Krupp Protze
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Krupp Kfv.70 "Protze"
Krupp Kfv.70 on display at Deutsches Panzermuseum, Germany.
Type Artillery tractor / Utility truck
Place of origin Nazi Germany
Service history
Used by Nazi Germany
Wars World War II
Production history
Designer Krupp
Manufacturer Krupp
Produced 1933 to 1942
Number built 7000
Variants Several, see text
Specifications
Weight 2450 kg
Length 5.10 m
Width 1.93 m
Height 1.96 m
Crew 2 + passengers
Armor None
Engine Krupp Boxer motor, 3.3
liters
60 hp
Fuel capacity 110 liters
Operational 450 km
range
Speed 70 km/h
The Krupp "Protze" was a six-wheeled German truck and artillery tractor used by
German forces in World War II. It was powered by a 60 hp Krupp M 304 4-cylinder
engine. Its main purpose was to tow artillery, especially the PaK 36. It was also used to
transport infantry and other utility uses.
This vehicle was extensively used on the Eastern Front, North African campaign and in
France and Sicily. The Protze, commonly called the 'Boxer' was of simple design, and
was mass-manufactured between 1933 and 1942. Total production was about 7000
units.
[edit] Variants
A successful design, the Protze was converted into several variant configurations
← Kfz.19 - Telephone truck
← Kfz.21 - Staff car
← Kfz.68 - Radio mast carrier
← Kfz.69 - Standard configuration for towing the PaK 36
← Kfz.70 - Standard configuration for personnel carrying
← Kfz.81 - Ammo carrier conversion for 2 cm FlaK gun, usually towed
← Kfz.83 - Generator carrier for anti-aircraft spotlight, usually towed
← SdKfz.247 - Armoured personnel carrier, only 20 built
Sometimes antitank and flak guns were mounted directly on the bed of the truck.
[edit] External links
← Pictures of Protzes at Olive-Drab.com
← Pictures and technical data
← Pictures of a Protze carrying a PaK 36
← Info and pictures about Krupp Protze
This military vehicle article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.
The M42 Truppenfahrad was a military bicycle issued to the Wehrmacht during World
War II. Special equipment for Wehrmacht use was: the steering bar, the saddle, the
toolbox and the porter at the back. The headlamp had to work with dynamo and/or
battery. On the steering bar were two holders mounted which were holding the half-
shelter tent or the drivers trenchcoat.
The German Army had numerous units equipped with bicycles. It was used to deliver
mail, maintain connections between a general and his troops, among other reasons.
The bicycle was also used as a tatical weapon carring panzerfausts on both sides of the
bike.
This German World War II article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding
it.
Categories: German World War II stubs | World War II German vehicles
Mercedes-Benz L3000
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Mercedes-Benz L3000 was a common 4x2 3,1-ton rear axle drive truck used by
Germany in World War II. The engine it used was a Daimler-Benz OM 65/4 75hp 4-
cylinder diesel engine. It was used alongside the Opel Blitz, and it proved even more
reliable in rough terrain. It was used extensively by the Afrika Korps as well as other on
the other fronts. It existed in 3 versions, the L3000, the L3000A, and the L3000S. It
was produced from 1938 on to 1943, and by that time more than 27700 of all versions
were built. This made it the most produced Mercedes-Benz truck of World War II.
Opel Blitz
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
An Opel Blitz Around 1960.
The Opel Blitz was a German
light truck built from 1930 to Technical data NSU SdKfz 2 (Kettenkrad HK 101)
1973. From 1973 to 1987 a
successor vehicle from Bedford
Vehicles of Luton was sold
under the name "Bedford Blitz".
From 1939 onwards its 3-ton
version was used frequently
throughout World War II among
other things as service vehicle
for Messerschmitt Me-323. A
half-tracked version, using
Length: 3000 mm (118")
tracks and suspension based on Width 1000 mm (39")
that used on the Universal Height: 1200 mm (47")
Carrier, was also produced, as Engine:
Watercooled four cylinder in-line engine
with (OHV), Manufacturer: Opel (GM)
the Opel Maultier (mule). In
Capacity: 1478 cm³ (taxed) 1488 cm³ (real)
Europe this car was considered Bore x Stroke: 80 mm x 74 mm
as GM's contribution to German Compression
6:1
ratio:
successes.[citation needed]
Power: 36 bhp (26 kW)
SdKfz 2 at: 3400 rpm
Top Speed: 70 km/h (44 mph)
From Wikipedia, the free
Perm. total
encyclopedia 1560 kg (3444 lb)
weight:
The SdKfz 2, better known as Gearbox: 6-speed-gearbox
Clutch: Single plate dry clutch
the Kleines Kettenkraftrad HK
Carburettor: SOLEX Off-road carburettor type 32 FJ-II
101 or Kettenkrad for short
Crew: 3 (Driver + 2 passengers)
(Ketten = tracks, krad = military
Tire size: 3.50-19
abbreviation of the German
word Kraftrad, the administrative German term for motorcycle), started its life as a light
tractor for airborne troops. The vehicle was designed to be delivered by Junkers Ju 52
aircraft, though not by parachute. The vehicle had the advantage of being the only gun
tractor small enough to fit inside the hold of the Ju 52.
