Note open driver's hatch
Hungarian »40M Nimrod« Tank Destroyer and Anti-Aircraft Gun
Factory-fresh Nimrod leaving production hall at MAVAG, Budapest
Mounting of 40mm Bofors 38M in open turret
Nimrod of 51st Tank Destroyer Batallion in overall darkgreen and with post-Nov 1942 National Insignia
Nimrod at MAVAG plant in Budapest during an exhibition ceremony
Battery lined up west of Budapest
»Nimrod« Tank Destroyer and Anti-Aircraft SPG

The Nimrod anti-aircraft tank was a Hungarian modification of the Svedish Landsverk L-62 tank with a license-build Bofors 38M 40mm gun mounted in a high open-topped turret overhanging to the rear.
The gun, traversed and elevated manually, protruded through a vertical slot in the curved turret front and the turret accommodated a commander, two layers, and a loader.
The prototype was produced in October 1941 at MAVAG in Budapest , and after successful field trials was accepted by the Army.

The Nimrod saw service from 1942 onwards in both AA and, less successfully, anti-tank (AT) roles.
It was deployed to both the 51st and 52nd Tank Destroyer Batallions of the 1st and 2nd Armoured Divsion resp. and saw extensive combat on the Upper Don in 1942/3, Galicia in April/May 1944 and the defense of the homeland from August 1944 onwards.

A total of 135 Nimrods were built until production ceased due to Allied air attacks and german occupation in 1944.

The Hungarians added some technical developments to their Bofors, and were the first to use them in combat in conjunction with radar fire control.
In one engagement against the Soviets at the River Tizer in 1943, Hungarian radar-controlled guns brought down all 25 attacking Petlyakov Pe 2 aircraft.

Late in the war, the vehicle was issued with the 42M "Kerngranate" round, a rocket grenade fitted over the muzzle in the fashion of a rifle grenade.

Nimrod of 51st Tank Destroyer Batallion in contemporary 3-tone camouflage and with 1942 National Insignia
Nimrod of 51st Tank Destroyer Batallion in contemporary 3-tone camouflage and with 1942 National Insignia
Well camouflaged
Winter camouflage on the Don, Winter 1942/3
2nd Armoured Division, Eastern Galicia, April 1944
Downed Soviet IL-2, Upper Don, Summer 1942
The excellent 40mm Bofors gun of a 51st Tank Destroyer Batallion Nimrod in action
 
 
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Last Updated: December 17, 2017