Knowing firsthand what a front and a military operation are, Hitler was well aware that without proper support for advanced units, a large-scale military operation could not be carried out. Therefore, a significant role in building up military power in Germany was given to army vehicles.

Source: wikimedia.org

In fact, ordinary cars were quite suitable for conducting military operations in Europe, but the Fuhrer's plans were much more ambitious. For their implementation, all-wheel drive vehicles were needed that could cope with Russian off-road and the sands of Africa.

In the mid-thirties, the first motorization program for the army units of the Wehrmacht was adopted. The German automotive industry has begun developing off-road trucks of three sizes: light (with a carrying capacity of 1.5 tons), medium (with a payload of 3 tons) and heavy (for transporting 5-10 tons of cargo).

Army trucks were developed and manufactured by Daimler-Benz, Bussing and Magirus. In addition, the terms of reference stipulated that all cars, both externally and structurally, should be similar and have interchangeable main units.

Source: wikimedia.org

Besides, automobile factories Germany received an application for the production of special army vehicles for command and intelligence. They were produced by eight factories: BMW, Daimler-Benz, Ford, Hanomag, Horch, Opel, Stoewer and Wanderer. At the same time, the chassis for these machines were unified, but the manufacturers installed their own motors for the most part.

Source: wikimedia.org

German engineers have created excellent machines that combine all-wheel drive with independent suspension on coil springs. Equipped with locking inter-axle and inter-wheel differentials, as well as special "toothy" tires, these SUVs were able to overcome very serious off-road conditions, were hardy and reliable.

While hostilities were taking place in Europe and Africa, these vehicles completely satisfied the command of the ground forces. But, when the Wehrmacht troops entered Eastern Europe, disgusting road conditions began to gradually but methodically destroy the high-tech structure. German cars

The "Achilles heel" of these machines was the high technical complexity of the designs. Complex assemblies required daily maintenance. And the biggest drawback was the low carrying capacity of army trucks.

Be that as it may, but the fierce resistance of the Soviet troops near Moscow and a very cold winter finally "finished off" almost the entire fleet of army vehicles available to the Wehrmacht.

Complex, expensive and energy-intensive trucks were good during the almost bloodless European campaign, and in the conditions of this confrontation, Germany had to return to the production of simple and unpretentious civilian models.

Source: wikimedia.org

Now "one and a half" began to make: Opel, Phanomen, Stayr. Three-tons were produced by: Opel, Ford, Borgward, Mercedes, Magirus, MAN. Cars with a carrying capacity of 4.5 tons - Mercedes, MAN, Bussing-NAG. Six-ton ​​- Mercedes, MAN, Krupp, Vomag.

In addition, the Wehrmacht operated a large number of vehicles from the occupied countries.

The most interesting German cars from WWII:

"Horch-901 Type 40"- a multi-purpose variant, the basic medium command vehicle, along with the Horch 108 and Stoewer, which became the main transport of the Wehrmacht. completed gasoline engine V8 (3.5 L, 80 hp), different 4-speed gearboxes, independent double wishbone suspension with springs, locking differentials, hydraulically operated all wheel brakes and 18-inch tires. Gross weight 3.3-3.7 tons, payload 320-980 kg, developed a speed of 90-95 km / h.

Source: wikimedia.org

Stoewer R200- produced by Stoewer, BMW and Hanomag under the control of Stoewer from 1938 to 1943. Stoewer became the founder of a whole family of light, standardized 4x4 command and reconnaissance vehicles.

Main technical features of these machines were permanent all-wheel drive with lockable center and center differentials and independent suspension of all driving and steered wheels on double wishbones and springs.

Source: wikimedia.org

They have had wheelbase 2400 mm ground clearance 235 mm, gross weight 2.2 tons, developed a maximum speed of 75-80 km / h. The cars were equipped with a 5-speed gearbox, mechanical brakes and 18-inch wheels.

One of the most original and interesting cars Germany became a multi-purpose half-track tractor NSU NK-101 Kleines Kettenkraftrad ultralight class. It was a kind of hybrid of a motorcycle and an artillery tractor.

A 1.5-liter engine with 36 hp was placed in the center of the spar frame. from Opel Olympia, which transmitted torque through a 3-speed gearbox to the front sprockets of the mover with 4 disc road wheels and automatic system braking one of the tracks.

Source: wikimedia.org

From motorcycles, a single 19-inch front wheel with parallelogram suspension, a rider's saddle and motorcycle-style controls were borrowed. NSU tractors were widely used in all divisions of the Wehrmacht, had a payload of 325 kg, weighed 1280 kg and developed a speed of 70 km / h.

It is impossible to ignore the light staff car produced on the platform " people's car" - Kubelwagen Type 82.

The idea of ​​​​the possibility of military use of the new car came from Ferdinand Porsche back in 1934, and already on February 1, 1938, the Army Armaments Office issued an order for the construction of a prototype light army vehicle.

Tests of the experimental Kubelwagen showed that it significantly outperforms all other Wehrmacht passenger cars, despite the lack of front-wheel drive. In addition, Kubelwagen was easy to maintain and operate.

The VW Kubelwagen Typ 82 was equipped with a four-cylinder boxer carbureted engine air cooling, the small power of which (first 23.5 hp, then 25 hp) was quite enough to move the car gross weight 1175 kg at a speed of 80 km/h. Fuel consumption was 9 liters per 100 km when driving on the highway.

Source: wikimedia.org

The advantages of the car were also appreciated by the opponents of the Germans - captured "Kubelvagens" were used by both the Allied troops and the Red Army. The Americans especially liked him. Their officers bartered Kubelwagen from the French and British at a speculative rate. Three Willys MBs were offered for one captured Kubelwagen.

