Heavy Wehrmacht tractor
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The heavy Wehrmacht Schlepper ( sWS ) was a half-track vehicle of the German Wehrmacht , which was mainly used as a tractor and supply vehicle .
History of origin
The Wehrmacht already owned a fleet of half-track tractors , the Sd.Kfz models. 6 to 11 ( S on d he k raft f Ahr z eug) different with different trailer load and of manufacturers. These vehicles have proven themselves well in use, especially due to their excellent off-road mobility and the indispensable variety of uses in the troops. However, as with many German military designs from the prewar period, the production turned out to be too complex, and the variety of models of half-track tractors stood in the way of mass production, which became necessary due to considerable breakdowns and stress on the Eastern Front .
In response to the supply problems in the winter of 1941/42, on May 7, 1942, Hitler asked for a simplified tractor with a half-chain drive to replace the medium-sized 5-ton tractor . A vehicle was required that could transport 6 t trailer load and 3 t payload, whereby the standardization with the designation Wehrmacht tug - only in the categories "light" and "heavy" - should be made clear. The light model stayed with prototypes, the heavy Wehrmacht tractor finally went into production from autumn 1943 at Büssing-NAG and Ringhoffer - Tatra .
construction
The vehicle was kept simple and uncomplicated, the drive also consisted of an unlubricated chain without rubber pads and more economical pulley discs that could be attached both inside and outside the box drive with the overlapping rollers.
One variant was modified as a self-propelled anti-aircraft gun for the 3.7 cm FlaK 43 . The flak was positioned with a gun shield on the loading area; the sides had to be folded down for a 360-degree directional range.
| heavy Wehrmacht tractor | |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Büssing-NAG |
| number of pieces | 825 |
| Empty weight | 13.5 t |
| crew | 2 men |
| length | 6.67 m |
| width | 2.5 m |
| height | 2.8 m |
| Payload or trailer load | 4 or 8 t |
| engine | Maybach HL42, 6-cylinder with water cooling, 4170 cm³, 100 PS (73.6 kW) |
| speed | up to 27 km / h |
| Driving range | 300 km of roads, 150 km of terrain with a 240 l tank capacity |
| Fording depth | 1 m |
| Armament | unarmed, variant with 3.7 cm flak |
| Armor | unarmoured, partially armored variants with 6 to 15 mm |
variants
- heavy Wehrmacht tractor with a flatbed structure
- Heavy Wehrmacht tractor with makeshift armor as a self-propelled gun for 3.7 cm Flak 43/1
- At least one unit was completed as a self-propelled gun for the 15 cm Panzerwerfer 42 towards the end of the war.
commitment
Due to the concessions made at the expense of the motorization, use by tank units or other fast troops was out of the question; the use was limited to the infantry due to the low speed. This restriction was also the cause of losses during the retreats on the Eastern Front, which led to the fact that the existing vehicles mainly transported supplies instead of actually serving as tractors. Even with the anti-aircraft self-propelled guns, the operational capability and the trust of the troops was inhibited.
In the end, the vehicle was only produced in the comparatively small number of over 825 copies and could not replace the old half-track towing vehicles at any time, especially since the light Wehrmacht tractor was no longer followed up to series production.
literature
- Lüdeke, Alexander: Weapons technology in the Second World War . Parragon Books Ltd, ISBN 978-1-4054-8584-5 .
- Spielberger, Walter: Half-track vehicles of the German army 1909-1945 . Motorbuch Verlag, ISBN 978-3-8794-34039 .
