_GOTOBOTTOM
Armor/AFV: Axis - WWII
Armor and ground forces of the Axis forces during World War II.
Hosted by Darren Baker
Could an Opel Blitz tow a Pak 40 or other gun
Lada_Niva
Visit this Community
Drenthe, Netherlands
Joined: October 06, 2019
KitMaker: 177 posts
Armorama: 97 posts
Posted: Saturday, June 20, 2020 - 02:45 AM UTC
Hello everyone,

A short and quick question that came up recently.
Was the Opel Blitz truck capable of towing a Pak 40 AT Gun?
Or could it tow other guns that were towed?
Did do some quick searches on startpage.com, but didn't had much luck.
I'm currently not having plans to make this a project, but I was just curious.
Since I remember sawing this in a documentary.
Frenchy
Visit this Community
Rhone, France
Joined: December 02, 2002
KitMaker: 12,719 posts
Armorama: 12,507 posts
Posted: Saturday, June 20, 2020 - 03:03 AM UTC
This unlucky one towed a 7,5 cm leichtes Infanteriegeschütz 18 :



H.P.
griffontech
Visit this Community
Canada
Joined: November 21, 2007
KitMaker: 237 posts
Armorama: 231 posts
Posted: Saturday, June 20, 2020 - 03:12 AM UTC
Opel Blitz could tow up to 5,000kg.
Pak 40 weighed approx 3,000 lbs. I think it it could.
Frenchy
Visit this Community
Rhone, France
Joined: December 02, 2002
KitMaker: 12,719 posts
Armorama: 12,507 posts
Posted: Saturday, June 20, 2020 - 04:13 AM UTC

Quoted Text

I think it it could.


Airfix thinks that as well



Check out Michael Koenig's reenactors pics to confirm this :

https://armorama.kitmaker.net/forums/218643&ord=&page=1

H.P.
anti-hero
Visit this Community
Tennessee, United States
Joined: March 20, 2005
KitMaker: 420 posts
Armorama: 307 posts
Posted: Saturday, June 20, 2020 - 05:28 AM UTC
Looks like it could tow quite a bit in a pinch. Not sure if that's an 88 or a Soviet 85 mm without the shield, but...

EDIT: it's a Soviet 85.

GazzaS
#424
Visit this Community
Queensland, Australia
Joined: April 23, 2015
KitMaker: 4,648 posts
Armorama: 2,248 posts
Posted: Saturday, June 20, 2020 - 09:22 AM UTC
It could be towed by 4 horses... I saw it on youtube.
panzerbob01
Visit this Community
Louisiana, United States
Joined: March 06, 2010
KitMaker: 3,128 posts
Armorama: 2,959 posts
Posted: Saturday, June 20, 2020 - 03:24 PM UTC
The answer is YES, the standard Opel Blitz cargo truck could easily tow a PaK 40 gun.

On hard road surfaces. The Opel truck was pretty handy, but not overly well-suited for any sort of heavy off-road service. The Opel Maultier was a much better deal for bad roads and non-roads service.

This does not mean that Opel Blitzes NEVER went off road, with or without towed stuff. The Germans worked every piece of motorized equipment to its very max.

So perhaps keep that in mind as you model up a Blitz and PaK 40... And always take the moments to go search for pics. One photo is the gateway to doing lots of unusual and less-common things!

Cheers! Bob
Lada_Niva
Visit this Community
Drenthe, Netherlands
Joined: October 06, 2019
KitMaker: 177 posts
Armorama: 97 posts
Posted: Saturday, June 20, 2020 - 08:25 PM UTC
Thank you all for the reply's you gave me.
The documentary was right.
I didn't know the Germans pushed their motorized equipment to the max.
Of course they did use it A LOT, but did they also do the required maintenance on their equipment?
And did they take good care of their equipment?
Anyway, interesting to read all of this.
And maybe I will choose the trucks of the Wehrmach as my first study subject of my model building hobby.
Frenchy
Visit this Community
Rhone, France
Joined: December 02, 2002
KitMaker: 12,719 posts
Armorama: 12,507 posts
Posted: Saturday, June 20, 2020 - 09:06 PM UTC
Here are two German transport-related websites that are worth a visit (or more ) :

http://www.fahrzeuge-der-wehrmacht.de/Lkw.html

http://www.kfzderwehrmacht.de/Hauptseite_deutsch/hauptseite_deutsch.html

The second one also presents a bibliography :

http://www.kfzderwehrmacht.de/Hauptseite_deutsch/Literatur/literatur.html


H.P.
Lada_Niva
Visit this Community
Drenthe, Netherlands
Joined: October 06, 2019
KitMaker: 177 posts
Armorama: 97 posts
Posted: Monday, June 22, 2020 - 09:09 PM UTC
Thank you for sharing this interesting links to check out.
jrutman
Visit this Community
Pennsylvania, United States
Joined: April 10, 2011
KitMaker: 7,941 posts
Armorama: 7,934 posts
Posted: Tuesday, June 23, 2020 - 01:59 AM UTC
The Germans had outstanding recovery/repair services throughout the war. There were mechanics back then in all armies that could actually repair parts,not just replace them. Since the germans were actually kinda slow in embracing assembly line mass production,they were forced into having larger repair services to keep valuable motor vehicles of all types running. It was a logistical nightmare. In some units it was not rare to find 5 or 6 different models of trucks.
In answer to the towing question,which has already been answered very well,I would add there are pics of Blitzes towing the heavy 150MM field howitzer in Arnhem,albeit on a paved road. Still.....much heavier gun than the PAK.
J
Khouli
Visit this Community
England - South West, United Kingdom
Joined: March 13, 2020
KitMaker: 68 posts
Armorama: 68 posts
Posted: Tuesday, June 23, 2020 - 02:17 AM UTC

