Bussing-NAG sWS (Schwere Wehrmacht Schlepper)

History of the Bussing-NAG sWS (Heavy Wehrmacht Transporter)

As World War II (1939-1945) ravaged Germany, the Wehrmacht (army) was urged to have their fleet of standard half-track vehicles proving very expensive and difficult to mass produce. Therefore, in 1942 a decision was made to seek an inexpensive alternative, the cost of which fell to Bussing-NAG that year, and a new system was prepared for production in the autumn of 1943.

This product became the "Heavy Wehrmacht Hauler" (or "sWS") and was produced at the two assembly plants in Bussing-NAG in Berlin and Kolin-Werke in Ringhoffer-Tatra.

This is a heavy duty (6 ton range) half track system with a traditional half track arrangement with a pair of steerable truck-style wheels in front, tank-style tracks below and a wheel arrangement at the rear of the chassis. The front compartment contains the driver's seat and the passenger's seat (outdoor). The rear of the vehicle can be arranged to carry various loads, including troop depots and anti-aircraft gun systems.

Power comes from a single 100 hp (3,000 rpm) Maybach HL42 TRKMS liquid-cooled six-cylinder petrol engine, with outputs including a maximum road speed of 27 km/h and a range of up to 300 km (100 km off-road). Dimensions include a total length of 6.68 meters, a width of 2.5 meters and a height of 2.8 meters.

Communication kit (radio) is not installed.

In addition to the basic operating model for transporting troops, there is also a special MEDEVAC version that provides stretchers and support personnel. The frontline supply variant has an armored forward compartment and protected engine compartment. One suggested form of this model is to have an anti-aircraft gun (like the 3.7 cm FlaK 43 on the sWS). There is also an armored missile delivery vehicle with a 10-tube launcher assembly for 15cm battlefield missiles and a five-person operator.

Reloading rounds are stored in the fuselage of this variant (designated 15 cm Panzerwerfer 42 (Zehuling) on ??the sWS).

In the future, the sWS should be the new standard-drive half-track for the German Armed Forces. However, it also proved to be a complex and expensive machine that had to be built in the required quantities, so only about 1,000 were completed by the end of the war.

After that, a stock was taken over by the Czechoslovak army and used for a while.

Specification

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