New Entry 12.07.2021: Opel Blitz, Part II (1937-44)

The Opel Blitz was the most famous product from the Opel Company, which logo was basically the "blitz". This truck was developed from 1936 for the Army as Kfz.305 in several main types and many sub-types standardized as the largest production of any Military truck in Germany (130,000 since 1934, 82,000 for the all-wheel drive Model 1937). Production ran also during wartime, in several facilities, notably the Blitz 2.5. produced in Rüsselsheim. Albert Speer reorganized the production around this model in 1943, while allied bombing severely disrupted it, notably swapping the Mercedes L3000 for the Blitz at Mannheim plant. The Opel Blitz really fought with the wehrmacht on all fronts until 1945 and was declined into a multitude of variants, including the famous half-track Sd.Kfz.2 Maultier. This post is a second part, with more data and the whole list of Kfz. variants.

New Tank: 21.06.2021: So-Da Tankette (1941)

The small Type 98 So-Da was a bit of equivalent to the British mass-produced Vickers Universal Carrier, based on the Type 97 Te-Ke tankette. It was a troop carrier capble of towing light artillery and portars as well. The Type 100 Te-Re artillery observation tankette was developed as a main variant. Production numbers are unknown and the vehicles mostly served in China and Burma-Malaya during WW2.

Mil.Truck 21.06.2021: IFA G5 (1965)

The IFA G5 was an East-German truck from IFA (Industrieverband Fahrzeugbau), a conglomerate created in 1948 from Vomag and other east german manufacturers under Soviet supervison. This large company delivered any kind of vehicles, including army trucks, until the reunification of East Germany. The G5 was not the most successful of the medium trucks delivered. It was adopted in marginal quantities by the NVA (East German Army) as dump truck, airfield cleaner truck by the air force, the Alert police and People's Police (Volkspolizei or "vopo"). Its most iconic version remained the Wasserwerfer SK5 deployed during the events of the Berlin crisis of 1961.

16.06.2021: DRDO Ajeya MBT (1982)

The Indian Government after the war of 1971 realized the Vijayanta and Centurion were of the first generation MBT and wished to start its own demotsic 2nd generation tank, which development started in 1972. In 1978, as it developed too slowly competition was open and British and French designed considered, then Soviet when policy changed. Eventually, Indian obtained a licence to produce the T-72M, which became the Ajeya. Large numbers were procured until the DRDO Arjun came into service, but as the elite Indian MBT. Now, the Ajeya in undergoing a full modernization program.

16.06.2021: Soviet GAZ AA truck (1931)

The GAZ AA, nicknamed the "Polutorka" was the most common truck in service in the Red army when the war started with about 155,000 for one million produced, used by the civilian services of USSR. It was a licence-production version of the famous Ford AA, and in 1938 was declined into the simplified GAZ MM and 6x6 GAZ AAA. They were also the base for numerous utility vehicles and gained fame during the siege of Leningrad

New Entry 07.06.2021: Raketenjagdpanzer Jaguar 1 (1978)

The RktJpz 3 (Better known as "Jaguar 1") was a late cold war conversion of the Raketenjagdpanzer 2 to the Hot missile. About 312 were so converted in 1979-82, and again in 1993-95 with the latest HOT missile system and thermal sight, communication systems and add-on armor and Leopard 1 skirts, called Raketenkagdpanzer Jaguar 1A3. They stayed in service until mothballed in the 2010s.

New Truck Entry 07.06.2021: AEC Matador (1938)

AEC was a British specialist of trucks and buses before the war. In 1938, it introduced a 10 tons 4x4 medium truck answering an army specification for towing the three common howitzers of the British army, the 4-in, 4.5 in and 6 in. Nearly 10,000 were manufactured until the end of the war and its sturdy chassis was declined into three armored vehicle, the AEC Armored Car, heaviest in service in the British army, the Mark I gun carrier and the AEC Dorchester armoured command car. A truly legendary British truck of WW2.

New Entry 31.05.2021: Leichte Radschlepper laffly W 15T(f) (1944)

This rare armored vehicle of the Wehrmacht was one of the few built for Schnelle Brigade West, mostly using recuperated and often modified French vehicles. It was found in action in Normandy in June-July 1944 and Paris in August.

New Truck Entry 31.05.2021: Laffly W15T (1939)

The Laffly W15T is one of the most interesting light vehicles of the French Army in 1940. It was a 6x6 designed by Laffly with additional rollers for dealing with rough terrain, built by Hotchkiss in 1939-40. About 500 were ordered by only a fraction were delivered before France fell. It was designed for towing the standard 47 mm APX 37 French antitank gun, as well as lighter AT and AA guns or mortars. A significant numbers fell into German hands and some were later fully armored to meet the demands of Schnelle brigade West in 1943-44.

