Today we’re once again looking at a type of pre-war car that isn’t for everyone – military Kübelwagen based on civilian cars.
As understandable as it is that some people in this country have reservations about this, it is also clear:
- The period up to 1945 was largely characterized by military conflicts – military elements were also very present in the everyday lives of our ancestors, although very few people chose this.
- The former opponents also did not shy away from excesses – be it the food blockade directed against the civilian population in the First World War or the area bombings brought to “perfection” in the Second World War – but the Allies still maintain military history with great seriousness.
- More than 70 years after the end of the war – in a Europe sworn to peaceful coexistence – historical military vehicles in Germany can also be taken for what they are: politically neutral witnesses of their time.
Let’s go on a journey that begins in the idyll before the German-Russian attack on Poland in 1939 and ends at some point in the inferno of the advanced Second World War .
Let’s start with this touching recording from the collection of reader Klaas Dierks, which was probably taken in the early 1930s at the historic Grander water mill in Schleswig-Holstein :
Wanderer W11 10/50 PS
The lady who was photographed with her lap dog is sitting on the running board of a Wanderer W11 10/50 HP – the brand’s first 6-cylinder car introduced in 1928.
Identifying the six-window sedan, which appears here randomly , was easy.
The two horizontal beads in the sill section, the size and arrangement of the air vents in the hood and the dished disc wheels with five wheel bolts are typical of the W11, with which Wanderer met the strong US competition at the time.
Anyone who is skeptical should refer to the richly illustrated section on the W11 in the standard work “Wanderer Automobile” by Erdmann/Westermann (publisher Delius Klasing) and specifically on page 111.
We have also already discussed this type of hiker here and here using other attractive photos.
Its production ended in 1932; But the robust chassis with hydraulic brakes and powerful engine would have a career of its own .
We are talking about the Kübelwagen version , which Wanderer delivered to the Reichswehr from 1931 as a 10/50 hp type and from 1935 onwards in larger quantities in a more powerful 12/60 hp version to the Wehrmacht:
Wanderer W12/60 HP Kübelwagen; Original photo from the Michael Schlenger collection
This Wanderer Kübelwagen can be recognized as the later 12/60 HP version by the presence of sheet metal doors . The previous 10/50 hp model had – if at all – light doors made of canvas.
What’s interesting here is that the door on the passenger side was removed – apparently someone appreciated the ability to get out of the car as quickly as possible in case of danger – the argument for the original doorless bucket seat car.
We don’t know anything precise about the location and date of the photo . Despite the camouflage covers on the lamps, two details speak against a wartime photo :
The 2-door Hanomag “Rekord” limousine in the background does not yet have the camouflage headlights that were required for civilian cars after the outbreak of war.
In addition, the Wanderer W11 12/60 HP Kübelwagen in our photo only has a small triangular canister as a reserve behind the spare wheel.
Given the fuel consumption of 15 liters in the field, this would not have gotten very far if fuel supplies were not guaranteed.
In most war photos that show Kübelwagen from a wide variety of manufacturers in action, you can almost always see large reserve canisters attached by the crew.
These were the 20 liter Wehrmacht standard canisters , which are still manufactured in the form that was common from 1939 to this day.
We have a photo of a Wanderer Kübelwagen type W11 12/60 HP with such an improvised additional canister here:
Wanderer W11 12/60 HP Kübelwagen; Original photo from the Michael Schlenger collection
The hiker led a column of army vehicles in flat, grassy terrain , possibly in Russia. It will probably not be possible to say more about the situation.
From a completely different perspective and in a relaxed, summery atmosphere, the following early version of the Wanderer W11 Kübelwagen without doors was photographed:
Wanderer W11 10/50 HP or 12/60 HP; Original photo from the Michael Schlenger collection
The two men who are looking friendly into the camera here were members of the Air Force , which does not mean that they themselves were part of the flying personnel.
On the running board we have a non-commissioned officer (shoulder board bordered in silver, a wing on the collar). A veteran sergeant stands in front of the hiker (silver-bordered epaulet with two stars, four wings on the collar).
