Today I’m going to tell you a little more about trains, but not the Br 52 this time. Today it’s about the EMD F series. The EMD F is an American diesel-electric locomotive from General Motors Electro-Motive Division. It was designed as a heavy freight locomotive, but it was also used for passenger trains. A total of 1,807 units were built between 1945 and 1949: 1,111 of type A and 696 of the cabless units of type B.
Today I would like to talk about another vehicle, which is in the background of the game but still exists, namely the steam locomotive Br 52, a heavy German freight locomotive, of which more than 7,000 examples were built between 1942 and 1951 by Henschel & Sohn, Krauss Maffei, and Škoda, among others. They were widespread throughout Europe and in operation in more than 10 countries after the Second World War until today.
Germany had already toyed with the idea of possessing its own aircraft carrier during the First World War; this was to be called Ausonia, but it was never seriously pursued. However, shortly after the termination of the Treaty of Versailles, a new carrier project was initiated, based on the experience of other major powers such as Japan, the USA, and Great Britain, acquired through exchanges or espionage. Ultimately, not a single aircraft carrier was fully commissioned or built. The Graf Zeppelin was largely completed, but its construction was halted, while its sister ship, Aircraft Carrier B, was abandoned during construction. During the design of the accompanying aircraft, some were built specifically for the project, such as the Arado 197. However, this met with little approval from the Luftwaffe, which is why modifications of existing aircraft like the Bf 109 T, the Ju 87 C or T, or the Fi 167 found more favor.
The Archer was one of the most unusual tanks of World War II, developed and produced by Britain. It was based on the chassis of the Valentine infantry tank and armed with the 17-pounder anti-tank gun. What made the Archer unique was that its gun faced the rear of the vehicle, meaning the tank often had to be reversed into firing position. Approximately 665 units were built.
The LT vz.38 was a light tank originally from Czechoslovakia and built by Škoda and ČKD. A total of at least 6,919 examples were built, including pre-war and licensed models in every imaginable configuration. Following the German occupation of Czechoslovakia in 1939, the German Reich captured plans, production equipment, and some examples of the LT vz.38 that had not yet been deployed in the Czech army and renamed them the Pz. 38(t). Later, a licensed version, along with some examples, was sold to Sweden, who renamed it the Stridsvagn m/41 and slightly modified it. The Pz. 38(t) was used by Germany throughout World War II and also influenced several other tank designs, including the German E-series.
The T14 was a heavy tank that was the result of a joint American and British project aimed at developing a universal heavy infantry tank. The United States built two prototypes, one of which was sent to Great Britain for testing and the other was tested in the United States. They never entered serial production and never saw combat.
The WAM-4 is an Indian locomotive. It was developed and built by the Indian manufacturer Chittaranjan Locomotive Works (for short: CLW) and the Research Design and Standards Organization (for short: RDSO) between 1970 and 1983, with 500 units produced. Its name is composed of W for wide gauge, A for alternating current, and M for mixed, indicating that it can be used for both freight and passenger trains, just like the Br 52 and the EMD. Finally, the 4 indicates that it is the 4th generation of the WAM series, similar to the EMD. She served with the Indian Railways for almost fifty years until she was retired between 2005 and 2020; nevertheless, she was one of the most successful Indian locomotives.
The Ersatz M10 was an attempt during the Ardennes Offensive in 1944, with the help of Operation “Greif,” to break through the Allied lines and disrupt their supply lines, as well as to take over and occupy strategic points such as bridges in order to secure the advance of the German troops. For this purpose, five Panther Ausf. G tanks were converted with thin sheet metal to resemble the M10 Wolverine, thus deceiving the Allied soldiers.
The Churchill or A22 was a British heavy infantry tank named after British Prime Minister Winston Churchill. It was used by Allied troops during World War II from 1942 onward and, in small numbers, by the Soviet Union. The vehicle remained in use until the Korean War. A total of more than 5,640 units were produced in various versions and modifications.
We’ve already discussed the T14 (more about the T14 here in my article: T14: The Super Heavy Sherman). Now we want to take a closer look at its British counterpart, the Excelsior. Like the American T14, the Excelsior resulted from the same development project, although the Excelsior also never went into serial production; only two prototypes were built.