The SdKfz 2 was designed and built by the NSU Motorenwerke AG at Neckarsulm,
Germany. Later in the war Stoewer from Stettin also produced Kettenkrads under
license, accounting for about 10% of the total production.[1]
Most Kettenkrads saw service on the Eastern Front, where they were used to lay
communication cables, pull heavy loads and carry soldiers through the deep Russian
mud. Late in the war, Kettenkrads were used as runway tugs for aircraft, including jets
such as the Me 262. In order to conserve aviation fuel, the aircraft would be towed
rather than run the engines while taxiing.
The vehicle was also used in the North African theater and in Europe.
The Kettenkrad came with a special trailer (Sd.Anh.1) that could be attached to it to
improve its cargo capacity.
Being a tracked vehicle the Kettenkrad could climb up to 24° in sand and even more in
hard ground, as long as the driver had courage for it.
Only two significant sub-variations of the Kettenkrad were constructed, and production
of the vehicle was stopped in 1944, at which time 8,345 had been constructed. After
the war the production went on until 1949 for agricultural use.
[edit] References
1. ^ Vehicles of the Wehrmacht site
[edit] External links
← NSU Kettenkrad Homepage (English language)
← American website relating Kettenkrads. No longer updated
← Kettenkrad Photos of the Kettenkrad at the Canada War Museum in Ottawa
← U.S. Intelligence Report on Kettenkrad
← Walkaround of Kettenkrad at Omaha Beach (France)
← YouTube Video: Kettenkrad driving in heavy mud (Mons, Belgium 2007)
Springer (Tank)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Springer (Complete name: Mittlerer Ladungsträger Springer, Sd.Kfz. 304) is a
demolition vehicle of the German Wehrmacht in World War II.
Medium demolition vehicle Springer at the Tank Museum Bovington (UK)
Based on the well-known NSU Kettenkrad, NSU developed and built around 50
Springer demolition vehicles in the final year of World War II.
To make the vehicle capable of carrying a bigger payload without the front fork, two
pairs of road wheels were added to the running gear. The Springer had three outer and
three inner running wheels. It was powered by the Opel Olympia engine, which was
also used for the Kettenkrad.
The Springer was a demolition vehicle. It's task was to carry a charge of 330 kg high
explosives under armor protection into a target and detonate it there.
A driver, who could sit in the back of the Springer, drove the vehicle close to the target.
The final approach and the detonation of the charge was controlled by a wire- or
wireless remote control unit.
The Springer showed the same problems like other remote controlled demolition
vehicles: They were expensive and they were not very reliable. You could use them
only once.
Volkswagen Kübelwagen
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
VW type 82 'Kübelwagen'
Manufacturer Volkswagen
Also called 'Bucket / Tub Car'
Production 50,435 (1940 - 1945)
Assembly KDF-Stadt (= Wolfsburg)
Predecessor VW type 62
Successor VW type 181 'Thing'
Class Military Vehicle
Body style(s) 4-door utility roadster
Layout RR layout
Platform VW type 1 Kdf-Wagen
Engine(s) aircooled flat-4,
985 cc (23 hp) /
1,131 cc (25 hp)
Transmission(s) 4-speed manual;
self-locking differential
Wheelbase 240 cm (94.5 in)
Length 374 cm (147.2 in)
Width 160 cm (63.0 in)
Height 165 cm (65.0 in) (top up);
111 cm (43.7 in) collapsible
Curb weight 715 kg (1,576 lb) (GVW 1,160
kg)
Fuel capacity 30 L (7.9 US gal/6.6 imp gal)
Related VW 166 'Schwimmwagen'
Volkswagen Kübelwagen
VW Kübelwagen rear
The Volkswagen Kübelwagen (short for Kübelsitzwagen, meaning bucket-seat car)
was a military vehicle designed by Ferdinand Porsche and built by Volkswagen during
World War II for use by the German military (both Wehrmacht and Waffen-SS). Based
heavily on the Volkswagen Beetle, it was prototyped as the Type 62, but eventually
became known internally as the Type 82.
