Observer vehicle "Kugelpanzer" (German "Kugelpanzer", "tank-ball") is a light armored car designed in the Third Reich in the 1930s, presumably by the Krupp company. According to the staff of the Kubinka Armored Museum, the vehicle was designed as a mobile observation post for adjusting artillery fire.
As of 2009, the origin and purpose of the car has not been precisely established.
The Kugelpanzer is equipped with a radio station, no weapons were installed. The body is welded, closed type. A hatch in the stern is installed to enter the cockpit. The body is supported by two driving wheels and a steering wheel at the rear. In front, at the level of the eyes of the seated person, there is a viewing slit.
Currently, the only copy is preserved in the armored museum in Kubinka. The armored car was delivered to Japan and was captured by Soviet troops in 1945 in Manchuria (according to other sources, it was captured at the Kummersdorf training ground of the Wehrmacht along with the super-heavy "Mouse"). Was an experimental sample. He did not take part in battles.
The only surviving prototype is labeled “Instance 37”.
Year of development: no data
Year of production: no data
Combat weight: 1.8 tons
Length: 1700 mm
Width: no data mm
Height: 1500 mm
Speed: 8 km / h
Power reserve: no data km
Radio:
Armor
a. Forehead: 5mm
b. Board:: 5 mm
c. Feed: 5 mm
d. Deck: 5 mm
e. Case: (top) 5mm
f. Case: (bottom) 5mm
g. Roof / Bottom: 5mm
Crew: 1 person
Armament: no data
Manufacturers: Germany
