Trucks (up to 1945) - Germany: Books - History

Cross-Country Lorries : German Manufacturers (Camera On)

During Weimar Germany's first programme for motorising the Reichswehr from 1926, development of three-axled cross-country lorries with a payload of 3 tons was demanded (in addition to vehicles of other specification).
Three companies were involved in the development of these lorries: Bussing, Henschel and Krupp. The first Henschel model - the Henschel type 33 B 1 - was delivered in 1928.

This profusely illustrated photo-album includes over 150 previously unseen pictures of these vehicles in action, many from private sources in Germany.

Wartime Woodburners : Alternative Fuel Vehicles in World War II

In this age of concern with continuing availability of oil, scientists are working on a number of approaches to alternate fuel sources. These concerns may provoke interest in how some people in gas-starved Europe dealt with such problems throughout the war years, 1939-1945.

One of the most successful innovations, were the so-called "gas producer" vehicles that utilized the by-products of solid fuel combustion, employing such solids as coal, charcoal, turf, and wood to produce fuel gas for a standard internal combustion engine.

This book provides an overview of such vehicles, including those used by the Wehrmacht. Schematics of operating systems and the regulations concerning their use are also included, along with a translated German illustrated operators manual.

The 'Einheits-Diesel' - WW2 German Trucks (Camera On)

This photo-album in the "Camera On" series contains over 100 photographs of the Leichter Geländegängiger Lastkraftwagen "Einheitsdiesel" (Standard Diesel Lorry).
The development of the standard lorry for the German military started in 1934.

It was planned to develop vehicles with 2, 3 and 4 axles with payloads of 1.5, 2.5 and 4 tons, but in the end only the model with three axles and 2.5 tons payload entered serial production.
Series production started in 1937 and ended in 1940 with more than 14,300 vehicles being built by nine different main vehicle producers. The "Einheits-Diesel" lorries were made identical by all nine manufacturers: Bussing-NAG, Daimler-Benz, FAUN, VOMAG, Henschel, Krupp, Magirus, MAN and Borgward.

"Camera On" is a series of books on the equipment and operations of the German Wehrmacht in WW2. The focus is on the often ignored or overlooked soft-skinned, non-armoured, vehicles used by the German army. These profusely illustrated photo-albums include a large number of previously unseen pictures, many from private sources in Germany.

Deutsche Militärlastwagen - Bis 1945

Die Wehrmacht zog mit einer Unzahl an Pferden, Wagen, Panzern und Lastwagen in den Zweiten Weltkrieg. Da es jedoch nie genug gab, um die Ausfälle zu ersetzen, oder gar den Motorisierungsgrad zu erhöhen, galten die Lastwagen als Schwachpunkt des Heeres. Und weil geeignetes Material knapp war, griff man unabhängig von deren Eignung auf alle möglichen Zivilfahrzeuge zurück.

So ergab sich ein Sammelsurium von Fahrzeugen und Marken, welche zu grossen Teilen auch von der Wehrmacht übernommen wurden.
Das Heer soll schliesslich über 1000 Fahrzeugtypen genutzt haben - Werner Oswald porträtiert die wichtigsten davon in diesem Buch.

Eilschlepper und Strassenzugmaschinen - 1903-1956 (Typenkompass)

Ein Vorteil von Strassenzugmaschinen ist, dass sie keine langen Standzeiten haben, weil sie nicht auf das Entladen ihrer Fracht warten müssen. Ihr Pendant in der Landwirtschaft waren sogenannte Eilschlepper, die mit höherem Tempo als normale Traktoren die Strassen befahren konnten, um ihre Last zu befördern.

Wolfgang Gebhardt stellt in diesem Typenkompass die wichtigsten Eilschlepper und Strassenzugmaschinen Deutschlands seit 1903 vor: Von der ersten Strassenzugmaschine über die ersten Lanz-Verkehrs-(Eil-) bulldogs 1923 bis zum Jahr 1956, als der Unimog den verbliebenen Markt beherrschte, wird der historische Bogen gespannt.