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The ''Mittlerer Ladungsträger Springer'' (''
An NSU Springer is displayed at
Sd.Kfz.
''Sonderkraftfahrzeug'' (abbreviated ''Sd.Kfz.'', German for "special purpose vehicle") was the ordnance inventory designation used by Nazi Germany before and during World War II for military vehicles; for example ''Sd.Kfz.'' 101 for the Panzer ...
'' 304) was a demolition vehicle of the German Wehrmacht
The ''Wehrmacht'' (, ) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the German Army (1935–1945), ''Heer'' (army), the ''Kriegsmarine'' (navy) and the ''Luftwaffe'' (air force). The designation "''Wehrmac ...
in World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
.
Description
Based on the NSUSd.Kfz. 2
The () is a half-track motorcycle with a single front wheel, better known as the (), shortened to (pl. ). It was used by the military of Nazi Germany during the Second World War.
Design
The started its life as a light tractor for airborne ...
''Kettenkrad'' light tracked vehicle, NSU Werke at Neckarsulm
Neckarsulm () is a city in northern Baden-Württemberg, Germany, near Heilbronn, and part of the district of Heilbronn. , Neckarsulm had 26,800 inhabitants. The name Neckarsulm derives from the city's location where the Neckar and Sulm rivers ...
developed and built around 50 Springer demolition vehicles from October 1944 to April 1945.
To make the vehicle capable of carrying a bigger payload without the motorcycle-style front fork of the original, two pairs of overlapping and interleaved road wheels were added to the aft end of the running gear on each side; giving three outer and three inner running wheels. It was powered by the same Opel Olympia engine of the ''Kettenkrad''.
A driver, sitting in the back of the Springer, drove the vehicle close to the target before dismounting. The final approach and the detonation of the high explosive charge was controlled by a wired or wireless remote control device.
Springers were operated by "Radio Control Armoured Companies", a company made up of three ''Sturmgeschütz 40'' armoured control vehicles, each controlling three Springers and a ''Sturmgeschütz'' command vehicle.Tank Museum
The Springer showed the same problems as other remote-controlled demolition vehicles: They were expensive and not very reliable. As the explosive charge was an integral part of the vehicle, it could only be used once.
Survivors
An NSU Springer is displayed at The Tank Museum
The Tank Museum (previously the Bovington Tank Museum) is a collection of armoured fighting vehicles at Bovington Camp in Dorset, South West England. It is about north of the village of Wool and west of the major port of Poole. The collectio ...
, UK. Another example is preserved at the MM PARK near Strasbourg, in France.
See also
* * * *References
* Jaugitz, Markus: ''Die deutsche Fernlenktruppe 1940–1943''. Waffen-Arsenal Special Volume 10, 1994, Podzun-Pallas-Publishers, Germany {{DEFAULTSORT:Springer (Tank) World War II vehicles of Germany Military robots Robots of Germany Tracked robots 1940s robots Military vehicles introduced from 1940 to 1944 Military vehicles of Germany