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124-496: It entered service in 1944 and served on the Eastern and Western Fronts . During the last stages of the war, limited German production resulted in small production numbers, shortage of spare parts, and shortened crew training periods of younger operators. The Jagdpanther was preceded by two attempts at mounting an 8.8 cm gun as a self-propelled anti-tank weapon ; Ferdinand - also known as Panzerjäger Tiger (P) - using

248-668: A German invasion is controversial, and the claim that there was a warning that "Germany will attack on 22 June without declaration of war" has been dismissed as a "popular myth". However, some sources quoted in the articles on Soviet spies Richard Sorge and Willi Lehmann , say they had sent warnings of an attack on 20 or 22 June, which were treated as "disinformation". The Lucy spy ring in Switzerland also sent warnings, possibly deriving from Ultra codebreaking in Britain. Sweden had access to internal German communications through breaking

372-452: A Panther Ausf. G engine deck, a larger gun mantlet bolted externally, and a two-piece KwK 43/4 L/71 gun. Some later G1 models had 'hybrid' G2 features such as the larger G2 mantlet as changes to the design were implemented. Zimmerit was applied to G1s up to September 1944, then was withdrawn to decrease production time. Early Jagdpanthers had two vision openings for the driver, whereas late versions had only one. The main gun originally had

496-665: A central spare-parts service in Bochum . That year, the company had 8,530 employees. The company had 24 business and sales offices in West Germany, and agencies on all five populated continents. The West German company emphasised the manufacture of railroad cars and construction equipment, particularly excavators. In 1961, O&K manufactured Europe's first series of fully hydraulic excavators. They manufactured over 55,000 hydraulic excavators; more than 700 of those were rated at over 100 tons' service weight. O&K also manufactured

620-795: A complete Jagdpanther produced this way are displayed at the Bovington Tank Museum , Dorset, with brass plates on them explaining their history. Jagdpanther equipped heavy antitank battalions ( schwere Panzerjäger-Abteilungen ) and served mainly on the Eastern Front . In the West, they were encountered in very small numbers late in the Battle of Normandy ; the German 654 schwere Panzerjäger-Abteilung ("654th Heavy Antitank Battalion") deployed about twelve Jagdpanthers against

744-617: A great tension has been detected in the sprockets. Mike Gibb of the Weald Foundation being interviewed by historian James Holland , disagreed that the Jagdpanther was unreliable. He said that the Jagdpanther owned by the Weald foundation, which he had first hand experience with, had done hundreds of miles without any reliability issues normally raised about the tank. When the vehicle was properly maintained, and properly driven, it

868-442: A lower speed in favour of tractive power. The standard-gauge locomotives in this category were particularly suitable for shunting and for operating purposes on branch lines. For light railways, especially for narrow-gauge railways, with steep gradients, tight curves and generally a light superstructure and substructure, locomotives with only two axles did often not meet the requirements in terms of tractive force and caused wear of

992-501: A monobloc gun barrel, but, May 1944-on, it was gradually replaced by an economical two-part barrel after crews determined barrel wear was uneven. Notes for the meeting with Adolf Hitler on 10.28.1944: According to an oral statement from H.Pz.Jg.Abt. 654 (currently in Grafenwöhr) Jagdpanther with modified lateral transmission gears (Leutnant Rosenfelder) travelled 400 - 500 km without suffering any damage. However,

1116-746: A policy advocated by the Soviet ministry of foreign affairs under Maxim Litvinov . This, as well as the reluctance of the British and French governments to sign a full-scale anti-German political and military alliance with the USSR, led to the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact between the Soviet Union and Germany in late August 1939. The separate Tripartite Pact between what became the three prime Axis Powers would not be signed until some four years after

1240-529: A quarter of the American Lend-Lease aid provided to other Allied countries. However, post-war negotiations to settle all the debt were never concluded, and as of date, the debt issues is still on in future American-Russian summits and talks. Prof. Dr. Albert L. Weeks concluded, "As to attempts to sum up the importance of those four-year-long shipments of Lend-Lease for the Russian victory on

1364-448: A separate tender did not carry all their fuel and water on board the locomotive and were thus particularly useful for travelling long distances without being refuelled. The locomotives were equipped to be either heated by coal, wood or oil, because a larger heating and grate area were required. The main types had from four to twelve wheels for the locomotive and four, six or eight wheels on the tender. The water tanks were firmly fastened to

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1488-430: A short-term war (Blitzkrieg). According to Edward Ericson, although Germany's own resources were sufficient for the victories in the West in 1940, massive Soviet shipments obtained during a short period of Nazi–Soviet economic collaboration were critical for Germany to launch Operation Barbarossa. Germany had been assembling very large numbers of troops in eastern Poland and making repeated reconnaissance flights over

1612-468: A transverse balancer on both wheels of the axle and thus equal wheel pressures and safety against derailment are obtained. The hollow axle is driven by a driving pin "f" pressed into the ball pivot of the core axle with sliding pieces at both ends, which have the necessary lateral play in the housing of the hollow axle for the deflection of the axle. In order to return the hollow axle to its central position after deflection, either return springs are arranged in

1736-602: Is directed against the Russians . If the West is too stupid and blind to grasp this, then I shall be compelled to come to an agreement with the Russians, beat the West and then after their defeat turn against the Soviet Union with all my forces. I need the Ukraine so that they can't starve us out, as happened in the last war. The Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact signed in August 1939 was a non-aggression agreement between Germany and

1860-629: Is carried out after loosening the two lubricating screws "s" located on the centre of the axle by introducing grease or viscous oil into the sliding boxes of the driving pin. Only during a general inspection of the locomotives is it necessary to also inspect the hollow axles to make sure that the internal parts are in good condition. O&K have used the Klien-Lindner axles for the Royal Prussian State Railways and many other railway in large numbers. The administration of

1984-576: The Generalplan Ost . The populations of occupied Central Europe and the Soviet Union were to be partially deported to West Siberia, enslaved and eventually exterminated; the conquered territories were to be colonised by German or "Germanized" settlers. In addition, the Nazis also sought to rid themselves of the large Jewish population of Central and Eastern Europe as part of their program aiming to exterminate all European Jews . Psychologically,