New Truck Entry 24.05.2021: Dodge WC-series, 3/4 tons 4x4 (1942) - Part II

The Dodge G-502, WC series, Part II: WC 56-64. With 255,000 delivered to US Forces and via lend-lease, This was a tremendously important vehicle during WW2 for the US Army and the allies, second after the legendary Jeep. Best known for the weapons carrier WC-51/52 which formed the bulk of the production, nicknamed the "beep", the Dodge G-502 fought all on all fronts until 1945, Korea, and many years after in several cold war armies. It was a dependable beast of burden also declined into ambulance, radio and reconnaissance vehicles and even a tank hunter, the M6.

New Entry 27.05.2021: M50 Ontos (1959)

The M50 Ontos was a second try of the US Army in 1950 for having a potent airborne armored support after the half-baked M56 Scorpion. The result was Allis-Chalmers's tankette armed with six recoiless rifles. Standardized as the "Ontos" of "thing" in greek, the strange looking vehicle was rejected by the army eventually, but adopted by the US Marines, which put it in good use during the Vietnam war.

New Entry 19.05.2021: M5 High speed tractor (1942)

The M5 High Speed Tractor (Prime Mover) was the smallest of the three models ordered in 1942 by the ordnance and quartermaster division. It was built by International Harverster, together with the heavier M4 tractor by Allis-Chalmers. Both entered service in 1943, to gradually replaced the US first generation, improvized Prime Movers such as the M33 and M34. Several variants of the M5 were made, from A1 to A4, diverging by many details and more than 5,500 were delivered, used on all fronts during WW2 (including by the Soviets) and well after the Korean War in other user nations.

Nation Entry 13.05.2021: The Nationale Volksarmee (East German tanks)

The East German Army had the reputation to be the best of the Warsaw pact, shaped by ex-Wehrmacht veteran generals in the 1950-60s. With an excellent industry East Germany also devised many local produced specialized vehicles. Here is the history of the Nationale Volksarmee, its units, deployments and complete overview of its armored vehicles and tanks.

08.05.2021: BTR-90 (1994)

The GAZ-ATZ BTR-90 was designed in the 1990s an unveiled in 1994 as the prossible successor of the BTR-80, armed with the same turret as the BMP-2. However a few were produced for evaluation but it was never accepted for production so far by the Russian MoD. Instead it is used only by the Russian Internal Forces.

Truck Entry 10.05.2021: Sd.Kfz.8 (1938)

The Sonderkraftfahrzeug 8 ("special motorized vehicle 8") was a German half-track widely used during World War II, as a prime mover for heavy guns like the 21 cm Mörser 18, 15 cm Kanone 18, or 10.5 cm FlaK 38. It was also used to carry their crews and ammunitions, but also as a standalone troop carrier. The Sd.Kfz.8 wasalso the first heavy utilitarian half-track in service with the Wehrmacht. Powered by a large Maybach engine, it derived from a serie of prototypes by Daimler Benz in 1931, until Wa Prüf 6 ordered to combine the features of its DB.7 with the ZD.5. The resulting DB.8 was adopted in 1937, followed by the DB.9 in 1938, the main production version, and the wartime DB.10. In all, about 4,000 of these vehicles were used for towing the heaviest artillery pieces in the German arsenal until 1945. Two were modified for frontline offensive roles, the armored tank hunter "bunkerflak" and the DB.10 gepanzert for towing a 88 mm gun. It was also used in every campaign of the Wehrmacht, from the invasion of Poland to the the Battle of France, Balkans Campaign, Africa, Eastern Front, Normandy and Italy.

05.05.2021: M44 SPH (1953)

Designed to replace the M41 "Gorilla" based on the M24 Chaffee used during the Korean war, the M44 was based on the new M41 light tank, caitalized on its larger chassis. It carried the M45 Howitzer into a fully enclosed compartment. Production armounted to circa 600 vehicles, and it was largely distributed among NATO countries as well. Too late for the Korean war, it was replaced by the M109 when the Vietnam was started and gradually discarded in the 1970s apart for the Turkish M44T, completely modernized by Rheinmetall in the late 1980s.

29.04.2021: Cambridge Carrier (1952)

The FV401 Cambridge Carrier (1952) was a more developed version of the Oxford Carrier. It was notably using a brand new, modern suspension system, drivetrain and engine, a Rolls-Royce B80 Mk.2F coupled wit a Brown-Merrit transmission. Larger than the Oxford, it was still cramped for an APC and left the crew largely unprotected, although it was latter fitted with foldable panels at the front. The FV402 was the mobile observation post for he Royal Artillery, which differed by an enclosed casemate, new engine and transmission and radio equipment. Only a few were built and evaluated before it was decided to develop the more promising FV420 series.

