Kriegsmarine - "War Crocodile" - Amphibious Vehicle
"Kriegsschildkröte & Kriegskrokodil"
(Denkschrift über ein neuartiges Kampfmittel zur Landung in England)
On April 18, 1940, Professor Gottfried Eder published a memorandum regarding a novel type of combat vehicle intended for the invasion of England. The concept featured a floating bunker capable of moving independently both in the water and across shallow shoreline areas.
These so-called "war turtles" or "war crocodiles" were designed to transport soldiers (up to 200), tanks, horses or artillery. Upon reaching the beach, the vehicle was intended to serve as a bunker. These floating armored vehicles were to be constructed from reinforced concrete. Some of the units were to be heavily armed and made of duralumin.
The floating tanks were intended to be approximately 30 m long, 7 m wide, and 4 m high.
In the water, the vehicles were to be propelled by propellers. For movement on land, the vehicles were to be propelled (depending on their size) by two, three, or four track drive units mounted on the underside. A speed of 12 nautical miles per hour and an operational range of 300 nautical miles were considered necessary.
The vehicles attracted interest, but their implementation was deemed difficult; furthermore, they would likely arrive too late for the invasion.
Drawings were also attached to the memorandum. Unfortunately, these are not included in the document mentioned below.
Operation "Sea Lion", Erich Raeder's Files June - August 1940
Source: Bundesarchiv
Signatur: RM 6/92; Page: 17 - 27
Direct Link:
https://invenio.bundesarchiv.de/invenio/direktlink/c708f4cb-8651-41fd-bc79-d6e088a49208/
"Kriegsschildkröte & Kriegskrokodil"
(Denkschrift über ein neuartiges Kampfmittel zur Landung in England)
On April 18, 1940, Professor Gottfried Eder published a memorandum regarding a novel type of combat vehicle intended for the invasion of England. The concept featured a floating bunker capable of moving independently both in the water and across shallow shoreline areas.
These so-called "war turtles" or "war crocodiles" were designed to transport soldiers (up to 200), tanks, horses or artillery. Upon reaching the beach, the vehicle was intended to serve as a bunker. These floating armored vehicles were to be constructed from reinforced concrete. Some of the units were to be heavily armed and made of duralumin.
The floating tanks were intended to be approximately 30 m long, 7 m wide, and 4 m high.
In the water, the vehicles were to be propelled by propellers. For movement on land, the vehicles were to be propelled (depending on their size) by two, three, or four track drive units mounted on the underside. A speed of 12 nautical miles per hour and an operational range of 300 nautical miles were considered necessary.
The vehicles attracted interest, but their implementation was deemed difficult; furthermore, they would likely arrive too late for the invasion.
Drawings were also attached to the memorandum. Unfortunately, these are not included in the document mentioned below.
Operation "Sea Lion", Erich Raeder's Files June - August 1940
Source: Bundesarchiv
Signatur: RM 6/92; Page: 17 - 27
Direct Link:
https://invenio.bundesarchiv.de/invenio/direktlink/c708f4cb-8651-41fd-bc79-d6e088a49208/
Last edited:
