SdKfz. 301 Borgward IV Ausf. B rebuilt to Wanze. The last battle of the schwere Ladungsträger SdKfz. 301 Borgward IV was as the conversion, known as
Wanze (Borgward B IV Ausführung mit Raketenpanzerbüchse 54), armed with a battery consisting of six 8.8cm Raketenpanzerbüchse 54/1. This was undoubtly one of the characteristic vehicles created by combination of new
arms with already existing chassis. This resulted in more or less exotic "interim
solution" vehicles, created by the desperate situation and the lack of resources
Germany suffered from in early 1945. Wanze was clearly an "interim solution"
vehicle, built for the remaining ill-equipped troops of the German army. The basis for
developing such vehicle was a small and easy maneuvered panzerjäger which were to be
issued to the troops defending industrial areas and cities classified by Hitler as
"festungs" - fortresses. These were to be sent out against the never stopping
masses of enemy armor advancing towards Berlin in the last months of the war. There was always a
shortage of running panzerjägers, e.g in February of 1945 the kommandant of Festung
Breslau (Wroclaw) had only single Jagdpanzer IV, eight StuG IIIs and few PzKpfw IIs in his first
kompanie der Panzerjäger Abteilung Breslau. The second, third and forth companies were
exclusively equipped with Panzerschreck and Panzerfausts.
Probably SdKfz.301 Borgward IV Ausf. C Wanze,
Captured Wanze in use by the Russians in Berlin, 1945. The vehicle that was available in sufficient numbers and in such condition that a reconstruction could be considered was the schwere Ladungsträger SdKfz. 301 Borgward IV Ausf. C. Including the Ausf. A and B, there were some 318 held in reserve plus another 79 vehicles serving in combat units as of January of 1945. (They were built as offensive weapons, not really of any good use in the defensive battles of 1944/45). The SdKfz. 301 Borgward IV was accepted, and approx. 56 were rebuilt to Panzerjäger Wanze. The vehicles were rebuilt in slightly different ways. In Borgward IV Ausf. B, one built in an extra seat for the gunner to the left of the driver, protected by an armored plate in the front. The rocket unit was then mounted to the left of the gunner. This rocket unit could be turned by the gunner through a shoulder support. On the rocket barrels a plate was attached to protect the gunner from shrapnel whirled up by the rockets when fired. Ausf. Cs were rebuilt in the same manner, with the exception for the driver being seated to the extreme left. All Wanzes had three smoke dischargers attached to their front plates, and these played an important roll when attacking as the panzerjägers first rolled out from their hide-outs eg. a street corner to get a free line of fire and then quickly targeting and firing at the enemy and finally retreat whereby the smoke grenades were launched in order to protect the vehicle and hide its movement phase. Well back in protection, one could reload everything for a new action. In April of 1945, a panzerjäger-versuchs abteilung fighting in Berlin. Its equipment consisted partially of VW Kübelwagen and Borgward IV equipped with Raketenpanzerbüchse 54/1. Any larger massed operation were never made. There is photo evidence of abandoned Borgward IV in the area held by 11. SS Freiwilligen Panzergrenadierdivision "Nordland" in central Berlin. In Wilmersdorf, there were VW Kübelwagen with Raketenpanzerbüchsen in combat with enemy armor of the Soviet 9th Mechanized Regiment and caused some casualties. After that, the traces of an "interim soultion" disappear in the mess of shot up vehicles in the rubbles of Berlin, where after some time everything was cleaned up and scrapped. Eventhough, Soviet special units were looking for new technical solutions, the only evidence of a follow-up is the American M-50 "Ontos", armed with 6 recoiless rocket launchers and issued to the USMC in 1955, who used it in the early stages of the Vietnam war.Above information provided by Andreas Staeding, Germany.  Copyright@1996-2007 |
