Kugelpanzer

The Kugelpanzer ("ball tank") is a one-man armoured vehicle built by Nazi Germany during World War II. The history of the vehicle is practically unknown other than the fact that at least one example was exported to the Empire of Japan and used by the Kwantung Army. The machine remains something of a mystery due to the lack of records and the incompleteness of the sole surviving model.

Kugelpanzer
The Kugelpanzer at the Kubinka Tank Museum
TypeEither light tank or armoured car
Place of originNazi Germany
Service history
In service1945
Used by
Wars
Production history
ManufacturerKrupp (presumed)
No. built1 (known)
Specifications
Mass1.8 tonnes (4,000 lb)
Length1.7 meters (5.5 feet)
Height1.5 meters (4.9 feet)
Crew1
Armor5 millimetres (0.20 in)
EngineSingle-cylinder two-stroke engine
18.4–22 kilowatts (24.7–29.5 hp)
Maximum speed 50 kilometres per hour (31 mph)
Kugelpanzer information plaque in Russian

Surviving example

Only one example of the Kugelpanzer still exists today. It was captured by the Red Army in Manchuria and is on display in the collection of German armoured vehicles at the Kubinka Tank Museum in Moscow where it is described simply as "exhibit no. 37". There is no record of it ever having been used in combat.[1][2] However, another report states that it was captured at the Kummersdorf proving grounds along with the infamous Maus super-heavy tank.[3] The vehicle was modified after its capture, repainted and its drive removed. In 2000 the original paintwork was restored.

Theories about the vehicle

Only five points seem certain based on the single known example:

  1. It is a German-made vehicle that was shipped to Japan.
  2. It was used as a light reconnaissance vehicle.
  3. It was captured by Soviet troops in 1945, presumably in Manchuria.
  4. The outer armour is only five millimetres thick.
  5. The vehicle was powered by a single-cylinder two-stroke motorcycle engine.

One can only deduce the functionality of the vehicle based on its exterior. It seems to be a one-man reconnaissance tank, equipped with an armoured outer wall and a viewing slot. The drive was probably located under or behind the driver. At the rear there is a steerable wheel to shift the center of gravity behind the axis of the two track wheels and to support rotary movements that are carried out with the track wheels. In stationary operation, the tank could probably serve as an armoured refuge or makeshift bunker. Based on available images, it cannot be determined whether there was an opening below the viewing slot to allow for the use of firearms from inside the tank.

Similar vehicles

Although not immediately equivalent, a possible precursor to the Kugelpanzer was a one-man World War I tank known in France as a bouclier roulant ("rolling shield").[4] A 1936 article in Popular Science described a Texan inventor's design for a spherical armoured vehicle that was dubbed a "tumbleweed tank". It was considerably larger than the Kugelpanzer - offering space for three people and three machine guns along with necessary motors and other equipment. [5]

See also

References
  1. FitzGerald, Michael (10 September 2018). Hitler's Secret Weapons of Mass Destruction: The Nazis' Plan for Final Victory. Arcturus Publishing. ISBN 9781789502640 – via Google Books.
  2. Buckland, Robin (21 January 2019). Modelling German WWII Armoured Vehicles. The Crowood Press. ISBN 9781785005169 – via Google Books.
  3. "Kugelpanzer", Tank Encyclopedia
  4. "Les Boucliers roulants", humanbonb.free.fr (in French), retrieved 11 November 2014
  5. "Tumbleweed Tank", Popular Science, 1 June 1936, archived from the original on 23 December 2014, retrieved 11 November 2014

Books

Robert Dale Arndt Jr.: Strange Vehicles of Pre-War Germany & the Third Reich (1928–1945). 2006, IRP Publication

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