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Gunner's traverse wheel
To aim the gun, the gunner turned the turret. Coarse rotation was achieved by hydraulic drive controlled by his feet. Fine rotation was controlled by a horizontal handwheel located in front of him.
This is the handwheel in vehicle #2500031, which still survives. Its original colour was probably black. The turret position indicator is attached to the base of the unit.
These diagrams show the position of the wheel in the turret. It was bolted to a flate plate that was welded to the turret ring.
The unit was off-center from its own base plate, because of a bolt on the turret ring.
The part number of the wheel was 021 B2766-1. This number was molded prominently on most examples; for example, it is on the Bovington vehicle (# 2500122). This photo shows the tank from Saumur museum (# 2501114).
These are the precise positions of the bolt holes and the welded plate, taken from a surviving German diagram.
The wheel had a rotating handgrip underneath, with a clutch controlling a spring-loaded rod within the handle. When the clutch was released, the rod rose up into one of 40 locking holes within the wheel housing.
Sources
[1] Survey of vehicle 250122, Bovington, by David Byrden
[2] Survey of vehicle at Saumur, by Hilary Louis Doyle
[4] Survey of vehicle 251114, at Saumur, by Jean-Charles Breucque
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Copyright © David Byrden 1998-2007 except where indicated.
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