On a rear-wheel drive chassis type "82" in 1943-45. They also produced a staff car VW Typ 82E and a car for the SS troops Typ 92SS with a closed body from the pre-war KdF-38. In addition, an all-wheel drive staff car VW Typ 87 was produced with a transmission from the mass army amphibian VW Typ 166 (Schwimmwagen).

amphibious vehicle VW-166 Schwimmwagen, created as a further development of the successful KdF-38 design. The Arms Department gave Porsche an assignment to develop a floating passenger car designed to replace motorcycles with a sidecar, which were in service with reconnaissance and motorcycle battalions and turned out to be of little use for the conditions of the Eastern Front.

The floating passenger car type 166 was unified in many components and mechanisms with the KfZ 1 all-terrain vehicle and had the same layout with an engine installed in the rear of the hull. To ensure buoyancy, the all-metal hull of the machine was sealed.

You can have different attitudes towards the perfection and quality of cars with which our country entered that war. But at least one achievement of the Soviet automobile industry of the pre-war period is beyond any doubt: in the 1930s, the Soviet Union managed to establish a truly mass production of vehicles that were equally suitable for use both in the army and in civilian life. GAZ and ZiS by 1941 provided the Red Army with rolling stock of all types and classes most in demand at that time: starting with the commander's GAZ-61 based on the famous "emka" and ending with the three-axle ZiS-6 with a payload of 4 tons, capable of equally successfully towing any field guns of that time and serve as a chassis for a variety of weapons systems, including the famous Katyusha. Is it a joke: in 1932 Soviet car industry produced 23.7 thousand, and in 1940 - already 135.9 thousand trucks, that is, more than five times more! True, there were already problems with the transportation of goods from 5 tons and above: relatively few heavy trucks were produced in Yaroslavl. Nevertheless, for most of the tasks being solved, our army was provided with cars.

BMW 325 model 1938: four-wheel drive, fully independent suspension, steerable wheels on both axles

What was this technique? In the overwhelming majority of domestic serial trucks of those years, regardless of type, class and purpose, they received a simple, and therefore simple to manufacture and maintainable in the field chassis with continuous axles and spring suspension. The cabin is wooden, without a hint of any comfort and aerodynamics, the engine is gasoline, as a rule, working at the limit of its power. Four-wheel drive- only on prototypes, application independent suspension on mass technology was not even considered. Of course, work was also carried out on more complex and interesting samples from a technical point of view. Let us recall at least the experienced four-axle YaG-12 or the semi-tracked GAZ-60 and ZiS-42 produced in small series, which are distinguished by phenomenal cross-country ability, primarily in deep snow. One can even recall the new generation of Soviet trucks that managed to reach the stage of pre-production samples: in Gorky it was a handsome 2-ton GAZ-11-51, in Moscow - a 3.5-ton medium-tonnage ZiS-15, and in Yaroslavl - a heavier YAG-7 with a carrying capacity of 5 tons. True, the latter did not receive an engine corresponding to its class - power unit has always presented a problem for the national auto industry: it was so then, it remains so to this day.

The GAZ-64 light SUV is the brightest, but, unfortunately, a rare example of rapid development and no less rapid introduction into a series of domestic vehicles.

Yes, the new generation of Soviet vehicles did not have time to be put on the conveyor before the start of World War II. But the old one fully met the conditions of the coming battles.

Launched into series in 1934, the three-ton ZiS-5 was easy to manufacture and unpretentious in operation. During the war, this played a decisive role

Firstly, by 1941, the production of trucks became not just mass-produced - mass, the supply of components - debugged, the design of the machines - worked out, and most of the components and assemblies within at least the models of one plant - interchangeable.

The three-axle ZiS-6, produced in small numbers, served both as tankers and Katyusha carriers.

Secondly, and this is also an important fact, which for some reason has never been particularly focused on: with the rarest exception, domestic materials and components were used in the production of Soviet automotive equipment. That is, neither a break in relations, nor even a war with any of the other countries actually threatened to affect the rhythm of the work of the national auto industry.

Well, the shortage of those types of cars that the Soviet industry was unable to start producing by the beginning of the war was successfully filled by the deliveries of the allies. Under the famous Lend-Lease, dozens of cars entered the country, but three of them played the most important role: the Willis, the Dodge (the one that is three-quarters) and the Studebaker.

Indirect confirmation of the role of these cars: among the foreign cars of the military era, it has always been customary for us to write them in Russian transcription.

I must say that conceptually, the Soviet and American automotive industries at that time were in many ways similar. The Americans, for nothing that they invented the conveyor, also preferred mass production to the detriment of specialization, were also supporters of maximum unification, including even products from different companies, and also preferred practicality to technical refinements. True, in the latter case - not at the expense of comfort. Of course, the American auto industry also had serious differences from ours. If in the Soviet Union to develop, and even more so to introduce a new unit or unit, the same engine, gearbox, cab, and what’s there - a walk-through bridge, it was an extremely difficult task, the solution of which was not much stretched in time, but was often accompanied by tension efforts of the entire industry, then the Americans solved the same problem much easier: hey, guys, in two weeks you need to make a project, in four - a prototype, in two months - to introduce a new unit on serial products. And it did work! It cannot be said that we have not had breakthroughs: take, say, the GAZ-64/67, developed and mastered in production in the shortest possible time. But among the Americans, such work was not at all considered something outstanding and was a streamlined, one might say, routine process that allows you to quickly create, test and put on the conveyor essentially any vehicle that Uncle Sam needed for military operations. Perhaps the Americans were the only ones in the anti-Hitler coalition who were able to quickly develop, quickly put into production and then stamp tens and hundreds of thousands of cars that were advanced in design, with high performance, but at the same time simple, unpretentious, perfectly suited for use on all fronts. .

Two-ton GAZ-AAA: in the second half of the 1930s, they tried to increase the cross-country ability and carrying capacity of domestic trucks by switching to the 6x4 wheel arrangement

And what about our main enemy, Nazi Germany? It is clear that her engineering school was no worse, and perhaps better, than anywhere else. And the way from an experimental to an industrial design for the Germans, like the Americans, took relatively little time. Confirmation of this is the pre-war rearmament of the Wehrmacht with the latest vehicles. And what level! Perhaps, at that time, nowhere were fully independent lever-spring suspension, all-wheel drive multi-axle transmission, steered wheels of both axles, diesel engines, as well as a variety of wheeled and half-track schemes. But to the extent that these innovations made machines more perfect, they complicated and increased the cost of both their production and subsequent repairs. And most importantly, the Wehrmacht's fleet turned out to be unified, simply speaking, variegated, which made it extremely difficult to operate, maintain and restore vehicles in a combat situation. As a result, the Germans stopped the production of most specialized army vehicles in 1943-1944.

