Kübelwagen/Schwimmwagen: A Visual History of the German Army's Multi-Purpose Vehicle (Visual History Series)

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manufactured include: Boxer - armored fighting vehicle, TPz Fuchs "Fox" - personnel carrier, YAK - armored

History [ edit ] A Feldgendarmerie (military police) Kübelwagen on the Eastern Front in 1943 1951 Volkswagen Kübelwagen As an interesting aside, captured Kübelwagen gladly were put to use by the Americans, and resulted in the first comprehensive English-language Technical Manual for the operation and service of the Volkswagen in 1944. Regardless of what the US high command thought of the VW, plenty of GIs came home with positive memories or at least grudging respect, helping the Volkswagen became a popular import in the early fifties based on its rep for toughness. a b c Ludvigsen, Karl (2018). Professor Porsche's Wars. UK: Pen & Sword Books, Ltd. pp.78, 116, 132, 136. ISBN 9781526726797 . Retrieved 14 February 2019. In January 1938, Hitler’s chauffeur/bodyguard turned SS commander Sepp Dietrich gave Porsche the nod to develop a military version of the Volkswagen. The challenge with the Kubel at the time was that, unlike the 356s, there was no restoration supply industry to turn to, for purchasing components. Each trim part had to be found from sources or made from scratch. The development process took over a year, one of the best years ever working with my father!Type 82/8: Like regular open Type 82/0 Kübelwagen, but with body made of wood, to save on scarce steel resources During the 1960s, several European governments began cooperating on development of a vehicle known as the Europa Jeep, a lightweight, amphibious four-wheel drive vehicle that could be mass-produced for use by various national military and government groups. That’s roughly twice the value of a comparable Willys, according to the owner of this particular example, Salvador Patrício Gouveia. One of the Kübelwagen’s most remarkable features was its use of a limited slip differential, the first application ever outside of the legendary thirties Audi GP cars, for which purpose it was first invented. It was the key ingredient (along with the rear engine and light weight) that allowed the VW to be effective off-road without having four wheel drive. In fact, under certain situations, like crossing a trench on the diagonal, a four wheel drive vehicle like the Jeep could potentially get hung up if one wheel on each axle was briefly suspended in the air.

The brief specified that the vehicle should weigh no more than 2090lb (950kg) with four fully kitted-out soldiers onboard, and a maximum of 1210lb (550kg) unladen. Speaking of the mechanicals, Intermeccanica’s version of the Kubel uses a fiberglass body mounted on a tubular-steel perimeter frame. Drivetrain and suspension components are from ’66-72 VW T-1 (micro bus). After field trials, the car still needed upgrades to further refine and improve its off-road capability. The ground clearance went up, and the addition of gear reduction hubs and a modified first gear slowed down speed to match the walking pace of infantry. With these changes, the Type 82 was put into mass production in early 1940 with enough time to ramp up production for the invasion of France. Variants of the Type 82 would see service in every front with the Wehrmacht and would serve roles as troop transports, radio and command cars, ambulance, and more.Caleb Larson holds a Master of Public Policy degree from the Willy Brandt School of Public Policy. He lives in Berlin and writes on U.S. and Russian foreign and defense policy, German politics, and culture. The development still was on throughout 1939, focusing on the angular body design, equipment and fittings, engine settings and a first preseries. So much so that the first preseries Type 62s were tested operationally in September during the invasion of Poland, revealing some changes to be made and resulting in the production Type 82. In total, Germany produced around 50,000 Type 82s during the war. While this is a far cry from the 650,000+ Jeeps produced on the other side of the conflict, it was more than enough to cement the Type 82’s reputation as a reliable and capable vehicle to both the German soldiers as well as the Allied soldiers who captured them. Beige steel wheels are mounted with 5.25-16 Wesa Gelande tires, as is a nose-mounted front spare. A front Notek light reflects light downward from an internal mirror to avoid detection by aircraft, while a rear Notek light features a flip-down panel over a light array designed to help convoys estimate following distance. Additional features include trafficators in rectangular housings on each side of the windshield, fender-mounted headlamps with canvas lens covers, a side-mounted shovel and Wehrmacht fuel can, and a beige canvas convertible top. a b c d e Carroll, John (17 January 2019). "Industry and Style". Key Military. Archived from the original on 18 February 2022 . Retrieved 18 February 2022.

Military vehicles from Germany haven’t been featured on nearly such a scale at Amelia, but in a couple weeks, Bonhams will be offering a few interesting and rarely seen pieces of such World War II hardware. All three examples featured below are from the impressive collection of Gerhard Schnuerer and are offered without reserve—an exciting opportunity for military collectors everywhere. 1945 NSU SdKfz 2 “Kettenkrad” Turn signals have been added to allow it to pass the strict German TUV inspection to make it road legal The moniker, which was subsequently shortened to Kübelwagen, referred to the seats employed to prevent occupants from spilling out due to their open-sided flanks. Although the Kübelwagen acquitted itself very well, there was a perceived need for a more extreme-conditions vehicle, combining four wheel drive and amphibious capability. The Type 166 Schwimmwagen was a superb accomplishment, making it the most numerous mass-produced amphibious car in history.

Originally called the Kübelsitzwagen, the name was shortened to Kübelwagen as the Type 82 went into full production at VW factories in February 1940, with only modest modifications being made throughout the war until Germany was defeated in 1945. The biggest change came in 1943 when a new dashboard was introduced and the engine was upgraded from 985cc to 1,131cc by fitting one designed for the Shwimmwagen.

Humber, meanwhile, wrote a lengthy report that same year on a ‘German Light Aid Detachment Vehicle’ seized in the Middle East. Manufactured in Wolfsburg, West Germany (1968–74), Hannover, West Germany (1974–75), Emden, West Germany (1975–78), [2] Puebla, Mexico (1970–80), and Jakarta, Indonesia (1972–80), the Type 181 shared its mechanicals with Volkswagen's Type 1 (Beetle) and the pre-1968 Volkswagen Microbus, its floor pan with the Type 1 Karmann Ghia, and its concept with the company's Kübelwagen, which had been used by the German military during World War II. Kübelwagens were present in every single unit of the German Army and served on all fronts to the last day of the war and beyond. Thousands found their way on the civilian market, many were converted to other duties, and others ended in museums and made the delight of private owners around the world. Their long postwar life was helped by the solid fanbase of the VW Beetle which shared many parts with it. This vehicle was not armored, not armed by default, so it has no place in the regular encyclopedia. The more complicated Type 62 Prototypes had four-wheel-drive and different engines, but since performances or capability does not proved better than the Type 82 they never left the prospects stage. In March 1943 however, a bigger 1,131 cc engine was adopted, which was initially developed for the Schwimmwagen (the amphibious equivalent of the Kübelwagen), which produced more torque and power. After VW closed its doors for years following the defeat of the IIIrd Reich, it had delivered 50,435 Kübelwagen vehicles, which proven itself useful, reliable, and durable and were also recycled for some in the world-beating Beetle in postwar years.

EU Titled Liquid Cooled TYP82 Kubelwagen". Intermeccanica. Archived from the original on 25 December 2019 . Retrieved 25 December 2019. As for how the Intermeccanica Kubel came to be, this was a project and idea brought to us by our Japanese importer Masaki Horii in the mid 1990s. My father, after having tossed this idea aside for a couple of years, was able to secure a financial commitment from the Importer for partial finding of the tooling. Once this aspect was discussed, we took a trip to Seattle to meet the owner of an original restored Kubel. This visit was pivotal as it was immediately obvious what a cool vehicle the Kubel is. After the war it was left there and the car does have some historical papers showing it was registered in