''Kriegslokomotiven'' (, singular: ''Kriegslokomotive'') or ''Kriegsloks'' were

locomotive A locomotive is a rail transport, rail vehicle that provides the motive power for a train. Traditionally, locomotives pulled trains from the front. However, Push–pull train, push–pull operation has become common, and in the pursuit for ...

s produced in large numbers during the

Second World War 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 ...

under

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany, officially known as the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German Reich, German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a Totalit ...

. Their construction was tailored to the economic circumstances of wartime

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

along with conquered and occupied territories across Europe, taking account of the shortage of materials, the transportation of goods in support of military logistics, ease of maintenance under difficult conditions, resistance to

extreme weather Extreme weather includes unexpected, unusual, severe weather, severe, or unseasonal weather; weather at the extremes of the historical distribution—the range that has been seen in the past. Extreme events are based on a location's recorded weat ...

, limited life and the need for rapid, cheap mass production. In order to meet these requirements, economic drawbacks such as relatively high fuel consumption had to be accepted. Forced labour was used in the construction of some of the locomotives; German locomotive building firms employed prisoners from concentration camps and foreign, mostly Polish workers.

Construction

The war locomotives (or ''Kriegslokomotiven'') were kept technically as simple as possible and the use of scarce materials (particularly copper) was dropped. Several German firms used prisoners from concentration camps as

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 ...

in the production of ''Kriegslokomotiven''.

Borsig Lokomotiv Werke (AEG) The rail vehicle factory in Hennigsdorf, Germany, was founded in 1910 by AEG (German company), AEG. Locomotive production began in 1913, and in the 1930s absorbed the work of the August Borsig locomotive factory, being renamed the Borsig Lokomoti ...

used

from KL Auschwitz,

Schichau-Werke The Schichau-Werke (F. Schichau, Maschinen- und Lokomotivfabrik, Schiffswerft und Eisengießerei GmbH) was a German engineering works and shipyard based in Elbing, Germany (now Elbląg, Poland) on the Frisches Haff (Vistula Lagoon) of then-East ...

used

forced labor 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 ...

from

KZ Stutthof Stutthof was a Nazi concentration camp established by Nazi Germany in a secluded, marshy, and wooded area near the village of Stutthof (now Sztutowo) 34 km (21 mi) east of the city of Danzig (Gdańsk) in the territory of the German-an ...

, and its subcamps. DWM Posen (''

Deutsche Waffen- und Munitionsfabriken ''Deutsche Waffen- und Munitionsfabriken Aktiengesellschaft'' (German Weapons and Munitions public limited company), known as DWM, was an arms company in Imperial Germany created in 1896 when ''Ludwig Loewe & Company'' united its weapons and am ...

Posen'') took over Polish manufacturer H. Cegielski – Poznań and turned its workforce into

. Oberschlesische Lokfabrik Krenau took over Polish manufacturer

Fablok Fablok is a Polish manufacturer of locomotives, based in Chrzanów. Until 1947 the official name was ''First Factory of Locomotives in Poland Ltd.'' (), Fablok being a widely used syllabic abbreviation of ''Fabryka Lokomotyw'', among others as th ...

and used

under threat of death. Identical engines were produced in

Vienna Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...

Kassel Kassel (; in Germany, spelled Cassel until 1926) is a city on the Fulda River in North Hesse, northern Hesse, in Central Germany (geography), central Germany. It is the administrative seat of the Regierungsbezirk Kassel (region), Kassel and the d ...

Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

Munich Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...

Stuttgart Stuttgart (; ; Swabian German, Swabian: ; Alemannic German, Alemannic: ; Italian language, Italian: ; ) is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, largest city of the States of Germany, German state of ...

Kirchen Kirchen (Sieg) is a town and Luftkurort (climatic spa) in the district of Altenkirchen (district), Altenkirchen in the north of Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is situated on the river Sieg (river), Sieg, approx. 12 km southwest of Siegen. A ...

Plzeň Plzeň (), also known in English and German as Pilsen (), is a city in the Czech Republic. It is the Statutory city (Czech Republic), fourth most populous city in the Czech Republic with about 188,000 inhabitants. It is located about west of P ...

(Pilsen), and

Strasbourg Strasbourg ( , ; ; ) is the Prefectures in France, prefecture and largest city of the Grand Est Regions of France, region of Geography of France, eastern France, in the historic region of Alsace. It is the prefecture of the Bas-Rhin Departmen ...

. The manufacture of electric locomotives as ''Kriegslokomotiven'' was a special case, because they could only be used in the core network where there was the working infrastructure able to supply the current: power stations, overhead transmission lines, electricity substations and

catenary In physics and geometry, a catenary ( , ) is the curve that an idealized hanging chain or wire rope, cable assumes under its own weight when supported only at its ends in a uniform gravitational field. The catenary curve has a U-like shape, ...

. As a rule, locomotives were preferred that were dependent on additional infrastructure as little as possible. German electric locomotives were given aluminium windings in the

traction motors A traction motor is an electric motor used for propulsion of a vehicle, such as locomotives, electric or hydrogen vehicles, or electric multiple unit trains. Traction motors are used in electrically powered railway vehicles (electric multiple u ...

and

transformer In electrical engineering, a transformer is a passive component that transfers electrical energy from one electrical circuit to another circuit, or multiple Electrical network, circuits. A varying current in any coil of the transformer produces ...

s, and the steam engines had steel fireboxes, hence the name ''Heimstofflok'' or 'home-grown loco'.

