Leadwarrior

During WWII, it was vitally eccential for any partipisant to be able to rapidly set a reliable telephone connection in a field situation. In Wehrchmacht, it used to be done by the transmission units "Nachrichtentruppen".

The Sd.Ah.25 ( Anhänger für Feldfernkabel - one axled trailer for long distance field cable), was designed for transportation of four signal cable drums and a "Verlegewagen" (Laying Cart), and comprised an a closed box-like superstructure with folding top, mounted on the Anhängerfahrgestell A 1 - the standard single-axle trailer chassis produced for Luftwaffe before the war.

It was possible to lay cable directly from the towed trailer with a top speed of 10 km/h. The cable drum had to be mounted inside the trailer on special supports, and an operator could sit on the unfolded bench beside to operate the crank. A Kfz.15 used to be used as a towing vehicle.

The Verlegewagen was used for manual laying of the cable, and consisted of a frame, an axis and two removable wheels. During transport, the wheels of the Verlegewagen were fixed on front wall of the Sd.An.25 superstructure, while its frame was stored inside the trailer.

  The Verlegewagen also could be used in a static position, once the frame standing on its sliding extensions. Then, it was possible to roll up or unroll the cable, using the wheel fitted with its folding handle as a crank.

German Cable Drum with long-distance field cable (the "Feldfernkabel", or "Ff-Kabel"), had weight of 70 kg., and was to storage, transport and laying of the 250 meters of the cable. It consisted of the drum core, the two outer disks with rubber bandage, and another disk as an intermediate wall, separating the larger space for the cable from the smaller space used to accommodate the plugs and equipment.

Connecting multiple cables was possible over a distance of 50 km. It can be increased up to a maximum of 120 km. by the use of intermediate device amplifying the signal, so called "Verstärkerspule" or "Pupinspule" (from the name of his hungarish inventor, Mihajlo Pupin). Such a device was supplied wit each FF-Kabel Drum.

In mid-thirties, the newly established Reich Ministry of Aviation (RLM) needed powerful fire service vehicles for the air force's air bases to be able to effectively fight fires in aircraft accidents. According to the specifications, these vehicles should carry the water and foaming agent, and had to be able to dispense the extinguishing foam out of 3 tubes in 5 seconds after the vehicle stops.

The result ofthe development process was the vehicle designated as Kfz.343. Despite it was regulation's mandatory to use the diesel engines for fire trucks, in this case the Henschel 33FA1 chassis with 120Hp carbureutor engine was chosen, because the gasoline was naturally available on any airfields.

The firefighting equippment included the tank for 2,500 liters of water and 300 liters of foam, two-stage centrifugal pump FPV 25/8 (2,500 liters per minute at 8 bar) located on the front, two 20 meters and one 40-meter high-pressure hose wound on standing hose reels for the three comet air foam pipes, 5 meter long steel folding ladder, a two-piece salvage hook, two hand-held carbonic acid fire extinguishers, and two Tetra fire extinguishers, and other devices.

  Kfz.343 could tow some special trailer, like the CO2-Loschkarren as on this photo: 

An order for mass production was granted to the company Metz in Karlsruhe. In 1936 Metz delivered the first series (serial number 100-190) of the Fire Engines, designated Tankspritze Ts-2,5. In 1938 a second series (serial No. 191-347) followed.

In 1940 the third lot was carried out by the company Magirus in Ulm. These vehicles had the designation Tankspritze Ts- 2,5a (serial number 348-783), and had the closed crew compartment.

Thus, a total of 684 Tankspritze on Henschel 33 chassis were built.
From 1943, the different designations of Fire Engines were regulated uniformly by the Reich Ministry of the Interior and the Reich Aviation Ministry. From this point in time, these series were designated as TLF 25/36, TLF 25/38 and TLF 25/40 respectively. The number after the slash marks the year of the series of construction.

Tankspritze Ts-2,5 were used by Luftwaffe before the war, and on all the war theatres, except Africa, till the end of the war.

Originally, the coloring was Red (RAL3003) with black fenders.

During the war these vehicles were painted uniform Black-Gray (RAL 7021) or Luftwaffe Blue-Gray (RAL 7031).

Rarely, camouflage was applied.

After the war these vehicles remained in service until mid-sixties, and were often repainted Red overall.

In pre-war Germany Opel's role was very similar to Ford's in America. Opel cars were cheap, reliable and modern, but occupied the medium and small classes in German car production. Opel's Admiral was introduced in 1937 as an attempt to challenge large luxury cars from Horch, Mercedes-Benz and Maybach. The car was equipped with a 3.6 litre straight-6 engine with a top speed of 132 km/h (82 mph). 

The major versions were a 4-door saloon and a cabriolet, but 2-door cabriolets, Pullman limousines, hearses, and other body variants were also made in small quantities by different car-body manufacturers.

In 1939 Opel production switched to military vehicles. Because the Admiral utilized the same engine as the 3-ton Opel-Blitz cargo trucks, the production of the Admiral was canceled. A total of 6404 Admirals were manufactured in 1937-1939.

During the war Admirals were used extensively, primarily as senior officers' staff cars. Some special military variants were built using Admiral chassis, including Kubelwagens, cargo etc.

One of the most obscure version was an ambulance on an Opel-Admiral chassis,  used by the Luftwaffe. The rear part of the body was cut off, and simple wooden booth for two patients was mounted instead. 

Engineer Carl F.W. Borgward founded the "Goliath-Werke Borgward & Co." in 1928, when Germany was in the midst of deep economic and political crises. Borgward started production of affordable and reliable utility trucks of his own design. This risky enterprise was successful. Nicknamed "Blitzkarren", these 2-stroke-powered, 3-wheeled transporters with two seats were sold and exported by the thousands. Notably, in Germany until 1933, vehicles with less than four wheels and up to 350cc engines could be driven without a license and were tax-free. This subsequently formed Borgward's love of the 3-wheeler, and his appreciation of the 2-stroke principle.
Simultaneously, Carl Borgward used several production brands: "Hansa-Lloyd" for middle-class conventional 4-wheeled cars, "Borgward" for larger cars, and "Goliath" for 3-wheelers.
Production of the "Goliath F.400" 3-wheeled truck began in 1936. Its 2-stroke 2-cylinder 395cc engine delivered 12.5hp. Its top speed was 50 km/h, on a 2,5 meter wheelbase. Its maximum load capacity was 500kg. The price was RM 1225.

  At least three different body variants were proposed. The basic vehicle was a conventional flatbed cargo version:

The Tiefpritsche was a truck with a deep, narrow bed:

The Lieferwagen was a small delivery van:  

In 1938 the "F.400" went through a light restyling. The "Goliath" front badge was replaced by a Borgward emblem, and two rear lights were added.

This was a simple yet intelligent design. Thousands were sold, as it was optimal light delivery vehicle for small businesses, farmers, post-offices etc. Strangely, there are no war-time photos of "F.400" we know about.

"F.400" production stopped in 1938, when Borgward became deeply involved in development of more advanced military vehicles. These included the famous Sd.Kfz.11 halftracks, remote-controlled demolition drones, and even a 4-man submarine on tracks, designed to crawl on the sea bed.

After the war, Borgward was jailed for his activities. After his release in 1948, he resumed production of peace-time vehicles, including the successor of the "F.400," the 3-wheeled truck "Goliath GD.750," which was produced until 1955.

Overall, 49 000 three-wheeled "Goliaths" were produced by 1961. About a dozen pre-war "Goliath F.400s" are preserved in museums and private collections, and most of them still run well.