With its rolling chassis and mechanics built at KDF Stadt (now Wolfsburg) and its body
built by US owned firm Ambi Budd in Berlin[1], the Kübelwagen was to the Germans
what the jeep was to the Allies.
Contents
[hide]
1 History
2 Technology and performance
3 Body variants
4 Additional information
5 References
6 Images
7 External links
[edit] History
Although Adolf Hitler discussed with Ferdinand Porsche the possibility of military
application of the Volkswagen as early as April 1934, it wasn't until January 1938, that
high ranking Third Reich army officials formally approached Porsche about designing
an inexpensive, light-weight military transport vehicle that could be operated reliably
both on- and off-road in even the most extreme conditions, suggesting that the Beetle
could provide the basis for such a vehicle.
Porsche began work on the project immediately, having a prototype of the vehicle
ready within the month, but realized during development that it wouldn't be enough to
reinforce the Beetle's chassis to handle the stresses that military use would put on it. In
order to guarantee adequate off-road performance of a two-wheel driven vehicle with a
1,000 cc FMCV 1 engine, it would have to be light-weight. In fact, the army had
stipulated a laden weight of 950 kg including four battle-dressed troops, which meant
that the vehicle itself should not weigh more than 550 kg. Porsche therefore sub-
contracted Trutz, an experienced military coachbuilder to help out with the body
design.
Developmental testing by the military began after a presentation of the prototypes
designated as Type 62 in November of 1938. Despite lacking four wheel drive, a
mainstay of the American military Jeeps, the vehicle proved very competent at
maneuvering its way over rough terrain, even in a direct comparison with a
contemporary standard German army 4x4, and the project was given the green light for
further development. The vehicle's light weight and ZF self-locking differential
compensated for the lack of 4X4 capabilities.
Further development of the Type 62 took place during 1939, including a more angular
body design; and pre-production models were field-tested in the invasion of Poland,
that started in September that year. Despite their overall satisfaction with the vehicle's
performance, military commanders demanded that a few important changes be made:
the lowest speed of the vehicle had to be reduced from 8 km/h to 4 km/h as an
adjustment to the pace of marching soldiers. Secondly it needed some improvement of
its off road ability. Porsche responded to both requests by mounting new axles with
gear-reduction hubs, providing the car with more torque and more ground-clearance all
at once [2]. Revised dampers, 16-inch wheels and a limited slip differential, as well as
countless small modifications completed the specification. In order to reflect the
changes, the vehicle was re-named Type 82.
Full scale production of the Type 82 Kübelwagen started in February 1940, as soon as
the VW factories had become operational. No major changes took place until
production ended in 1945, only small modifications were implemented—mostly
eliminating unnecessary parts. Prototype versions were assembled with four-wheel
drive (Type 86) and different engines, but none offered a significant increase in
performance or capability over the existing Type 82 and the designs were never
implemented. As of March 1943, the car received a revised dash and the bigger 1,131
cc engine that produced more torque than the original 985 cc unit. When Volkswagen
production ceased at the end of the war, 50,435 Kübelwagen vehicles had been
produced [3] and the vehicle had proven itself to be surprisingly useful, reliable and
durable.
VW resurrected the basic Kübelwagen design several decades after the war as the
1969 Type 181, developed for the German Federal Armed Forces and later also
produced for the civilian market known as "Thing" in the US, "Trekker" in the UK and
"Safari" in Mexico. Although similar in looks and design, hardly any parts were
interchangeable with the type 82.
[edit] Technology and performance
When the German military took delivery of the first vehicles, they immediately put them
to the test on- and off-road in snow and ice to test their capability at handling European
winters; several four-wheel-drive vehicles were used as reference points. The two-
wheel drive Kübelwagen surprised even those who had been a part of its development,
as it handily out-performed the other vehicles in nearly every test. Most notably -
thanks to its smooth, flat underbody—the Kübel would propel itself much like a
motorised sled when its wheels were sinking into sand, snow or mud, allowing it to
follow tracked vehicles with remarkable tenacity.
In November of 1943, the American military conducted a series of tests as well on
several Type 82s they had captured in North Africa; they concluded that the vehicle
was simpler, easier to manufacture and maintain, faster, and more comfortable for four
passengers than the American Jeeps.
