The Borgward B 3000 was a medium-sized truck made by German manufacturer Carl F. W. Borgward GmbH between 1941 and 1944 in the

Bremen Bremen (Low German also: ''Breem'' or ''Bräm''), officially the City Municipality of Bremen (, ), is the capital of the States of Germany, German state of the Bremen (state), Free Hanseatic City of Bremen (), a two-city-state consisting of the c ...

-Sebaldsbrück works. After

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 ...

, B 3000 production continued from July 1948 to 1950. There was also an electric version named Borgward BE3000.

''Einheits-Lkw'' 3 t

Borgward started building trucks in 1937, supplying vehicles of up to five tons of payload until the start of the Second World War in 1939, including the 3-ton ''Borgward G. W.'' truck, available with petrol or Diesel engine. A large contingent of these trucks was requisitioned by the

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 ...

. Initially, production of the regular truck range continued. In 1940, the German truck manufacturers were directed to curtail the number of different models in order to focus on the production of simplified 'standard' trucks with a payload of around three tons. As of 1942, production of the successor commenced. This new ''"Einheits-LKW"'' ("standard truck") was a 3-ton truck with the official designation ''Borgward B 3000 S/O'' (with a 3.7 litre, 78 hp petrol engine) or ''Borgward B 3000 S/D'' respectively (with a 5-litre, 75 hp diesel engine, both with six cylinders). To save raw materials, the trucks were later simplified even further by measures like dropping the diamond-shaped Borgward badge on the grille or replacing the steel cabin with a standard wooden truck cabin ''("Einheitsführerhaus")''. The B 3000 was an adequate vehicle, but the lighter Opel 'Blitz' V 3000 proved superior.

Production volume

Borgward produced other military vehicles besides trucks, especially the Sd.Kfz. 7 half-track, the

Sd.Kfz. 251 The Sd.Kfz. 251 (''Sonderkraftfahrzeug 251'') was a World War II German half-tracked armoured personnel carrier. Designed by the Hanomag company to transport the ''Panzergrenadier'' (German mechanized infantry) into battle, the Sd.Kfz. 251 was bas ...

armoured half-track and the Borgward IV carrier. In all, about 30,000 3-ton trucks were built until the plant was destroyed by Allied bombing raids in 1944, with

forced labour Forced labour, or unfree labour, is any work relation, especially in modern or early modern history, in which people are employed against their will with the threat of destitution, detention, or violence, including death or other forms of ...

used in 1944. Plans to recommence production in order to build the Opel Blitz in Bremen could not be implemented when Bremen was conquered by British troops in 1945.

Notes

References

* Reinhard Frank: ''Lastkraftwagen der Wehrmacht''. Nebel-Verlag, Utting . *

Peter Kurze Peter Kurze is a German publisher and author. He became known through his book series on the history of the automobile. Life Born 1955 in Bremen, after two one-year internships at a machine factory and a bank, he studied mechanical engineering ...

: ''Liefer- und Lastwagen aus Bremen: Nutzfahrzeuge seit 1945 von Borgward, Hanomag und Mercedes''. Kurze-Verlag 2005, . * Oswald, Werner: ''Kraftfahrzeuge und Panzer der Reichswehr, Wehrmacht und Bundeswehr''. Motorbuch Verlag, Stuttgart 1982.

External links

Pictures
March 19, 2012

March 19, 2012 (in German)

March 19, 2012 {{Borgward timeline 1945 to 1970 Borgward B 3000 B 3000 World War II vehicles of Germany Military vehicles introduced in the 1930s Military vehicles of Germany