Some of the world’s greatest military vehicles

A 1943 Willys Jeep

MILITARY vehicles have always been interesting, especially when the innovations and technology put into them are way different from passenger cars.

Furthermore, these are vehicles that are divided into various categories to suit the different needs in cases of warfare, such as as air portable, reconnaissance and specials operations, cargo and DROPS (demountable rack off-loading and pick up system), ambulances and medical, communications, heavy equipment transporters, missile transporters, bridging and amphibious vehicles.

Each application usually follows the requirements of that particular armed forces and not all may be applicable to any one army. 

In Malaysia, our focus is usually recon and specials ops, cargo, ambulances and communications, although the Malaysian Defence Forces also has other types of vehicles thanks to their specific strengths in jungle warfare.

Although we don’t highlight all that we have, we have put a list together on which are the greatest we have, or do have, including some that have never been seen on our shores.

One particular vehicle that is unmistakable is the Volvo C303. Some countries call it the “Laplander”. The army had two specifications that also included the C304, a longer wheelbase 6-wheeler for troop transport, as communications vehicles and for just about anything and everything. It was simple to run and had done its rounds sending soldiers’ children to school.

 

Volvo C303

The shorter wheelbase ones were a little more agile and there are some still can be found abandoned around in Raub. Off-roaders love its 4×4 capabilities, which is why they use the system to modify their 4×4 vehicles.

The Mercedes LA911 is another vehicle that was very popular. Having been commissioned into the army in the 1960s, this Mercedes truck was a workhorse until they introduced the “Handalan” trucks. Even a short spell of procuring the cheaper Tata trucks weren’t enough to stop the popularity of the Mercedes. 

It is based on the L-series, which was produced from 1959 to 1995.

The Mercedes LA911 truck

It was so versatile it could literally handle any kind of terrain and has been used before in army exercises or war games, as the Americans would term it. Besides, it was also used outside of the military, like for haulage of goods and other use.


The LA911 being used for carrying goods.

Another vehicle that made its mark here and not just in the military but also the civil service, was the Land Rover. 

First created for farmers in England, the Land Rover quickly became a military favourite as it was made out of aluminium and had a very long shelf life. In the army here, the transport corps only needed to change the engines every 10 years or so and it would be back on the roads.

They were used in cargo specification and more commonly, as FFR (fit for radio) for battalion commanders during jungle exercises. They were also used to shuttle smaller troop count and could handle most off-road terrains in the country.


The Land Rover 109 FFR

And unlike the Humvees, it did’t have to destroy jungle crop to get to a destination. The Series 1 and 2 were later replaced with the Land Rover Defender series 110s in the late 1980s.


The Land Rover Defender 110

Pinzgauer is another iconic military vehicle. The army has a few over here but are for specific use and not very common.

Originally developed in the late 1960s, the vehicle was manufactured by Steyr-Daimler-Puch of Graz,  Austria, and was named after an Austrian horse breed, the Pinzgauer. It subsequently ended up being owned by BAE Systems Land & Armaments. Currently, they are produced as 4WD and 6WD utility vehicles but has never changed in design.


The Pinzgauer high mobility all terrain vehicle.

It was popular amongst military buyers. After all these years, it is currently eclipsing the popularity of the Land Rover Defender in the military utility vehicle role throughout the world.

The German army Kubbelwagen or bucket car, is another icon. Most of the units have been bought out by private buyers as classics but back during World War II, it was the main vehicle by the German army.


The Kubelwagen

It was manufactured by Volkswagen and was formally known as the Type 62. It was designed by Ferdinand Porsche as a military vehicle and was for the Germans what the Willys Jeep was for the Americans.

Speaking of the Willys, it was another very successful military vehicle.

Willys was the brand name used by Willys-Overland Motors, an American automobile company. The company manufactured passenger cars but is better remembered for its military vehicles.

The reason they became famous making the military vehicle was because the company bid to produce a lightweight truck for the War Department. They needed an engine that could develop 15hp and run for 150 hours without failing. This engine took two years to perfect.

Production of the Willys began in 1941 and was shared at the time between Willys, Ford and American Bantam. Globally, some 650,000 Willys Jeeps were manufactured.

It is best remembered in movies depicting WWII and especially the “D” Day landings.

Another famous WWII vehicle was the Benz G4. Often described as “Hitler’s Mercedes”, the G4 was a heavy staff 6-seater built for senior ministers, senior military officers and officials at the time.


The mammoth Benz G4

The G4 had an M24 straight 8-cylinder petrol engine that was coupled to a 4-speed main gearbox and 2-speed auxiliary transfer box. It was driven by the rear wheels.

The interior of a 1939 G4

Its unladen weight was 3,566kg and churned out 110 to 115hp, restricting the mammoth car to a top speed of just 60km/h. Only 57 of these beauties were built.


A 1934 Mercedes Benz G4

The Unimog is another range of trucks that are popular among military forces the world over, in some 26 countries to be precise. Unimogs are produced by Daimler AG. 

The latter took over manufacturing of the make since 1951 and besides military use, the Unimogs can be found being used fire fighters, expedition campers, and even in competitions like truck trials and Dakar Rally rally raids, snowploughs, municipal equipment carriers, agricultural implements, construction equipment and road-rail vehicles.


A Mercedes Benz Unimog

It was designed with permanent all-wheel drive, with equal-size wheels, in order to be driven on roads at higher speeds than standard farm tractors.


The original, first generation Unimog before it was built by Mercedes Benz.

With their very high ground clearance and a flexible frame that is essentially a part of the suspension, Unimogs are not designed to carry as much load as regular trucks.

The Humvee or High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle (HMMWV), took off where the Willys Jeep left off. Produced by AM General, the Humvee is primarily used by the US Army although there are some countries using it.


A Humvee that was being tested by the Malaysian army.

Several units were brought to Malaysia for the use of testing here but it never really could take over from the Land Rover in this part of the world. The US Army uses it for many different military applications. 

The Humvee first saw action in the invasion of Panama in 1989, and was initially designed primarily for personnel and light cargo transport behind front lines. Over the years, it underwent many modifications to what it is today. It is currently said to be undergoing a replacement exercise. Quite rightly so since whatever it ended being was far from its intended purpose.

Source : http://www.therakyatpost.com/motoring/2015/02/19/worlds-greatest-military-vehicles/#ixzz3SGPe2s7b