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Grosstraktor
| Having been subjected to attacks by enemy tanks and deprived of these valuable weapons by treaty, the German army in 1925 secretly initiated plans to design tanks. By April 1926, detailed specifications had been created for the design of a tank known as the 'Armeewagen 20', armed with a 75mm gun in a fully rotating turret. Following preliminary proposals, in March 1927 three firms were awarded contracts to design and built two chassis in soft steel. Grosstraktor I was built by Daimler-Benz, which had a 105mm gun for main armament, and the Grosstraktor II and III, built by Rheinmetall and Krupp, had a 75mm gun. A feature of all models was an auxiliary machine gun turret at the rear for enfilading enemy trenches as the vehicles crossed over. |
| The name 'Grosstraktor' was first found in a document dated 14 March 1928. Assembly started in August 1928 at the Rheinmetall shop in Unterluess, and in late June 1929, six completed Grosstraktors were shipped to a secret testing facility near Kasan, Russia. Back in Germany after four years, further modifications and tests were conducted on the four serviceable Grosstraktor. The operational Grosstraktor were employed for troop training, and took part in the first Panzer-Division exercise in August 1935. |
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| Germany showed little interest in the heavy or breakthrough tank which was so popular with the French and Soviet armies. However, in 1934 two prototype versions were produced under the transparent cover title of 'mittlere Traktor' or 'Neubaufahrzeug' (new construction vehicle), generally shortened to Nb.Fz. The design was heavily influenced by the multi-turreted design of the British 'Independent' and Russian heavy tanks. Both Krupp and Rheinmetall were invited to submit design proposals. Based on the better performance of their Grosstraktor, Rheinmetall was selected to design a chassis and a turret, while Krupp was only awarded a contract for a turret design. Following further design decisions, Rheinmetall was awarded contracts for two chassis and one turret. Neubau Fahrzeug Nr.1 was completed in 1934 with a round turret, armed with a 37mm gun mounted above a 105mm gun. Krupp designed the turret for Neubau Fahrzeug Nr.2 with the 37mm gun mounted coaxially beside the 75mm gun in a rectangular turret. |
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| In the Spring of 1935, three additional trial tanks were ordered, this time in armor plate. Three turrets assembled by Krupp were mounted on three chassis assembled by Rheinmetall to create Neubau Fahrzeug Nr.3-5 in 1936.The Neubaufahrzeug was very similar in size and layout to the Grosstraktor but incorporated new features, such as auxiliary gun turrets fore and aft, mounting twin MG13 machine-guns. The crew numbered seven -commander, driver, two gunners, two machine-gunners and a radio-operator. The maximum thickness was 14.5mm, and maximum speed was about 15 mph. In 1939 the NbFz was redesignated within the German ordnance classification as a standard design. Fahrzeug Nr.2 with the 75mm gun became the PzKpfw V and Fahrzeug Nr.1 with the 105mm gun became the PzKpfw VI. After the swift demise of these vehicles in 1940, the PzKpfw V and VI designations were transferred to the later Panther and Tiger. |
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| Although it was decided not to proceed with quantity production of the Nb.Fz., the prototypes were retained on the active list, and achieved fame in 1940 as the visual symbol of German armored might. In April 1940 these Nb.Fz. were shipped to Norway in a platoon attached to Panzerabteilung 40, since none of the PzKpfw IVs could be spared for the operation. They were landed at Oslo docks and another at Putlos. Cleverly posed propaganda photographs of the few vehicles in existence were flashed around the world as 'heavy tanks of the German Army in Oslo', although in fact the photographs actually showed all the heavy tanks the Germans then possessed. Goebbels described these vehicles as the PzKpfw V, causing some concern in Allied intelligence circles. |