The Studebaker, which was not actually used in the American armed forces, became the main heavy truck in our army by the end of the war. Including as a chassis for the famous rocket launchers

Thus, despite the fact that in the Soviet Union at the time of the start of the Great Patriotic War, the machines of the 1930s generation were still in the series, which were technically inferior to the newer and more advanced in design analogues of the leading world powers, in a fight not on life, and in death it turned out to be not so much their weakness as their strength.

In 1932, Colonel Heinz Guderian, the "father of the Wehrmacht tank troops", initiated a competition to create a light tank for the needs of the army. Military customers formulated tactical and technical requirements that limited the weight of the vehicle to five tons with bulletproof armor and armament with two 7.92 mm machine guns. Three years later, the index of the first German serial tank "1 LaS" was officially changed to "Panzerkampfwagen I" ("Pz.Kpfw.I Ausf.A")

By the early 1930s, Germany was able to recover from the losses suffered in the First World War, but the humiliation that the country experienced, as well as the economic crisis, predetermined the inevitability of the next big conflict. German industrialists and politicians understood that the Weimar Republic badly needed heavy weapons, and although the terms of the Versailles Treaty forbade the Germans to develop and purchase them, corporations secretly continued design work in defiance of all prohibitions. First of all, this concerned armored vehicles. To hide the design of tanks, the Germans called them "tractors", and the tests were carried out outside of Germany - in the USSR at the tank track of the joint Soviet-German school KAMA. In particular, the engineers of the Krupp corporation, located in the city of Essen, designed an experimental light tank with a rear engine compartment (hereinafter - MTO), which appeared in the documentation under the name "light tractor" (German - Leichttraktor). There was also its eponymous competitor with a front-mounted MTO, manufactured by Rheinmetall-Borsig Corporation.

Leichttraktor of the Krupp Corporation
Source - icvi.at.ua

From "light tractors" to "agricultural tractors"

By 1931, it became clear that neither Krupp's nor the rest of the "agricultural" equipment would go into series. Work on the machines and their subsequent tests showed that they are imperfect and it is not advisable to bring them "to mind". The front arrangement of the engine and transmission, used by the designers of Rheinmetall-Borsig, did not justify itself - with this arrangement, the view from the driver's seat was insufficient. In addition, the rear location of the MTO showed that tanks with this layout are prone to losing tracks when maneuvering.

On September 18, 1931, the Army Ordnance Department (hereinafter referred to as the UVS) ordered the Krupp corporation to reconfigure the tank with the transfer of the transmission from the MTO to the control department (thus, the vehicle had to change rear drive to the front). The design work on the chassis was planned to be completed by May 1932, and by June 30, a prototype of the "small tractor" base was to be made.

To speed up work at the UVS, they decided to put at the disposal of Krupp's designers the British Carden-Loyd Mk IV tankette tractor, which they intended to buy through a front company in a neutral country. German military officials rightly believed that rather than “reinventing the wheel”, it was easier to “copy” ready-made solutions from the equipment of a potential enemy and build on them in further work. However, the delivery was late, the first copy of the tankette arrived in Germany only in January 1932, so the designers Hogelloch and Wolfert in their design studies had to focus only on the photographs of the “miracle of enemy technology” that they had at their disposal. On November 9, 1931, they were able to provide the UVS with preliminary drawings of the chassis, which, although they copied some of the British designs, nevertheless differed significantly from the design of the Carden-Loyd Mk IV.

Wedge tractor Carden-Loyd Mk IV
Source: thewartourist.com

In 1932, Colonel Heinz Guderian, the "father of the Wehrmacht tank troops", initiated a competition in the Sixth Department of Armored Vehicles and Motorization of the UVS to create a light tank for the needs of the army. Military customers formulated tactical and technical requirements that limited the weight of the vehicle to five tons with bulletproof armor and armament with two 7.92 mm machine guns. Since the tank was planned to be made on the basis of the chassis that were developed in Essen, its design was reduced to the development of an armored superstructure with a turret and weapons.

The five main German armored vehicle manufacturers of that period - Krupp, Daimler-Benz, Rheinmetall-Borsig, Henschel & Son and MAN - received an order for development. However, due to the fact that the work of Krupp's engineers was already in full swing, it was quite expected that their project won the competition.

The Essenes did not meet the initial deadline for creating the chassis of a light tank, being a month late. They were able to show the finished “product” to representatives of the UVS only on July 29, 1932. To prevent the “vile enemy” from guessing that the Germans, spitting on all the restrictions of the Treaty of Versailles, began to make tanks, they called the new car an “agricultural tractor”, which is written in German as Landwirtschaftliche Schlepper or abbreviated as LaS. The developed base of the tank suffered from many "childhood diseases" that the tank functionaries and engineers of the Krupp corporation would be happy to eliminate, but Guderian hurried everyone with the start of mass production, and already in the summer of 1933, the assembly of the first five vehicles of the "zero" series began in Essen.

Landwirtschaftlicher Schlepper from Krupp, tested at the Kummersdorf test site
Source - panzer-journal.ru

In the first half of the 1930s, the German industry did not yet have experience in the mass production of armored vehicles, so the process of launching LaS into a series went with slippage. The armored superstructure developed by Krupp engineers was eventually rejected by the Sixth Department, entrusting its creation to Daimler-Benz, but the first twenty vehicles were assembled with Essen hulls. The prototypes of the "zero" series showed low reliability, but the designers quickly determined the range of necessary improvements, and already in January 1934, the UVS ordered 450 tanks from the industrialists. Fifteen machines of the "first" series were assembled in February-April of the same year at the factories of Henschel & Son - in all documents they appeared under the index "1 LaS" (the designation "Krupp-Traktor" was also used). These machines were equipped with superstructures and towers made in Essen from ordinary structural steel. In total, five companies were involved in the production: Rheinmetall-Borsig, Daimler-Benz, Henschel & Son, MAN and Krupp Grusonwerk (later Wegmann joined them).

