Volkswagen Kubelwagen
VW Kubelwagen 82 (“car bucket”) is a German military light vehicle of the Second World War.
Designed by Ferdinand Porsche before the conflict, it has a simplified open body mounted on the chassis and mechanical components with the car then called KdF-Wagen, later Beetle. To improve its offroad capabilities, reducing installed at the wheels, increasing the ground clearance and traction torque. It is also equipped with a differential ZF (Friedrichshafen Zahnradfabrik) self-locking rollers to increase capacity by crossing slippery slope.
By its lightness and locking differential, VW 82 4×2 (4 wheels, 2 wheel drive) has proved better than the “jeep” MB or GPW 4X4 much heavier without locking differential which bring a 4×2 when 2 wheels same side slip. However, some German officers preferred her Jeep they captured the enemy, finding, according to historian Antony Beevor, “much more”.
Designed as a vehicle for transporting troops, he was agile, reliable and easy to produce. The German army used 55,000 copies during the Second World War.