► Photothread: Vehicles of the Axis fire brigades

[Maxschnauzer]

Mid twenties Mercedes-Benz still in service.

[SIS 5]

Hi Max,

the vehicle on Your pic is a Mercedes, built by Daimler in a time, when the company merger Mercedes-Benz not yet took place. The first Mercedes-Benz brand name vehicles were produced in 1926. I think it is the type 6/25/40 hp. Here a pic of a limousine of this type out of the book "Deutsche Autos 1920 - 1945" by Werner Oswald.

Best regards

Bert

[Maxschnauzer]

Thanks Bert,
Yes the details look quite similar to your picture. My reference photos for a 6/25/40 Phaeton had different rear wing flare, windscreen, and wire wheels so I was kind of stumped.

[glushenko]

Captured Soviet truck ZIS-5 in the German fire brigade on parade in Smolensk. The truck tows the towed fuel tank.

[Maxschnauzer]

Very cool pic, Viktor. Very similar to the fuel tank towed by the Sd. Kfz. 6 over in this thread http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic. ... 8&start=45. That makes me wonder if these tanks were captured Soviet equipment.

[ilfil]

Hi Max,
Surely this strange fuel trailer is of Soviet origin. Those drums were 2 types: KP-2 (2000 liters capacity) and KTs-6 (5500 liters capacity). KP is for "Container Trailer" in Russian, and KTs respectively for "Container [fuel] Tank". On the picture is the bigger type KTs-6. Used here for water for sure, after all this is the domestic Fire brigade, and more, on this picture most probably it is empty (and noisy!) for the parade. The KTs-6 dimensions are: length 2700 mm (with the towing A-frame) and diameter 1680 mm.
ZiS-5 and -6 trucks were capable to tow one such drum only, and S-65 Stalinetz was able to tow 2 of them without problems. The speed of towing was restricted to 12-13 km/h on hard surfaced roads and to 6-11 km/h on unpaved roads, depending of the towing vehicle. The towing range was restricted to 50 km max. When empty, those drum trailers were usually transpored by GS-bodied trucks, ZiS-5 mostly, like this one captured by the Finns on 26 July 1941 (pic from SA-Kuva Finnish archives):



Please note on the pic the smaller KP-2 drums are loaded in the body.
HTH
Cheers!

[Maxschnauzer]

Thanks very much for the detailed info and additional photo, ilfil.

[Maxschnauzer]

Henschel type 33 FA 1 (Kfz. 343) of the Luftwaffe:

[Luftflotte2]

source: ebay.de

[Luftflotte2]

source: ebay.de

[Luftflotte2]

source: ebay.de

[Luftflotte2]

source: ebay.de

[Luftflotte2]

source: ebay.de

[Luftflotte2]

source: ebay.de

[Luftflotte2]

source: ebay.de