Goliath Sd.kfz 303 (tracked mine) (1940)
The Goliath tracked mine (German: Leichter Ladungsträger Goliath, "Goliath Light Charge Carrier") was a series of two unmanned ground vehicles used by the German Army as disposable demolition vehicles during World War II. These were the electrically powered Sd.Kfz. 302 and the petrol-engine powered Sd.Kfz. 303a and 303b. They were known as beetle tanks by the Allies. They carried 60 or 100 kg (130 or 220 lb) of high explosives, depending on the model, and were intended to be used for multiple purposes, such as destroying tanks, disrupting dense infantry formations, and the demolition of buildings or bridges.
During WW1 the French developed two tracked vehicles intended to carry explosives they saw limited service in 1916 but performed poorly and were soon eclipsed by the first tanks. The Wickersham Land Torpedo was patented by American inventor Elmer Wickersham in 1918 and in the 1930s, a similar vehicle was developed by the French vehicle designer Adolphe Kégresse.
In late 1940 a Kegresse designed prototype was captured near the Seine and sent to the Wehrmachts Ordance office which was directed by Carl Borgward for evaluation of producing a simular vehicle to carry a minimum payload of 50kg of high explosives. The Sd.kfz 302 (Sonderkraftfahrzeug - special purpose vehicle) was the result, with its payload now 60kg (130lbs) of explosives. The vehicle was sterred remotely via a joystick control box, attached to the Goliath by a triple strand cable connected to the rear of the vehicle, for the electric driven version. Two strands were used to move and steer the Goliath while the third strand was used for detonation. The Goliath had 650 metres (2130 feet) of cable. The early models used electric motors but as these were costly and difficult to maintain in combat enviroments, later models known as the Sd.kfz 303 used a simpler and more reliable petrol engine
Diolch yn fawr am 69,153,700 o olygfeydd anhygoel, mwynhewch ac arhoswch yn ddiogel
Thank you 69,153,700 amazing views, enjoy and stay safe
Shot 19.10.2018 at Donington Park - the final week of the Donington Collection Ref 137-208
Tags: Sd.kfz303 Goliath German Germany 1940's 1943 TrackedVehicle MobileBomb Military Wehrmacht Axis DoningtonCollection2018
© All Rights Reserved
Goliath Sd.kfz 302 (tracked mine) (1940)
The Goliath tracked mine (German: Leichter Ladungsträger Goliath, "Goliath Light Charge Carrier") was a series of two unmanned ground vehicles used by the German Army as disposable demolition vehicles during World War II. These were the electrically powered Sd.Kfz. 302 and the petrol-engine powered Sd.Kfz. 303a and 303b. They were known as beetle tanks by the Allies. They carried 60 or 100 kg (130 or 220 lb) of high explosives, depending on the model, and were intended to be used for multiple purposes, such as destroying tanks, disrupting dense infantry formations, and the demolition of buildings or bridges.
During WW1 the French developed two tracked vehicles intended to carry explosives they saw limited service in 1916 but performed poorly and were soon eclipsed by the first tanks. The Wickersham Land Torpedo was patented by American inventor Elmer Wickersham in 1918 and in the 1930s, a similar vehicle was developed by the French vehicle designer Adolphe Kégresse.
In late 1940 a Kegresse designed prototype was captured near the Seine and sent to the Wehrmachts Ordance office which was directed by Carl Borgward for evaluation of producing a simular vehicle to carry a minimum payload of 50kg of high explosives. The Sd.kfz 302 (Sonderkraftfahrzeug - special purpose vehicle) was the result, with its payload now 60kg (130lbs) of explosives. The vehicle was sterred remotely via a joystick control box, attached to the Goliath by a triple strand cable connected to the rear of the vehicle, for the electric driven version. Two strands were used to move and steer the Goliath while the third strand was used for detonation. The Goliath had 650 metres (2130 feet) of cable. The early models used electric motors but as these were costly and difficult to maintain in combat enviroments, later models known as the Sd.kfz 303 used a simpler and more reliable petrol engine
Goliaths were used on all fronts where the Wehrmacht fought, beginning in early 1942, including Anzio 1944, and during the 1944 Warsaw Uprising. Although a total of 7,564 Goliaths were produced, the single-use weapon was not considered a success due to high unit cost, low speed (just above 6 kilometres per hour (3.7 mph) other weaknesses were their poor ground clearance, the vunrability of the control cable, and thin armour which could not protect the vehicle from small-arms fire.
Diolch yn fawr am 69,153,700 o olygfeydd anhygoel, mwynhewch ac arhoswch yn ddiogel
Thank you 69,153,700 amazing views, enjoy and stay safe
Shot 19.10.2018 at Donington Park - the final week of the Donington Collection Ref 137-209
Tags: Sd.kfz302 Goliath German Germany 1940's 1942 TrackedVehicle MobileBomb Military Wehrmacht Axis DoningtonCollection2018
© All Rights Reserved