21.04.2021: Oxford Carrier (1946)

The Morris CT20 Oxford Carrier was the first British cold war APC (Armoured Personal Carrier), derived from the WW2 Universal Carrier, the most produced tracked vehicle up to that point. The CT20 had a Cadillac engine, and a version was created to serve as mobile Observation post. The main vehicle was designed for towing the 17 pdr gun. Its baptism of fire was in Korea, but its career was short.

15.04.2021: Fiat 6614 (1972)

The FIAT Tipo 6614 was a 4x4 armoured personal carrier developed in the 1970s to answer some Italian Army specifiications for a cheap vehicle, that was to be use later by the Italian police and Carabineri units as well as the Air Force or the army in peace-keeping deployments. It was also widely exported. It was also declined into the FIAT 6614 infantry fighting Vehicle and South Korean KM-900.

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10.04.2021: M31 TRV (1941)

The early standard T2 Tank Retreiver (TRV) became the M31 ARV when standardized in late 1942. It was produced or converted from existiing M3 Lee and Grant Medium Tanks. They were the first purpose tracked recovery armoured vehicles used by the US Army, also sent to the Soviets and Free French as lend-lease as well. They were used until the very end of the war, despite their sucessor, the M32, was based on the M4 Sherman, declared standard in October 1943 already.

05.04.2021: Canadian Armoured Autocar (1914)

The Armoured Autocar was an armoured vehicle, more a mobile, motorized armoured machin gun nest than an armoured personal carrier or even a regular armoured car as it had no turret. Initiated by French Canadian captain Raymond Brutinel, this vehicle was funded by him and with the support of the Minister for the Canadian militia in 1914, resulting in the creation of the Canadian Automobile Machine Gun Brigade, world's first motorized unit of that kind anywhere in the world. Although the static nature of the Western front did not gave them much occasions of sustained action, the German spring offensive in 1918 saw them used in active defense and later, taking part in the last offensives, when mobility returned to the battlefield.

31.03.2021: ZIS-5 (1934)

The ZiS-5 was the second most common Soviet Truck of WW2, after the GAZ-AA family. This 4x4 lorry was built to around 500,000 in various plants, and declined into a multitude of variants. It emerged in 1934 and production stopped in 1948, while it never was really replaced before or during WW2. From late 1941, industrial priorities urged its mass production and in partular the simplifed model V, whereas parallel developments were terminated. Some variants like the 6x4 ZiS-6 never really enjoyed the same success. Many were also captured and served in the German Army and axis allies on the eastern front.

26.03.2021: 7.62cm Pak-36 r-Auf 5t Zugkraftwagen Selbstfahrlafette ausf SdKfz.6/3 "Diana" (1940)

The 7.62cm Pak-36 r-Auf 5t Zugkraftwagen Selbstfahrlafette ausf SdKfz.6/3, more commonly known "Diana" was a rare conversion (only nine) of the Sd.Kfz.6 troop transport and artillery tractor half track of the Wehrmacht, first designed in 1936 and initially produced by Büssing-NAG, and Mercedes from 1942. It was a tank-hunter conversion featuring a Russian 76.2 mm F-22 universal gun, protected by an armoured box. They were all used (and lost) in North Africa with the Deutsche Afrika Korps and 605 Pzabt.(mot), together with the Panzerjäger-I, also using a captured gun.

22.03.2021: BTR-D (1974)

The BTR-D was Soviet's airborne troops armoured personal carrier (APC). It was developed following reports of the limitations in the field of the BMD-1 airborne IFV, too cramped to carry effectively four soldiers. In effect, the BTR-D reused much of its IFV brother, but with no turret and a much larger compartment, and longer wheeltrain. Armed with just two PKT bow machine guns, it is a pure APC able to carry three paratroopers in addition to its crew of three. The BTR-D was accepted in 1974 and deployed in all soviet airbone units in the 1970-80s. It also saw service in several conflicts and had been upgraded and declined into a multitude of variants, like the "Nona" self propelled gun. Still active with the Russian, Ukrainan armies and others today.

17.03.2021: Karl Gerät (1939)

The Karl Gerät self-propelled howitzer was the largest ordnance ever deployed by any belligerent during WW2, outside railway guns. Its caliber was larger than the Sturmtiger, and its range superior, and it was given tailored 60 cm caliber bunker-busting shells to deal with Belgian and French fortifications. However, the wesstern campaign ended before it could be deployed. In all seven of these were built, named after Nordic deities. They served mainly on the Russian Front, dealing with massive fortifications as Sebastopol and elsewhere, even taking part in the battle of the bulge, the warsaw uprizing, or attempting to destoy the bridge at Remagen.