Among the design features that contributed to the Kübelwagen's performance were:
Light weight - although over a foot longer than the Willys MB, it was over 300 kg
(some 700 lb) lighter
(actually, the car was even lighter than the smallest US military jeep to date: the
M422 'Mighty Mite')
Very flat and smooth underbody, that allowed the car to slide over the surface it
was traversing, if need be
Considerable ground clearance - roughly 28 cm (11 in) —in part thanks to:
The use of portal gear hub reduction, providing more torque and ride
height simultaneously
Independent suspension on all four wheels
Self-locking differential, limiting slippage and retaining traction
Apart from that the air-cooled engine proved highly tolerant of hot and cold climates,
and naturally invulnerable to bullet holes in the absence of a radiator. Only for starting
under winter conditions, a specially volatile starting fuel was required, contained in a
small auxiliary fuel tank.
Also the body of the vehicle could easily be modified to special purposes, since it was
not a load-bearing part of the structure of the vehicle.
[edit] Body variants
Type 82E - Kübelwagen chassis / Beetle body
Type 82E rear
The following body types and variants of the Type 82 were produced:
Type 62: Prototype Kübelwagen, constructed from May 15, 1938; preproduction
models (1939) field tested in the invasion of Poland
Type 67: 2-stretcher ambulance; Type 60 Beetle chassis with modified Type 82 body
Type 82/0: Basic four seater
Type 82/I: Three-seat radio car
Type 82/2: Sirencar (Siemens motordriven siren mounted on passenger side in place
of the rear seat)
Type 82/3: Mock-up armoured vehicle/command car with machinegun-fitted turret over
the cabin
Type 82/5: Kübelwagen chassis with the Type 60 LO Lieferwagen (open pickup truck)
body [4]
Type 82/6: Tropical version sedan-body box van
Type 82/7: Three-seat 'Command car' made up of a Type 82 chassis, fitted with a
Beetle body and roll-up canvas roof section. These three-seaters had a co-drivers seat
with fully reclining backrest for the commander.
Type 82/8: Like Type 82/0 but had a open body made of wood
Type 82/E: Kübelwagen chassis with Beetle body (688 manufactured)
Type 86: All-wheel drive prototype (6 fabricated)
Type 87: 'Kommandeurwagen' Type 86 4x4 Kübelwagen chassis with Beetle command
car body. Fitted with running boards, under-hood-mounted spare tire (accompanied by
a gas can, a jack, a small tool kit and a shovel, and widened fenders for its larger-
diameter Kronprinz (Crown Prince) off-road tires, some were provided to preferred
officers, who could push through virtually any kind of terrain with them (667 produced)
[5]
Type 89: Fitted with an experimental automatic transmission
Type 98: 4x4 Kübelwagen-chassis with a Beetle body
Type 106: Fitted with an experimental transmission (assumedly different from the Type
89)
Type 107: Fitted with a turbocharger
Type 115: Fitted with a supercharger
Type 126: Fitted with a fully-syncronized gearbox (assumedly different from the Type
278)
Type 155/1: Half-track / snow-track Kübelwagen prototype. Pictures of several track-
set designs exist [6],
although it is possible that these were consecutively fitted to the same prototype. Trials
proved that the Type 155 was able to cover the most difficult terrain, but the
modifications necessary to the standard Kübelwagen were extensive and the resulting
vehicle was both very slow and forbiddingly inefficient.
Type 157: Railway car equipment, used for Types 82 and 87
Type 164: Six-wheeled, twin engine, dual-control prototype; never entered production
Type 177: Fitted with a 5-speed transmission (as opposed to the standard 4-speed
unit)
Type 179: Fitted with fuel-injected Volkswagen engine
Type 235: Fitted for power by an electric motor
Type 239: Fitted for power by a wood-gas generator mounted on the nose (also listed
as Type 230)
Type 240: Fitted for power by bottled gas
Type 276: Type 82 fitted with a towing hook
Type 278: Fitted with syncronized gearbox
Type 307: Fitted with a heavy-duty carburetor
Type 309: Prototype fitted with a diesel engine
Type 331: Prototype fitted for power by a "native fuel system" (acetylene gas) engine
(also listed as Type 231)
Type 332: Fitted for power by anthracite coal
[edit] Additional information
The Kübelwagen concept was the basis for other projects: the Australian VW
Country Buggy, the VW Type 181 (The Thing) and the Porsche Jagdwagen.
The object resembling a helmet, often seen in the left front bumper of many
Kübelwagen (and Kommandeurwagen), is actually a Notek black-out driving light.
The German word Kübelwagen is an abbreviation, fully pronounced
Kübelsitzwagen (bucket-seat car).