A knowledgeable reader was able to identify the badge on the sergeant’s chest as an SA sports badge that existed before 1933. At least the ribbon for the Iron Cross can be seen on the medal clasp above it , which the veteran had probably already received as an award for bravery in the First World War.
By the way, we have a second photo of the sergeant major along with other comrades, including a dapper first lieutenant in dress uniform:
In the background there is a car with an old-fashioned landaulet body that has not yet been identified.
The author suspects that the photo was taken in France on a stately estate where the air force unit was housed and an old family car was still standing around.
As always, ideas and suggestions for the recording are welcome.
But now back to the Wanderer W11 Kübelwagen , whereby we remain in France, as a detail in the following photo clearly shows:
Wanderer W11 Kübelwagen; Original photo from the Michael Schlenger collection
This hiker belonged to the army, as indicated by the soldiers’ collar patches . They apparently belonged to an intelligence unit – this is revealed by the tactical symbol on the tailgate of the Kübelwagen.
By the way, here we have an early version of the Wanderer W11 Kübelwagen with canvas doors. Behind the spare wheel we see the cute spare canister from peacetime again.
However, we can see from the following excerpt that the photo must have been taken during the war – namely during the French campaign in 1940 :
“Maison Cochart” and “Charleville” can be deciphered on the wooden boxes. The place is located on the Meuse near the Belgian border and was reached by German tank leaders on the third day of the French campaign.
On May 14, 1940, tens of thousands of German soldiers and thousands of vehicles crossed the Meuse. The following original photo with the caption “Over the Meuse, 1940” overleaf must have been taken in the following days:
Crossing the Meuse in 1940; Original recording from the Michael Schlenger collection
The surprised French army – well equipped, but overwhelmed by the Wehrmacht’s mobile warfare and poorly led – quickly cleared the area around Charleville.
From now on, the German units flowing behind the fighting troops were required to self-service , if time and superiors permitted it.
An example of this is shown in our photo of the intelligence soldiers loading their Wanderer Kübelwagen and other vehicles with alcohol from the region .
At this point the story could end with images of soldiers in France drunk with victory – like they once did in the German newsreel.
But how quickly the pendulum could swing back during the “ Blitzkrieg” against France was captured by a soldier in the intelligence unit in the following photo:
Wanderer W11 Kübelwagen; Original photo from the Michael Schlenger collection
Here we see the same Wanderer W11 Kübelwagen as in the previous photo (see registration number “WH 153614”), probably after a fighter-bomber attack by the French Air Force, which was still active at the time, although not very successful
From the metal and glass parts you can sense the fatal splintering effect of the attack, which probably caused losses to more than just the unit’s fleet of vehicles.
Such photos of our own vehicles being destroyed are quite rare. The situation apparently forced the Wehrmacht soldier, who was probably confronted with the reality of war for the first time, to take photographs.
Perhaps someone can comment on the division badge on the Wanderer’s right front fender – apparently a city gate with two towers . The author has so far researched in vain in this direction.
We don’t know how the World War ended for the former soldiers from whose dissolved photo albums the photos of Wanderer Kübelwagen presented here come from.
Production of the Wanderer-Kübelwagen ended in 1941 ; the heavy vehicle with its six-cylinder from the 1920s was outdated. The concept of the light and undemanding Kübelwagen based on Volkswagen prevailed.
Nevertheless, some Kübelwagen Wanderer must have held out until the end of the war in 1945. A handful of them still exist today in museums or in collectors’ hands.
A particularly impressive example is in the Horch Museum in Zwickau , where the history of the four brands belonging to the Auto Union group is impressively presented:
Wanderer W11 12/60 HP Kübelwagen; Image source: Wikimedia
This Wanderer must have served for a while somewhere after the war with a bright paint job . The subsequently attached bumper from a civilian model also indicates this.
This ends our journey through time “from idyll to inferno”. It reminds us of the consequences that can arise if a people are not asked for their opinion on the crucial questions of their existence …