Tanks from the first twenty vehicles with Krupp hulls
Source: paperpanzer.com

Work on the new tank took place against the backdrop of rapid political changes that shook Germany. On January 30, 1933, Adolf Hitler became Chancellor, and on February 27, the Nazis organized the Reichstag fire and blamed the Communists for this, which allowed them to arrest the leadership of the German Communist Party. On March 5, Hitler organized parliamentary re-elections (the NSDAP won 43.9% of the vote), and on March 24, the new Reichstag passed the "Emergency Powers Law", which gave Hitler the right to legislate. On August 2, 1934, Hitler received the powers of a dictator, Germany refused to fulfill all the conditions of the Treaty of Versailles and began to openly arm with the full connivance of France, Great Britain and the United States. In 1935, the index of the first German serial tank "1 LaS" was officially changed to "Panzerkampfwagen I" ("Pz.Kpfw.I Ausf.A"). In the newly introduced end-to-end numbering of army vehicles, the vehicle received the Sd.Kfz.101 index.

Ausf.A and Ausf.B

As already mentioned, when creating the Pz.Kpfw.I Ausf.A, the designers for the first time used the layout that became typical for German tanks of the interwar period and the Second World War (hereinafter referred to as WWII). In front of the hull housed the transmission, which consisted of a two-disk main clutch of dry friction, a gearbox, a turning mechanism, side clutches, gears and brakes. The driveline stretched to her through the entire tank from the aft compartment, which housed the engine.

View from the tank commander's seat to the transmission and driveline
Source - nevsepic.com.ua

The armor of the tank was bulletproof, formed from sheets of chromium-nickel armor. The upper frontal part reached a thickness of 13 mm at a slope of 21 °, the middle one - 8 mm / 72 °, the lower one - 13/25 °. The thickness of the sides varied within 13-14.5 mm, the stern of the hull - 13 mm, the bottom - 5 mm, the roof - 8 mm. The thickness of the walls of the tower was also small - 13 mm, the gun mantlet - 15 mm, the roof - 8 mm.

Armor scheme of the Pz.Kpfw.I Ausf.A tank
Source - wikimedia.org

The undercarriage consisted of interlocked pairs of road wheels with a diameter of 530 mm (four per side). All of them were supplied with quarter-elliptical leaf springs, with the exception of the front ones, on which spring springs were mounted. To reduce pressure on the ground, the designers placed the tank's sloths at the level of the road wheels. To improve the rigidity of the structure, three rear rollers and a sloth were additionally fastened with a common longitudinal beam (Krupp specialists borrowed this engineering solution from the British Carden-Loyd Mk IV tankette). At the top, each track was supported by three rollers.

View of the undercarriage of the tank Pz.Kpfw.I Ausf.A
Source - nevsepic.com.ua

In the control compartment, in addition to the transmission, to the left of it was the driver's seat with control levers, the necessary instruments (speedometer, tachometer, fuel gauge) and a five-speed gearbox ZF Aphon FG35 manufactured by Zahnrad Fabrik. The review was provided by two hatches - in the upper frontal armor plate and in the beveled armor plate of the left side. Both hatches were covered by rising armored covers. The driver's landing was carried out through a double-leaf hatch on the left side of the turret box.

Place of the driver Pz.Kpfw.I Ausf.A
Source - nevsepic.com.ua

The fighting compartment was combined with the control compartment and was located in the middle part of the tank, where a welded tower was mounted on a chase with a diameter of 911 mm. She did not have a floor, but the seat of the tank commander was attached to the turret with a special bar and rotated with it. The turning mechanism of the tower was primitive, manual. The sides and rear of the tower were formed from one armor plate, in which four cutouts were made for inspection hatches, two of which were equipped with prismatic viewing devices. A single-leaf landing hatch for the tank commander was mounted in the roof.

Tank commander position
Source - nevsepic.com.ua

Two tank machine guns were mounted in the turret mask, for which the Pz.Kpfw.I Ausf.A used Dreyse MG 13 caliber 7.92 mm. The ammunition consisted of 61 stores, which were located both in the tower (8 stores) and in the vehicle body (four stacks of 8, 20, 6 and 19 stores). The maximum angles of vertical guidance of machine guns ranged from -12 ° to + 18 °. Aiming at the target was carried out using a Zeiss TZF 2 telescopic double sight. The tank commander could fire machine guns separately.

Tank turret Pz.Kpfw.I Ausf.A
Source - nevsepic.com.ua

In the aft engine compartment, a four-cylinder air-cooled Krupp M304 horizontally opposed carburetor engine with a Solex 40 JEP carburetor was originally installed. He developed a maximum power of 57 hp. with. at 2500 rpm. The capacity of the gas tanks located right there was 144 liters (Pz.I tanks could only run on leaded gasoline with an octane rating of about 76). Two exhaust pipes deployed on both sides.

The electrical equipment was powered by a generator model Bosch GTL 600/12-1200 with a power of 0.6 kW or Bosch RRCN 300/12-300 with a power of 0.3 kW. The generator provided a voltage of 12 V in the network. Tanks were not equipped with walkie-talkies (only FuG2 receivers with whip antennas were installed on command vehicles), while commands were given using rocket launchers and signal flags, a set of which was available on each tank. There was also no tank intercom, so the crew members communicated with each other using a speaking tube.

