All photos source smolbattle, livejournal, wikipedia

The Mannesmann-Mulag company:

This company was created in 1913 in Aachen, it resulted from the purchase in 1910 by the brothers Carl and Max Mannesmann of the company Mulag (motoren und lastwagen AG – engines and trucks sarl). In 1928, following financial difficulties, Mannesmann-Mulag was bought by Büssing company. Also to note that the Mannesmann brothers (Alfred, Carl and Reinhardt) also set up in Remscheid from 1919 a company called Mannesmann automobil-werk, that will survive.

In the autumn of 1914, Mannesmann-Mulag had already built 100 trucks and buses for the army. A few months later, following the death of Max, his brother Carl took the reins of the company, then it was his brother Alfred’s turn in 1918.

The company released four models of trucks, among them one of 5 tons and a 50 HP engine (L56b) and a 3 tons and a 42 HP engine (L57a). These are the models that will be exported to Russia.

Mannesmann-Mulag in Russia:

Shortly after the outbreak of the First World War, the Russian General Staff envisaged the creation of a company of armored cars. It was therefore clear that only vehicles armed with machine guns would not be enough and therefore the decision was made to bring a greater fire support by a self-propelled cannon. Several studies were carried out and one of the most interesting was a transformation of a 5 ton German truck chassis Mannesmann-Mulag. Indeed five copies had been purchased in 1913 and before WWI almost 50 different models were in service with the Russian Army. This transformation took place at the Izhora factories in Kolpino as well as for the Russo-Balt. The chassis was simply reinforced at the suspensions, and an armored superstructure of 3 to 5 mm chromium-nickel steel was added to protect the cabin and the engine and a tray with a 47 mm Hotchkiss marine gun and two Maxim machine guns was installed at the rear. This gun truck was built at only one copy.

History:

This gun truck was part of the first automobile machine gun company created in October 1914 and fought on the northwest front. It was integrated into the 4th section (self-propelled guns) in the company of two other unshielded self-propelled guns (see chapter on the 1st armored car company). He fought in Lodz as part of the Second Army with great efficiency. During the winter of 1914, the Company’s vehicles were sent for maintenance and modifications to the Warsaw workshop. On February 12, 1915, in the vicinity of the village of Dobrzhankovo, the 4th section inadvertently fell on four German regiments, in the ensuing fight, the Mannesmann-Mulag truck was hit on the engine and burned completely.

Technical description of the first type:

As with the Russo-Balt machine-guns, the transformation was rapid. It is sufficient to protect the motor and the cabin by 4 mm flat armored plates riveted on angles welded on the chassis. There were hatches on the sides of the engine for maintenance and on the front for cooling. Access to the cabin was via one door only on the left. In the cabin were the driver (right) and the chief officer (on the left), who could use a machine gun through a sliding trapdoor. Behind the cabin was an unarmored open compartment with the 47 mm Hotchkiss marine gun protected behind a 5 mm armored shield. The deck had unarmored wooden sides but very low, which did little to protect the crew. In addition, two small embrasures at the front on both sides allowed the firing of machine guns. Access was via two small ladders on each side.

The 47mm marine hotchkiss gun was very precise and easy to use, the supply was 1200 shots. The clearance of the part was limited to 13 ° on both sides because of the bulk of the protective shield. There were two Maxim 1910 machine guns: one in the cabin on the left and the other in the rear compartment on the right or on the left. They were supplied with 8000 shots in 32 standard boxes. The vehicle also carried a demolition load of 48 kg of TNT (in 3 parts).

The engine developed 50 CV (4 cyl), the transmission being by chain.

Copies produced: 1

Chassis : Mannesmann-Mulag L56b 45/50 HP

Lenght : 4,5 m

Width : 1,8 m

Height : 2 m

Weight: 5.7 tonnes

Crew: 5

Armor : 4 – 5 mm

Armament : 2 X 7,62 mm Maxim machine guns + 1 Hotchkiss 47 mm mod 1885 gun

Second model:

In November 1914, following the fighting experience and the bad results of the first Mannesmann-Mulag gun truck, it was decided to modify the organization chart of the 1st automobile machine gun company and the Izhora factory received an order for two additional vehicles. These were not the same vehicles as they were based on a 3,5 ton Mannesmann-Mulag L56 chassis with a 42 HP engine. The most significant difference was the use of 37-mm Maxim-Nordenfeld automatic cannon, which had received the nickname « Pom-Pom » in the navy. The gun was installed in the fighting compartment behind the shield on a special pedestal with a swivel. Vertical guidance was carried out using a sector (coarse aiming) and screw (fine aiming) mechanisms, and horizontally – using a butt. The maximum vertical guidance angle was + 80 °. The gun could in principle be used as an anti-aircraft gun. Food – tape. The ammunition load was 1200 (24 tapes) 37-mm cartridges, the mass of each such cartridge was 0.503 kg. The reorganized company received these vehicles in March 1915. They equipped the 1st and 4th sections. There is very little information on their existence during the war. It is known that one of them took part in the parade of the first anniversary of the October revolution which took place on November 7, 1918. In 1921, one is indicated on the lists of repair of vehicles in the 1st Factory repair of Moscow auto-machine guns then is destroyed by lack of spare parts.

Differences between the two models:

The main difference was the use of a 3,5-ton Mannesmann-Mulag chassis with a 42 HP engine. The barrel was changed to a 37 mm semi-automatic hotchkiss. The rear body gun machine-gun was also suppressed. The sides of the board had been raised to better protect the servants, the front cabin was redesigned and resembled that of the Packard auto-cannon.