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List of former equipment of the Swiss Army

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Swiss Army knives

[edit]

The formerly issued models of the Swiss Armed Forces are:[1]

  • Modell 1890
    • Modell 1890 Ausführung 1901
  • Modell 1908
  • Modell 1951
    • Modell 1951 Ausführung 1954
    • Modell 1951 Ausführung 1957
  • Modell 1961
    • Modell 1961 Ausführung 1965
    • Modell 1961 Ausführung 1978
    • Modell 1961 Ausführung 1994

Soldier knife model 1890

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Modell 1890

The Soldier Knife model 1890 had a spear point blade, reamer, can-opener, screwdriver and grips made out of oak wood scales (handles) that were treated with rapeseed oil for greater toughness and water-repellency, which made them black in color.

The wooden grips of the Modell 1890 tended to crack and chip so in 1901 these were changed to a hard reddish-brown fiber similar in appearance to wood.

The knife was 100 mm (3.9 in) long, 20.5 mm (0.81 in) thick and weighed 144 g (5.1 oz).[2]

Soldier knife model 1908

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Modell 1908, issued from 1908 to 1951[3]

The Soldier Knife model 1908 had a clip point blade rather than the 1890s spear point blade, still with the fiber scales, carbon steel tools, nickel-silver bolster, liners, and divider.

The knife was 100 mm (3.9 in) long, 16.5 mm (0.65 in) thick and weighed 125 g (4.4 oz). The contract with the Swiss Army split production equally between the Victorinox and Wenger companies.[3]

Soldier knife model 1951

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Modell 1951, issued from 1951 to 1961[3]

The soldier Knife model 1951 had fiber scales, nickel-silver bolsters, liners, and divider, and a spear point blade.

This was the first Swiss Armed Forces issue model where the tools were made of stainless steel. The screwdriver now had a scraper arc on one edge. The knife was 93 mm (3.7 in) long, 13.5 mm (0.53 in) thick and weighed 90 g (3.2 oz).[4]

Soldier knife model 1961

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Modell 1961 Ausführung 1994, issued from 1994 to 2008

The Soldier Knife model 1961 has a 93 mm (3.7 in) long knurled alox handle with the Swiss crest, a drop point blade, a reamer, a blade combining bottle opener, screwdriver, and wire stripper, and a combined can-opener and small screwdriver. The knife was 12 mm (0.47 in) thick and weighed 72 g (2.5 oz)

The 1961 model also contains a brass spacer, which allows the knife, with the screwdriver and the reamer extended simultaneously, to be used to assemble the SIG 550 and SIG 510 assault rifles: the knife serves as a restraint to the firing pin during assembly of the lock.

The Soldier Knife model 1961 was manufactured only by Victorinox and Wenger and was the first issued knife bearing the Swiss Coat of Arms on the handle.[citation needed]

Vehicles

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[5]
Image Name Origin Type Variant In service Entered

