The Einheits-PKW, also known as the Einheits-LKW, was a 4 x 4 light truck used by Germany during World War II. The Einheits was similar to the American Jeep.
Description[]
The Einheits came in three general classifications, the Leichter (light), Mittlerer (medium), and Schwerer (heavy) types. The Leichter version measured 390 cm long, 169 cm wide, and 190 cm high, and weighed 2,200 kilograms. The Mittlerer version measured 470 cm long, 186 cm wide, and 207 cm high, and weighed 3,000 kilograms while the Schwerer version measured 484 cm long, 200 cm wide, and 204 cm high and weighed 4,000 kilograms.
The Einheits had a series of manufacturers, and depending upon the manufacturer, the types of engines equipped varied. All Leichter models produced by Stoewer had 47 hp, 4-cylinder Stoewer AW 2 petrol engines, while the Mittlerer and Schwerer models had 79 hp, 8-cylinder Horch 830 petrol engines. The Einheits produced by BMW had 44 hp, 6-cylinder BMW 325 petrol engines, those produced by Hanomag 47 hp, 6-cylinder Hanomag 20 B petrol engines, those by Opel 67 hp, 6-cylinder Opel R-6 petrol engines and those produced by Ford had 77 hp, 8-cylinder Ford V-8 petrol engines. The maximum range of the Einheits with any engine was 400 kilometers.
The Einheits had no armor or armament, and required a crew of only one driver, and was capable of carrying up to three passengers or 500 kilograms, 600 kilograms, 1,000 kilograms, or 1,100 kilograms of cargo. The Einheits also suffered from a multitude of design flaws and shortcomings, and despite attempts to rectify these in the 1940 modifications to the designs as the Typ 40, such as the removal of the complex four-wheel steering system, the Einheits failed as a military vehicle.
Variants[]
The two types of Einheits produced were the Einheits-PKW, (geländegängiger Personenkraftwagen), or off-road passenger car, and the Einheits-LKW, (geländegängiger Lastkraftwagen), or off-road truck. The PKW was produced in Leichter, Mittlerer and Schwerer versions, while the LKW was only produced in Leichter and Mittlerer versions.
Various other variants appeared that were designed by the individual manufacturers. BMW manufactured the Leichter PKW under the designation BMW 325, Hanomag under the designation Type 20 B, and Stoewer under the designation Typ R 180 Spezial. These vehicles were used by various military branches under other designations, those being, Kfz 1 for troop carriers, Kfz 2/40 for repair and maintenance vehicles, Kfz 3 for artillery reconnaissance vehicles, and Kfz 4 troop-level aerial defense vehicles. During 1940 to 1943, Stoewer continued to produced the R 200 Spezial, which had no four-wheel steering. The Leichter variants were soon declared "unfit for wartime service" in military enquiry of 1942, and ninety percent of military branches adopted the VW Kübelwagen instead.
The Mittlerer versions were produced by Opel, Auto Union and Horch factories. The military designations for these vehicles were Kfz 11, Kfz 12 and Kfz 21 as troop carriers and light artillery tractors, Kfz 15, Kfz 17 and Kfz 17/1 as signal vehicles and Kfz 16 and Kfz 16/1 as artillery reconnaissance vehicles. One of the most notable changes to the 1940 design was removal of the spare wheel, which simplified the bodywork and offered more interior space. Eighty percent of the military branches viewed the Mittlerer versions as "unfit for wartime service".
The final group of variants of the Einheits was the Schwerer versions, which were produced by Horch and Ford Germany. The military designations for these variants were Kfz 23 and Kfz 24 for signal vehicles, Kfz 31 for military ambulances, Kfz 69 for light anti-tank artillery tractors, Kfz 70 for troop carriers, Kfz 81 for light anti-aircraft artillery tractors and Kfz 83 for anti-aircraft search light tractors. The chassis of the Schwerer Einheits-PKW were also used for the SdKfz 247 as well as for the rear engine sdKfz 221 and SdKfz 222 Leichter Panzerspähwagens.
History[]
The Einheits was designed in 1936 to replace the various civilian motor cars in service with the former Reichswehr. The Wehrmacht set out to develop a single cross-country chassis design as part of the Four Year Plan to standardize the German military. Due to the limitations of the German automotive industry, a single manufacturer proved incapable of supplying the Wehrmacht with its cross-country vehicles. Therefor, a variety of manufacturers, including Stoewer, BMW, Hanomag, Opel, Auto Union and Ford Germany were commissioned to produce the Einheits-PKW and Einheits-LKW designs, which led to each individual manufacturer equipping the vehicles produced by them with their own engines from civilian models, and also outsourced most of heir individual components, thus not delivering a fully standardized cross-country, military vehicle. The Einheits ultimately proved to be a failure, and eighty to ninety percent of the branches of the newly formed Wehrmacht declared it "unfit for wartime service", as stated in a 1942 enquiry. Almost 13,000 Leichter versions, 12,000 Mittlerer versions, and 5,000 Schwerer versions were produced between 1936 and 1943, a total of some 30,000 vehicles.
Sources[]
- Armored Vehicles of the German Army, 1905-1945 - Walter J. Spielberger
- Kraftfahrzeuge und Panzer der Reichswehr, Wehrmacht und Bundswehr (Motorbuch Verlag, Stuttgart, 17. Auflage 2004 - ISBN 3-613-02370-9) - Werner Oswald
- Vorschrift D 662/4 Einheitsfahrgestell I für leichten Personenkraftwagen Typ 40, Gerätebeschreibung und Bedienungsanweisung, Berlin 1941
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