Diesel locomotives of the Wehrmacht
The Army developed and procured for various transport tasks from the mid-1930s diesel locomotives . Many of these locomotives were still operational after the end of the Second World War and were taken over by the German state railways as well as by private and factory railways.
planning
Since the planned expansion of the military infrastructure in Germany began on March 16, 1935 with the entry into force of the "Law on the Development of the Wehrmacht" , new ammunition and supply stores , training and firing ranges and air bases have been built all over the Reich . Most of these facilities have been on the track with the route network of the Deutsche Reichsbahn connected. The Wehrmacht therefore had to procure its own locomotives for construction work as well as for the shunting and handover service.
The Wehrmacht demanded completely smoke-free traction vehicles for rail operations on military installations . Steam locomotives with their mushrooms that could be seen from afar were out of the question for use in the laboriously camouflaged systems. In areas at risk of explosion, such as ammunition plants and tank farms, the use of steam locomotives with open firing was prohibited for safety reasons. Diesel locomotives, on the other hand, were "smoke-free", were available at all times (no heating up, no quiet fire), were still economically viable even when there was little need for shunting with long breaks in operation and could also be driven by less trained personnel.
The Heereswaffenamt (HWA) in Berlin was responsible for the development, manufacture, testing and mass procurement of military equipment . The WaPrüf5 department there (Office Group for Development and Testing, Department 5 - Pioneer and Railway Pioneer Department) employed a staff of mechanical engineers. In addition to mining and pioneer equipment, special low-loader wagons for heavy armored car ( Tiger and Panther ), Achspressen for Umspuren captured Russian freight cars , as well as the infamous rail Wolf the typed Wehrmacht diesel originated here.
Max Mennicke, head of WaPrüf5, gave the impetus between 1936 and 1938 to found various working groups of locomotive factories, which in the following years created a whole series of army diesel locomotives for narrow and standard gauge . When the locomotives originally planned only for the army were also ordered by the air force , the name was changed to “Wehrmacht locomotive for standard gauge” (WR).
A number of locomotives for light railways have been developed for transports on narrow-gauge tracks laid in the field, especially in the area close to the front .
Heeresfeldbahn diesel locomotives
The locomotives intended for the light rail routes were developed by a consortium of German locomotive factories. Three different performance groups were planned.
The construction of locomotives with 50, 130 and 200 HP (36.5 kW, 95 kW and 145 kW) for the gauges 600 to 750 mm and 900 to 1067 mm was planned. The wheel set driving mass should be from 4 to 6 t. The locomotives were produced in large numbers by several manufacturers ( BMB , Orenstein & Koppel , Jung , Deutz , Gmeinder and Windhoff ).
The vehicles were easy to operate and could therefore also be operated by inexperienced personnel. The simple structure and the standardized construction enabled a quick and uncomplicated repair.
In the course of vehicle development, several standard types were created, for the designation of which the performance and the wheel arrangement were used:
The HF50B had a mechanical power transmission with a three-speed gearbox, while the other types had hydraulic converter gearboxes.
Wehrmacht locomotives
The German Wehrmacht needed powerful locomotives for the use of railway guns and railway pioneering devices such as the rail grinder, as well as for shunting in ports, depots, on airfields and shooting ranges and for other military objects.
Most German locomotive manufacturers formed a working group that developed a type group of corresponding diesel locomotives.
Four power groups 200, 240, 360 and 550 hp (145, 175, 265 and 405 kW) were provided. An attempt was made to simplify the repair effort and the provision of spare parts through extensive standardization.
The first vehicles of the preliminary series all had two driven axles (wheel arrangement B). Diesel engines from Deutz and the Mannheim engine works as well as converter transmissions from Voith served as drive . Since the 360 hp variant achieved an axle load that was too high, the locomotive was later converted to the C wheel arrangement (three axles powered). After various advance locomotives with different axle loads and engines, three standard types were chosen. For the designation, the power, the wheel alignment and the wheelset driving mass were used.
Only three prototypes of the WR 550 D 14 were delivered; to a series production it has not come.
- WR 220 B
- WR 220 C
The WR 220 B and WR 220 C locomotives manufactured by Deutsche Werke Kiel from 1938 to 1943 occupy a special position . Compared to the standard locomotives, these had a mechanical power transmission.
The diesel-electric Wehrmacht locomotive D 311 was developed for use as a towing vehicle and diesel- powered mobile power plant for the Dora gun . The locomotives of this type later came to the Deutsche Bundesbahn as the V 188.
More designs
Based on the WR 550 D 14 locomotive, a twin diesel locomotive with 2 × 1,250 hp (2 × 925 kW) and a 1'C1 '+ 1'C1' wheel arrangement was designed. The locomotives were supposed to transport an 800-ton train at 80 km / h on the plain. The design was completed by 1945, but the locomotives were not built. A 1'E1 'diesel locomotive with an output of 1850 kW was also developed with the same requirement profile.
literature
- Wolfgang Glatte: Diesel Locomotive Archive . transpress, Berlin 1986, ISBN 3-344-00061-6 .
- Stefan Lauscher: The diesel locomotives of the Wehrmacht. The history of the V 20, V 36 and V 188 series . EK-Verlag, Freiburg 2006, ISBN 3-882-55236-0 .
- Rolf Löttgers: The diesel locomotives of the V 20 and V 36 series . Franckh'sche Verlagshandlung, Stuttgart 1986, ISBN 3-440-05673-2 .