service

WFU Notes
Renault FT  France Light tank II 5 1921 1944
Vickers Carden Loyd M1931  United Kingdom Tank I, 33, 34, 35 8 1931 1948
Landsverk 60  Sweden Tank L-60 0 1936 ? Delegation sent to Sweden for evaluation but tank rejected.[citation needed]
LTH (Panzerwagen 39)  Czechoslovakia Tank LTL-H 24 1939 1950
Renault R35  France Light tank 12 1940 ? Test
Nahkampfkanone 1   Switzerland Tankhunter 1 1944 1947 Test
Nahkampfkanone 2 Gustav   Switzerland Tankhunter 1 1946 1947 Test
Ram tank  Canada Tank RAM Mk.II 1 import France 1947 1959 Test/ training
M4 Sherman  United States Tank Sherman M4A4 1 import France 1947 1959 Test/ training
Panzerjäger G 13  Czechoslovakia Tankhunter G13 158 1947 1973
AMX-13  France Light tank 200 1954 1980
M47 Patton  United States Medium tank M Pz M47 2 1952 1954 Test
Panzer 55 Centurion  United Kingdom Main battle tank PZ55 Mk3 100 1955 1991
Tank Pz55 Mk5 100 1955 1991 From South Africa.[citation needed]
Tank Pz57 Mk7 100 1957 1991
Tank Pz67 Mk12 12 1975 1991 From Canada.[citation needed]
Entpannungspanzer 56  United Kingdom Recovery tank Entp Pz 56 30 1956 1991 19 where sold to Sweden in 1991.[citation needed]
Brückenpanzer 55 Centurion  United Kingdom Armoured bridgelayer Brü Pz 2 1963 1966 Test
Panzer 58   Switzerland Medium tank MPz 58 12 1958 1964
Panzer 61   Switzerland Medium tank Pz61 150 1964 1994
Panzer 68   Switzerland Tank Pz68 1Serie 170 1971 1999 All upgraded to AA3.[citation needed]
Tank Pz68AA2 50 1974 2003
Tank Pz68/75 170 1978 2003
Tank Pz68 AA5 220 1988 1999
Tank Pz68/88 195 1993 2003
Entpannungspanzer 65   Switzerland Recovery Entp Pz65 69 1970 2008
Brückenpanzer 68   Switzerland Bridgelayer Brü Pz68 30 1974 2005
Panzerkanone 68   Switzerland Self propelled howitzer Pz Kan 68 4 1972 1975 Test
Fliegerabwehrpanzer 68   Switzerland Self-propelled anti-aircraft gun B22L 2 1979 1980 Test
Zielfahrzeug 68   Switzerland Training target 10 1974 2007
Mowag Shark   Switzerland Misc 3 1981 1981 Test:APC, Tank, AAA, Anti Tank
Mowag PiranhaIIIC 10x10   Switzerland Misc IIC 10x10 1 1994 1994 Test
Leopard 2 Driving trainer  West Germany Trainer 3 1988 2002
Universal Carrier  United Kingdom Was in use
MOWAG Scorpion   Switzerland Tested
Mowag Pirat   Switzerland Test, lost against M113.[citation needed]
Saurer Tartaruga   Switzerland Test, lost against M113.[citation needed]
Mowag armored dummy   Switzerland Was in use
Mowag Puma   Switzerland Tested
Mowag Shark   Switzerland Tested
Mowag Piranha 10x10   Switzerland Tested
Mowag Trojan   Switzerland After delay of order production cancelled.[citation needed]

References

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  1. ^ "Schweizer Soldatenmesser 1890–2007 exhibition Schloss Thun — Schweiz (German)". Messerforum.net. 16 October 2007. Retrieved 2011-10-31.
  2. ^ The Swiss Army Knife Owner's Manual, published September 7, 2011
  3. ^ a b c The Swiss Army Knife Owner's Manual, published September 7, 2011
  4. ^ Original Schweizer Soldatenmesser VICTORINOX - Modell 1951 ohne Ausgabe-Jahr
  5. ^ "Die Armee in Zahlen". www.vbs.admin.ch (in German). Archived from the original on 2020-02-05. Retrieved 2017-04-18.
  • Betriebsanleitung Entpannungspanzer 65 (1972) K + W (Hrsg.): Entpannungspanzer 65 Betriebsanleitung. Nur für den dienstlichen Gebrauch. Auflage von 1972. K+W (Eidgenössische Konstruktionswerkstätte) – Thun(Entpannungspanzer 65 Operating Instructions. Only for official use. Edition of 1972. K+W (Swiss design workshops) – Thun)
  • Book Die Panzer der Schweizer Armee von 1920 bis 2008, Urs Heller (2008) [1]
  • Book Fahrzeuge der Schweizer Armee von 1900 bis 2020, Markus Hofmann, Max Martin and Christoph Zimmerli (2020), ISBN 978-3-033-07130-8, [2]. Presented are all military vehicles, which served in the Swiss Army from 1900 until 2020.
  • Military Museum Full-Reuenthal, Switzerland [3]
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