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.
Only one example of the Kugelpanzer still exists today. It is on display in the collection of German armored vehicles at the Kubinka Tank Museum in Moscow where it is described simply as "exhibit no. 37". It is speculated that this vehicle was captured by the Red Army in Manchuria. There is no record of it ever having been used in combat.[1][2] However, another report states that it was captured at the Kummersdorfproving grounds along with the infamous Maussuper-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 vehicleedit
Only five points seem certain based on the single known example:
It is a German-made vehicle that was shipped to Japan.
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 vehiclesedit
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]
^FitzGerald, Michael (10 September 2018). Hitler's Secret Weapons of Mass Destruction: The Nazis' Plan for Final Victory. Arcturus Publishing. ISBN9781789502640 – via Google Books.
^Buckland, Robin (21 January 2019). Modelling German WWII Armoured Vehicles. The Crowood Press. ISBN9781785005169 – via Google Books.
kugelpanzer, ball, tank, armoured, vehicle, built, nazi, germany, during, world, history, vehicle, practically, unknown, other, than, fact, that, least, example, exported, empire, japan, used, kwantung, army, machine, remains, something, mystery, lack, records. 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 KugelpanzerThe Kugelpanzer at the Kubinka Tank MuseumTypeEither light tank or armoured carPlace of originNazi GermanyService historyIn service1945Used byNazi GermanyEmpire of JapanWarsWorld War IISecond Sino Japanese WarProduction historyManufacturerKrupp presumed No built1 known SpecificationsMass1 8 tonnes 4 000 lb Length1 7 meters 5 5 feet Height1 5 meters 4 9 feet Crew1Armor5 millimetres 0 20 in EngineSingle cylinder two stroke engine18 4 22 kilowatts 24 7 29 5 hp Maximum speed50 kilometres per hour 31 mph Kugelpanzer information plaque in Russian Contents 1 Surviving example 2 Theories about the vehicle 3 Similar vehicles 4 See also 5 References 6 Books 7 External linksSurviving example editOnly one example of the Kugelpanzer still exists today It is on display in the collection of German armored vehicles at the Kubinka Tank Museum in Moscow where it is described simply as exhibit no 37 It is speculated that this vehicle was captured by the Red Army in Manchuria 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 editOnly five points seem certain based on the single known example It is a German made vehicle that was shipped to Japan It was used as a light reconnaissance vehicle It was captured by Soviet troops in 1945 presumably in Manchuria The outer armour is only five millimetres thick 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 editAlthough 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 editWunderwaffe MonowheelReferences edit 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 Buckland Robin 21 January 2019 Modelling German WWII Armoured Vehicles The Crowood Press ISBN 9781785005169 via Google Books Kugelpanzer Tank Encyclopedia Les Boucliers roulants humanbonb free fr in French retrieved 11 November 2014 Tumbleweed Tank Popular Science 1 June 1936 archived from the original on 23 December 2014 retrieved 11 November 2014Books editRobert Dale Arndt Jr Strange Vehicles of Pre War Germany amp the Third Reich 1928 1945 2006 IRP PublicationExternal links edit nbsp Media related to Kugelpanzer at Wikimedia Commons Portal nbsp Germany This World War II article is a stub You can help Wikipedia by expanding it vte Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Kugelpanzer amp oldid 1205001344, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
