A story about a replica of the “Mannesmann-Mulag” armored vehicle from the collection of the “1st Automobile Machine Gun Company” club
Wheeled vehicles first appeared in various armies around the world as early as the 19th century. Initially, these were steam-powered tractors; the first wheeled vehicles of the Russian Imperial Army were of this type. At the beginning of the 20th century, the first automobiles began to appear. They looked rather unremarkable, but the capabilities of armored vehicles gradually improved. Their true heyday came later—during World War I. It is no coincidence that it is called the “War of Motors.” That was when automobiles were used on a massive scale for the first time. In addition, there was a boom in the use of vehicles encased in armor—that is, armored vehicles.
At “Times and Epochs 2023”
Unlike tanks, which never progressed beyond the prototype stage in Russia, armored cars were produced in fairly substantial numbers. Only two of them have survived to this day, and both were built after the revolution. Meanwhile, between 1914 and 1916 alone, 284 armored cars were built in Russia (or imported from abroad). Under these circumstances, the only way to see these long-gone models is through the creation of replicas. Such replicas are also being built in Russia; for example, by the “1st Automobile Machine-Gun Company” club in St. Petersburg. Their collection includes a replica of the “Mannesmann-Mulag” armored vehicle, which became the first domestically produced gun-mounted armored car.
Mannesman-MULAG AG of Aachen used the fact that its trucks were being tested in Russia for advertising purposes
It’s well known that things were in a sorry state for the automotive industry in Russia. All in all, that’s just the state of the industry. Timid attempts by domestic manufacturers to carve out a niche ended in 1908, when some strange turn of events involving customs led to it becoming cheaper to import cars from abroad. That marked the first wave of extinction for domestic cars. This was followed by the extremely modest success of “Russo-Balta.” RKMP enthusiasts sometimes gleefully tout this achievement, forgetting that the brand’s production was based on licensed vehicles from the Belgian company “Fondue.” They did have their own designs, but these were limited to commercial vehicles.
One of the few photographs of an armored vehicle built on a German chassis
As in a number of other fields, some progress was made when the military took an interest in automobiles. In fact, the “Russo-Balt” trucks were subsequently put into military service. There were very few of them, though. Therefore, the principle of “foreign countries will help us” fully characterized what was happening. In 1911, intensive testing of foreign models began, serving as a sort of technology showcase for the military. Even the famous 1913 auto show had a distinctly military undertone.
A 3-pound (47-mm) “Gochkis” naval gun. The same type was mounted on an armored car
As a result of these vigorous efforts by the Russian military, by the start of World War I, the Russian Imperial Army had begun receiving foreign-made passenger and cargo vehicles. Incidentally, the Ryabushinsky brothers’ AMO plant in Moscow and V.A. Lebedev’s automobile plant in Yaroslavl (the future YAZ) were also purely military enterprises. However, before the revolution, neither plant had actually mastered vehicle production (at most, basic assembly at AMO), but the general direction is clear. It simply wouldn’t have been possible without a military customer. Naturally, the bulk of production consisted of trucks, which were critical for supplying the Russian army. And, by the way, the military was extremely interested in developing domestic military equipment. They understood better than anyone the need to be independent of foreign suppliers.
Replica in 2022
Ironically, by the start of World War I, a significant percentage of the Russian Army’s military vehicles were German-made. Given what was happening with the artillery, this should come as no surprise at all. German manufacturers very often set things up so that the German army would end up fighting with its own products. Krupp was particularly guilty of this. As for vehicles, the Russian army ended up with both passenger cars and trucks from Germany. Moreover, German vehicles were fitted with armor for the first time even before World War I.
A year later, during the “battle,” she…
Among the German-made vehicles that found their way into the Russian army were trucks from the long-forgotten company Mannesmann-MULAG AG in Aachen. The first trucks to arrive, as early as 1911, were from Motoren-und Lastwagen AG (MULAG) trucks. They performed quite well. In 1913, Mulag merged with Mannesmann-Auto Co., giving rise to Mannesmann-Mulag. By that point, the model lineup had already been established, and production volumes continued to increase. As for the Russian army, it had about 50 Mannesmann-MULAG trucks by the start of the war. These included five Mannesmann-MULAG 56a trucks with a 5-metric-ton payload capacity, purchased in 1913.
