Volkswagen

Kübelwagen

The Volkswagen Type 82 Kübelwagen (), or simply Kübel, contractions of the original German word Kübelsitzwagen (translated: 'bucket-seat car' – but when the contractions are translated literally a back-formation of 'bucket' or 'tub'-car results), is a military light utility vehicle designed by Ferdinand Porsche and built by Volkswagen during World War II for use by the Nazi German military (both Wehrmacht and Waffen-SS). Based heavily on the Volkswagen Beetle, it was prototyped and first deployed in Poland as the Type 62, but following improvements entered full-scale production as the Type 82. Several derivative models, such as the Kommandeurswagen, were also built in dozens to hundreds. The four-wheel drivetrain that was prototyped in the rejected Type 86 version went into mass production in the Schwimmwagen. The Type 86 performed better in comparative testing, but the additional costs of the more complex four-wheel drivetrain (both financial, as well as making the light car heavier and thirstier) did not outweigh the benefits from the German viewpoint. The Kübelwagen was intended to be able to be manhandled by its crew if they got stuck. Easily seating four men, the 725 kg (1,600 lb) empty weight Kübel was easier to lift than the 300 kg (660 lb) heavier jeep. The rear bench would seat three in a pinch, for a total of five inside. Before the war, the term Kübelwagen became popular in Germany for light open-topped cross-country and military field cars without doors, because these were typically equipped with bucket seats to help keep occupants on board, necessary in an era before the adoption of seat belts. This body style had first been developed by Karosseriefabrik N. Trutz in 1923. The first Porsche Type 62 test vehicles had no doors and were therefore fitted with bucket seats as Kübelsitzwagen, later shortened to Kübelwagen. Despite later acquiring doors, and more regular, lower seats, the name Kübelwagen was retained. Besides the Volkswagen plant, Mercedes-Benz, Opel, and Tatra also built Kübel(sitz)wagen, though they were all rear-wheel drive models only. The Kübelwagen's rolling chassis and mechanics were built at the Stadt des KdF-Wagens, ('city of the strength-through-joy-car', renamed Wolfsburg after 1945) and its body was built by US-owned firm Ambi Budd Presswerke in Berlin. The Kübelwagen's role as a light multi-purpose military vehicle made it the German equivalent to the Allied Willys MB jeep and the GAZ-67, after previous efforts to mass-produce standardized military four-wheel drives for the Wehrmacht had largely failed.

Text from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Predecessor: Schwimmwagen · Successor: Volkswagen 181

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History

Although Adolf Hitler had discussed the possibility of military application of the Volkswagen with Ferdinand Porsche as early as April 1934, it was not until January 1938 that high-ranking Heereswaffenamt officials formally approached Porsche about designing an inexpensive, lightweight military transport vehicle that could operate reliably both on- and off-road, in even the most extreme conditions. Porsche began work on the project immediately, having a prototype of the vehicle ready within the month, but realized during development that it would not be enough to just reinforce the Beetle's chassis to handle the stresses that military use would place on it. In order to guarantee adequate off-road performance of a two-wheel-drive vehicle with a 1,000 cc (61 cu in) FMCV 1 engine, it would have to be lightweight. In fact, the army had stipulated a gross weight of 950 kg (2,090 lb), including four battle-dressed troops, which meant that the vehicle itself should not weigh more than 550 kg (1,210 lb). Porsche therefore sub-contracted Trutz, an experienced military coachbuilder, to help out with the body design. Developmental testing by the military began after a presentation of the prototypes designated as Type 62 in November 1938. Despite lacking four wheel drive, the vehicle proved very competent at maneuvering its way over rough terrain, even in a direct comparison with a contemporary standard German Army 4x4, and the project was given the green light for further development. The vehicle's light weight and ZF self-locking differential compensated for the lack of a four-wheel drive. Further development of the Type 62 took place during 1939, including a more angular body design, and pre-production models were field-tested in the invasion of Poland that started in September

