by Ostpanzer on 02 May 2004 07:04
So, this is my information about
The Vollkettenaufklarer 38(t) "Katzchen"
In late 1943, Heereswaffenamt Wa.Pruf-6 asked Auto Union to
develop a light, fully tracked reconnaissance vehicle, capable of
carrying 6-8 men in an open-top superstructure. The vehicle was
designed to attain speeds in excess of 50 km/hour and was to be
lightly armored.
Auto Union first built a wooden mock-up, and after the layout
was approved, in early 1944 constructed two prototypes for evalu-
ation. The vehicle had an open top, with the engine in the back and
the powered front sprockets. The driver sat on the left, and next to
him was a machine gun in the usual "Kugelblende". In the vehicle
were two long benches for the rest of the crew.
The engine used was the Maybach HL 50Z of 5,000 cc dis-
placement and 200 HP(147.8 kW) output. It was squeezed into the
left rear of the vehicle, to make room for the crew door, which was
on the right side of the rear plate. The armor was fairly light, 30
mm front and 14.5 mm sides and rear.
The carriage consisted of five overlapping wheels on each side
with a torsion bar suspension, and the tracks from PzKpfw IV. The
gear-box was hydraulic. The prototypes were tested in summer 1944
on the testing track and were well liked for both their layout and
their mobility. Problems were encountered with the gear-box. There-
fore, and also because of the decision of September 1944 to limit
all new constructions to two chassis only, namely the Panther and
38(t), it was eventually decided to order a prototype from BMM in
Prague, maker of the Jagdpanzer 38 Hetzer.
Ihe WaPruf-6 Pz.la ordered two prototypes
from BMM on September 6,1943. They were sup-
posed to be based on the PzKpfw 38(t)nA. One
was planned with the Tatra 103 Diesel engine,
one with the Praga NR engine with an output of
280 HP. The prototypes were built in 1944. They
were wider than the Auto Union model and
heavier, being much better armored. Their front
plate was 50 mm, sides 30 mm and the rear plate
20 mm thick. They retained the general layout with
the open top and the engine in the rear, but dis-
posed with the Kugelblende for the front machine
gun, which was instead mounted behind an ar-
mored shield as carried by the SdKfz 250 and 251
halftracks. A rear mount for another machine gun
was also provided.
The new Tatra 103 twelve cylinder air-
cooled Diesel put out 220 HP( 162.6 kW) at 2600
rpm, giving the vehicle a maximum speed of 64
km/hour on roads. Enough fuel was carried for
endurance up to 600 km. The suspension used
the well-tested layout of the PzKpfw 38(t), and
the Praga-Wilson gear-box was used.
The BMM "Katzchen" was clearly a better
design than the Auto-Union one, being better
armored and faster. The use of the Diesel en-
gine made it probably also safer for its users. If
manufactured in quantities, it would have proven
to be not only a suitable reconnaissance vehicle,
but also a good armored personnel carrier as
well. The fate of the two prototypes after the
end of the war is not known, but the Czech army
clearly was not interested in their further devel-
opment.
KATZCHEN COMPARISON
AUTO-UNION BMM
Weight 8.01 10.51
Length 5.12m 5.10m
Width 2.36m 2.50m
Height 1.50m 1.50m
Engine Maybach Tatra 103/Praga NR
Output 200 HP 220 HP/280 HP
Max. Speed(road) 55 km/hr 64 km/hr
Endurance 600km
Armor front 30 mm 50mm
sides 14.5 mm 30mm
rear 14.5 mm 20mm
Crew 6-8 6-8
Armament IxMG 2xMG[/b]