2108-601: The Anti-Comintern Pact with Imperial Japan . Fascist Italy joined the Pact a year later. The Soviet Union negotiated treaties of mutual assistance with France and with Czechoslovakia with the aim of containing Germany's expansion. The German Anschluss of Austria in 1938 and the dismemberment of Czechoslovakia (1938–1939) demonstrated the impossibility of establishing a collective security system in Europe,

2232-685: The Arctic convoys and training Red Air Force pilots , as well as in the provision of early material and intelligence support. Among other goods, Lend-Lease supplied: Lend-Lease aid of military hardware, components and goods to the Soviet Union constituted to 20% percent of the assistance. The rest were foodstuff, nonferrous metals (e.g., copper, magnesium, nickel, zinc, lead, tin, aluminium), chemical substances, petroleum (high octane aviation gasoline) and factory machinery. The aid of production-line equipment and machinery were crucial and helped to maintain adequate levels of Soviet armament production during

2356-667: The Balkans . Hitler had always intended to renege on his pact with the Soviet Union, eventually making the decision to invade in the spring of 1941. Some historians say Stalin was fearful of war with Germany, or just did not expect Germany to start a two-front war , and was reluctant to do anything to provoke Hitler. Another viewpoint is that Stalin expected war in 1942 (the time when all his preparations would be complete) and stubbornly refused to believe it would come early. British historians Alan S. Milward and M. Medlicott show that Nazi Germany—unlike Imperial Germany—was prepared for only

2480-744: The Battle of Berlin (also known as the Berlin Offensive ), a strategic operation executed by the Red Army. The states that provided forces and other resources for the German war effort included the Axis Powers – primarily Romania, Hungary, Italy, pro-Nazi Slovakia, and Croatia. Anti-Soviet Finland, which had fought the Winter War against the Soviet Union, also joined the offensive. The Wehrmacht forces were also assisted by anti-Communist partisans in places like Western Ukraine, and

2604-612: The First and Second Polish armies, were armed and trained, and would eventually fight alongside the Red Army. The Free French forces also contributed to the Red Army by the formation of the GC3 ( Groupe de Chasse 3 or 3rd Fighter Group) unit to fulfil the commitment of Charles de Gaulle , leader of the Free French, who thought that it was important for French servicemen to serve on all fronts. The above figures includes all personnel in

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2728-687: The German Democratic Republic , O&K changed its name to the VEB Company, and resumed heavy mechanical manufacturing at Nordhausen, producing cable-operated excavator shovels, among other things. By 1946, the Babelsberg factory resumed production of locomotive boilers, and one year later the plant delivered its first postwar locomotive. The German Democratic Republic nationalised the railroads and rolling stock manufacturers. The O&K plants in Babelsberg were renamed

2852-767: The Panther tank chassis was ordered in late 1942. The full-size model by Daimler-Benz was demonstrated in October 1943 before Hitler . MIAG -built prototypes followed in October/November 1943. Production started in January 1944; in February, Hitler specified the simpler Jagdpanther name instead of its original " 8.8 cm Pak 43/3 auf Fahrgestell Panther ". To accommodate the heavier-calibre gun, as on previous Jagdpanzer -style unturreted tank destroyers,

2976-796: The Spanish general election brought many communist leaders into the Popular Front government in the Second Spanish Republic , but in a matter of months a right-wing military coup initiated the Spanish Civil War of 1936–1939. This conflict soon took on the characteristics of a proxy war involving the Soviet Union and left wing volunteers from different countries on the side of the predominantly socialist and communist-led Second Spanish Republic; while Nazi Germany , Fascist Italy , and Portugal's Estado Novo took

3100-491: The glacis plate and sloped hull sides of the Jagdpanther were extended up into an integral fixed casemate as part of the main hull to provide a roomy interior. The Jagdpanther had side plates armour thickness increased (to 50 mm) to offset the slightly reduced angle of the side plate to provide enough interior space. Lower frontal hull plate was reduced to 60 mm (2.4 in) while upper hull frontal plate

3224-462: The "Mongol hordes", the "Asiatic flood" and the "red beast". The vast majority of German soldiers viewed the war in Nazi terms, seeing the Soviet enemy as sub-human. Hitler referred to the war in radical terms, calling it a " war of annihilation " ( German : Vernichtungskrieg ) which was both an ideological and racial war. The Nazi vision for the future of Eastern Europe was codified most clearly in

3348-782: The "Oil Pact" with Romania, by which Germany would trade arms for oil. Romania's oil production amounted to approximately 6,000,000 tons annually. This production represents 35% of the total fuel production of the Axis, including synthetic products and substitutes, and 70% of the total production of crude oil. In 1941, Germany only had 18% of the oil it had in peacetime. Romania supplied Germany and its allies with roughly 13 million barrels of oil (about 4 million per year) between 1941 and 1943. Germany's peak oil production in 1944 amounted to about 12 million barrels of oil per year. Rolf Karlbom estimated that Swedish share of Germany's total consumption of iron may have amounted to 43% during

3472-645: The 1930s. They also delivered some broad gauge CSÉT shunting locomotives with a gauge of 5 ft 3 in ( 1,600 mm ) to the Irish Sugar Company (Comlucht Siúcre Éireann) in Ireland (2 of which have been preserved). The company produced diesel locomotives, and Series 44 and Series 50 steam engines, for the national railway company, Deutsche Reichsbahn-Gesellschaft . In 1922, they manufactured their first continuous-track steam shovel . In 1926, diesel engines replaced steam engines;

3596-709: The Anti-Comintern Pact. The war was fought between Germany, its allies and Finland , against the Soviet Union and its allies. The conflict began on 22 June 1941 with the Operation Barbarossa offensive, when Axis forces crossed the borders described in the German–Soviet Nonaggression Pact , thereby invading the Soviet Union. The war ended on 9 May 1945, when Germany's armed forces surrendered unconditionally following

