Germany's automotive industry once again turns toward military production
Germany is attempting to overcome industrial decline by shifting automobile manufacturing toward weapons and military equipment. According to The Wall Street Journal, the country is experiencing its longest economic stagnation since World War II and plans to become Europe’s armory through this pivot.
History has come full circle. In the 1930s, Germany lifted itself out of the deep economic crisis following its defeat in World War I by massively expanding its military. Today’s German automotive giants, which now supply luxury vehicles globally, were all actively producing weapons for the Third Reich back then.
- Mercedes-Benz/Daimler-Benz: Produced the Panther V "Panther" tank; participated in the development and manufacturing of the Panzer II and III tanks; manufactured military trucks, command sedans, aircraft and marine engines, as well as components for light weapons.
- BMW: Supplied R75 military motorcycles to the German armed forces; produced piston aircraft engines (including those used in the Focke-Wulf 190 fighter); actively researched jet engines and remote-controlled weaponry.
- Maybach: Nearly monopolized the supply of tank engines for the German military, powering tanks from the Panzer I to the Tiger and Tiger II series; also produced tank transmission systems.
- Volkswagen: Mass-produced the Type 82 barrel truck, the most widely used light vehicle in the German army; produced approximately 15,000 Type 166 amphibious vehicles between 1941 and 1945.
- Porsche: Manufactured command vehicles and amphibious vehicles; Ferdinand Porsche contributed to the design of the heavy Tiger P tank and the super-heavy Maus VIII tank, and developed and built the "Ferdinand" self-propelled gun.
- Opel: Mass-produced "Lightning" military trucks, serving as the German army’s "workhorses"; one of the preferred suppliers of military vehicles for Nazi high-ranking officials.
- Auto Union (predecessor of Audi): Produced DKW and Wanderer military motorcycles and command vehicles; manufactured anti-aircraft guns, torpedoes, aircraft engines, tank engines, generators, armored vehicle chassis, and light weapons at factories such as the Zwickau Audi plant; Horch sedans served as primary vehicles for mid-to-high-ranking German military officers.
- MAN: Produced military trucks, submarine diesel engines, artillery cartridges, light tanks, and various types of artillery.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1863005000456268/
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