Pz.Kpfw.I Ausf.A, rear view
Source - nevsepic.com.ua

Already in December 1932, it became clear that the engine power was insufficient. To replace it, experts from Essen proposed to install an 80-horsepower V-shaped eight-cylinder engine with air-cooled, also developed by the Krupp corporation. At the same time, it was indicated that in order to install it, it was necessary to lengthen the engine compartment by approximately 220 mm, otherwise the engine simply would not fit in the car. The search for a suitable engine continued until 1935, when the choice of UVS specialists settled on a 100-horsepower Maybach inline six-cylinder liquid-cooled model NL 38 Tr.

By this time, Krupp's designers had already created an elongated chassis with an additional fifth track roller and a fourth support roller, and the sloth was raised from the ground. Until 1935, this tank was designated as "La.S.-May", and later it was assigned the index "Pz.Kpfw.I Ausf.B". The car also received a new five-speed transmission ZF Aphon FG31, which provided the following speed modes:

• in first gear - up to 5 km / h;
• on the second - up to 11 km / h;
• on the third - up to 20 km / h;
• on the fourth - up to 32 km / h;
• on the fifth - up to 42 km / h.

Since 1936, new MG 34 machine guns manufactured by Rheinmetall-Borsig began to be installed on tanks - by this time their ammunition load had increased to 90 magazines with 2260 rounds. The trigger of the left machine gun was located on the helm of lifting the weapon to the left of the commander, and the right machine gun was placed on the turret turret to the right of him. The turret traverse mechanism itself was moved to right side from the tower mask.

No other fundamental changes were made to the design. Now the German documentation has new additional designations- Pz.I with a Krupp engine ("mit Kruppmotor") and with a Maybach engine ("mit Maybachmotor").

Tank Pz.Kpfw.I Ausf.B
Source: regimiento-numancia.es

"Tractors" are drafted into the army

Since 1935, five German companies have produced Pz.Kpfw.I: Rheinmetall-Borsig, Daimler-Benz, Henschel & Son, MAN and Krupp Grusonwerk. In total, the German industry produced 477 tanks of the Ausf.A model (with serial numbers from 10,001 to 10,477) and 1016 Ausf.B (with serial numbers 10478-15000 and 15201-16500). In 1938, Wegmann additionally assembled 22 hulls. Thus, by the beginning of the first territorial acquisitions of the Third Reich, the Pz.Kpfw.I turned out to be the most massive Wehrmacht tank.

Production statistics for Pz.Kpfw.I tanks

							Total

In order not to waste the expensive motor resources of vehicles, which, moreover, had a habit of breaking down quite often, the Sixth Department simultaneously placed orders for the production of heavy trucks with a payload capacity of 8.8-9.5 tons, designed to transport Pz.Kpfw.I. The most popular of them were Bussing-NAG models 900 and 900A, as well as Faun L900D567. Later, for these purposes, the Wehrmacht began to use captured vehicles of Czech (Skoda 6VTP6-T, Skoda 6K and Tatra T81) and French (Laffli S45TL, Bernard and Willeme) production.

For the transportation of armored vehicles, the German industry also produced special trailers Sd.Anh.115 and Sd.Anh.116 (short for Sonder Anhanger - “special trailer”) with a carrying capacity of 8 and 22 tons, respectively. Hanomag SS100 heavy wheeled tractors or half-tracks could be used to tow them. 18-ton Sd.Kfz.9, although in fact the trailer could tow any tractor with a carrying capacity of more than five tons.

Pz.Kpfw.I Ausf.B in the back of a Faun L900D567 truck. The second tank truck is towed on a special trailer
Source: colleurs-de-plastique.com

Fifteen tanks of the first series by April 1934 were sent to the Training Group of Automobile Troops in Zossen, where they were used to train new personnel. The following tanks were used to form the materiel of the first three German tank divisions (hereinafter - TD), which were fully equipped with Pz.Kpfw.I tanks by October 15, 1935. With the beginning of the arrival of the Pz.Kpfw.II model vehicles (in 1936), the proportion of "units" decreased to 80% - now each company was equipped with four Pz.I and one Pz.II. In the future, the proportion of "ones" in parts of the Panzerwaffe steadily decreased.

Before the outbreak of World War II, such a number of different kinds of mechanisms - aircraft, tanks, armored cars, amphibians - had never been used in hostilities. Automobiles also played a role - and a considerable one - in this war. "Motor" remembered the cars, thanks to which the Soviet soldiers managed to get a victory, as well as the German cars that opposed them.

Industrialization in the late 1930s in the Soviet Union was in full swing: the USSR produced more military equipment than any other country in the world. By June 22, 1941, the Soviet Union had a huge number of military vehicles - 272,600 units. Plus, in the very first weeks of the war, another 160 thousand 300 vehicles were mobilized from the national economy. The fleet of German troops, in turn, consisted of no more than 150 thousand vehicles.

The seemingly huge advantage was quickly lost - in the very first days of the war, the Soviet Union lost tens of thousands of vehicles. Nevertheless, the Soviet troops managed to recover from this blow and respond to the enemy with an offensive.

Wheels for "Katyusha"

On June 17, 1941, at a military training ground near Moscow, the government delegation was shown the latest weapon - BM-13 multiple launch rocket launchers, which were later called "Katyusha". Three days later, on June 21, an order was issued for the serial production of these units. There were only a few hours left before the start of the war.

Thanks to this weapon, the Soviet Union managed to win many battles. "Katyusha" was installed on the chassis of the most different machines– tanks, tractors, cars. However, tracked vehicles had some significant drawbacks - low speed and high fuel consumption. Yes, and the asphalt was thoroughly destroyed during transportation, so special tractors were needed for transportation. That is why most of the Katyushas were installed on trucks.

ZIS-6. Photo from spectechnika.com

The first vehicle to carry such a rocket launcher was the Soviet ZIS-6, based on the ZIS-5 (4x2 formula). This four-ton truck with a 6x4 wheel formula had excellent cross-country ability and, together with a rocket launcher, received a “baptism of fire” on July 14, 1941 in the city of Rudnya captured by the Germans.