3720-505: The Army Georgy Zhukov , that ordered (as demanded by Stalin): "do not answer to any provocations" and "do not undertake any (offensive) actions without specific orders" – which meant that Soviet troops could open fire only on their soil and forbade counter-attack on German soil. The German invasion therefore caught the Soviet military and civilian leadership largely by surprise. The extent of warnings received by Stalin about

3844-1017: The Army. Because of strained capacity at the Schlachtensee shops, work transferred in 1899 to a site in Nowawes, later Babelsberg , near Potsdam . Around 1908, O&K acquired the firm of Gerlach and König in Nordhausen, building petrol and diesel locomotives there under the trade mark "Montania". O&K expanded to build freight and passenger cars, and above all, excavators for construction. The company also built other heavy equipment, including graders , dump trucks, forklift trucks , compressors, crawler loaders, wheeled loaders, road rollers , and truck cranes. The company also began manufacturing escalators, transmissions, rapid-transit railway lines, buses, tractors, and cargo ships. Passenger liners, shipboard cranes, and shipbuilding enterprises rounded out

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3968-539: The Balkans. About 15–20% of total German strength were foreign troops (from allied countries or conquered territories). The German high water mark was just before the Battle of Kursk , in early July 1943: 3,403,000 German troops and 650,000 Finnish, Hungarian, Romanian and other countries' troops. For nearly two years the border was quiet while Germany conquered Denmark, Norway, France, the Low Countries , and

4092-775: The Baltic states. Among the most prominent volunteer army formations was the Spanish Blue Division , sent by Spanish dictator Francisco Franco to keep his ties to the Axis intact. The Soviet Union offered support to the anti-Axis partisans in many Wehrmacht -occupied countries in Central Europe, notably those in Slovakia and Poland . In addition, the Polish Armed Forces in the East , particularly

4216-733: The British armed forces. Seven Jagdpanthers of the 1. Schwere Panzerjäger Bataillon 559 were involved in the Battle of Geel in September 1944. Later, significant numbers were concentrated in the West for the Ardennes Offensive . Four surviving Jagdpanthers are restored to running condition one each at the Deutsches Panzermuseum at Munster and the Wehrtechnische Studiensammlung (WTS) at Koblenz . The Weald Foundation in

4340-597: The Eastern Front in World War II, the jury is still out – that is, in any definitive sense of establishing exactly how crucial this aid was." Germany's economic, scientific, research and industrial capabilities were among the most technically advanced in the world at the time. However, access to (and control of) the resources , raw materials and production capacity required to entertain long-term goals (such as European control, German territorial expansion and

4464-452: The Eastern Front of World War II constituted the largest military confrontation in history. In pursuit of its " Lebensraum " settler-colonial agenda, Nazi Germany waged a war of annihilation ( Vernichtungskrieg ) throughout Eastern Europe. Nazi military operations were characterised by vicious brutality, scorched-earth tactics , wanton destruction, mass deportations, forced starvations, wholesale terrorism, and massacres. These also included

4588-755: The German Army, i.e. active-duty Heer , Waffen SS , Luftwaffe ground forces, personnel of the naval coastal artillery and security units. In the spring of 1940, Germany had mobilised 5,500,000 men. By the time of the invasion of the Soviet Union, the Wehrmacht consisted of c. 3,800,000 men of the Heer, 1,680,000 of the Luftwaffe, 404,000 of the Kriegsmarine , 150,000 of the Waffen-SS, and 1,200,000 of

4712-590: The German government. With the collapse of Imperial Germany in November 1918, the victorious Allies put further restrictions on German manufacturing and military capacity, seizing all army Feldbahn engines as per the terms of the Versailles Treaty that ended the First World War. The treaty also removed access to export markets; at the end of 1925, work stopped for three months as a result of

4836-582: The German offensive strength and cleared the way for Soviet offensives. Its setbacks caused many countries friendly with Germany to defect and join the Allies, such as Romania and Bulgaria . The Eastern Front concluded with the capture of Berlin , followed by the signing of the German Instrument of Surrender on 8 May, a day that marked the end of the Eastern Front and the War in Europe. The battles on

4960-477: The German surge to the east in 1941 marked a high point in some Germans' feeling of Ostrausch - an intoxication with the idea of colonising the East. After Germany's initial success at the Battle of Kiev in 1941, Hitler saw the Soviet Union as militarily weak and ripe for immediate conquest. In a speech at the Berlin Sportpalast on 3 October, he announced, "We have only to kick in the door and

5084-765: The LOWA Lokomotiv Plant Karl Marx (LKM). The LKM became the sole manufacturer of diesel locomotives for the GDR, such as the large DRG V180 . In the late 1950s, the plant developed steam and diesel engines for the Deutsche Reichsbahn narrow-gauge railways, building approximately 4,160 engines. The LKM also produced locomotives for foreign orders. The Indonesian State Railways ordered 20 units of C300 class diesel shunters in 1966 and were delivered in 1967. Construction of steam locomotives ended in 1969, leaving diesel-hydraulic locomotives as

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5208-476: The Replacement Army (contained 450,400 active reservists, 550,000 new recruits and 204,000 in administrative services, vigiles and or in convalescence). The Wehrmacht had a total strength of 7,234,000 men by 1941. For Operation Barbarossa, Germany mobilised 3,300,000 troops of the Heer, 150,000 of the Waffen-SS and approximately 250,000 personnel of the Luftwaffe were actively earmarked. By July 1943,

5332-477: The Second World War took place on the Eastern Front". The Axis forces, led by Nazi Germany, began their advance into the Soviet Union under the codename Operation Barbarossa on 22 June 1941, the opening date of the Eastern Front. Initially, Soviet forces were unable to halt the Axis forces, which came close to Moscow . Despite their many attempts, the Axis failed to capture Moscow and soon focused on

5456-530: The Soviet Union and its successor states, and the German–Soviet War in modern Germany and Ukraine, was a theatre of World War II fought between the European Axis powers and Allies , including the Soviet Union (USSR) and Poland . It encompassed Central Europe , Eastern Europe , Northeast Europe ( Baltics ), and Southeast Europe ( Balkans ), and lasted from 22 June 1941 to 9 May 1945. Of

