Photo Post Archives - Mechtraveller

Hispano-Suiza 18.Sb Aero Engine

Alastair — Sat, 28 Feb 2026 17:12:52 +0000

The Hispano-Suiza 18.Sb is a rather quirky but powerful 18-cylinder aero-engine that kinda got lost in history! It was designed originally as the Hispano-Suiza 18R to compete in the 1929 Schneider Trophy for seaplanes. It was ordered by the French Air Ministry who needed a 1200 horsepower engine to put in two competing aircraft; the […]

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The Rotabuggy

Alastair — Fri, 28 Nov 2025 15:53:40 +0000

Designed in 1943 by Austrian aeronautical engineer, Raoul Hafner, for the British Airborne Forces Experimental Establishment (AFEE), the Hafner Rotabuggy was a standard Willey’s Jeep converted into an autogyro*. What is an autogyro? Well, like a helicopter it has rotor blades, but unlike a helicopter they are not powered. The blades autorotate with forward motion, […]

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Laffly V15

Alastair — Tue, 30 Sep 2025 14:28:17 +0000

I love this quirky little French 6-wheeler from 1939. It’s a Laffly V15T with 4-wheel drive, plus an extra two wheels to get it over lumps & bumps! It had a top speed of 58 kph and was used primary by the French cavalry as an artillery tractor to tow their 25mm anti tank gun. […]

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Marmon Herrington Mk4 SARC

Alastair — Fri, 26 Sep 2025 13:03:24 +0000

The Marmon Herrington Mk4 SARC (South African Reconnaissance Car) was introduced to Allied forces in 1943 after wheeled vehicles had proved very useful in the first engagements with the Afrika Korps. The SARC was a speedy (85 km/h, 53 mph) reconnaissance vehicle, lightly armoured (12mm – 30mm) and armed with a 2-pounder (40mm) canon plus […]

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The Mighty Eighth Monument, Normandy

Alastair — Mon, 15 Sep 2025 11:09:08 +0000

This is the new monument dedicated to the men of ‘The Mighty Eighth’ in Normandy. The set of four life-size bronze statues of medal-awarded USAAF Airmen was unveiled at the La Fière Memorial Park near Sainte-Mère-Eglise on 5th June. The four airmen (L-R) are Staff Sgt. Maynard “Snuffy” Smith – Gunner, 300th Bomb Group (Medal […]

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Voisin 10 – Armed to the Teeth!

Alastair — Sun, 31 Aug 2025 11:13:02 +0000

This is the fuselage, or ‘gondola’, of the rather extraordinary French WW1 Voisin X bomber and gunship. The Voisin X was a two-seat pusher biplane produced either as a night bomber or a gunship armed with a 37 mm (1½”) Hotchkiss cannon and a defensive 7.7mm machine gun. As it turned out, the canon was […]

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Bränsklekärra 91 – The monowheel fuel tank

Alastair — Tue, 21 Jan 2025 16:47:28 +0000

The Swedish army has always wanted to arm itself independently with Swedish designed vehicles (The Strv S being an obvious example), but at the same time it has been pragmatic enough to recognise when local design and development is lagging behind, and has gone shopping for foreign vehicles to plug the gap. This is how, […]

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Caudron G.III Aircraft

Alastair — Mon, 13 Jan 2025 16:54:51 +0000

There’s more to this weird box-frame aeroplane than you would imagine. Over 1500 were produced by the Caudron brothers, René and Gaston, in their factory at Le Crotoy on the eastern side of the Somme estuary, from 1913 onward. And it proved to be, despite appearances, tough, reliable and popular with the pilots who flew […]

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French Siege Mortar Models

Alastair — Fri, 03 Jan 2025 12:21:39 +0000

This is a set of 1/5th scale French siege mortars from the 19th century. They are in the 1,000-piece collection of artillery models at the Musée de l’Armée – Invalides in Paris. Models like this were made for a number of reasons; as royal gifts, as design and development models for armourers and soldiers, and […]

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Citroën P17 Half-Track

Alastair — Tue, 29 Oct 2024 11:52:37 +0000

You have to love this amazing car, the Citroën P17 Autochenille (‘caterpillar’ or in this case ‘half-track’). It is exactly the sort of thing I would fully expect to see Tintin driving across the Sahara in, wearing an arab headress and with Capt. Haddock floundering around in the back! The signage at the 24 Hour […]

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