[edit] References
Taylor, Blaine Volkswagen Military Vehicles of the Third Reich Coypright © 2004
Blaine Taylor ISBN 0-306-81313-0
[edit] Images
1943 Kübelwagen 25hp 1131cc VW type 82 at Gmünd
[edit] External links
← http://www.kubelwagen.co.uk
Volkswagen Schwimmwagen
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Volkswagen Type 166 'Schwimmwagen'
Manufacturer Volkswagen
Production 15,000 (1942-1944)
Engine(s) 4-cyl. boxer, air cooled
1,131 cc, 25 hp @ 3,000
rpm
Transmission(s) 4-speed manual
2-speed transfer case;
4WD only on 1st gear /
reverse
Wheelbase 200 cm (78.7 in)
Length 382.5 cm (150.6 in)
Width 148 cm (58.3 in)
Height 161.5 cm (63.6 in)
Curb weight 910 kg (1,345 kg GVW)
Fuel capacity 50 L (13.2 US gal/11.0 imp
gal)
Related VW type 86 & 87
The VW Type 128 and 166 Schwimmwagen (literally Floating / Swimming Car) were
amphibious all-wheel-drive off-roaders, used extensively by the German Wehrmacht
and the Waffen-SS during the Second World War.
The Type 166 is the most mass-produced amphibious car in history, arguably the most
capable light military wheeled off-roader in World War II.
Contents
[hide]
1 Development
2 Technology
3 Images
4 Literature
5 External links
[edit] Development
Volkswagen Schwimmwagens used the engine and mechanicals of the VW Type 86
four-wheel drive prototype of the Kübelwagen and the Type 87 four-wheel drive
'Kübel/Beetle' Command Car, which in turn were based on the platform of the civilian
Volkswagen Beetle. However, Erwin Komenda, Ferdinand Porsche's first car body
designer, was forced to develop an all new unitized bodytub structure, since the utterly
flat floorpan chassis of the existing VW vehicles was totally unsuited to smooth
movement through water. Komenda patented his ideas for the swimming car at the
German Patent office.
The earliest Type 128 prototype was based on the full-length Kübelwagen chassis with
a 240 cm (7.9 ft) wheelbase. Pre-production units of the 128, fitted with custom welded
bodytubs, demonstrated that this construction was too weak for tough off-roading, had
insufficient torsional rigidity, and easily suffered hull-ruptures at the front cross-
member, as well as in the wheel-wells. This was obviously unacceptable for an
amphibious vehicle. The large-scale production models (Type 166) were therefore
made smaller, and had a wheel-base of only 200 cm (6.6 ft).
VW Schwimmwagens were both produced by the Volkswagen factory at Fallersleben /
Wolfsburg, as well as by Porsche's facilities in Stuttgart; with the bodies (or rather
hulls) produced by Ambi Budd in Berlin. From 1941 through 1944 a total of 15,584
Type 166 Schwimmwagen cars were produced; 14,276 at Fallersleben and 1,308 by
Porsche. Only 133 are known to remain today, and only 13 have survived without
restoration work.[1] Given these numbers, the VW 166 is the most mass-produced
amphibious car in history.
[edit] Technology
All Schwimmwagen were four wheel drive only on first gear (and reverse gears with
some models) and had ZF self-locking differentials on both front and rear axles. Just
like the Kübelwagen, this heavy-duty 4x4 off-roader had portal gear rear hubs that
gave better ground clearance, while at the same time reducing drive-line torque
stresses with their gear reduction at the wheels.
When crossing water a screw propeller could be lowered down from the rear deck
engine cover. When in place a simple coupling provided drive straight from an
extension of the engine's crankshaft. This meant that screw propulsion was only
available going forward. For reversing in the water there was the choice of using the
standard equipment paddle or running the land drive in reverse, allowing the wheel-
rotation to take the vehicle back ever so slowly. The front wheels doubled up as
rudders, so steering was done with the steering wheel both on land and on water.
[edit] Images
VW Schwimmwagen
Interior VW Schwimmwagen
Propeller
Volkswagen
Schwimmwagen A Schwimmwagen loaded with Panzerfaust
60 anti-tank weapons.
[edit] Literature
René Pohl: Mit dem Auto baden gehen. HEEL Verlag, Gut-Pottscheidt Konigswinter
1998, ISBN 3-89365-702-9
[edit] External links
Schwimmwagen from the December 1944 issue of the Intelligence Bulletin
← U.S. Intelligence report on German Schwimmwagen
← The VW-Schwimmwagen Registry
← Schwimmwagen enthusiast site
← Schwimmwagen Photos of the Schwimmwagen at the Canada War Museum in
Ottawa
← UK Schwimmwagen owners site
Wikimedia Commons has media related to:
Volkswagen Schwimmwagen
[hide]
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Volkswagen cars, part of the Volkswagen Group
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Categories: World War II German vehicles | Volkswagen vehicles | Amphibious
vehicles | Rear-engined vehicles | Vehicles with boxer engines
