MALAXA TIP UE CARRIER

I doing some research for a possible book on the Renault UE. I am interested in any information regarding The Romanian Malaxa tip UE. Also any photos of them in service I have one of two towing trailers that are numbered 018119 and 018120. Does anyone know any more numbers or have any more photos?

Here is what I have managed to find out.

In 1937 Romania signed an agreement to produce the Renault UE under licence at Bucharest at the Malaxa factory. Originally 300 vehicles were to be built. But with France’s rearmament programme, production was delayed, because whilst the Malaxa factory produced the main bulk of the vehicle it still relied upon Renault to provide many components (particularly engines) and production only started in late 1939. The German invasion of France in 1940 effectively prevented French imports of the parts needed and later the Germans were refurbishing UE’s for their own use, all this meant that in the end only 126 were built by the first months of 1941, when production was stopped. However a June 1941 Army list has some 178 carriers in service, so it seems probable that the Germans supplied another 50 Tankettes.
The Romanians used the Malaxa UE’s as artillery tractors for the Army’s new 47mm Schneider anti-tank guns in the anti-tank companies and as load carriers for fuel and ammunition within the motorised cavalry regiments. Twelve were allocated to each infantry division and as many as forty with the 1st Armoured Division.
During the fighting in the early years of the campaign in Russia many Malaxa tip UE’s were destroyed or captured by the Russian forces, at least 42 were lost at Stalingrad in 1942 and by 1943 the last 50 were sent back to depots. 33 being used as training vehicles, the other 17 were sent back to the Rogifer factory for repairs and to be converted to tow the German 5cm anti-tank gun, which was done between January and March 1944. They were then sent to various Divisions on the Moldavian front. Most were subsequently, captured by the Russians in August 1944.


Regards Mark

This post has been edited by malkara on January 29, 2006 02:05 am

Malaxa factory. UE production line. Source "Third Axis Fourth Ally "( Mark Axworthy)

UE Malaxa chenillette at military parade. Source D.M. coll.


This post has been edited by Cantacuzino on January 22, 2006 06:59 pm

Thanks everyone, the factory photo is interesting.

Regards Mark

These are some pictures with the Malaxa UE from MMN.



Interior:

where exactly in MMN.?I've been there saturday but I didn't saw it.

In the last building were the carriages and the locomotive are.

But it is there for more than two years.

This post has been edited by mihnea on January 22, 2006 08:14 pm

thei told me that the last building is not for visit.the same 2 mounth ago.

Photo courtesy of mr. Dan Antoniu. Looks like it was s/n 87.

It might be, they are renovating for some time or the supervising ladies are lazy and don't want to go there, because it's cold, so they say to the individual visitors that it's closed.

picture 1 from ebay
picture 2 from tankomaster

Are you certain that in this picture these are Malaxa UE and not Renault UE?

PS What is “tankomaster”?

Hi Mihnea,

I was also wondering that, because the nearest one seems to have a German number beginning "WH......". The Germans had French Renault UEs captured in 1940.

What are the external differences between a Renault UE and a Malaxa UE? Are there any?

Cheers,

Sid.

Russian magazine:
http://www.chrisevansbooks.com/tankomaster.html
http://www.eastview.com/peri/product.asp?s...81&active_tab=1

Tankomater is a russian model magazine.
caption of the second picture said "Romanian tankette "Malaxa" captured Red Army units near Stalingrad, Januar, 1943".
I asked the translation to my russian friends.