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Alternative to Faun as German Recovery Truck


robw_uk

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Hive mind, does anyone have any alternative trucks that might be used for carrying broken down light vehicles (tanks/light cars)... Das Werk have the Faun but was this the only thing the Germans may have used?

 

thanks

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One truck that does have a larger capacity was the  Tatra 111 with  a 10.3 ton cargo capacity and towing a trailer loaded to 22 tons.

 

The trailer designed for transporting tanks was the 10 ton  Sd.Anh. 115 and 22/23 ton Sd.Anh. 116.

 

Interesting post here states the 'piggyback' style of transport ended after the Polish campaign.   Maybe there was several of these incidents as pictured below?

 

3293372_c5e268fb1101b6ade386806b1360cfd8

 

https://www.tapatalk.com/groups/missinglynx/viewtopic.php?p=1527141#p1527141

 

 

regards,

Jack

Edited by JackG
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Found this image of a Büssing-NAG 4500A:

 

31394722203_302d9f4bc2_z.jpg

 

... which reminded me AFV Club had released a kit of  Büssing-NAG with a crane.  It represents the 3 ton boom, but can't confirm it was used for towing wheeled vehicles:

 

947182-37308-73-pristine.jpg

 

 

regards,

Jack

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I believe that "piggyback" carriage ended after Poland simply because the majority of combat AFVs had become too heavy to carry in that way and loading/unloading was simply too awkward.  It remained a viable way of moving Pz 1 and 2 etc.  However, loading a "broken-down" vehicle would be problematic as these trucks were not tilt-bed and did not have loading winches.  How would you get a casualty vehicle on board? 

 

A disabled vehicle is more likely to be towed, possibly with tracks removed, or loaded onto one of the SdAh recovery/transport trailers.  Das Werk do a nice SdAh115.  This trailer had a loading winch and could be used as a loading ramp, which is one reason why you so often see Fauns towing them.  But a disabled vehicle would not be able to be winched from the trailer up onto the truck.

 

German heavy-capacity trucks were surprisingly rare, and articulated trucks were almost unknown in Germany at this time.  Lighter-capacity rigids with drawbar trailers were much more common.  9 tonnes was as good as it got with the Faun and Bussing NAG.  The later-war Tatra 8000 (the 111 was post-war) was 8 tonnes.  Pretty much everything else maxed out at about 6 tonnes.  Lighter Tatras like the T81 and 6000 were widely used by engineer units to carry or tow bridging equipment etc.

 

The SdAh115 could in theory be pulled by anything with the drawbar capacity although the "official" tractors were the Faun 900 and Sd.Kfz 7.  But it was air-braked and needed a tractor with an air brake connection - which most trucks did not have.

 

So to circle back to the original question, the only thing currently available in plastic that fits the bill is the Das Werk Faun 900 or their SdAh with an Sd.Kfz7.  Captured equipment was used and the Germans got their hands on at least one Scammell transporter rig after Dunkinrk, but IIRC it was the earlier model than that kitted by IBG and Thunder.  Wespe Models do a resin Berliet GPE4 which would be capable of carring a Pz1 and possibly a Pz2, and were capable of self-loading.  So that's a possbility - at €90+ though.

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Thanks for the correction on the Tatra, I should have checked other sources that don't fall under the wiki moniker.

 

Also the photo I had posted of the Büssing-NAG should be the 900 series and not 4500.  

 

This seems to be a decent reference site:

http://www.kfzderwehrmacht.de/Homepage_english/Motor_Vehicles/motor_vehicles.html

 

regards,

Jack

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If there is intetest: I built recovery tanks of WW2. Only German ones. From Panzer IV recovery onward and have some in stash. Also the STABO  cran. 

My recovery tanks are on RFI.

Amost all haltrucks too on RFI.

The smal vehicles trucks or half tracks with cran are actually seldom. There are lots of them in original.

I supose  that the field utilities, or backstage utilities did not find much intetest in the past.

Consider just the whole kitchen equipment from truck onward with the horse pulled trucks. About 50 percent of goods were pulled by horses. They were used in Russia. 

Also the railservice. Just to think: 

One railway station somewhere in Russia with all the equipment neccessary.

Happy modelling 

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An interesting read here:

https://history.army.mil/html/books/104/104-7/cmhPub_104-7.pdf

 

It confirms  @Das Abteilung statement that broken down vehicles were very likely towed.  According to the literature on pages 12-13 , they were towed to a collection point where they were safe from enemy fire and observation.   From there they were sent either to the field repair shop or nearest rail head for shipping to a rear area facility.  In all cases, tank transporters (prime movers with flatbed trailers) would move vehicles that could not do so under their own power.

 

 

Also checking out early kstn files, the one for 1937 shows even then trailers were to be pulled by half tracks. 

https://www.wwiidaybyday.com/kstn/kstn11871okt37.htm

 

In the illustrated chart, the trailers (also not a correct graphic) are of an early prototype ''... Tiefladeanhänger für Panzerkampfwagen 20t (Vs. Ah. 642) and the Tiefladeanhänger für Panzerkampfwagen 8t (Vs. Ah. 654) were testing model of the Tiefladeanhänger für Panzerkampfwagen 22/23t (Sd. Ah. 116) introduced in Dec 1940 and the Tiefladeanhänger für Panzerkampfwagen 10t (Sd. Ah. 115) introduced in Apr 1938. Vs. stands for Versuch-experimental.''

 

file.php?id=8578&sid=796b272795ca761a05c

https://www.feldgrau.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1781

 

 

regards,

Jack

 

 

 

 

 

 

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How about the second photo down 🤪  Not a transport vehicle or loading method you would expect.  https://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?f=132&t=178247&start

 

On the same site also have look at the thread on German trailers - 116 pages of photos.  https://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?f=132&t=161260&hilit=trailers

Edited by dcrfan
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