Factory &
prototypes
Drawings
New
Pictures
Sources / links
Illustrations
Modells
Survivors
About this site
Questions
schwere Wehrmacht Schlepper sWS(heavy Wehrmacht hauler)
As part of a new generation halftracks, Heeres waffenambt/Wa Prüf 6 gives Büssing-Nag (Berlin-Oberschöneweide) a development order on May 7th 1942 for 7,484 units to be completed within the next two years. Production is scheduled to begin during the spring of 1943 with a monthly output of 150. 3 ton payload and 6 ton pull, a drypin track and a highly simplified design are the requirments. By hitlers personal orders the 5 ton Büssing-NAG of the pre-war series seizes production (November 1943) and the capacity freed for the new low-speed vehicle. Production starts in December 1943 with 5 pieces. The vehicles produced by Ringhoffer-Tatra in Kolin (Böhemen) reportedly have an aircooled 10 litre V8 Tatra diesel. Production ends in March of 1945. According to one source there are plans for a "8.8cm KwK auf sWS", a 88 mm anti-tankgun and an armoured personell carrier. No evidence of either one exists, but the idea is logical. A modeller took this idea to the test and came up with convincing vehicles.
Production is quoted as 1943 5, 1944 723 and 1945 96 vehicles. Strenght on march 3 1945 and "start of 1945" is reportedly 538. Losses are relativly low. 19 in October 1944, 14 in November 1944. 40 reported front related losses for 1944. (carefull, These numbers are always estimates at best).
Developments around the sWS
The other vehicle in the new programm, the lWS, leichte(light) Wehrmachts Schlepper, never enters serie production.
The slow start of the sWS production caused a stop gap solution: the Mercedes Benz L4500 S (S=schellprogram 4.5 ton L=4x2) truck is mated with the Panzer II running gear to produce the MB 4500R (Raupen=track).
The intended replacement of the Opel Blitz armoured Maulties with 10 tube Nebelwerfer by the Nebelwerfer version of the sWS is not possible by the low numbers of sWS produced. The Maultier stays in production till the war ends.
A good reproduction of the manual (and many others!) can be found on WH-Versand.de.
General Specifications
| Manufacturer: | Büssing Nag, Berlin OberSchöneweide and Ringhoffer-Tatra, Kolin(Bohemia, than Czechoslovakia) |
| Production start: | December 1943 |
| Production end: | March 1945 |
| Numbers: | Dec. 1943 - Sept. 1944: 381 Total at march 1945: 825. Total reported 1000 |
| Chassis nos.: | 150001- |
| Engine: | Maybach HL 42TRKMS also Maybach HL61 claimed by Arlon |
| Gearbox, Auxilliary box | |
| U-profile frame | |
| Track: | Dry pin, overlapping discs |
| Brakes: | Argus, vacuum, with disks on sprocket |
| Hand brake: | on steering brakes (sprockets) |
| Front Axle: | Transversal, central piviting, leaf-spring suspension, rigid axle |
| Front trackwitdh: | 2100mm |
| Tyres: | offroad 270x20 inches |
| Steering : | Cletrac |
| Speed: | Road: 27,4 km/h Cross-Country: --km/h |
| Range: | Road: 300km Cross-Country: 150km |
| Fuel Capacity: | 240 litres |
| Lenght: | 6.67 m |
| Width: | 2.50m |
| Height: | 2.07m (2.83 with canvas cover) |
| Wheelsize: | 270 x 20 |
| Ground clearance: | 46,5 cm |
| Ground contact length | 2.04 m |
| Turningcirkel: | 15 m |
| performance: | Towing capacity 8 ton loading capacity 4 ton winch capacity 5 ton |
| Climbing angle max: | 24 degrees |
Lubrication
A simple message on a drawing, but how many really got it, in the strained days of its existance:
Beim Motor, Wechsel-, Lenk, Untersetz und Seitengetrieben Täglich den Ölstand uberprufen. Bei Notwendigkeit nachfullen. Gelenke, Gabelköpfe und bewegliche Teile ohne besonderen Schmierung sind bei Bedarf mit einen Tropfen Öl zu schmieren.
Which means: Check the oil level of the engine, main gearbox, turning gearbox, reduction gearbox and side gearbox. Add oil if neccesary. Joints, balheads and moving parts with no particular greaseplan are to be lubricated with a drip of oil if needing it.
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
factory drawing | factory drawing | manual picture | manual picture | Victory museum survivor |
 |
 |
 |
||
Wheatcraft chassis | ||||
 |
 |
 |
||
US intel drawing | Gear plate | US intel chassis member drawing |
|
last revised: March 18 2013