Standard car of the Wehrmacht
| Standard car | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| le.E.PKW | mEPKW | sEPKW | |
| Manufacturer: | Stoewer, BMW, Hanomag | Auto Union, Opel | Auto Union, Ford |
| Production period: | 1936-1942 | 1937-1943 | 1938-1941 |
| Technical specifications | |||
| Length: | 390 cm | 470 cm | 484 cm |
| Width: | 169 cm | 186 cm | 200 cm |
| Height: | 190 cm | 207 cm | 204 cm |
| Maximum weight allowed: | 2.2 t | 3 t | 4 t |
| Payload: | 500 kg | 600 kg (radio trolley 980 kg) | 1,000 kg (Type 40 1,100 kg) |
| Ground clearance: | 23.5 cm | 24 cm | 25 cm |
| Gauge: | 140 cm | 140 cm | 160 cm |
| Wheelbase: | 240 cm | 300 cm | 280 cm |
| Motorization: (all petrol engines ) |
Stoewer "R 180W" 1.8 liter four-cylinder series, 42/43 hp | Horch "830" 3.5L V8, 80 HP | Horch "830" 3.5L V8, 80 HP |
| alternatively: | Stoewer "AW 2" 2-liter four-cylinder series, 48-50 hp | Horch "830" 3.8L V8, 90 hp | Horch "830" 3.8L V8, 90 hp |
| alternatively: | BMW "325" 2-liter six-cylinder series, 45 hp | Opel 3.6 liter six-cylinder series, 68 hp | Ford 3.6L V8, 78 hp |
| alternatively: | Hanomag "20 B" 2-liter four-cylinder series, 48-50 hp | - | - |
| Range: | 400 km | 400 km | - |
Standard cars were delivered to the Wehrmacht in three different versions as light , medium and heavy standard cars , staggered in time from 1936 to 1943 . With them, the civilian vehicles with rear-wheel drive that had been procured by the Reichswehr and Wehrmacht up to that point were to be replaced by types that, with their all-wheel drive, more closely met the military's requirements for off-road mobility. In addition, with the standardization of the vehicles and their components, training, maintenance and repair ( replenishment ) should be simplified. All of these goals were not achieved.
history
The motorization of the Reichswehr and Wehrmacht was initially mainly supported by the procurement of civilian car models from different manufacturers and types that were modified for military use. With the start of open armament in 1935, the equipment of the motorized units was inadequate in several respects. On the one hand, the existing vehicles did not meet military requirements in terms of off-road mobility and durability, and on the other hand, due to the large number of manufacturers and models, often even at different development stages of a model, the supply of spare parts was logistically very complex.
After the seizure of power of the NSDAP the funds were available for the engine abundantly available and in 1934 a development program for unit chassis has been initiated. The aim was the highest possible off-road mobility, extensive standardization of the parts and the application of the latest automotive developments in order to be able to produce the vehicles over a long period of time without changing parts. The development of five types was planned:
- light all-terrain passenger car (le. gl. car.)
- medium-sized off-road passenger vehicle (including passenger cars)
- heavy off-road passenger cars (see also PKW.)
- light off-road truck (le. gl. truck.)
- Medium all-terrain truck (with similar trucks)
For all types, among other things, all-wheel drive , independent suspension and the use of local raw materials in the sense of the four-year plan were provided. The drafts of the individual vehicles were then drawn up by the Army Weapons Office , which awarded the production orders to vehicle manufacturers with the corresponding production capacities. Due to the poor performance of the German automotive industry, however, none of the manufacturers was able to deliver the required quantities on their own. Therefore, various companies were commissioned with production: BMW ( Eisenach plant ), Hanomag (Hanover), Stoewer (Stettin), Opel ( Brandenburg plant ), Ford-Werke (Cologne) and Auto Union ( Chemnitz ) - here with the Horch plants ( Zwickau ) and the Siegmar plant (formerly Wanderer ). The bodies, some of which were supplied by Ambi-Budd ( Berlin-Johannisthal ), were identical for all manufacturers, while engines, transmissions and other parts came from the series production of the respective vehicle manufacturers and were therefore not standardized, contrary to the original plan. In order to be able to use the longer Opel six-cylinder in-line engine in the medium-sized standard car, its frame had to be changed. The "standard chassis II" (type Horch 108 with 75 HP engine or 108v with 90 PS) with 3 m wheelbase of the heavy off-road vehicle was shortened to 2.8 m wheelbase and as "standard chassis I" with rear-mounted engine (type Horch 801 with 75 HP engine or 801v with 90 HP) in the light armored car Sd.Kfz. 221 and Sd.Kfz. 222 used.
The light off-road car was first presented by Stoewer (R 180 Spezial) in 1936. From 1937 the light and medium-sized, from 1938 also the heavy standard cars were handed over to the Wehrmacht. The weaknesses of the designs quickly became apparent. The elaborate production caused high costs and the capacities of the manufacturers were insufficient to deliver enough vehicles to fill all the positions. The Wehrmacht was still 60% dependent on commercially available cars that were converted for the military, and on the requisitioned or captured civilian cars, euphemistically referred to as "supplementary vehicles" - with all the associated disadvantages in terms of training, maintenance and repair.