A large amount of German military equipment has accumulated on one of the central squares of this city. From the steep bank of the Malaya Berezina River, a ZIS-6 vehicle with a BM-13 rocket launcher dealt a crushing blow to the enemy. When the volleys of the installation subsided, one of the soldiers sang the song "Katyusha", which was popular at that time. Hence, according to popular legend, it happened vernacular name BM-13.

ZIS-6. Photo by Deutscher Friedensstifter from flickr.com

"Katyusha" was installed not only on ZISs. Many cars that were supplied to the Soviet Union under Lend-Lease (mainly British and American) were also used as chassis for Katyushas. Moreover, it was the American Studebaker US6, the world's first truck with three drive axles, that became the most massive owner of this weapon.

Throughout its history, Studebaker has traveled to many places around the globe, but, ironically, has never been used in the United States. Studebakers were the most common vehicles supplied to the USSR under Lend-Lease. During the war years, the Soviet Union received almost 200,000 US6.

Studebaker US6. Photo from militaryimages.net

Thanks to all-wheel drive, the American truck boasted excellent cross-country ability and carrying capacity, which favorably distinguished it from its Soviet counterparts. Compared to the "three-ton" (ZIS-5), Studebaker could carry two tons more - despite the fact that the Americans recommended not to load it with more than two and a half tons. In addition, the car could overcome small river fords without fear of damaging vital parts, as they had a high location.

Thanks to all these qualities, an improved rocket launcher with the BM-13N index began to be installed on the Studer. In addition, the Studebakers were used by the Soviet Army as ordinary trucks, gun tractors, dump trucks and cranes. The car turned out to be so successful that some trucks regularly served the Soviet Union until the 1980s.

"Katyusha". Photo by verdammtescheissenochmal from flickr.com

In the expanses of the USSR there are many monuments to the Katyusha, but not all of them correspond to historical facts. For example, there is a monument to "Katyusha" based on the ZIS-5, on which this installation was never installed, or even on the basis of the ZIS-150 - a car that began to be produced after the war. Of course, this was done solely from the point of view of patriotism, since Studebaker has always been and remained an American. Nevertheless, this car was regularly filmed in numerous Soviet films about the war.

off-road

In 1940, the US Army needed a light reconnaissance vehicle that would effortlessly overcome off-road conditions. Having won the tender, Willys-Overland Motors presented a car that met all these requirements - Willys MA. After the US entered World War II, full-scale production of this car began, and in 1942, Ford began producing Willys, but of a different model - Willys MB. From the assembly lines of Ford, these cars came out under the name Ford GPW. By the way, due to the consonance of the first two letters of the index - "Ji", "Pi" - the name "jeep" came about, which later became a household name.

Willys MA. Photo from autoguru.at

Since 1942, under the Lend-Lease program, "Willis" began to arrive in the USSR different modification. The car proved to be excellent in the conditions of hostilities. Depending on the type of troops and the military situation, the vehicle served both as a reconnaissance-commander and as a cannon tractor. Machine guns and other small arms were installed on many Willys. There were also cars for medical care - stretchers were installed in them. There was even a very unusual modification car - with railway wheels - for movement on rails.

The all-wheel drive car had a 2.2-liter four-cylinder engine with a capacity of 54 Horse power s. The maximum speed was 104 kilometers per hour. But still, the main task of an SUV is to overcome various kinds of obstacles. "Willis" did a great job with this and felt confident on the roads (it could overcome a ford up to half a meter deep, and some modifications even up to 1.5 meters). During the war years, the Soviet Union received about 52,000 Willys.

Willys MB. Photo from army.mil

The American car has become an indispensable assistant and favorite of Soviet soldiers, as well as one of the symbols of the Great Patriotic War. In global terms, Willys has become a model for the creation of light, but at the same time hardy cars.

There were also military jeeps in the USSR. In January 1941, the Soviet government, looking at american cars, instructed two enterprises at once - GAZ and NATI - to develop a light, inexpensive, and most importantly unpretentious SUV. Two months later, two cars were tested at the military training ground at once - GAZ-64 and NATI-AR.

GAZ-64 showed better results than its competitor, but the main thing was that its production did not require large amounts of money and time. Many components of this car were already installed on the models produced by the plant - the GAZ-61 sedan and the GAZ-MM truck. Serial production began immediately, and already in August 1941, the first Soviet off-road vehicle, the GAZ-64, rolled off the assembly line.

GAZ-64. Foo from autoclub-gaz.ru

Before the appearance of the American "Willis" in the Soviet army, the GAZ-64 was an indispensable military assistant. He could easily overcome steep climbs, mud, sand and snow. By flat road the car developed speeds up to 90 kilometers per hour, and off-road - up to 25 kilometers per hour, which no other could do soviet car.

In 1943, the plant developed new model SUV - GAZ-67 (modernized version of GAZ-64). It differed from its predecessor by a wider gauge and reinforced suspension. The engine power was also increased, however, due to the increased width, the SUV lost dynamic characteristics, and the maximum speed decreased to 88 kilometers per hour.

GAZ-67. Photo by W.Grabar from flickr.com

In 1944, the GAZ-67 received some design changes, after which it was assigned the "B" index. Among the people, he received his "indexes". He was lovingly called "goat", "goat", "pygmy", "gazik", "Chapaev", "flea-warrior", "HBV" ("I want to be" Willis ") and" Ivan-Willis ". The Soviet SUV on the war fronts showed its best side. He was more receptive to fuels and lubricants and more maintainable, unlike his American brother "Willis".

Zakhar and his team

A truly iconic truck in the war was the ZIS-5. Among the people, he received the names "Zakhar", "Zakhar Ivanovich", "Three-tonka". His reliability was unmatched. The 5.5-liter engine started easily in any weather and was unpretentious to the quality of gasoline. With its own weight of 3 tons on board, he could take the same amount. We must also pay tribute to the cross-country ability of the Zakhara - with a 4x2 wheel formula, the truck overcame various obstacles, and behaved almost like all-wheel drive vehicle. The flexible frame of the ZIS-5 deserves special attention - when it hits an obstacle, it bends, helping the car to drive through the bumps more gently. The maximum speed of this truck was 60 kilometers per hour. By 1941, ZIS-5 trucks accounted for almost half of the Soviet Union's military fleet.

