Lead Warrior L35210

Lead Warrior: Magirus ARW Mannschaftstransportwagen

By mid 20-s, the Kfz.3 armored vehicles being in Reichswehr service became absolete and useless in a case of real combat situation. In March 1927, Magirus (Ulm), Buessing-NAG (Brunsvik) and Daimler-Benz (Schtutgart) got a contract from Wa Pruff 6 (Reichswehr ) to design and produce a Mannschaftstransportwagen (Personal carrier vehicle). Each company had to produce two chassis prototypes.
The bodies were to be produced by Martini-Hunecke Salzkotten, the turret – by Rheinmetall-Borsig.

The specifications for the vehicle were:
8 wheels, full drive.
Front and rear wheels steering.
Two (front and rear) driver’s post.
Max speed 65 km/, Cruiser speed at list 32 km/h.
Range of 200 km (at 32 km/h speed).
Perpendicular to overcome obstacles – 0.3 m.
Max. specific pressure on the land – 0.7 kg/cm2.
Armoring: 13,5 mm.
Weigh 7,5 tons.
Armament: a 37 mm L/45 gun and a MG in turnable turret.
Crew: 5.
Floating ability (later this requirement was removed).

These requirements were very high, so it was expected that the vehicles will be complicated and expensive.
According to Reichswehr program, by spring of 1928 six shassis prototypes had to be built, and then fully tested in 1929. A number of Panzerkraftwagen-Kompanie – Armored cars units – planned to be formed in 1931, with 9-11 vehicles in each unit. Reichswehr assign 3.600.000 marks to this program – enough to build 36 vehicles. The second prototype of Magirus ARW was the only one, which was completed with a turret and fully tested.
It was actually a wheeled tank. The round-shapes body design was extremely modern.

It received conical Rheinmetall-Borsig turret with rational armor angles, and with two independently moving MG-08/15 machine guns (instead of a cannon and a MG). With the 6 cylinder Daimler-Beh M36 (100 hp) engine it had max speed of 90 km/h and range of 250 km, exceeding the requirements. A propeller could be attached as floating drive.
To meet weight specifications, the wheels centers were casted of lightweight aluminum alloy.

In 1930, after being tested in Germany, the Magirus ARW prototype was transported to Soviet Union, to “Kama” tank proving ground near Kazan, for further testing (to overcome Versal Treaty restrictions).

Magirus ARW

In 1933, when the relationships between USSR and Germany got complicated, the Magirus ARW, along with other German experimental vehicles, was, according to soviets archives, sent back to Germany.

Further fate of that single Magirus ARW prototype is unknown; already in 1932, the Mannschaftstransportwagen program was canceled due to finansial situation – the vehicles were too expensive to be built in series. The Sd.Kfz.231 6-Rad, based on a standard truck shassis, was ordered instead.
Later, the experience gained during ARW development was used in production of famous German 8-Rad vehicles – the Sd.Kfz.231-234 series.