How do the Czech's pronounce Skoda?

[Transporter]

If the Czech tanks were better shouldn't that, in it's self, been enough to stop the Germans from getting them......

IMO it would stop them, but for that my friend you need the government willing to fight and not to give up and escape to England. The army generals followed them as well, leaving the country defenceless, only a few shots were fired when the Germans were passing the boarder. Hitler himself said in the documentary movies that, it would be hard to pass the border fortifications should the Czech decided to fight. Certainly the Czech army was well equiped with the trucks and machine guns, not the horses and the rifles.
Sadly the Czechs follow the trend and gave up again to Komunists in 1948 and again allowed the country to be invaded by Russians in 1968 when the government was called to come to Moscow and held there untill they signed the pact with them, the Russian tanks rolled over the Czech boarders. The Russians made sure that they weren't met with the resistance and the tanks and fighter jets were disarmed and the fuel dumped. So, again no one was fiting for the democracy.

The 20,000 Russian trups stayed there to assure the peace
The Komunist government had the devastating affects on the industry in there (not just the automotive). The Czech car maker Skoda was limited by Russians and could not produce the engine with the greater CC capacity than 1.3L , with the exception of the Tatra603 and later Tatra613 which was made only for the government officials.

I guess, the last fighter there (who never lost the battle - only 6 of them in history) died in 1424 Jan . He might as well be the inventor of the tanks.

[Dutch77]

Sadly the Czechs follow the trend and gave up again to Komunists in 1948 and again allowed the country to be invaded by Russians in 1968

I can trace my current existence back to the events of 1968 so from my view it's not all bad.

[Transporter]

I can trace my current existence back to the events of 1968 so from my view it's not all bad.

Sure, it depends which side you were on.

[brad]

If the Czech tanks were better shouldn't that, in it's self, been enough to stop the Germans from getting them......

Nah, despite what is said, the German equipment at the beginning of the war wasn't that terrific. The German tactics otoh..... Nobody knew what to do about that.

[Rooboy]

Ahh the big Tatra T87 was almost the Czech's secret weapon against the Germans After invading Czechoslovakia they were popular with German officers because they were big, comfortable and powerful with their rear engined V8s but in the end they were banned from driving them because they were hard to control and too many lost their lives. Tatra also had a reputation for making very good trucks.

.

[Transporter]

Tatra also had a reputation for making very good trucks.

They still do.

DEFENCE - TATRA in the army :: Tatratrucks.com

...and how about 10x10 Tatra truck in Australia? Flatbed Truck|Platform Truck|Tipper Truck|Crew Cab Truck|Offroad Trucks Australia

[Tigger]

Ahh the big Tatra T87 was almost the Czech's secret weapon against the Germans After invading Czechoslovakia they were popular with German officers because they were big, comfortable and powerful with their rear engined V8s but in the end they were banned from driving them because they were hard to control and too many lost their lives. Tatra also had a reputation for making very good trucks.

.

Was it air-cooled? It looks like some masssive air intakes on the rear quarter...

[Tigger]

I also like the idea of a third headlight in the centre! It looks like mysticality's central light bar!

[BluChris]

Yep, air cooled 2.9 litre cast magnesium V8 - in the 1930s! See my previous post - well worth checking out Jay Leno's example. The clip is long but a great intro to this fabulous car.

Tatra T87 - Antiques - Jay Leno's Garage

[Inego]

Was it air-cooled? It looks like some masssive air intakes on the rear quarter...

Yup, air cooled. Its (of course modernised) descendents were still being sold into the 1990s. In the 1935 sci-fi move Transatlantic Tunnel, Tatras were some of the ultra modern vehicles used at high speed through the tunnel.

As to the trucks, IIRC the Truck class was introduced in the Paris-Dakar after several years of the Tatra support vehicles beating many of the competitors....

[Transporter]

Yes, the disadvantage of the Tatra was that it is on the wrong side of the boarder.

[Mysticality]

...and how about 10x10 Tatra truck in Australia? Flatbed Truck|Platform Truck|Tipper Truck|Crew Cab Truck|Offroad Trucks Australia

Only 2,100Nm? Bah!... Needs a reflash.

[Dutch77]

I found out what the word Skoda means in Czech too: pity. but I guess it depends on the context its used in. As I don't speak Czech, im going by what someone's told me

^ This is correct.

[Rooboy]

Yep, air cooled 2.9 litre cast magnesium V8 - in the 1930s! See my previous post - well worth checking out Jay Leno's example. The clip is long but a great intro to this fabulous car.

Tatra T87 - Antiques - Jay Leno's Garage

You beat me to it but I'm glad you did. Its a great piece on the Tatra.