Rare Crazy Panzer Projekts.

[CharlesBronson]

Lauster Wargel LW-5 recovery armored vehicle.

At the request of WaPrüf 5 (Department for the Study of Engineering Equipment) in 1943, the firm Lauster in Stuttgart built a modular vehicle to be able to tow new heavy German armored vehicles in development for the German army.

When the two separate armored units were mated, each equipped with a Maybach HL 108 motor developing 235 horsepower, the vehicle could pull up to 53 tons (about enough to tow German armor up to a Panther tank).

Lauster chose to go with the huge armored spiked wheels over tracks for traction over the most difficult terrain.

The machine was thoroughly tested on the ground, where even a test spade was attached to dig trenches with satisfactory results, but the LW-5 did not proceed past the prototype stage despite its potential.


Judged as too slow, cumbersome, and with only pivotal steering, the LW-5 towing concept faded into obscurity as latter German heavy tanks were usually towed by other heavy tanks via cables and in some cases, even experimental armored RATO units!

The Wargel part of the designation comes from the Swabian word "wargeln" which means to roll.


Technical Data:

Length: 12.4 m
Height: 3 m
Width: 3.56 m
Maximum speed: 30 km/h

 

[CharlesBronson]

Porsche Typ 175 ( Radschlepper ost)

This strange vehicle was the Porsche response to a German army requeriment for a towing and transport special lorry.

The radschlepper ost (wheeled tractor for the East) was to be capable to operate in the worst mud and snow conditions, for that purpose the doktor Porsche choosed a design with all steel spiked roadwheels with large diameter wich teorically helped to achieve grip is soft ground but probably gave a very hard ( and noisy) ride over pavement.

Uncle addie gave a closer look to the Typ 175.

The vehicle weight was 7000kg, had all wheel drive and it was capable to carry his own weight or tow about 5 tons, maximum speed in soft terrain was just 15 km/h, the weak 4 cilinders engine with just 90 hp probably didnt help to the maneouver.

200 Typ 175 were ordered in 1942 but the order was reduced to merely 50 made by Skoda in 1943 after the the failure to fullfill the requeriments.

 

[marconi]

Strange that this one wasn't mentioned here:
KRUPP KUGELPANZER - Mysterious German Ball Tank

 

[CharlesBronson]

Armored observation post I believe, but wouldnt put myself in it was a too obvious target.

 

[CharlesBronson]

3 photos of the Panzer III G with "schachtellaufwerk" interleaved roadwheels suspension) doing some test in the austrian-German border, winter 1942/43. The tank is testing an armored trolley for infantry transportation in snowy conditions.

Does anybody know what are those atachmets in the sides , in front of the turret?

 

[fly boy]

man i don't know about guns but it would suck if one of the guys in the back had to pee

 

[109ROAMING]

Strange that this one wasn't mentioned here:
KRUPP KUGELPANZER - Mysterious German Ball Tank

Oh man thats weird,Quite scary and really depressing

sorry I can't help Charles

 

[Flyboy2]

Yeah that is a very interesting little tank...

 

[ratdog]

can it even be qualified as a tank?!!

 

[CharlesBronson]

man i don't know about guns but it would suck if one of the guys in the back had to pee

That is why the buckets were invented for, but aniway the trolley was designed to transport the infantry to the frontline, probably was not intended to roam with panzergrenadiers above a snowy battlefield with that, specially with the menace of mortar and artillery attack that could destroy the infantry in any second.

The kubelwagen is not tank, it have 3 wheels but was designed as fixed armored artillery and sniper spotting post, akward, bulky, difficult to cammouflate, probably never used in action, at list I never saw a picture of that in action.

 

[CharlesBronson]

Raketenwerfer aus Panzer IV fahrgestell

A panzer IV ausf D chassis equipped with a protected rack for launching the 21cm "wurfkorper". It had no turret but an aditional protected cabin for the rocket operator. The date of this projekt is 1943, unfortunately I have no more data on the manufacturer or other performances.

