The Iron Spear (Alternate Swedish AFV Development)

I feel like the TK 105-9 might have been a mistake for the Swedes. That gun looks like Hitler-tier of ridiculousness and potential problems like the KwK 75mm l/100. Wondering if that'll kill the EMIL project iTTL...
 
Strv 74 and Strv 101: Early Years

As the first batch of Strv 74s arrived in summer 1953, they were well liked by their crews. Assigned to a regiment previously using the last of the Strv m/38s and m/39s, the new tank was quite a change. Even though it weighed twice as much, it was much faster, and with heavier armor (though still quite lightly protected compared to other tanks). In 1953 and 1954, with Project 3599 delayed, the Strv 74 was arguably the most combat capable of the Swedish Army's tanks, its mobility and autoloading gun balancing out the Strv m/49's superior armor. In exercises in 1954, the Strv 74 performed well not just in the reconnaissance role, but also in the anti-tank role; Strv 74's of the 16th Division scored a 17 to 5 kill ratio against Strv m/49s and m/50s from the 3rd Division (later that night the 3rd Division's beer supplies would also suffer crippling losses). The small tank performed so well that the Swedish Army ordered an additional 25 vehicles, bringing the total order up to 145. The additional order had the welcome side effect of allowing the replacement of almost all Strv m/40s (a few were retained in the reserve and in training units for a few more years). This last batch was deployed to Gotland, where they would be expected to face lighter Soviet tanks such as the PT-76. Compared to the PT-76, the Strv 74 was better armored, more heavily armored, and faster. However, it lacked amphibious capability, giving the Soviet vehicle at least one advantage (it would be many years before the Swedes acquired a fully amphibious armored vehicle).

Surprisingly little thought was given to development of different variants of the Strv 74 after it entered service. Part of this was because all vehicles were needed to fill out existing units (even so the older L-60s were not replaced exactly on a one-to-one basis). Also, one of the most logical niches, a self-propelled antiaircraft gun, was already filled by the Lvkv m/49. Finally, the small Strv 74 was simply considered a versatile platform than heavier tanks.

For the Strv m/42 crewmen who were the first to transition into the Strv 101, the difference was night and day. They immediately took a liking to its powerful 105mm gun, thick armor, and powerful engine (not to mention, driving an angry 40 ton monster simply felt better than a 20 ton relic of the war). The 101 first entered service with units in Norrland, providing a brutal trial for the tank's ability to deal with rough terrain and poor infrastructure. For the most part, it passed. The powerful engine and low ground pressure let it traverse most terrain, and maintenance was surprisingly easy for such a large vehicle. Not that there weren't issues. In May 1955, as the snow melted, one Strv 101 got itself stuck in a bog. Attempts to tow it out with another Strv 101 failed, nearly getting a second tank stuck. A pair of Strv m/49s from a nearby unit also failed. By the end of the day, the crew bailed out of the tank, as it continued to sink deeper into the mud. By June it had vanished completely (in the 1990s it would be dug out and restored for museum display). Hastily, the Bärgningsbandvagn (Bgbv) 101, a turretless version with winches installed was developed, ten were built by 1956.

Wargames showed that against the Strv m/42, the Strv 101 was almost entirely invincible (when driven right). Against the m/49, it was a closer match, but the 101 still came out ahead. With the tank's strong showing in its initial deployment, and the deteriorating situation in the world in 1956, the Swedish Army increased their order of Strv 101s from 180 to 280. By summer 1957, the tank was in service with many Swedish units, mostly in the north of the country and near Stockholm. The 15th division was lucky enough to be equipped with the "ideal" mix of tanks (Strv 74s and 101s), and soon gained a reputation as one of the most elite units in the Swedish Army.

While the Soviets still used thousands of T-34 variants in the 1950s, the real opponent of the Strv 101 was the T-54. Both tanks possessed advantages over the other; the T-55 was more heavily armored (especially from the sides), though not exceptionally so. It was also a smaller target, being about 20 centimeters shorter than the Strv 101. Their main guns were about evenly matched, but the 101 could depress it further, utilizing rough terrain better. The Swedish tank also had a more powerful engine. In the end, any fight between the two tanks in the 1950s would come down to the training of the crews, and here the Swedes had the advantage. The best Soviet crews were deployed in Germany and farther south, the units arrayed against Finland and Sweden were second-tier at best, and would be facing off against the Swede's best men.

