GERMAN FIREFIGHTING VEHICLES: German Third Reich. 1935-1945. Like the British, the German fire services developed a wide range of specialized fire fighting vehicles for use in dealing with air raids in addition to the normal range of firefighting duties expected of a fire department. Table 1 provides a summary of the classifications and types of apparatus. Like the British, the German fire services had a wide range of variations in vehicle models; the table summarizes only the most common types.
Table 108-1. German Firefighting Vehicles 1935-1945
| Classification | Designation | Description | Manufacturers | In Service |
| Crew and Equipment Truck |
KzS 8 |
2 axle open cab and open body with bench seating for 8 crew; later models introduced closed cabs, canvas tops for the body, and eventually enclosed bodies - normally deployed with a trailer pump | Magirus, Metz, Meyer-Hagen, Rosenbauer, Koebe on 1 ton and 1.5 ton Opel chassis and the Mercedes-Benz L 1500 chassis | 1936-1945 |
| Light Firefighting Group Vehicle |
LLG LF 8 |
2 axle, closed cab and body with ladder designed for operations on roads with load limits and in confined areas, with a 1.5 ton to 3 ton chassis and 45 to 60 horsepower engine - deployed with a trailer pump | 1.5 ton Mercedes Benz Type L
1500 F chassis 3 ton Opel Blitz chassis |
1940-1945 3850 LF 8 were built |
| Trailer Pump |
TSA 1008 |
single axle trailer with 800 liter per minute pump | Magirus, Koebe, Metz | other trailer versions included hose, portable generator, equipment, and forest fire fighting models |
| Large Firefighting Group Vehicle |
KS 15 FIKS 15 LF 15 Large Firefighting Group Vehicle (GLG) LF 25 KS 25 |
2 axle closed cab fire truck with equipment compartments, hose reels, ladders, stretcher, cutter bars, and drafting hoses on a 3 to 4.5 ton chassis | Magirus, Opel, Mercedes Benz, Henschel, Metz, Koebe | 1935-1945 2650 LF 25 were built |
| Aerial Ladders |
Light Aerial Ladder (LDL) DL 17 DL 22 KL 26 Large Aerial Ladder (GDL) DL 32 |
2 axle closed cab turntable aerial ladder trucks | Metz and KHD Mercedes Benz and Magirus chassis |
|
| Tankers |
TFL 15 TFL 25 |
2 axle tanker with open or enclosed cab often configured with hose reel, pump, and ladders | Magirus Opel and Mercedes Benz 3 ton chassis |
1936-1945 750 TFL 25 were built |
| Hose Trucks |
Hose Tenders Heavy Hose Trucks SKS Heavy Hose Truck Blitz Hose Truck |
2 axle trucks of a variety of designs with hose reels and/or hose stored in compartments; one model could transport 2300 meters of hose | Opel, Metz, Klockner-Deutz, Magirus, Mercedes Benz | |
| Equipment Trucks | 2 or 3 axle heavy equipment trucks typically equipped with a 3 ton crane on the rear of the vehicle | Magirus, Metz |
By 1942 the variety of vehicles and manufacturers had resulted in significant inefficiencies and a drain on resources in the context of wartime manufacturing. Starting in 1942 increased standardization and rationalization measures were implemented to reduce the number of types and manufacturers and the resources required to produce apparatus. Table 2 shows the result of that effort.
Table 108-2. Firefighting Equipment Manufacturing Standardization
|
Equipment Type |
1942 | 1943 | ||||||||
| Types | Makers | Metal | Workers | Hours | Types | Makers | Metal | Workers | Hours | |
| Portable Pumps | 31 | 24 | 165 kg | 8 | 10 each | 1 | 11 | 122 kg | 2 | 10 each |
| Trailers | 59 | 25 | 440 kg | 8 | 40 each | 3 | 7 | 210 kg | 4 | 40 each |
| Apparatus | 19 | 12 | 820 kg | 7 | 400 each | 11 | 5 | 400 kg | 5 | 400 each |
Note: The values for metal, workers, and hours is the requirement to produce one piece of apparatus.
Sources: Foedrowitz, Michael, German Firefighting Vehicles in World War II, Atglen, Pennsylvania, United States of America, Schiffer Military History, 1997.
Entry 03108 - posted 5 October 2003