the metal ones to correct my old kit. But first, I had to disassemble my tank, yanking the old vinyl Italeri tracks and drive wheels...That's easy to say now, but it's still very exciting...
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| The correct tracks: Canadian Dry pin tracks, from Friulmodels. |
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| Tracks in place...Wow...Notice the space for spare tracks in the turret right side view |
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| The new metal shoes in front view... Notice I redoing the markings... the old decals had a bit of silvering... and that's just awful!! |
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| Building the racks for spare tracks (turret) |
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| The high bustle Skink with fenders repainted (left) together my other Skink (low bustle) |
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| Decal time: First, white rectangles for better contrast of colors. |
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| After the white rectangles dry, applied the transparent decals printed in full colors... |
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| Skink of 1st Canadian Army, Elgin Regiment reporting for duty, Sir !!!! |
And the Skink high bustle was repaired and ready:
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| Skink AA 20mm Quad tank (high bustle) from 1st Canadian Army, 25th Armoured Delivery Regiment ( The Elgin Regiment) England, early 1945. |
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| Skink AA 20mm Quad tank (high bustle) |
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| Skink AA 20mm Quad tank (high bustle) |
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| Skink AA 20mm Quad tank (high bustle) from 1st Canadian Army, 25th Armoured Delivery Regiment ( The Elgin Regiment) England, early 1945. |
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| Skink AA 20mm Quad tank (high bustle) from 1st Canadian Army, 25th Armoured Delivery Regiment ( The Elgin Regiment) England, early 1945. |
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| Skink AA tank from 1st Canadian Army, Elgin Regiment - bird view |
And the Skink low bustle:
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| Skink AA 20mm Quad tank (low bustle) from 1st Canadian Army 25th Armoured Delivery Regiment ( The Elgin Regiment) England, early 1945. |
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| Skink AA 20mm Quad tank (low bustle) from 1st Canadian Army, 25th Armoured Delivery Regiment ( The Elgin Regiment) England, early 1945. |
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| Skink AA 20mm Quad tank (low bustle) from 1st Canadian Army, 25th Armoured Delivery Regiment ( The Elgin Regiment) England, early 1945. |
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| "The bloody German planes don't show up, Sir..." |
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| Skink AA 20mm Quad tank (low bustle) 3/4 rear left view |
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| Skink AA 20mm Quad tank (low bustle) 3/4 rear right view |
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| Skink AA 20mm Quad tank (low bustle) 3/4 rear right upper view |
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| Skink AA 20mm Quad tank (low bustle) right view |
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| "Indeed... the damn yellow German planes don't come, old boy..." |
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| Skink AA 20mm Quad tank (low bustle) from 1st Canadian Army, 25th Armoured Delivery Regiment ( The Elgin Regiment) |
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| Skink AA 20mm Quad tank (low bustle) from 1st Canadian Army, 25th Armoured Delivery Regiment ( The Elgin Regiment) rear upper view |
The two versions of Skinks, side by side:
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| Two canadian Girls who hate German planes .... |
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| Skinks AA 20mm Quad tanks from 1st Canadian Army, 25th Armoured Delivery Regiment ( The Elgin Regiment) England, early 1945. |
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| Skinks with Canadian and American tracks... |
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| Skinks AA 20mm Quad tanks - high bustle left and low bustle right 1st Canadian Army - 25th Armoured Delivery Regiment ( The Elgin Regiment) England, early 1945. |
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Skinks AA 20mm Quad tanks - high bustle left and low bustle right 1st Canadian Army - 25th Armoured Delivery Regiment ( The Elgin Regiment) with Kojak |
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| Skink AA 20mm Quad tank (high bustle) 1st Canadian Army, 25th Armoured Delivery Regiment ( The Elgin Regiment) with Kojak, for size comparison |
Bye for now, Tankers !!!!
See you, soon!!!