Aside from the Bgbv 101, many other variants of the Strv 101 were under development in the mid-1950s (after all, the chassis had been intended from the start to be used as a base for multiple vehicles). One of the least radical departures was the Ikv 161, which fitted the British L9 gun into the Strv 101's turret, for use as a combat engineering vehicle (about a dozen would be built). This would be the only variant built by 1957. However, development did begin on an autoloading 155mm self-propelled gun. This had been considered from early on in the development of Project 3599, but had taken a back burner to development of the tank itself. With the Strv 101 in service, the new vehicle (tentatively designated Kv 151) gained a higher priority. Development resumed on the autoloading system considered for Project 3599, but with some new wrinkles. On one hand, it would have to use 155mm ammunition, far larger than the 105mm rounds that had already given the autoloader trouble. On the other hand, the loading system could be open to the atmosphere, and would have less worries about surviving shock or battle damage. Still, development proceeded slowly, and by June 1957 only a mockup had been built. Many other derivatives of the Strv 101 were considered, including SPAAGs armed with guns from 20mm to 75mm, but none were built by summer 1957.

Background:

Cold war era deployment of Swedish Army units: http://tanks.mod16.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/fältarméns-gruppering.jpg

Historical background on the SPG project, which had a long and painful development: http://tanks.mod16.org/?s=akv
 
Can we get a short list of Swedish equipment so far? Not gonna lie, it's not easy remembering all the Strvs (especially those with a number used iOTL).
 
Can we get a short list of Swedish equipment so far? Not gonna lie, it's not easy remembering all the Strvs (especially those with a number used iOTL).

Stuff that's new to this TL (or in a different form from OTL):

Strv m/47 - Ex-British Sherman V (M4A4), all upgraded to Strv m/49
Strv m/49 - Strv m/47 upgraded with high velocity 75mm gun (based on Bofors 75mm AA gun)
Strv m/50 - Ex-US M4A3s purchased as scrap without guns or radios, fitted with same gun as Strv m/49
Lvkv fm/49 - Twin 40mm AA vehicle
Ikv 71/101 - Light assault gun for infantry support. Ikv 71 fitted with 75mm M3 guns taken from Strv m/47, Ikv 101 fitted with 105mm howitzer
Strv 74 - 17.5 ton light tank with autoloading 75mm gun, developed as Project 3598
Strv 101 - 40 ton "heavy" tank developed from Project 3599, fitted with modified 105mm AA gun
Bgbv 101 - Turretless recovery vehicle modified from Strv 101
Ikv 161 - Combat engineering vehicle based on Strv 101, fitted with British L9 165mm gun
Kv 151 - Autoloading 155mm gun based on Strv 101 chassis (mockup only)
 
The 1950s Export Market

The Strv 74 and Strv 101 were only two of several tanks to enter service with Western militaries in the mid-1950s. The British Centurion medium tank, first built in 1945, had by now received several upgrades and the Mark 5 version, armed with a 20 pound gun was in service. The American M48 Patton, armed with a roughly comparable 90mm gun, entered production in 1952. Though France had little success with their AMX-50 project, the AMX-13 light tank was doing quite well. On the other end of the scale, there was still literal tons of leftover equipment from World War 2 available, such as M4s, M24s, and various other tanks. Swedish tanks would face an uphill battle in the export market, made worse by the fact that they would be fighting against American (and to a lesser extent British) political influence.

Still, there were some successes. The first, surprisingly, was not one of Sweden's fellow Scandinavian countries, but Austria. Following the end of the occupation of Austria in 1955, the neutral country needed to build up its military. Purchasing from a fellow neutral, Sweden seemed like a natural choice. The first order agreed to was a batch of Strv 74s, which narrowly won out in a competition against the AMX-13. First delivered in 1957, these would serve alongside the Austrian Army's M24 Chaffees. In later years, these tanks would receive several upgrades, much like their Swedish counterparts (though the details would be quite different). Austria's purchase of the Strv 101 was also a hard sell by Landsverk, who had to compete against the Americans' offer of M47 Patton tanks. In the end, Landsverk's marketing skills, and the 105mm gun on the Swedish tank won out, and Austria took delivery of a large order of Strv 101s. The first would be delivered in 1959; a bit later than expected, as Landsverk ramped up production.