Technology and performance

When the German military took delivery of the first vehicles, it immediately put them to the test on- and off-road in snow and ice to test their capability at handling European winters. Several four-wheel-drive vehicles were used as reference points. The two-wheel-drive Kübelwagen surprised even those who had been a part of its development, as it easily out-performed the other vehicles in nearly every test. Most notably, thanks to its smooth, flat underbody, the Kübel would propel itself much like a motorised sled when the wheels sank into sand, snow, or mud, allowing it to follow tracked vehicles with remarkable tenacity. In November 1943, the US military conducted a series of tests as well on one or several Type 82s it had captured in the North Africa campaign. This evaluation, done at the Army's Aberdeen Proving Ground, resulted in the publication of War Department Technical Manual TM E9-803, 6 June 1944 (on D-Day). The manual's publication date (D-Day) is assumed to be coincidental, but its TM number was identical to that of the American jeep, with the prefix 'E' for 'enemy'. It was intended for distribution after the 6 June invasion of Normandy to US military personnel who might encounter ones that had been abandoned, possibly for lack of fuel or a minor technical problem, and with the help of this manual, might be put into service as additional vehicles. The TM calls the type 82 "a four-wheeled, rubbertyred, rear axle drive personnel carrier and reconnaissance car, comparable in purpose and size to the American 1⁄4-ton [230 kg] truck". So thorough was the analysis that it included information beyond what could be done as field servicing, plus ways of dealing with very low temperatures. A US War Department technical manual states: "The Volkswagen, the German equiv

Variants

The following body types and variants of the Type 82 were produced: Type 62: Prototype Kübelwagen, constructed from 15 May 1938; pre-production models (1939) field tested in the invasion of Poland Type 67: 2-stretcher ambulance; Type 60 Beetle chassis with modified Type 82 body Type 82/0: Basic, standard four seater Type 82/1: Three-seater; usually radio car Type 82/2: Sirencar (Siemens motor-driven siren mounted on passenger side in place of the rear seat) Type 82/3: Mock-up scout car / armoured vehicle, incl. gun-turret atop cabin – for decoy and training purposes Type 82/5: Kübelwagen chassis, with Type 60/LO Pritschenwagen ('Beetle pickup-truck') body. Type 82/6: "Tropenwagen": Kübelwagen chassis, with Beetle panel-van / box-van body Type 82/7: Three-seat 'Command car': a Type 82 chassis, fitted with a Beetle body and roll-up canvas roof section. These three-seaters had a single rear seat behind the driver, and a co-driver's seat with fully reclining backrest for a commanding officer. Type 82/8: Like regular open Type 82/0 Kübelwagen, but with body made of wood, to save on scarce steel resources Type 82/E: "Geländekäfer": Kübelwagen chassis with Beetle body (688 manufactured) Type 86: Four-wheel drive (six prototypes made) Type 87: "Kommandeurwagen": a Type 86 4WD Kübelwagen chassis with Beetle command car body. Fitted with running boards, under-hood-mounted spare tire (accompanied by a gas can, a jack, a small tool kit, and a shovel), and widened fenders for its larger-diameter Kronprinz (Crown Prince) off-road tires. Some were provided to high-ranking officers, who could push through virtually any kind of terrain with them. (667 produced) Type 89: Fitted with experimental automatic transmission Type 92/LO:deprecated — from April 1943 known as Type 82/5 Type 92/O

Sections adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0); text is shortened. Read the full article for the complete history and citations.

Specifications

name: VW Type 82 "de"
Manufacturer: Volkswagenwerk GmbH
aka: Safari, 'Bucket/Tub car'
Assembly: Stadt des KDF-Wagens, Germany
Successor: DKW Munga (in German military), VW type 181 Thing / 182 Trekker
Class: Military vehicle
Body style: 4-door utility roadster
Layout: RR layout
Platform: VW Type 1 Kdf-Wagen
Engine: 985 cc air-cooled H4, 1,131 cc air-cooled H4
Transmission: 4-speed manual;, self-locking differential, portal gear reduction by 1.4:1
Wheelbase: 2400 mm
Length: 3740 mm
Width: 1600 mm
Height: 1650 mm (top up);, 1110 mm collapsible
Kerb weight: 725 kg empty , GVW = 1160 kg
Related: VW 87 Kommandeurswagen, VW 166 Schwimmwagen, VW 276 Schlepperfahrzeug
Designer: Ferdinand Porsche