 

[Aaron Brooks Wolters]

Very interesting stuff Charles. Much appreciated. Thank you.

 

[CharlesBronson]

Thank you, if you tought that was weird, check this one:


Pzkpfw IV mit 7,5 cm Ruckstossfrei Kanone 43 3cm MK 103

Very interesting design for a recce vehicle based on Panzer IV chassis. Instead the normal 75mm gun it had a fully automatic belt fed MK 103 30mm aeronautic gun. The single place turret is also armed with two 75mm spin stabilized recoiless gun ( rifled bore rocket launchers) in each side, similar concept to several modern IFVs wich had a medium caliber automatic gun and missile launchers like the Bradley.

 

[ratdog]

how large of a projectile could it launch do you know? just wondering because it is slightly large

 

[CharlesBronson]

You mean how large was the rocket ?

Unfortunately I have no datta on that ammunition, it was derivated of the parachutist 7,5 cm Leichtgeschütz 40

 

[ratdog]

sorry yes rocket and i was just wondering

 

[CharlesBronson]

I found some info, weight of the projectile: 7 kilos.

Muzzle velocity: 355 mps

Penetration of the HEAT warhead: 89 mm.

Very interesting and light gun the LG 40, not many were produced tough.

 

[CharlesBronson]

This is not a proto but a small serie vehicle, interesting aniway:

Panzer II ausf L "Luchs"

In late 1941 the HeeresWaffeAmt (HWA) ordered the design of a new 13 tons fast fully tracked vehicle for recoinassance purposes.
It was to be armed with a 37 or 20 mm gun and a machinegun, it should had a powerful radio set with "sternantenne" in order to comunicate with platoon commanders and artillery batteries up to 35 km.

3 proposal were submitted in june 1942, one from Skoda, other form MAN, and the later by Saurer.

After intensive testing the Man proposal was declared as the winner in june 1942, eventually 300 vehicle were ordered but later this order was reduced to 100 tanks.

Characteristics panzerkampfwagen II ausf L

Type: Recce tank

Crew: 4

Weight in combat : 13250 kg

Armor: 30mm front hull and turret, 20 mm sides, 12mm top deck and roof.

Engine: 6 cilinders Maybach HL 66 water cooled, 200 hp

Speed on road: 60 km/h

Off road: 30 km/h

Armament: 1 Kwk 38 fully automatic 20 mm gun with 330 rounds, plus a MG 42 with 3350 rounds of S.m.K ammunition.

Turret operation: manual

Internal view of the turret viewing from the commander seat, the MG 42 is removed.

The lynx included some extras like the heating and extra ventilation for the crew, also it had 2 devices for starting the engine is severe cold conditions. 31 were delivered by the 1th january 1943, after the 100th vehicle was manufatured in july 1943 all the program was cancelled, the tank did not fullfill completely the needs of the Heer, mostly because their size. its planned sussesor, the VK 1601 "Leopard" did not manage to enter in service.

 

[CharlesBronson]

Neubaufahrzeug:
There is already some info of this tank posted, It was a experimental projekt dated 1936 one was made by Rheinmetal Borsig and the other by Krupp.

Its armament was 2 x MG 34s plus a 75mm howitzer with a 37 mm pak in an over and under configuration. Coaxial gun was the magazine fed MG 13.
It armor was completely inadecuate, between 20 to 13mm. Is worth to mention that it was the only german multiturret design ever. Overall weight 23 tons.
The pair saw some action in Norway ( one damaged by british gunfire but repaired later) and Russia when the survivor was dully destroyed by Russian defences in the early stage of "Barbarossa".

 

[CharlesBronson]

I must clarify something, the Rheinmetall Borsig Nfbz used and "over and under" guns, the one made by Krupp had a "side by side " main armament. Also the MG 13 ball mounting was different.

3 were made by Krupp and 2 by Rheinmetall, the RB made tank had low carbon steel plates so were used only for training purposes.

And by the way Neubaufahrzeug means something like "new design or new construction vehicle"

Rheinmetall Borsig Neubaufahrzeug