Denmark was the next country to buy Swedish armor. During the 1950s, Denmark received many tanks cheaply from the US and other NATO allies through the Mututal Defense Aid Program. However, many of these vehicles were outdated even upon delivery (such as the M10 Achilles, which arrived in 1955). Their Centurion Mark 3s were capable, but needed newer vehicles to support them. The Danes first chose to purchase a batch of Strv 74s, to replace their M4s and M10s still in service. The Strv 74s would serve alongside the American built M24 Chaffee in Danish service. Designated Strv 74D, the tanks had several differences from their Swedish counterparts, mainly to improve NATO compatibility (these included replacement of the 6.5mm guns with 7.62mm guns, installation of an American radio, and other minor changes). Swedish attempts to sell the Strv 101 to the Danes were unsuccessful for the time being, the Danish government being unwilling to replace their Centurions so soon after buying them (in any case, the Centurion Mark 3 was still a very capable tank in the 1950s).

Unlike their Danish counterparts, the Norwegian Army chose not to acquire any Strv 74s, seeing their M24s as sufficient in the light tank role for the time being. However, they were convinced to purchase a small batch of Strv 101s. By far the heaviest tanks operated by the Norwegian Army up to that point, the Strv 101s (first delivered in 1959) were deployed in Finnmark, near the Soviet border (rumors of cooperation with Swedish units just south of the border were obviously false). Like other Swedish tanks bought by NATO countries, the Norwegian Strv 101s had their secondary guns replaced with NATO standard 7.62mm guns, and also had new radios and other equipment fitted for compatibility with American equipment.

The last country to buy the Strv 74 and Strv 101 during the 1950s was another neutral nation. Since the end of World War 2, Finland operated a bizarre variety of armored vehicles, including old Soviet and German tanks such as the T-26, Panzer IV J, and StuG III. It did not take a military genius to realize that a Panzer IV or T-26 would be deathtraps against a T-55 or T-10. The Finns, hamstrung by their treaties with the Soviets, could not purchase the newest American equipment (the Americans weren't eager to sell to the Finns in any case). The British offered the Finns surplus Comet and Charioteer tanks, and the offer was given serious consideration. But at about the same time, the Swedes offered the Strv 74 and Strv 101, with a slight discount thrown in. As the Swedish tanks were much newer, and the Soviets might be a bit more accepting of buying arms from a "neutral" country, the Finns accepted. Though the deal was signed in 1958, the Finnish order would not arrive until 1961/62 (the Finns had agreed to accept lowest priority on their order in exchange for a lower price). Though the amount of tanks purchased by the Finns was quite small, it was still enough for them to dispense with almost all their outdated equipment from the last war.

A few other countries briefly expressed interest in Swedish tanks during the 1950s, but none made an actual purchase. The Australian government went so far as to send representatives to Norrland in 1959 to evaluate the Strv 101 in the field, but decided to stick with their Centurions. The Americans managed to obtain a secondhand Strv 74 and Strv 101 from Denmark and Norway for examination in 1960. Attempts to sell to South American countries were unsuccessful at this point; even as late as 1960 cheap war surplus M4s and M24s were good enough for that continent.

Background:

Austria, Denmark, and Finland all bought expensive military hardware from the Swedes OTL (the J35), and the Norwegians are a fellow Scandinavian country. The Australians actually considered buying J35s, but ended up getting the Mirage III instead; https://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/ViewImage.aspx?B=199194&S=1 (relevant section starts page 69)

Site on Danish Army Vehicles: http://www.armyvehicles.dk/daarmyveh.htm

Site on Finnish Military Equipment 1918-1945, include pages on various tanks in Finnish service: http://www.jaegerplatoon.net/MAIN.html





















































 
Sweden's got herself a nice little niche market by having a medium autoloader versus the AMX 13 being a light autoloader.

I assume the Austrians will make their SK-105s with Swedish turrets if they make 105mm versions. How different are the French and Swedish turrets?
 
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