5580-435: The Soviet Union attacked Finland on 30 November 1939 in what became known as the Winter War – a bitter conflict that resulted in a peace treaty on 13 March 1940, with Finland maintaining its independence but losing its eastern parts in Karelia . In June 1940 the Soviet Union occupied and illegally annexed the three Baltic states (Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania). The Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact ostensibly provided security to

5704-464: The Soviet Union gave Germany the resources necessary to launch military operations in Eastern Europe. On 1 September 1939 Germany invaded Poland , starting World War II . On 17 September, the Soviet Union invaded Eastern Poland , and, as a result, Poland was partitioned among Germany, the Soviet Union and Lithuania. Soon after that, the Soviet Union demanded significant territorial concessions from Finland, and after Finland rejected Soviet demands,

5828-399: The Soviet Union. It contained a secret protocol aiming to return Central Europe to the pre–World War I status quo by dividing it between Germany and the Soviet Union. Finland, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania would return to the Soviet control, while Poland and Romania would be divided. The Eastern Front was also made possible by the German–Soviet Border and Commercial Agreement in which

5952-401: The Soviets in the occupation both of the Baltics and of the north and northeastern regions of Romania (Northern Bukovina and Bessarabia , June–July 1940), although Hitler, in announcing the invasion of the Soviet Union, cited the Soviet annexations of Baltic and Romanian territory as having violated Germany's understanding of the pact. Moscow partitioned the annexed Romanian territory between

6076-420: The UK restored one Jagdpanther to running condition and has a second undergoing restoration. The Imperial War Museum at Duxford , UK has restored a Panzerbefehlswagen Jagdpanther to running condition. Eastern Front (World War II) Asia-Pacific Mediterranean and Middle East Other campaigns Coups The Eastern Front , also known as the Great Patriotic War in

6200-405: The USSR after the fall of the British Empire or after an unacceptable ultimatum demanding German occupation of Ukraine during the German invasion of Britain. A strategic air offensive by the United States Army Air Force and Royal Air Force played a significant part in damaging German industry and tying up German air force and air defence resources, with some bombings, such as the bombing of

6324-413: The Ukrainian and Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republics . Hitler had argued in his autobiography Mein Kampf (1925) for the necessity of Lebensraum ("living space"): acquiring new territory for Germans in Eastern Europe, in particular Russia. He envisaged settling Germans there, as according to Nazi ideology the Germanic people constituted the " master race ", while exterminating or deporting most of

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6448-456: The United States, and the remaining one-third, with the help from other Western nations such as Great Britain and Canada. The massive transfer of equipment and skilled personnel from occupied territories helped further to boost the economic base. Without Lend-Lease aid, Soviet Union's diminished post invasion economic base would not have produced adequate supplies of weaponry, other than focus on machine tool, foodstuff and consumer goods. In

6572-465: The Wehrmacht numbered 6,815,000 troops. Of these, 3,900,000 were deployed in eastern Europe, 180,000 in Finland, 315,000 in Norway, 110,000 in Denmark, 1,370,000 in western Europe, 330,000 in Italy, and 610,000 in the Balkans. According to a presentation by Alfred Jodl , the Wehrmacht was up to 7,849,000 personnel in April 1944. 3,878,000 were deployed in eastern Europe, 311,000 in Norway/Denmark, 1,873,000 in western Europe, 961,000 in Italy, and 826,000 in

6696-413: The border; the Soviet Union responded by assembling its divisions on its western border, although the Soviet mobilisation was slower than Germany's due to the country's less dense road network. As in the Sino-Soviet conflict on the Chinese Eastern Railway or Soviet–Japanese border conflicts , Soviet troops on the western border received a directive, signed by Marshal Semyon Timoshenko and General of

6820-400: The bulk of aluminium that was used in manufacture of Soviet aircraft, that had fallen in critically short supply. Soviet statistics show, that without these shipments of aluminium, aircraft production would have been less than one-half (or about 45,000 less) of the total 137,000 produced aircraft. Stalin noted in 1944, that two-thirds of Soviet heavy industry had been built with the help of

6944-639: The case of steam locomotives, it was possible to run them at high speed by fitting suitable devices and using particularly large boilers that could store a larger quantity of steam before passing through the tunnel. For use during tunnel construction or in underground mines, steam locomotives with oil firing equipment were particularly suitable, whereby smoke development and spark emission did not take place. The handling of these locomotives did not differ in any other respect from that of an ordinary locomotive. Furthermore, fireless locomotives were also very suitable for operation in tunnels and mines, as they completely avoid

7068-416: The central housing, or, as can be seen in the following illustration, counter-guides "g" are arranged which, by means of brackets, enclose the hollow axles in the auxiliary bearing positions "ee" and effect unconstrained, shock-free adjustment of the hollow axle, since both end axles must execute their radial or lateral movement simultaneously. In order to counteract the unsteady running of the steering axles on

7192-425: The company converted earlier steam units to diesel power as the need arose. O&K merged with a kerosene -engine builder, selling the engines under the O&K banner. At the Spandau factory, O&K built cable-operated excavators and bucket-wheel excavators for use in the lignite coal mines of eastern Germany. Under the Aryanisation scheme of Adolf Hitler 's Nazi Germany, the Orenstein family's shares in

7316-457: The company were forcibly sold in 1935; Orenstein and Koppel was placed under trust administration, and the Babelsberger works were taken over and renamed in 1941. O&K existed in name only, but more commonly used the abbreviation MBA (Maschienenbau und Bahnbedarf AG). After heavy bomb attacks on Berlin caused a fire in the company's plant-administration buildings, factory production minister Albert Speer redistributed work and factories around

7440-444: The company's priority. The company's last diesel locomotive was the DB Class V 60 D, manufactured until 1976. Over the course of 30 years as LKM, the company produced approximately 7,760 locomotives; about a third of that number were manufactured for export. By 1964, the company had expanded into air-conditioning and refrigeration technology. In West Germany, the enterprise resumed operation after World War II in 1949, under

