The Bob Semple Tank continues to be the laughing stock of World War 2 buffs and casual
spectators alike. And it's hard to blame them. It takes just one quick glance to appreciate
that the tank has very little in common with the well-composed, robust and dynamic designs
of many such vehicles that excelled during the global conflict.
However, there’s prideful courage behind its creation, as it was conceived by New Zealand
to prepare for a possible conflict with the technologically superior Japanese armed forces.
At the time, New Zealand didn't have the experience nor the resources to develop a tank;
it only possessed an anxious need to protect its people.
Consequently, they took what little resources they had and created weapons to defend themselves at
all costs, knowing full well that their allies around the world would be hard-pressed to help
them in time if a sudden Japanese assault began. Thus the worst tank ever built was born…
Fear of an Invasion By September of 1939,
when Britain declared war on Germany, New Zealand was no stranger to global conflicts.
The small nation had sent expeditionary forces to the European theater in World War 1
and had valiantly fought in the name of the Commonwealth.
Now, as another global conflict loomed over Europe, New Zealand was ready to
provide support to the United Kingdom in its effort to stop the Third Reich on its tracks.
However, New Zealand was not an industry-heavy nation, and besides manpower,
there was little they could provide to face the Axis superpowers and their war machines.
In addition, most locals thought that the conflict would resemble World War 1,
in which the main battlefronts were fought on European soil.
However, when Japan attacked Pearl Harbor and declared war on the United States in 1941,
New Zealand suddenly realized that the fight could reach their front yard.
The Japanese Empire’s expansionist intentions suddenly became apparent, and New Zealand
Prime Minister Peter Fraser realized that his country lay right in the middle of a possible
Japanese invasion route. He also realized how outdated and small their armed forces were.
Not only that, but Britain and the United States had their hands full at the moment,
and Fraser knew they would not be able to save New Zealand from a Japanese conquest.
The US Pacific fleet had been considerably weakened during the attack on Pearl Harbor,
and it would take months to bolster it. On the other hand, Britain was busy
resisting the German Blitz and protecting its supply line from America. If Japan was
to launch an attack on New Zealand, the island would be on its own, at least for some months.
However, Peter Fraser was determined to make a stand against the Empire of the
Rising Sun should things come to worst. Thus, New Zealand developed a rapid armament program with
practically zero resources on stock, transforming anything they had into modern warfare tools.
Making Do
With merely a small and outdated air force, New Zealand was forced to accept obsolete World War
1 aircraft from their allies to bolster their numbers. When that wasn’t enough,
they began modifying small de Havilland D.H.86 passenger planes to convert them into bombers.
The makeshift combat planes were used mainly to attack German boats and Japanese raiders,
as the modified aircraft could not hold their own against modern Japanese fighters.
New Zealand’s naval fleet was also severely lacking in numbers and technology;
the small nation was so desperate to increase its maritime strength
that it also began converting civilian ships into combat vessels.
SS Monowai was a merchant ship bought by New Zealand in 1930. Having been built in 1924, the
vessel was already obsolete by modern seafaring standards. Nevertheless, on October 21, 1939,
the Royal New Zealand Navy requisitioned Monowai and fitted it with a wide array of guns to convert
it into HMNZS Monowai, an armed merchant cruiser. However, Fraser knew that such desperate efforts
would not deter a Japanese invasion, and if foreign troops were to land on
the beaches of New Zealand, they would need land forces and vehicles capable of facing
the powerful Japanese ground troops. The biggest concern for the New Zealand
military was the terrifying prospect of confronting Japanese armed vehicles.
As of December of 1941, New Zealand had no armored vehicles at their disposal and knew
that a Japanese amphibious attack would likely include their mighty Type 95 HA-GO light tanks,
which would tear through their infantry if they didn’t have armored vehicle support.
To meet such a significant challenge, New Zealand turned to Bob Semple, the Minister
of Works known for thinking on his feet and resolving big problems in a pragmatic way.
New Zealand’s tank program for World War 2 would now fall on his hands.
