![]() While the Goliath was a small vehicle, the German super-heavy tank with its 188 tons was called the Maus (“mouse” in English). Their role in the action was usually nugatory, however, having been rendered immobile by uncompromising terrain or deactivated by cunning enemy soldiers who had cut their command cables. It is worth mentioning that the Germans tended to choose ironic names for their inventions. Goliaths did see combat and were deployed on all German fronts beginning in the spring of 1942. The nickname Goliath was added later during the production. Its official designation was "Light Charge Carrier" ( Leichter Ladungsträger in German) with the first models named Sonderkraftfahrzeug (Sd.Kfz) 302 (“special purpose vehicle” in English). However, the Wehrmacht was able to recover the prototype and directed the Borgward automotive company of Bremen to develop a similar vehicle. Upon learning that the Germans had taken an interest in his vehicle, he attempted to hide it from them by throwing it in the Seine River. Its prototype, similar to the Wickersham Land Torpedo, was developed by a French military engineer, Adolphe Kegresse in 1940 (he invented the half-track system and the dual clutch transmission, too). The Goliath or “beetle tank” and “doodlebug”, as the Allies called it, was not the brainchild of the Germans. The Germans also used modified Panzer I tanks to place explosive charges on fortifications in the attack against France in 1940 but, as opposed to the Goliath, they withdrew before the explosion and could be used again. Long Tank Names Long tank names are a source of joy for many people. Due to technical difficulties, the project got cancelled. Durchbruchwagen The Durchbruchwagen, also known as the DW, was a German heavy tank used in World War I, produced from 1917 until 191The Durchbruchwagen was armed with a 75 mm KwK 42 gun and had armour up to 100 mm thick. They intended to use them in demolition missions or as mobile targets for drawing the fire of hidden anti-tank guns. The British started the Matilda II "Black Prince" project, under which they tested a radio-controlled prototype of a Matilda II tank in 1941. The aircraft saw combat in Tunisia and on the Eastern Front. The Goliath was a small vehicle fitted with two 2.5 kW motors capable of propelling it at speeds of up to 10 km/h. The Henschel Hs 129 was a World War II ground-attack aircraft fielded by the German Luftwaffe. It was the lightest of the Landunstrger series, and the most commonly used of the three. For instance, the Soviets used the so-called “teletanks” against Finland in the Winter War in 1939-40. The Leichte Ladungstrger SdKfz 302 (or 303) 'Goliath', nicknamed 'Beetle Tank' by the Allies, was a remote-controlled demolition vehicle that was used by Germany during World War II. The Wickersham Land Torpedo (Photo: Wikipedia)Įarly in WWII, the belligerents used actual radio-controlled tanks, too.
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