7564-456: The company's profile. Because of the company's thriving export business, a worldwide system of branch offices was created. In the early years of the 20th century, O&K built bucket chain trenchers , at first from wood, and—after 1904—completely from steel. These were propelled by steam or oil engines. O&K also made railway trenchers for work in heavy soils . In the First World War , O&K built railway engines and cars of all sizes for

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7688-411: The country to lessen the risk from a single attack. For the remainder of World War II , no more locomotives were built in Berlin. Four hundred and twenty-one locomotives already under construction were shifted to Prague to protect the existing factories. During the war, O&K provided 400 Class 52 locomotives. After the end of the war, the locomotive plant in Nordhausen went idle. Under

7812-420: The coupling rods have the same lateral play on their journals as the axles in the axle bearings. This type of construction has proven itself well on eight- and multi-wheel locomotives, but it was not suitable for very small curvatures. In terms of performance and even load distribution, etc., it was equivalent to the more common Klien-Lindner locomotives. They were used for main, branch and small railways. Two of

7936-421: The crypto used in the Siemens and Halske T52 crypto machine also known as the Geheimschreiber and informed Stalin about the forthcoming invasion well ahead of June 22, but did not reveal its sources. Soviet intelligence was fooled by German disinformation, so sent false alarms to Moscow about a German invasion in April, May and the beginning of June. Soviet intelligence reported that Germany would rather invade

8060-628: The destruction of the USSR) were limited. Political demands necessitated the expansion of Germany's control of natural and human resources, industrial capacity and farmland beyond its borders (conquered territories). Germany's military production was tied to resources outside its area of control, a dynamic not found amongst the Allies. During the war, as Germany acquired new territories (either by direct annexation or by installing puppet governments in defeated countries), these new territories were forced to sell raw materials and agricultural products to German buyers at extremely low prices. Overall, France made

8184-408: The eastern German city of Dresden , being done to facilitate specific Soviet operational goals. In addition to Germany, hundreds of thousands of tons of bombs were dropped on their eastern allies of Romania and Hungary , primarily in an attempt to cripple Romanian oil production . British and Commonwealth forces also contributed directly to the fighting on the Eastern Front through their service in

8308-479: The engine from road traffic, the other version served to protect the engine parts against dust. The desired type of covering is to be specified. The weight of this locomotive was relatively high and therefore it could develop a great performance immediately when starting up, even on short gradients. This was effectively supported by a high steam overpressure, which O&K usually provided for these locomotives with 14 bars (200 psi). The fairing of all moving parts

8432-414: The entire war. In addition, the USSR received wartime innovations including penicillin, radar, rocket, precision-bombing technology, the long-range navigation system Loran , and many other innovations. Of the 800,000 tons of nonferrous metals shipped, about 350,000 tons were aluminium. The shipment of aluminium not only represented double the amount of metal that Germany possessed, but also composed

8556-406: The established Panther Ausf G chassis, the vehicle encountered few mechanical problems. It was crewed by five: driver, radio operator/machine gunner, commander, gunner, and a loader. There were two main variants. The earlier G1 1944 model has a small welded main gun mantlet, one-piece Pak 43/3 gun, a modified Panther A engine deck, and had two vision openings for the driver. The G2 Jagdpanther used

8680-456: The estimated 70–85 million deaths attributed to World War II, around 30 million occurred on the Eastern Front, including 9 million children. The Eastern Front was decisive in determining the outcome in the European theatre of operations in World War II , eventually serving as the main reason for the defeat of Nazi Germany and the Axis nations. It is noted by historian Geoffrey Roberts that "More than 80 percent of all combat during

8804-419: The existing inhabitants to Siberia and using the remainder as slave labour . Hitler as early as 1917 had referred to the Russians as inferior, believing that the Bolshevik Revolution had put the Jews in power over the mass of Slavs , who were, in Hitler's opinion, incapable of ruling themselves and had thus ended up being ruled by Jewish masters. The Nazi leadership , including Heinrich Himmler , saw

8928-429: The five axles of a ten-wheel locomotive could move sideways relative to the frame because their axle boxes fixed them rigidly to the frame. The other axles, however, were fitted into their bearings and attached to their drives in such a way that they can be moved sideways during curve running, depending on the sideways forces acting on them. In addition the connecting and coupling rods , through which linear forces from

9052-591: The form of the Lend-Lease program, along with naval and air support. The joint German–Finnish operations across the northernmost Finnish–Soviet border and in the Murmansk region are considered part of the Eastern Front. In addition, the Soviet–Finnish Continuation War is generally also considered the northern flank of the Eastern Front. Germany and the Soviet Union remained unsatisfied with

9176-465: The frame of the tender, while maintaining a low centre of gravity. The coupling between locomotive and tender was similar to that of the waggons, to ensure that the locomotive could be driven without the tender for shunting or on short distances. The tender was easily accessible from the engineer's cab. If the locomotive was heated by wood, the tender had a special fence to increase the volume of its load. After Orenstein & Koppel (O&K) had delivered

9300-468: The genocidal campaigns of Generalplan Ost and Hunger Plan , which aimed to the extermination and ethnic cleansing of more than a hundred million Eastern European natives. German historian Ernst Nolte called the Eastern Front "the most atrocious war of conquest, enslavement, and annihilation known to modern history", while British historian Robin Cross expressed that "In the Second World War no theatre

9424-495: The international communist revolution , and eventually leading to the dissolution of the Comintern (Third International) organisation in 1943. The Soviet Union started a process of militarisation with the first five-year plan that officially began in 1928, although it was only towards the end of the second five-year plan in the mid-1930s that military power became the primary focus of Soviet industrialisation. In February 1936

9548-557: The largest contribution to the German war effort. Two-thirds of all French trains in 1941 were used to carry goods to Germany. In 1943–44, French payments to Germany may have risen to as much as 55% of French GDP. Norway lost 20% of its national income in 1940 and 40% in 1943. Axis allies such as Romania and Italy , Hungary , Finland, Croatia and Bulgaria benefited from Germany's net imports. Overall, Germany imported 20% of its food and 33% of its raw materials from conquered territories and Axis allies. On 27 May 1940, Germany signed