The armored vehicle isn’t as huge as it seems
In the fall of 1914, one of these trucks was selected to be “armored” by the Izhora Plant. The design for the “Mannesmann-Mulag” armored vehicle was developed by Colonel A.N. Dobrzhansky, commander of the 1st Motorized Machine-Gun Company, and Staff Captain A.Y. Grauen, a naval architect. This armored vehicle was created specifically to equip the 1st Motorized Machine-Gun Company, so the club’s interest in building a replica of this vehicle is understandable. However, there is another point to consider. Dobrzhansky and Grauen’s creation was the first domestically produced armored car equipped with a cannon.
This armored vehicle’s combat career was short-lived. It saw action for only a few months because it was overloaded
When you see this replica for the first time, you get the impression that its creators didn’t put much effort into it and just cobbled something together on the fly. That’s how unattractive this armored car looks. But no—if you take a closer look at the photos of the prototype, you’ll see that it’s not exactly a looker either. Just as attractive as the “Russo-Balt” armored car is, the first Russian gun-mounted armored car turned out to be just as unattractive. All in all, it’s a fairly typical situation with first-generation designs. It should be noted that Dobrzhansky and Grauen later developed similar armored vehicles based on the Packard chassis and the lighter Mannesmann-MULAG L57b truck. And those looked much more appealing.
Just in case, the driver is in front. The view is good.
This unassuming design turned out to be directly related to both the chassis and the design requirements. A Maxim machine gun was mounted at the front of the cab, positioned in a mount offset to the left. This was because, on the Mannesmann-MULAG 56a, the driver’s seat was located on the right side. It must be said that this arrangement proved to be extremely uncomfortable. The driver viewed the surroundings through narrow observation slits. On later gun-equipped armored vehicles, the forward machine gun was eliminated, and a hinged shield was added at the front. Furthermore, the armor plating on the front section became less massive.
An attempt to “disguise” the modern wheel
The fighting compartment also looks rather unremarkable. It was equipped with a 3-pound (47-mm) “Gochkis” naval gun. The hull housed a pedestal mount equipped with a well-developed gun shield. It must be said that Dobrzhansky and Grauen’s pedestal mount turned out to be at least as good as that of a number of foreign armored cars. The gun itself, however, frankly speaking, was a disappointment. It was no coincidence that the British abandoned high-explosive fragmentation shells for their 3-pounder guns in the 1920s. Their effectiveness proved insufficient.
A second machine gun could be mounted in the cutouts behind the cockpit
However, the armored vehicle itself was a far greater disappointment. In addition to problems related to its layout, other shortcomings also came to light. The Mannesmann-MULAG 56a chassis proved to be overloaded, with the vehicle’s combat weight reaching 6.7 metric tons. The engine struggled to handle such a load. As a result, the armored vehicle saw action on the front lines for only a few months. There is a known instance when it stalled and got stuck near German positions. Only the crew’s decisive actions saved the armored vehicle. Ultimately, by December 1914, the armored vehicle was sent to the rear, where it was converted into a truck.
A gun mount with an extended shield
Despite such an unremarkable combat record, it would certainly be wrong to call the “Mannesmann-Mulag” armored vehicle a waste of time. Based on the results of its deployment, it was possible to develop the design for an optimal gun-armed armored vehicle with a semi-open fighting compartment. In 1915, four such armored vehicles were built. They turned out to be significantly lighter (combat weight just under 6 metric tons) and were armed with a 37-mm automatic cannon (essentially a beefed-up machine gun) of the Maxim-Nordenfeld system. And in that same year, 1915, the first “Putilov-Garford” vehicles were delivered, which became the best Russian gun-equipped armored vehicles.
She’s right behind us
The replica, built by the “1st Automobile Machine-Gun Company” club, is based on a “Gazelle” chassis. Naturally, it has some stylized features, but it closely resembles the prototype. There is some debate over what color the armored cars from the Izhora Plant were, but let the historians sort that out among themselves. The fact that the armored car is gray is based on a conversation with one historian. A second historian believes the situation was different. So the club would be very grateful to receive solid evidence regarding exactly how the armored vehicles of the 1st Motorized Machine Gun Company were painted.
The prototype’s front end is just as odd-looking
Unlike the prototype, the “Mannesmann-Mulag” model drives quite briskly. In addition, its unusual shape attracts spectators at events where the vehicle participates. Most importantly, even in this form, we can see a piece of our history. The Russian Army’s gun-mounted armored vehicles began with this very unassuming vehicle. For obvious reasons, we can’t expect to see the original, but a replica like this is much better than the few photographs that remain as a memento of the first domestically produced armored gun carriage.
