Nahuel D.L.43
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Medium tank (1943)
A design:
The Nahuel was designed in 1942 by LT. Colonel Alfredo Baisi. He took the standard vertical volute springs, roadwheels, return rollers, drive sprockets and idlers, in the same arrangement, as well as the tracks with rubber shoes, from the American M3/M4 chassis. But it was not based on its chassis, contrary to popular belief, but a true local design, although influenced by the M4. The armored hull was made of welded plates, 80 mm (3.15 in) at the thickest on the front glacis, which was also well sloped. The sides were not flat, but also slightly sloped. The choice of the gun, the standard Argentinian Krupp model 1909 field gun, was housed in a compact, bell-shaped fully cast turret. The mantlet was semi-internal.
However, this weapon lacked velocity in its antitank-role, probably being much less efficient than the standard early M4 gun, but more fit for infantry support. The secondary armament choice was also based on existing ordnance, including a coaxial Allan 7.62 mm (0.3 in) machine-gun, and three light Madsen machine-guns fit into the glacis plate. One was manned by the co-driver, apparently placed on an internal ball bearing and fired via a wire, while the two others were mounted in tandem at the center of the glacis, apparently fixed. Both the driver and co-driver had hatches opening to the front. The commander had a single two-piece hatch, but no cupola, and an rotatable searchlight. The powerplant was a locally-manufactured Lorraine-Dietrich water-cooled gasoline engine with a W12 configuration (two V12s mated on a single crankshaft).
Operational life
The production of the D.L.43 (named after the year of production) took place at the Arsenal Esteban de Luca in Buenos Aires, after a 1942 mock-up was approved. Only 12 were manufactured before the production was stopped. This decision based on the large availability of British-origin M4 Shermans stockpiled at the end of 1945, which could be obtained at very low prices. The tanks were part of a single operational unit. The Nahuel meant "tiger" in the aboriginal Mapudungun language.