Classes

A ''Kriegslokomotive'' usually had two classifications: one based on the normal peacetime classification system and a separate wartime classification. For example, a wartime steam locomotive or ''Kriegsdampflokomotive'' (KDL) was given a KDL class as well as its DRG (''

Deutsche Reichsbahn The ''Deutsche Reichsbahn'' (), also known as the German National Railway, the German State Railway, German Reich Railway, and the German Imperial Railway, was the Weimar Republic, German national Rail transport, railway system created after th ...

'') class. Likewise a wartime motorised locomotive or ''Kriegsmotorlokomotive'' had a KML class number and a wartime electric locomotive or ''Kriegselektrolokomotive'' would have a KEL class number. Besides the DRG, the German Armed Forces had their own locomotive classes. A

field railway A , or , is the German term for a narrow-gauge field railway, usually not open to the public, which in its simplest form provides for the transportation of agricultural, forestry () and industrial raw materials such as wood, peat, stone, earth ...

locomotive belonging to the Army were known as a ''

Heeresfeldbahnlokomotive {{unreferenced, date=December 2014 A Heeresfeldbahnlokomotive is the German term for a special wartime locomotive (''Kriegslokomotive'') for employment on military field railways ('' Heeresfeldbahnen''), railways usually designed to transport milita ...

'' or HF.

Standard gauge A standard-gauge railway is a railway with a track gauge of . The standard gauge is also called Stephenson gauge (after George Stephenson), international gauge, UIC gauge, uniform gauge, normal gauge in Europe, and SGR in East Africa. It is the ...

engines for 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 ...

, mostly diesel switchers, were designated "Wehrmacht Standard Gauge Locomotive" (''Wehrmachtslokomotive für Regelspur'') or WR. The following classes of Kriegslokomotive were procured by the

and other customers (industrial and military railways) during the Second World War: DR Class 52

; Steam locomotives (''Kriegsdampflokomotive'' or "KDL") *

DRB Class 52 The Deutsche Reichsbahn's Class 52Wartime locomotives classes are prefixed DRB (Deutsche Reichsbahn) to distinguish them from those introduced by the DRG (prefixed DRG), which became defunct in 1937, and those introduced later by the East German ...

(KDL 1) * BMB Class 534.0 (KDL 2) *

DRG Class 42 The DRB Class 42Wartime locomotives classes are prefixed DRB (Deutsche Reichsbahn) to distinguish them from those introduced by the DRG (prefixed DRG), which became defunct in 1937, and those introduced later by the East German Deutsche Reichsbahn ...

(KDL 3) * ELNA 6 0-8-0T industrial (KDL 4) * 0-10-0T industrial (KDL 5) * 0-8-0T industrial (KDL 6) * 0-6-0T industrial (KDL 7) * 0-4-0T industrial (KDL 8) * 900 mm gauge 0-6-0T industrial (KDL 9) * 900 mm gauge 0-4-0T industrial (KDL 10) * HF 160 D (KDL 11) * HF 70 C (KDL 12) *

Henschel Henschel & Son () was a German company, located in Kassel, best known during the 20th century as a maker of transportation equipment, including locomotives, trucks, buses and trolleybuses, and armoured fighting vehicles and weapons. Georg C ...

"Riesa" type construction locomotive, austere version, (KDL 13) ; Internal combustion locomotives (''Kriegsmotorlokomotive'' or KML) * (KML 1) * WR D 311 - 2 were used on the 80 cm railway guns. Also base of some post-war development. *

DRG Köf II German ''Kleinlokomotiven'' (literally: small locomotives) like the DRG Kö II (later: Köf II) were developed as locomotives with a low weight and driving power for light shunting duties. There were two classes, based on engine power. The Cl ...

(KML 2) * HF 130 C (KML 3) * HF 50 B (KML 4) * O&K MD 2 (KML 5) * Twin-axled mining locomotives (KML 6, KML 7, KML 8) ; Electric locomotives (''Kriegselektrolokomotive'' or KEL) *

DRG Class E 44 DRG may refer to: Arts and media * DRG Records, an American label * DRG London, a radio multiplex * ''Deep Rock Galactic'', a 2020 co-operative shooter game * Digital raster graphic, a scan of a map Biology and medicine * Dorsal respiratory gro ...

(KEL 1) *

DRG Class E 94 The DRG Class E94 is an electric heavy freight locomotive built for Deutsche Reichsbahn from 1940, with the bulk of deliveries taking place in that year. It was a major evolution of the DRG Class E 93. Railway aficionados still call the type "G ...

(KEL 2) * 900 mm gauge Bo′Bo′ mining (KEL 4) * 550–630 mm gauge Bo industrial (KEL 5) * 550–630 mm gauge Bo′Bo′ mining (KEL 6) * Bo Battery-electric mining (KEL 7, KEL 8, KEL 9) ; Fireless steam locomotives (''Dampfspeicherlokomotive'') * 0-6-0 (KFL 1) * 0-4-0 (KFL 2) A large number of

locomotives were rebuilt by

into

DR Class 52.80 The '' Rekolokomotives'' of DR Class 52.80 first appeared in 1960 in service with the Deutsche Reichsbahn in East Germany as extensive rebuilds of the wartime locomotives or ''Kriegslokomotiven'' of the DRB Class 52 built by Nazi Germany. This mod ...

References

* *

External links

* {{cite web , url = http://www.malletlok.de/ge/ge_d/br53.htm , archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20161215064455/http://www.malletlok.de/ge/ge_d/br53.htm , archive-date = 15 December 2016 , title = Das Projekt der Kriegslokomotive 53 0001 , language = de The Borsig class 53 project. Steam locomotive types Locomotives of Germany Deutsche Reichsbahn-Gesellschaft locomotives Military locomotives of Germany

Construction

Classes

See also

References

External links