GERMAN MINENRÄUMER - OPERATION ZITADELLE

The VsKfz 617 Minenraumer was a German prototype self-propelled minesweep from World War II. The vehicle was powered by a single Maybach HL 120 engine with 300 hp. The prototype of the vehicle was created in 1942, but the car never entered mass production. The armament was two 7.92 mm MG34 machine guns placed in a rotating turret. The VsKfz 617 was developed by Alkett on behalf of the German armed forces, which wanted to acquire an attack vehicle for demining of heavily fortified areas. As a result, a prototype of a very unusual vehicle was created, which had 3 road wheels (two, large at the front and one, smaller at the rear of the vehicle) and armor up to 60 mm thick. However, the field tests showed many weaknesses of the new design - first of all, its very low maximum speed (not exceeding 20 km / h) and high silhouette, which was an ideal target for the enemy's anti-tank artillery. These shortcomings, as well as technical problems, meant that the VsKfz 617 never got beyond the protype stage. After the end of World War II, the only vehicle was intercepted by the Soviet army.