Radio controlled devices
Daniel
Goliath. It is supposedly of German origin.
What was the size of the warhead/charge?
Tactical employment?
Where and when was it used?
What was the effective range of the "thing?
/Daniel from Sweden
--
tedrp
mounted on a small tank treads. It was controlled by means of an
electrical cable. I don't believe that these could be controlled by
radio. It was, for example, used by the Germans during the 1944
Warsaw
Uprising. Its function was to destroy walls and fortifications. There
is
a monument consisting of the tread from such a Goliath now imbedded in
the
exterior wall of the cathedral in Warsaw's Old Town. It apparently was
used during fighting involving the cathedral or some nearby area.
Don't
know the specifications..
Nightjar
"Daniel" <kecke...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:91o2nq$1b6s$1...@nntp6.u.washington.edu...
> I have seen a picture of a small tank looking device said to be called
> Goliath. It is supposedly of German origin.
> What was the size of the warhead/charge?
100 kg of high explosive
> Tactical employment?
> Where and when was it used?
A few were launched against the DD tanks on Utah beach, but the
bombardment
had affected their guidance systems and they were ineffective. One
claimed
some American lives when an American soldier blew it up with a hand
grenade.
> What was the effective range of the "thing?
No idea. I am not even sure whether they were radio controlled or wire
guided. It is a long time since I saw one and none of my readily
available
books do more than mention them in passing.
Colin Bignell
cimb...@webtv.net
The Goliath (SdKfz 302 and 303) was produced in two versions. One had
an
Bosch electric engine and a 60 kg charge while the other had a Zundapp
703 cc motorcycle engine and a 75 kg charge. They both traveled at
around 10 km/hr and had a maximum range of 605 m.
At first, the Goliath was intended to clear minefields on the eastern
front. But it was soon adapted for other roles like attacking
fortified
positions and tanks. Over 7000 were produced during the war.
The Germans also used two other demolition vehicles- the Borgward B IV
and the NSU Springer. These were heavy armored vehicles that placed
500
kg charges.
By the end of the war the Germans were developing television-guided
versions.
Cimbri
ken...@cix.compulink.co.uk
(tedrp) wrote:
> I don't believe that these could be controlled by
> radio
There were several versions of remote controlled demolition vehicles.
The first was Gerat 67 which had electric motors and a 60 Kg charge
The second was Gerat 671 und 672 which had a motor cycle engine and a
75 Kg charge (650m of guidance wire in this model.
There was also a heavy version manufactured by Borgward. This was not
disposable and carried a separate 500 Kg charge. The charge was
dropped and the vehicle backed off before detonation. This was radio
controlled for the final phase of an operation but had provision for a
driver. The driver drove the vehicle as close as possible to the
target and then dismounted. The driver had collapsible shields which
were folded down when he left and provided protection for the radio.
Source Encyclopedia of German Tanks of WW2.
Ken Young
ken...@cix.co.uk
Maternity is a matter of fact
Paternity is a matter of opinion