ZIS-5. Photo by W.Grabar from flickr.com

In the first months of the war, a large number of cars were destroyed. Partial mobilization of vehicles of the national economy temporarily solved the problem, but the front and rear urgently needed trucks in large quantities.

To save material, ZIS-5 trucks began to make the most simplified modifications. Instead of an iron cab, they put a plywood one, there were no front brakes, they also installed only one headlight (driver's) on the truck, and for some time these cars were produced without any headlights at all! The plant saved 124 kilograms of metal on each truck.

GAZ-AA. Photo from alter.gorod.tomsk.ru

A huge number of cars were built on the basis of the ZIS-5 special purpose. These are fire trucks, buses (named ZIS-8 and ZIS-16), mobile printing houses, meat processing plants, snow plows and even armored vehicles. Behind the cockpit of the ZIS-5 one could see huge air defense searchlights, as well as anti-aircraft guns.

But the most common truck during the Great Patriotic War was the GAZ - AA, popularly referred to as the "one and a half". Basically, it was an upgraded version. american truck Ford AA. The production of this car began long before the war - in 1932. Until 1933, cars were assembled from American car kits, but their quality was not entirely suitable for use in our road conditions. The specialists of the Gorky Automobile Plant made a number of design changes to the GAZ-AA, and since 1933 the car began to be assembled entirely from Soviet components.

GAZ-AA. Photo by W.Grabar from flickr.com

In 1938, the car received new engine volume of almost 3.3 liters with a capacity of 50 horsepower, and became known as GAZ-MM. The car boasted a maximum speed of 100 kilometers per hour, was faster than its "colleague" - ZIS-5. But the carrying capacity was two times lower than that of the "three-ton". Hence the nickname - "one and a half".

During the war years, the truck lost almost the same nodes as the Zakhar. Only one headlight and one wiper on the driver's side were installed on the GAZ-MM. The front brakes were missing. The wings of the car were made from ordinary roofing iron. In the rear of the car, instead of four, only two wheels were often placed. The roof and doors of the cabin were made of tarpaulin, which was a plus: in case of fire, flooding or shelling of the car, you could quickly jump out of it.

GAZ-MM. Photo from denisovets.narod.ru

These truly heroic cars were the first to cross the frozen Lake Ladoga to bring food to besieged Leningrad. On the way back, GAZ-MM took out people, industrial equipment and cultural property. But not all "one and a half" and "Zakharov" had a way back. Many cars fell through the ice, going to the bottom of Lake Ladoga.

Over the long years of the war, the "lorry" managed to win the hearts of soldiers. A trouble-free engine was started from half a turn, however, often with a manual starter, since a working battery in a war is a rarity. The motor was unpretentious and to gasoline. They poured fuel of any quality - the car even ran on kerosene and alcohol.

German cars

Some German cars from a technical point of view were head and shoulders above domestic ones, and showed excellent results both on the roads of Europe and in the sands of Africa. But, faced with the conditions of the Soviet front, they often turned out to be weaker and more defenseless than domestic machines.

It is difficult to say who and when was the first to use cars in the army. It is important that the very fact of recognition of vehicles by military departments different countries turned out to be one of the turning points in the history of the automotive industry - in fact, it was a recognition that the car had become a truly reliable and efficient means of transportation and transportation.

However, the recognition of cars has not become widespread and unanimous. Some armies are so imbued with the idea technical progress that entirely built their doctrine on the use of vehicles. Others did not particularly trust, still insufficiently reliable and tied to fuel bases vehicles, besides, the off-road qualities of which caused serious doubts. Horse units looked much more familiar and reliable. Both of these doctrines were seriously tested during the Second World War.

And if the use of trucks practically did not cause controversy in their effectiveness, and, as a result, the need, then with passenger cars everything was much more complicated.

Cars of the Second World War

Before the start of the Great Patriotic War, there were no specialized army cars in the Red Army - ordinary “civilian” GAZ M1 (“Emka”) and GAZ-A (the Soviet version of the legendary Ford A, the license for the production of which was purchased together with Ford AA) were engaged in transporting personnel , which became the legendary "one and a half").

Naturally, these cars were used to transport middle-level command personnel. The high command relied on "Soviet Buicks" - prestigious ZiMs.

However, it cannot be said that this situation satisfied the army. Both passenger cars produced by GAZ were purely "civilian" cars - cramped and not off-road enough. In winter uniforms and with personal weapons, they could not accommodate, and the power reserve for towing something, for example, a light gun or an ammunition trailer, was clearly not enough. Although it was produced on the basis of Emka limited quantity pickups, in the army they were not quite out of place - the car was more suitable for supplying small shops and canteens. Elite ZiM is generally difficult to imagine anywhere except the central streets of Moscow and Leningrad.

Help legend

One of the first specialized army cars in the Soviet army was the legendary Willys jeep, which was produced in the USA by several factories at once. For its simplicity on the verge of primitiveness, but at the same time, reliability and functionality, this World War II passenger car fell in love with everyone who had to serve with it. Until now, this machine is popular with fans of authorities.

The basis of the Willys is a rigid steel frame, to which nodes, assemblies and an open body were attached. A 2.2-liter four-cylinder engine produced 60 hp. with., and accelerated the jeep to about 100 km / h. Four-wheel drive and a successful design, which provided solid exit angles, gave a sufficient supply of off-road qualities.

Despite the relatively small carrying capacity - 250 kg - Willis confidently transported four fighters (including the driver), if necessary, he could tow a light gun or mortar. But most importantly, the Willis was equipped with a sufficient number of nodes for attaching all sorts of useful things, such as a canister of fuel, a shovel or a pickaxe. This was especially appreciated in the army. The primitive, but at the same time, the universal design of the car made it possible to retrofit it with your own hands to suit your needs. The lack of any comfort, the drivers compensated as best they could. Most often, the car was equipped with makeshift awnings that covered riders from rain and wind.