9672-618: The last year of war, Lend-Lease data show that about 5.1 million tons of foodstuff left the United States for the Soviet Union. It is estimated that all the food supplies sent to Russia could feed a 12,000,000-man strong army a half pound of concentrated food per day, for the entire duration of the war. The total Lend-Lease aid provided during the Second World War had been estimated between $ 42–50 billion. The Soviet Union received shipments in war materials, military equipment and other supplies worth of $ 12.5 billion, about

9796-547: The locomotives of the Mallet or Klien-Lindner type, as shown below. In many cases, where 0-4-0 or 0-6-0 steam locomotives were no longer sufficient, O&K built 0-4-4-0 or 0-6-6-0 compound locomotives, Mallet design , which supplemented the more conventional looking 0-4-2 locomotives (in Germany categorized as 2×2/2 and 2x3/3 double compound locomotives in comparison to the more conventional looking 2/3 locomotives). Apart from

9920-645: The lost business. By 1935, business had recovered and the company produced 5,299 locomotives. After the war, O&K's American subsidiary, the Orenstein-Arthur Koppel Company, was seized by the Alien Property Custodian and sold at an auction where only United States citizens were allowed to place bids. Besides the Feldbahn contracts, the company produced Series 50 steam locomotives and standard gauge vehicles in

10044-408: The low-pressure cylinders were located, was connected to the rear frame by two vertical hinges. The boiler with the water boxes rested on a slide track of the front frame, so that the latter could move freely under the boiler. The steam passed from the regulator in fixed pipes to the high-pressure cylinders and, after expansion in these, through an absolutely steam-tight, flexible, well-insulated pipe to

10168-430: The low-pressure cylinders. The exhaust steam entered the exhauster through a vertical movable pipe. A special valve made it possible to feed boiler steam directly to the low-pressure cylinders, so that all four cylinders came into operation immediately when the locomotive was started-up. For railways with steep gradients and relatively light track construction, locomotives with two or three coupled axles often did not meet

10292-770: The mass extermination of populations in German-occupied Europe. The Germans abducted approximately 12 million foreign people from almost twenty European countries; about two-thirds came from Central and Eastern Europe. Counting deaths and turnover, about 15 million men and women were forced labourers at one point during the war. For example, 1.5 million French soldiers were kept in POW camps in Germany as hostages and forced workers and, in 1943, 600,000 French civilians were forced to move to Germany to work in war plants. Orenstein %26 Koppel Orenstein & Koppel (normally abbreviated to " O&K ")

10416-528: The military railway has also introduced 0-8-0 locomotives with steerable coupled axles in place of the 0-6-0 field railway locomotives previously built. Locomotives of the Gölsdorf design were only suitable for lines, on which there were relatively few and large curvatures. In this case it was sufficient to shift one or more coupling axles sideways in such a way that the movable axles were not guided in their axle bearings but by their own flanges. The bearings of

10540-400: The most common strengths were always in stock, so that they could be dispatched immediately on request. Two-axle locomotives were mainly used by construction companies and industrial establishments; accordingly, special emphasis was placed on simple and practical construction. In particular, the locomotives were characterised by high tractive power, while the smaller types were generally based on

10664-607: The name Orenstein & Koppel AG, with headquarters in Berlin. In 1950, it incorporated under that name after merging with the Lübecker Crane Company. After the construction of the Berlin Wall in 1961, the head office moved to Dortmund . By the mid-1970s, the enterprise had grown steadily. In 1972, O&K had five working plants: West Berlin , Dortmund, Hagen , Hattingen /Ruhr, and Lübeck ; it maintained

10788-620: The necessary steam being taken from a stationary boiler. The locomotive is able to work for several hours with one filling and can be operated with minimum expense as the driver needed less skills than that of a conventional steam engine. O&K delivered several types of cogwheel locomotives for mixed railways, on which ordinary operation alternated with cogwheel operation. Mixed railways were used in changing terrains with only single steep gradient, which could not be negotiated by ordinary adhesion locomotives. Accordingly, only these steep gradients were equipped with toothed bars. The mode of operation

10912-666: The ninety-one leftover Porsche-built VK 45.01 (P) chassis from the Tiger tank competition it lost to Henschel in 1942, and the Nashorn on the Geschützwagen III/IV (which used a combination of the Panzer III and Panzer IV components) chassis. Ferdinand proved to be too heavy, and Nashorn lightly armored and under-powered. A heavy tank destroyer design based on the 8.8 cm Pak 43 gun and

11036-551: The nuisance of smoke, gases and sparks. Compressed air locomotives, which, however, required a special stationary system to generate the compressed air were also made and sold in smaller numbers. Fireless locomotives were particularly suitable for use inside factories, yards etc., where it was essential to secure absolute freedom from any risk of fire. They were largely used for shunting purposes for paper mills, oil mills, wool mills, timber yards, gunpowder factories and similar works. These locomotives were constructed without fire boxes,

11160-655: The oil fields in the Caucasus . German forces invaded the Caucasus under the Fall Blau ("Case Blue") plan on 28 June 1942. The Soviets successfully halted further Axis advance at Stalingrad — the bloodiest battle in the war — costing the Axis powers their morale and regarded as one of the key turning points of the front. Seeing the Axis setback from Stalingrad, the Soviet Union routed its forces and regained territories at its expense. The Axis defeat at Kursk terminated

11284-823: The outcome of World War I (1914–1918). Soviet Russia had lost substantial territory in Eastern Europe as a result of the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk (March 1918), where the Bolsheviks in Petrograd conceded to German demands and ceded control of Poland, Lithuania, Estonia, Latvia, Finland, and other areas, to the Central Powers . Subsequently, when Germany in its turn surrendered to the Allies (November 1918) and these territories became independent states under