Even the simplifications made to the chassis and body in 1940 ("Type 40", including the elimination of the complicated all-wheel steering and the two spare wheels in the center, one wheel was now stowed inside) could not completely remedy the defects. As surveys carried out by Major Kleinschmitt in May 1942 in units deployed on the Eastern Front revealed, the standard cars were assessed as largely unsuitable for military service. In addition to the complex construction, the main criticism of all types was the heavy wear and tear, which was partly caused by the lack of maintenance in the field and often impossible. Another point of criticism was the high curb weight, which resulted in a correspondingly high fuel consumption and often led to breaks in the frame and wheel suspensions when used off-road . In the case of the medium-sized standard car, an attempt was made to remedy these problems with an instruction issued in 1942 on the field-based reinforcement of the axles and the installation of additional springs. Nevertheless, the production of the three types in 1942, 1943, respectively. Discontinued in 1941.
Types
Light all-terrain car
The model with all-wheel steering and cable-operated brakes developed by the Stoewer works in Stettin and mainly manufactured there was also manufactured by BMW at the Eisenach works under the designation BMW 325 (3225 pieces) and at Hanomag in Hanover (type 20 B, 1,722 cars) . Stoewer initially built the type R 180 Spezial (from 1938: R 200 Spezial with 2 liter engine) and from 1940 to 1943 as the sole manufacturer the Stoewer Type 40 without all-wheel steering, but now with hydraulically operated brakes. In total, a little over 17,500 vehicles were delivered, which were used as troop transporters (Kfz. 1), for repair troops (Kfz. 2/40), with the sound measurement troops of the reconnaissance artillery (Kfz. 3) and in air defense (Kfz. 4). The cars had an empty weight of 1775 kg (1700 kg without all-wheel steering). About 90% of the troops rejected the vehicle in 1942 as it was unsuitable for military service.
Medium off-road car
The medium-sized off-road car developed in the Horch plant of Auto Union in Zwickau was manufactured as Horch 901 in Zwickau and as Wanderer 901 in the Siegmar plant (also Auto Union AG), and from 1940 to 1943 also in the Opel plant in Brandenburg . The superstructures came from Ambi-Budd and Gaubschat in Berlin. The Wehrmacht put them in the posts for troop transporters (Kfz. 11, with towing hooks : Kfz. 12, as a six-seater Kfz. 21), in the telecommunications troops (Kfz. 15, Kfz. 17, Kfz. 17/1) and in the reconnaissance Artillery (Kfz. 16 or 16/1). The production amounted to 14,902 vehicles from Zwickau (Horch) and 12,298 from Siegmar (Wanderer), no figures are available for the Opel factory in Brandenburg. In addition, a small number of special vehicles were built for high military personnel. The most noticeable change in the course of the simplification in 1940 was the elimination of the two spare wheels attached in the middle as supports, which not only simplified the body, but also created more space in the interior, as only one spare wheel was stowed in the trunk. The car with the eight-cylinder - V engine of the Horch 830 or (Manufacturing Opel Brandenburg / Havel) six-cylinder - line engine from the three-ton truck Opel "Blitz" had (kg as Horch cabriolet 3080) an empty weight of 2700 kg and were Unlike the other two types, it was not equipped with all-wheel steering from the start. About 80% of the troops rejected the vehicle as unusable during the war.
Heavy all-terrain car
The heavy off-road car was built by Horch in Zwickau with type 830 V8 engines and the Ford works in Cologne using its own 3.6-liter eight-cylinder V8-51 truck engines. They were used by the telecommunications troops (Kfz. 23 and 24), as ambulances (Kfz. 31), as towing vehicles for light artillery (Kfz. 69) and anti-aircraft guns (Kfz. 81), as team vehicles (Kfz. 70) and as headlights for air defense (Kfz. 83). The armored personnel carrier Sd.Kfz was based on the same chassis. 247 and - with a rear engine - the Sd.Kfz. 221 and its versions. In total, little more than 10,000 vehicles were produced. The cars had an empty weight of 3300 kg (3200 kg without all-wheel steering). In 1940, all-wheel steering and the two externally mounted spare wheels were also omitted for this type. Although the deficiencies listed at the beginning also occurred here and the difficult handling of the vehicle raised criticism, the heavy off-road vehicle is the most successful of the three types in the standard vehicle range.
See also
literature
- Hilary L. Doyle, Walter J. Spielberger: Armored wheeled vehicles of the German army 1905-1945 . ( Military vehicles vol. 4). Motorbuch Verlag, Stuttgart 2002, ISBN 3-87943-337-2 , pp. 122-134.
- Werner Oswald : Motor vehicles and tanks of the Reichswehr, Wehrmacht and Bundeswehr . 17th edition, Motorbuch Verlag, Stuttgart 2004, ISBN 3-613-02370-9 .
- Werner Oswald: All Horch automobiles 1900-1945. 1st edition, Motorbuch Verlag, Stuttgart 1979, ISBN 3-87943-622-3 .
- Hans-Georg Mayer-Stein: The medium standard car of the German Wehrmacht 1937-1945 . ( Waffen-Arsenal Vol. 157). Podzun-Pallas Verlag, Wölfersheim-Berstadt 1995, ISBN 3-7909-0564-2 .
- Walter E. Seifert: The standard car of the German armed forces. (Waffen-Arsenal special volume 74). Podzun-Pallas Verlag, Wölfersheim-Berstadt 2003, ISBN 3-7909-0791-X .
- Wehrmacht regulation D 663/11 standard chassis for medium-sized passenger cars 1942