Dual rear tires, no rear fender, still with the original British WD number and front sign
Single rear tires, rear fender, ground stabilizers in travelling position
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Austin K6 ("Ostinov"), 3-ton, 6x4, M-13 "Katiusha" rocket launcher The first batches of the British Austin K-6 lorry reached the Northern Soviet ports of Murmansk and Arkhangelsk in the winter of 1941/42, At that time, the Red Army was still testing adequate chassis for their 2-ton 16 x 132mm M-13 rocket launchers. It comes as no surprise that the robust 6x4 construction delivered by the new ally was a natural candidate for the new weapon that was often installed at the Moscow "Kompressor" plant. Little is known about the vehicle's combat career except that one, with dual rear tires and no rear fender, was captured by Italian troops and another, with single tires and rear fenders, by Hungarian troops, both in the Upper Don region in summer of 1942. Special thanks to Mr. Lorenzo Tonioli, Italy, for providing precious informations.
Migulinskaya, Upper Don, Direction Voronesh, August 1942
Italian trophy with dual rear tires, no rear fenders, used against its former owners |
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Hungarian trophy with single rear tires and rear fenders, under recovery | |