Quoted Text

The Germans had outstanding recovery/repair services throughout the war. There were mechanics back then in all armies that could actually repair parts,not just replace them. Since the germans were actually kinda slow in embracing assembly line mass production,they were forced into having larger repair services to keep valuable motor vehicles of all types running. It was a logistical nightmare. In some units it was not rare to find 5 or 6 different models of trucks.
In answer to the towing question,which has already been answered very well,I would add there are pics of Blitzes towing the heavy 150MM field howitzer in Arnhem,albeit on a paved road. Still.....much heavier gun than the PAK.
J
Since the germans were actually kinda slow in embracing assembly line mass production

That and everything was over-engineered big time!


In some units it was not rare to find 5 or 6 different models of trucks

People also forget that to Germans also relied heavily on horses - there were about 800 horses in a Division.
165thspc
#521
Visit this Community
Kentucky, United States
Joined: April 13, 2011
KitMaker: 9,465 posts
Armorama: 8,695 posts
Posted: Tuesday, June 23, 2020 - 03:19 AM UTC
This 4x4 certainly had no problem over rough ground with the lighter gun.

165thspc
#521
Visit this Community
Kentucky, United States
Joined: April 13, 2011
KitMaker: 9,465 posts
Armorama: 8,695 posts
Posted: Tuesday, June 23, 2020 - 03:47 AM UTC
Here is a loaded down Ford 2x4 pulling the PAK 40 and then three shots of the Blitz 4x4 and 2x4 pulling the same gun. A significant factor here might be that the ground was fairly firm on all occasions and also that this took place over rather flat Northern Indiana farm land. (Lowell Indiana)






All photos Copyright Michael Koenig 2009 - All Rights Reserved
Biggles2
Visit this Community
Quebec, Canada
Joined: January 01, 2004
KitMaker: 7,600 posts
Armorama: 6,110 posts
Posted: Tuesday, June 23, 2020 - 10:55 AM UTC
What's that...the local militia exercising their right to "open carry" to extremes?
165thspc
#521
Visit this Community
Kentucky, United States
Joined: April 13, 2011
KitMaker: 9,465 posts
Armorama: 8,695 posts
Posted: Wednesday, June 24, 2020 - 01:48 AM UTC
Various WWII public reenactments - back in the day when such things were "allowed" around here. Shown are both the Lowell, Indiana; Buckley Homestead annual event and the Patton Museum event at Ft. Knox.


Dawn at Buckley Homestead

All photos Copyright Michael Koenig 2009 - All Rights Reserved
165thspc
#521
Visit this Community
Kentucky, United States
Joined: April 13, 2011
KitMaker: 9,465 posts
Armorama: 8,695 posts
Posted: Thursday, June 25, 2020 - 03:25 AM UTC
All these vehicles seemed to be handling the PAK 40 quite well to my eye even while loaded with 2000 lbs. (900kg) of fresh troops.


All photos Copyright Michael Koenig 2009 - All Rights Reserved
165thspc
#521
Visit this Community
Kentucky, United States
Joined: April 13, 2011
KitMaker: 9,465 posts
Armorama: 8,695 posts
Posted: Thursday, June 25, 2020 - 03:33 AM UTC
Opel Blitz Walk Around (Photo Reference:)

https://armorama.kitmaker.net/forums/218643&ord=&page=1
Lada_Niva
Visit this Community
Drenthe, Netherlands
Joined: October 06, 2019
KitMaker: 177 posts
Armorama: 97 posts
Posted: Thursday, June 25, 2020 - 03:41 AM UTC
Thank you for the interesting reply and the interesting information.
165thspc
#521
Visit this Community
Kentucky, United States
Joined: April 13, 2011
KitMaker: 9,465 posts
Armorama: 8,695 posts
Posted: Saturday, June 27, 2020 - 02:27 AM UTC
I may have gotten a bit carried away here but it was just that the Blitz is one of my favorite soft skin vehicles and partly because of that I have so many photos in my files that address your exact question.

Best Regards
DanEgan
Visit this Community
United States
Joined: March 08, 2020
KitMaker: 42 posts
Armorama: 42 posts
Posted: Saturday, June 27, 2020 - 05:32 AM UTC

Quoted Text

Looks like it could tow quite a bit in a pinch. Not sure if that's an 88 or a Soviet 85 mm without the shield, but...

EDIT: it's a Soviet 85.


No, that's an 88mm Flak 18.
RobinNilsson
Staff MemberTOS Moderator
KITMAKER NETWORK
Visit this Community
Stockholm, Sweden
Joined: November 29, 2006
KitMaker: 6,693 posts
Armorama: 5,562 posts
Posted: Saturday, June 27, 2020 - 06:28 AM UTC

Quoted Text


Quoted Text

Looks like it could tow quite a bit in a pinch. Not sure if that's an 88 or a Soviet 85 mm without the shield, but...

EDIT: it's a Soviet 85.


No, that's an 88mm Flak 18.


The Soviet 85 mm


German FlaK 18 88 mm


Note characteristic (stylish) fenders and double wheels on the rear axle on the German gun and the various cylinders below the barrel, the Soviet gun has one cylinder above the barrel, single wheels all around and no precious sheet metal wasted on decadent western capitalist fenders (декадентские западные капиталистические щитки dekadentskiye zapadnyye kapitalisticheskiye shchitki)...
 _GOTOTOP