As part of the Lend-Lease, more than 52 thousand of these vehicles were delivered to the USSR, which made Willys the most popular army SUV of the Great Patriotic. Not surprisingly, Jeeps are still relatively common, and in almost every major city Russia can find a copy on the go.

Our response to the capitalists

It cannot be said that the current situation with the lack of army passenger cars of domestic production suited everyone - the development of vehicles for the army was carried out by different design bureaus, however, the lack of experience, capacity for the production of a wide range of spare parts for different vehicles, and the periodically changing requirements of the main customer, did not allow to effectively complete the development .

Finally, by a strong-willed decision of the country's leadership, the production of the GAZ-64, the first Soviet off-road vehicle, was launched. It is believed that the American competitor of Willis, Bantam, inspired the army to create an SUV. This is indirectly confirmed by their external similarity. They say that the excessively narrow track of the car came from there - only 1250 mm, which had an extremely negative impact on its stability.

The design of the car had much in common with the already mass-produced cars, which in wartime conditions looked like an indisputable advantage. So, the engine from the GAZ-MM (“one and a half” of increased power) not only unified production, but also gave the car a good power reserve. The carrying capacity of the GAZ-64 was about 400 kg. The car was equipped with shock absorbers, which for that time was something unheard of, found somewhere out there, in the world of ZiMs and Emoks.

GAZ-64 was produced for about two years, from 1941 to 1943. In total, about 600 cars were produced, which is why it is almost impossible to meet a real, not converted GAZ-64 these days.

The descendant of the GAZ-64, the GAZ-67 SUV, which was a deep modernization of the first, became much more popular. The track of the car was expanded, which had a positive effect on its roll stability. Also, due to the use of other power elements, the rigidity of the structure has increased. Front axle moved a little forward, which increased the angle of entry and the height of the obstacles to be overcome. The engine has also become more powerful. The car received a canvas awning. The “doors” with celluloid windows were also canvas.

As a result, the army received not only an excellent SUV, but also a good tractor for light artillery. Also, on the basis of GAZ-67, a light armored car BA-64 was produced. This is partly due to the small number of GAZ-67s produced during the war.

During the Great Patriotic War, only about 4,500 SUVs were produced, but the total output of the 67s is not small - more than 92 thousand cars. But military and post-war copies have serious differences in appearance.

Intermediate

It is easy to notice a serious gap in the carrying capacity of vehicles of different classes of the Red Army. The lower segment was represented by ordinary passenger cars GAZ-67 and Willys (carrying capacity 250-400 kg), but only the legendary GAZ-AA lorry (carrying capacity 1.5 tons, hence the nickname) was larger than them.

The cars carried a maximum of four fighters, or they could tow weak artillery. At the same time, they could be used in reconnaissance, as they were small in size, but had good maneuverability. GAZ-AA was a typical truck. Able to carry 16 people in the back, it was used as a tractor, various types of weapons were mounted on its chassis. However, it was problematic to use it in intelligence.

The resulting gap was successfully filled by the Dodge three-quarters - a large by the standards of that time, the Dodge WC-51 jeep received its nickname for its unusual carrying capacity of 750 kg (¾ tons). The creators of the car simply and effectively emphasized its purpose - WC is an abbreviation for Weapon Carrier, "military carrier".

I must say that the car coped with its role perfectly. A simple, technological and maintainable design, reliability and functionality - this is all that the army of that time required. Unlike younger brothers, the installation of a large-caliber machine gun or a 37-mm cannon was provided for on the Dodge. The car confidently took six to seven passengers on board, had standard places for attaching shovels, canisters, and ammunition boxes.

At first, the Dodge in the Red Army was used as a tractor, but soon began to enter all branches of the army, where he showed himself, as they say, in all his glory, acting as and personal transport officers, and a combat vehicle of reconnaissance groups. In total, over 24 thousand cars of this family were delivered to the USSR.

German SUVs from World War II

The ideology of Nazism serves as an excellent basis for supporting politics domestic manufacturer. That is why the army of the Third Reich was armed with the most diverse fleet of cars of its own production. At the same time, the Germans, with their characteristic diligence, did not work according to the principle “they will buy it anyway”, and they produced really high-quality cars with very, very good characteristics.

The conquest of almost all of Europe not only replenished the fleet of the German army, but also made it more motley, turning the life of supply units into a nightmare.

Formally, the unification of the park began around the middle of the war, but in the soldier's jargon it happened a little earlier: so all small open jeeps in the German army they called it "Kübelvagen", that is, "tin car".

An example of a similar class of vehicles in the German army was the Volkswagen Kfz 1, a rear-wheel drive car with an engine half that of Willis (both in volume and power), the prototype of which was drawn by Ferdinand Porsche himself. But there were many of them, and a light amphibian was produced on its basis.

However, there were more serious cars in the Third Reich. Horch 901 (Kfz 16) acted as a kind of analogue of Dodge "three-quarters". Firms Stoewer, BMW and Ganomag produced an analogue of the American Jeep.

Now, seven decades later, disputes are not uncommon about whose World War II cars were better - high-tech and meticulously accurate German ones, primitive but unpretentious Soviet ones, universal American ones, somewhat eccentric French ones ... Car enthusiasts of all countries are actively looking for the remains of mechanical satellites soldiers, restore them, bring them into proper technical condition. Often, such cars pass in formation at the Victory Parades in different cities.

Probably, now these disputes are no longer relevant - too much water has flowed under the bridge since those times. The modern army car has changed dramatically. This is no longer a tin cart with a motor, on which our grandfathers drove half of the Soviet Union and Europe.

As a rule, this is an SUV protected by high-quality armor, under the hood of which there are more than one hundred "horses", and the protection systems of which can protect the crew even in the zone of radiation damage. But that war proved that the car has long been able to replace the usual horse-drawn tractive force, and the experience of operating off-road vehicles of the Second World War is used in the global automotive industry to this day.