The Bob Semple Tank
Bob Semple took his task with eagerness and excitement. However,
he was confronted by an utter lack of crucial resources like funds, steel, engines, and guns.
He thus decided to use existing vehicles and modify them to meet the needs at hand.
The chosen vehicle was the American Caterpillar D8 construction tractor,
a powerful, reliable, and versatile tractor used around the world for construction work.
Furthermore, New Zealand had 81 of them available for conversion, making it the
logical option to carry out Semple’s plan. Bob Semple’s scheme was filled with potential,
as the military would create a series of conversion kits that could be mounted on a
D8 tractor on very short notice, and the tractor could be used as a construction
tool until an incoming invasion was inevitable. But that's as far as the Semple tank’s qualities
went, as the rest of its features were rather unremarkable compared with others of the time.
The unit was fitted with 0.31-inch armor with an additional layer of
0.5-inch corrugated steel plates welded on top.
It was also armed with six 0.303-inch Bren light machine guns that pointed in all directions.
For the main torrent, Bob Semple had planned for a 37-millimeter anti-tank gun
to offer some threat to the Japanese light tanks. However, New Zealand was unable to
get a hold of such guns, and an additional Bren light machine gun was used as the main cannon.
The 25-ton contraption was to be moved by the American Caterpillar D8 tractor.
But although the D8 was a capable construction machine,
burdening it with a 25-ton load pushed the civilian vehicle to its limits.
When the first two converted tanks were shown in public for the first time, the reception was
dismal. Both the press and the general public ridiculed the tank for its peculiar look,
with some people even believing that the steel plates were actually corrugated roofing sheets.
Still, the military stood by its design and called the tank a Mobile Strong Point.
Little did they know that testing would reveal many additional faults in Bob Semple’s creation.
The Worst Tank Ever Built Once the Bob Semple tank was tested, all the
disastrous flaws that would earn its placement as the worst tank ever built quickly surfaced.
Its outer shape was the most obvious hindrance. The tank’s exterior design was far from efficient,
and its unusual 12-foot height made it highly unstable when moving,
always risking tumbling over whenever it was driven on bumpy terrain or over a ditch.
In addition to the instability, the tank’s almost square frame
made it a massive target for the enemies. In comparison, most tank designs of the time tried
to keep the height down as much as possible to make the vehicle less visible by anti-tank crews.
The tank also suffered when it came to its speed and lumbering movement, as it could
only reach a maximum speed of 7.5 miles per hour while the Japanese Type 95 could thread at 28.
Maneuverability was also a concerning issue, as the Semple tank was unable to turn while moving.
Instead, it had to stop awkwardly, change directions, and then accelerate again.
Most modern tanks, including the Type 95, could easily turn while on the move.
Fuel efficiency also left a lot to be desired. Even with its mediocre speed and agility,
the vehicle could only reach an operational range of 99 miles,
while the Type 95 could travel for 132 miles without refueling.
In regards to weapon systems, the New Zealand tank was overwhelmingly outclassed. Its six
machine guns were effective against infantry as long as the unit was stationary. When
confronting vehicles, the Bren machine guns were a threat only to non-armored trucks and cars,
as the 0.303-inch rounds would harmlessly bounce off of any modern tank.
Also, most World War 2 tanks' main cannons would quickly dispatch the tank's thin
and segmented armor, rendering the New Zealand contraption basically useless against the Type 95.
After extensively testing the Bob Semple tank, it was deemed unusable for combat,
and the project was scratched. Only two tanks were ever built,
and they would soon be converted back to tractors for civilian construction use.
Still, as disappointing and absurd as the tank turned out to be, it did showcase the will and
effort of a small nation to fend on its own and fight against overwhelming odds for an ideal.
Thank you for watching our video! Let us know your thoughts on the Semple Tank
and the New Zealander’s quest to defend themselves. And if you like
history-inspired content and warfare documentaries, make sure to subscribe
to all of our Dark Documentary channels and hit the notification bell. Stay tuned!