11408-520: The period of 1933–43. It may also be likely that "Swedish ore formed the raw material of four out of every ten German guns" during the Hitler era'. The use of foreign forced labour and slavery in Germany and throughout German-occupied Europe during World War II took place on an unprecedented scale. It was a vital part of the German economic exploitation of conquered territories. It also contributed to

11532-405: The possibility of being used on light superstructures and small curves, the locomotive had the advantage of great tractive power due to the composite arrangement of the cylinders, as the full weight was used as adhesion weight. The design was such that the boiler, driver's cab and storage boxes were connected to the rear frame, which carried the high-pressure cylinders, while the front frame, on which

11656-482: The prototype of a Kitson-Meyer locomotive for the 600 mm ( 1 ft  11 + 5 ⁄ 8  in ) gauge to the Chilean military railway in 1927, an order for three locomotives followed in 1937. In 1939, the locomotives with the factory numbers 13306 to 13308 were completed. The locomotives had riveted bridge and bogie frames. The boiler, cab, reservoir and ash box were also riveted. The engines located at

11780-460: The railway business in 1981. Its escalator-manufacturing division was spun off to the company's majority shareholder at the time, Friedrich Krupp AG Hoesch-Krupp , in 1996, leaving the company to focus primarily on construction machines. The construction-equipment business was sold to New Holland Construction , at the time part of the Fiat Group , in 1999. The Orenstein & Koppel Company

11904-415: The requirements of increased traffic. Due to the high costs involved, the existing tracks could often not be converted, and heavier locomotives with a larger number of axles were used. Where small curvatures precluded the use of long, fixed wheelbases, locomotives with steerable bogies or, for the sake of simplicity, locomotives with curvilinear coupled axles were often used. The acquisition of such locomotives

12028-399: The same weight and therefore the same tractive force. This type of locomotive could therefore be used wherever the existing track required the most powerful locomotive possible without exceeding the permissible wheel pressure, or where the superstructure was to be constructed relatively lightly. Particularly on longer lines, the latter was considered for the sake of substantial savings. However,

12152-411: The same wheel pressure. The design also had the advantage that the centre of gravity could be set lower than on other types. This, together with the large wheelbase, gave the machines a particularly smooth ride. It could also run at a relatively higher speed, so that, according to the above, it was mainly suitable for small railways and feeder lines. Depending on the particular conditions, O&K installed

12276-463: The side of Spanish Nationalists , the military rebel group led by General Francisco Franco . It served as a useful testing ground for both the Wehrmacht and the Red Army to experiment with equipment and tactics that they would later employ on a wider scale in the Second World War. Nazi Germany, which was an anti-communist régime, formalised its ideological position on 25 November 1936 by signing

12400-445: The steam pistons were translated into the rotation of the wheels via the crank pins, also had to be able to move sideways. O&K built tramway locomotives , which were used for operation on tramways serving public traffic, either with a driver's cab at the front and rear or with only one driver's cab in the middle of the locomotive; furthermore with a power unit cover in two different designs. Whereas one version only served to conceal

12524-472: The svivelling axle at the rear or at the front, but always in such a way that the greatest possible adhesive weight was maintained. Since the full weight of this type of machine could never be used as the adhesive weight, this construction was less suitable for carrying large loads. For such cases OK recommended the use of multi-axle coupled locomotives of the Gölsdorf type or, if small curves were available, to

12648-538: The terms of the Paris Peace Conference of 1919 at Versailles , Soviet Russia was in the midst of a civil war and the Allies did not recognise the Bolshevik government, so no Soviet Russian representation attended. Adolf Hitler had declared his intention to invade the Soviet Union on 11 August 1939 to Carl Jacob Burckhardt , League of Nations Commissioner, by saying: Everything I undertake

12772-539: The toothed track, the driving gear and the friction wheels worked together. The effect of the latter was also utilised on the toothed track and the load on the rack was relieved accordingly. The locomotives worked either on a simple flat steel rack or on Riggenbach ladder rack . A cumulative number of only 6 to 9 rack steam locomotives were made by O&K in total. Their track gauge ranged from 400 mm ( 15 + 3 ⁄ 4  in ) to 1,300 mm ( 4 ft  3 + 3 ⁄ 16  in ). Locomotives with

12896-444: The track and any lurching of the locomotive, these locomotives are fitted with an adjustable safety device which holds the drawbar frames in the central position on the track by means of spring tension; no pressure is exerted against the bearing points with this resetting device. These axles do not require any maintenance except for periodic lubrication. The periodic lubrication mentioned is only necessary at intervals of 1 to 2 months and

13020-439: The track and the wheel tyres due to their wheel load. Therefore, larger locomotives with more axles were available, as shown below. As with the two-axle coupled locomotives, the full weight of the machines with three coupled axles was used as adhesion weight. However, since the wheel pressure was distributed over six wheels instead of four, locomotives of this category could run on much lighter rails than two-axle locomotives with

13144-422: The track curves must be larger when using this locomotive than with the four-wheelers. If the locomotive had to travel through small curves with a light superstructure, it was advisable to purchase a locomotive with two axles and a svivelling axle. This type was especially suitable for longer distances because, it allowed a light superstructure and was also able, to carry larger supplies than 0-4-0 locomotives with

13268-465: The two bogie ends worked on the centre axle set. This wheelset could also be sanded. The control system was of the Heusinger type. While the prototype had a Westinghouse brake, the production locomotives had a Knorr brake. The air pump was attached to the rear water tank, while the main air tank was above it on the water tank. The locomotive had electrically operated headlights. Due to the beginning of

13392-425: The usual way. The steering axle consists of a core axle "a" fixed in "bb" and driven in the usual way, and a hollow axle "c" which is firmly connected to the wheels and can be moved laterally and radially and which encloses the core axle, which is provided with a ball attachment in the middle, by means of a two-part ball cup "d". The load on the axle was distributed by the ball pivot of the core axle "a" as it were by

