''Radschlepper Ost'', literally "wheeled tractor east", also known as Škoda RSO or Porsche 175, was a German heavy

Four-wheel drive A four-wheel drive, also called 4×4 ("four by four") or 4WD, is a two-axled vehicle drivetrain capable of providing torque to all of its wheels simultaneously. It may be full-time or on-demand, and is typically linked via a transfer case pr ...

military

tractor A tractor is an engineering vehicle specifically designed to deliver a high tractive effort (or torque) at slow speeds, for the purposes of hauling a Trailer (vehicle), trailer or machinery such as that used in agriculture, mining or constructio ...

used during

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 ...

. It was designed by

Ferdinand Porsche Ferdinand Porsche (3 September 1875 – 30 January 1951) was a German automotive engineering, automotive engineer and founder of the Porsche, Porsche AG. He is best known for creating the first Petrol engine, gasoline–Electric motor, el ...

in 1941 and produced by Škoda in

Mladá Boleslav Mladá Boleslav (; ) is a city in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 47,000 inhabitants. It lies on the left bank of the Jizera (river), Jizera River. Mladá Boleslav is the second most populated city in the region. I ...

. Around 206 vehicles were produced between the years 1942–1944.

History

The idea of a heavy multipurpose tractor, intended for the prepared

invasion of the Soviet Union Operation Barbarossa was the invasion of the Soviet Union by Nazi Germany and several of its European Axis allies starting on Sunday, 22 June 1941, during World War II. More than 3.8 million Axis troops invaded the western Soviet Union along a ...

supposedly came from

Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (20 April 1889 – 30 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was the dictator of Nazi Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his suicide in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the lea ...

. In 1941

prepared a design of a

four-wheel drive A four-wheel drive, also called 4×4 ("four by four") or 4WD, is a two-axled vehicle drivetrain capable of providing torque to all of its wheels simultaneously. It may be full-time or on-demand, and is typically linked via a transfer case pr ...

tractor, distinguished by its large diameter - - steel cleated wheels. The vehicle was powered by Porsche's own design

air-cooled Air-cooled engines rely on the circulation of air directly over heat dissipation fins or hot areas of the engine to cool them in order to keep the engine within operating temperatures. Air-cooled designs are far simpler than their liquid-cooled ...

, inline-four petrol engine of 6023 cc

displacement Displacement may refer to: Physical sciences Mathematics and physics *Displacement (geometry), is the difference between the final and initial position of a point trajectory (for instance, the center of mass of a moving object). The actual path ...

. As a starter, a two-cylinder petrol engine (half of '' KdF-Wagen'' engine) was used. Final development and production took place in the Škoda automobile plant in Mladá Boleslav, in what was then the

Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia The Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia was a partially-annexation, annexed territory of Nazi Germany that was established on 16 March 1939 after the Occupation of Czechoslovakia (1938–1945), German occupation of the Czech lands. The protector ...

. The RSO went through its first trials in 1942, but results were disappointing; high weight and narrow wheels caused high

ground pressure Ground pressure is the pressure exerted on the ground by the tires or tracks of a motorized vehicle, and is one measure of its potential mobility, especially over soft ground. It also applies to the feet of a walking person or machine. Pressure ...

, causing the tractor to get stuck easily even on relatively solid surface. On icy surfaces, the vehicle was almost impossible to steer. Fuel consumption was also unfavourably high. Production still went ahead despite these problems, with around 200 tractors produced during 1942–1944. Because of their faults, they were never deployed on the Eastern Front; instead they served in

Normandy Normandy (; or ) is a geographical and cultural region in northwestern Europe, roughly coextensive with the historical Duchy of Normandy. Normandy comprises Normandy (administrative region), mainland Normandy (a part of France) and insular N ...

and

the Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

. Some of them supposedly participated in the

Battle of the Bulge The Battle of the Bulge, also known as the Ardennes Offensive or Unternehmen Die Wacht am Rhein, Wacht am Rhein, was the last major German Offensive (military), offensive Military campaign, campaign on the Western Front (World War II), Western ...

. No vehicles are known to have survived to the present day.Spremo 1991, p. 116.

Notes

References

* Spremo, Milan (1991). "Atlas našich automobilů 1937–1963", NADAS, Praha. * Cedrych, Mario; Nachtmann, Lukáš (2007). "Škoda - auta známá i neznámá", Grada, Praha. {{WWIIGermanVehicles World War II vehicles of Germany Artillery tractors Škoda automobiles Military vehicles introduced from 1940 to 1944 Military vehicles of Germany

History

See also

Notes

References