Vickers guns at Chaco War

[alcantur]

Hi, I'm researching the Vickers equipment purchased by Bolivia for the Chaco War. I noticed that in the website Bolivia supposedly got around 500 Vickers Berthier Mk.I, 350 Vickers Mk.C, 18 Mk.E, 6 Mk.F, 2 Mk.C/T and 60 model 1914 (1").

According to the bolivian inventories, the M1914 were never received, does anyone have a conformation of this?

The Mk.C arrived with a Type ED mounting (that also Siam got), that was very different from the Mk.IV or Mk.V. Is that mounting manufactured by Vickers or by another company?

I am also trying to identify the type of guns mounted on the Vickers Mk.E six-ton tanks employed by Bolivia (1 type A: 2 MG on individual turrets; 2 Type B: 1 MG coaxial with a QFSA Mk.I 47mm short barrel gun) As the remaining turret of the Type B, and the remaining Type A tank doesn't have any mounted MG. As they were scrapped by paraguayans soon after the war (all tanks were destroyed or captured by december 1933).

If anyone have available pictures I'll appreciate.

[Richard Fisher]

Hello,

The order details are from the Vickers Limited Sales Ledgers (via Dolf Goldsmith's book) so may not relate to actual deliveries and they may have been diverted elsewhere - there is no way of finding out I don't think.

The mountings were Vickers manufactured and part of their commercial range.

The Vickers Mk E tanks were equipped with two Class C/T guns. The separate C/T guns in the ledgers may well have been replacements or training guns.

Hope this helps.

Richard

[alcantur]

thanks Richard. I've read somewhere that the Mk.E type B came with the Vickers Class E or Class F, with a heavy metal protection for the barrel instead of the class C/T. according to your data that's not correct...am i right?