13516-490: The vast " Bolshevik hordes" that were pouring into Europe. Throughout the 1930s the Soviet Union underwent massive industrialisation and economic growth under the leadership of Joseph Stalin . Stalin's central tenet, " Socialism in One Country ", manifested itself as a series of nationwide centralised five-year plans from 1929 onwards. This represented an ideological shift in Soviet policy, away from its commitment to

13640-631: The war against the Soviet Union as a struggle between the ideologies of Nazism and Jewish Bolshevism , ensuring territorial expansion for the Germanic Übermenschen (superhumans) - who according to Nazi ideology were the Aryan Herrenvolk ("master race") - at the expense of the Slavic Untermenschen (subhumans). Wehrmacht officers told their troops to target people who were described as "Jewish Bolshevik subhumans",

13764-420: The whole rotten structure will come crashing down." Thus the German authorities expected another short Blitzkrieg and made no serious preparations for prolonged warfare. However, following the decisive Soviet victory at the Battle of Stalingrad in 1943 and the resulting dire German military situation, Nazi propaganda began to portray the war as a German defence of Western civilisation against destruction by

13888-545: The world's largest hydraulic excavator, at 900 tons' service weight with a shovel capacity of over 52 cubic metres (68 cu yd) and an engine output of 2,984 kilowatts (4,055 HP). The company also diversified into escalator manufacturing. After 1964, the railway-manufacturing unit was separated from the other production units. The railway business was transferred to Bombardier , which continues to manufacture rolling stock in Berlin. The Babelsberg site became an industrial park . The escalator-manufacturing division

14012-776: Was a mechanical-engineering firm that first entered the railway-construction field, building locomotives and other railroad cars. First founded in 1892 in Schlachtensee , in the Zehlendorf district of Berlin, and known as the Märkische Lokomotivfabrik, the O&;K factories expanded to supply the Imperial German Army under Kaiser Wilhelm II with field-service locomotives, or Feldbahn . O&K supplied all manner of railway equipment to

14136-457: Was a major German engineering company specialising in railway vehicles, escalators, and heavy equipment. It was founded on April 1, 1876, in Berlin by Benno Orenstein and Arthur Koppel . Originally a general engineering company, O&K soon started to specialise in the manufacture of railway vehicles. The company also manufactured heavy equipment and escalators . O&K pulled out of

14260-484: Was also advisable for such new designs where the track systems and bridges were easier and cheaper to build. Since 1901, locomotives with coupled hollow axles have been built in particular according to the Klien-Lindner design , which has proved extremely successful in operation. The advantages of this design were: The arrangement and mode of operation was as follows: The laterally and radially movable coupled axle

14384-451: Was as follows: The two steam cylinders outside the frame drove the driving gearwheel for the rack by means of a double gearing with the appropriate transmission. This driving gear wheel sat on a special axle fixed in the frame and was connected to the friction axles by coupling rods, so that the gear wheel axle and friction axles were driven simultaneously. The locomotives could therefore run on normal rail tracks as well as on toothed tracks. On

14508-595: Was between 100 and 200 a month, but the disruption to German manufacturing made this goal unachievable. The last 'production' Jagdpanthers were produced at the factory by German staff just after the end of World War II under the supervision of the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (REME) during the American and British occupation of Germany. Nine Panthers and a dozen Jagdpanthers were produced, then shipped to England for evaluation. A complete Panther and

14632-431: Was in a ball mount on the right side of the front glacis plate. The machine gunner was also the radio operator. The driver sat on the left. The gunner had a rangefinder and a periscope telescopic sight. The periscope – linked to the gun mount – was under an armoured housing on the roof. The Jagdpanther had a good power-to-weight ratio and a powerful main gun, enabling crews to destroy any type of Allied tank. Based on

14756-416: Was installed as the end axle, and in the case of eight- or ten-wheelers , these steering axles arranged at both ends ensured that the locomotive could enter the curves without difficulty. All axles were coupled in the usual way by fixed rods and mounted in axle bushes "bb" outside the wheels, following the spring play. The axle bushes sit in a continuous, fixed frame on which the steam cylinders are arranged in

14880-606: Was intended to protect other road users such as pedestrians from serious injuries in case of accidents. It also prevented horses from shying and protected the transmission from dirt and dust on the unpaved roads that were common at the time. Often there was no stoker on tram locomotives, which meant they were operated by the driver in one-man operation. The short axle stands also ensured that narrow curves could be negotiated in city centres. Often, standing boilers were used for reasons of space. For operation in tunnels or mine, O&K built locomotives in compliance with specific profiles. In

15004-607: Was kept at 80 mm (3.1 in). The chassis armour changes were also introduced on the main Panther tank assembly lines with the Panther Ausf. G in spring 1944. It was armed with the long-barreled 8.8 cm Pak 43/3 L/71 gun , similar to the main gun of the Tiger II ("King Tiger"). The gun was mounted in a central mantlet, giving it a limited traverse of twelve degrees to each side. A single 7.92 mm MG 34 machine gun

15128-524: Was more gruelling and destructive than the Eastern Front, and nowhere was the fighting more bitter". The two principal belligerent powers in the Eastern Front were Germany and the Soviet Union, along with their respective allies. Though they never sent ground troops to the Eastern Front, the United States and the United Kingdom both provided substantial material aid to the Soviet Union in

15252-668: Was reliable. Gibb theorised that claims about the tank being unreliable may have been with some crews who may have been young and inexperienced and not operated or maintained the vehicle properly. A total of 413 Jagdpanthers were produced from January 1944 by three manufacturers: MIAG in Braunschweig produced 268 from January 1944 until the end of the war, Maschinenfabrik Niedersachsen Hannover (MNH) produced 112 from November 1944, Maschinenbau und Bahnbedarf (MBA) in Potsdam produced 33 vehicles from December 1944. Planned production

15376-482: Was sold to the company's majority shareholder at the time, Friedrich Krupp AG Hoesch-Krupp , in 1996. The construction-equipment business was sold to New Holland Construction , at the time part of the Fiat Group , in 1999. Based on O&K's experience, they have created a number of type 0-4-0 standard designs, which have proven to be particularly suitable for many companies. Locomotives of these standard designs were always under construction, and locomotives of

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