X-7 Rotkäppchen anti-tank missile

A piece of technology I did not know was in use as early as it was.  Of course, now I want to put a few of these on my Weird WW2 German Vehicles.  Here is a great mockup of a turret mounted launcher on an E-100 Maus

from: http://kswong8d.blogspot.com/2011/08/e100-tiger-maus-henschels-heavy-tank.html

The Panzerabwehrrakete X-7 "Rotkäppchen" (Red Riding Hood) was a anti-tank missile. Designed and developed by Ruhrstahl AG in 1943. 

The X-7 was shell shaped body had two wings at its aft end with parabolic leading and trailing edges and two small pods for the wire link spools were attached to the wing tips. The wire link control system was employed for the X-7 Rotkäppchen which used Düsseldorf FuG 510 transmitter and the Detmold FuG 238 receiver, also a radio controlled system was planned for the X-7 Rotkäppchen using the FuG 203/230h. Detonation was achieved by use of an impact fuse.

 trials were undertaken on September 21st 1944 with seven X-7 missiles. Because of the unusual and unfamiliar flying characteristics the first four weapons had ground contact after some distance and therefore crashed. On the next two the rocket engine exploded on the way to the target. The last Rotkäppchen flew all the way and hit the target tank at a range of 500m dead center.

Only about 300 X-7 Rotkäppchen were completed; mass production was planned and had already started at the companies Ruhrstahlwerke in Brackwede and the Mechanische Werke in Neubrandenburg. Many almost finished weapons were captured by the allies (which the French continued to develop after the war).  There were unconfirmed reports of the X-7 being used operationally on the eastern front, and it appears that this missile was extremely effective even against the heavy armoured Stalin tanks.

Type: Anti-tank Missile

Guidance system: Wire Guided / Radio Guided (planned)

Length: 0.95 m

Wingspan: 0.60 m 

Diameter: 0.15 m

Weight: 9 kg

Engine: 2 × WASAG 109-506 solid fuel rocket engine producing up to kg of thrust

Maximum speed: 360 km/h

Range: 1,2 km

Warhead: 2.5 kg

Fuze: impact fuse

Operators: Luftwaffe

(Data from: http://www.wehrmacht-history.com/luftwaffe/missiles/x7-rotkaeppchen-anti-tank-missile.htm)

More to be found at the Weapons and Warfare blog here:
http://weaponsandwarfare.com/2015/11/04/panzerabwehrrakete-x-7-rotkappchen/

Brian has already made up some rules for a Stug variant with an X-7 launcher at his great Weird WW2 Blog here.  Great minds think alike I guess!

From http://www.weirdwwii.com/2012/10/battleground-weird-wwii-panzerjager-ivr.html

You can certainly see older, small chassis getting a new lease of life with this small launcher fitted.

"1946 Racket AT Misile tank" Late WW2/'46 German AT Guided Missile vehicle. Based on a Panzerjager IV chassis and using the X-7 Rotkappchen Missile.  From http://www.modelblokez.org.au/othermodels.html#prettyPhoto

And here is the Pz.IV Raketenwerfer: Missile tank on Panzer IV chassis, armed with four wire-guided Х-7 Rottkapptchen AT missiles".   A single prototype was made.

From Achtung Panzer: "It was also planned to arm Panzerkampfwagen IV Ausf C/D/E with four 280mm or 300mm rocket projectors mounted in a special turret, which replaced the standard one. Turret consisted of forward mounted cabin with machine gun and rear mounted hydraulically operated launching frame. A single prototype was produced and tested although full-scale production did not take place. It was designated as Raketenwerfer auf Fahrgestell PzKpfw IV."

Model version - lots more profile pics from the source site here: http://www.militarymodelling.com/news/article/raketenwerfer-auf-fahrgestell-pzkpfwiv/3844

Kätzchen APC

Gepanzerter Mannschaftstransportwagen Kätzchen (early designation) or Vollkettenaufklarer 38(t) Kätzchen
...a WW2 fully tracked APC for the Germans.

In late 1943 Heereswaffenamt WA Pruf 6 asked Auto Union to develop a light fully tracked reconnaissance vehicle capable of carrying 6-8 men in an open-topped superstructure. The vehicle was to be capable of speeds in excess of 50 km/hour, and was to be moderately armored. The prototypes were tested in the summer of 1944 and were well liked for both their layout and mobility. Problems were encountered with the gearbox and for this reason, and also because of the decision in Sept./ 1944 to limit all new constructions to 2 chassis types only. Namely the Auto-Union with Parts from the Panther or the CKD (Hetzer 38T).

It was eventually decided to just order a prototype from CKD in Prague, maker of the Hetzer 38(T) Panzerjager. The CKD prototype was actually built in 1944. It was wider than the Auto Union model and heavier, being much better armored. Its front plate was 50mm, sides 30mm and rear 20mm. It retained the general layout with the open top and the engine in the rear, but disposed with the kugelblende for the front MG, wich was instead mounted behind an armored shield as carried by the SdKfz.250 and 251 halftracks. A rear mount for another MG was also provided.

1/76 scale model, by Fine Cast Models

There are few models available in 15mm and 20mm, but none in 28mm yet (darn it...)

http://strangevehicles.greyfalcon.us/Katzchen.htm

http://mainly28s.com/odds/Katzchen.htm

Sänger Amerika Bomber

The Sänger Amerika Bomber (or Orbital Bomber, Atmosphere Skipper) was designed for supersonic flight in the stratosphere. The flat fuselage created lift, and the wings were short and wedge shaped. There was a horizontal tail surface at the extreme aft end of the fuselage, which had a small fin on each end. Fuel was carried in two tanks, one on each side of the fuselage, running from the wings aft. Oxygen was stored in tanks located one on each side of the fuselage,forward of the wings. The huge rocket engine of 100 tonnes thrust was mounted in the rear, and was flanked by two smaller rocket engines. The pilot was housed in a pressurized cockpit in the forward fuselage, and a tricycle undercarriage was fitted for a glide landing. A central bomb bay held one 3629 kg (8000lb) free-falling bomb. As the aircraft would fly far beyond the range of Allied interceptors, no defensive armament was included in the design. The dry weight was to be in the neighbourhood of 9979 kg (22000 lbs).

A peculiar flight profile was thought of for the Silverbird. It was to be propelled down a 3 km (1.9 mile) long rail by a rocket-powered sled that developed a 600 ton thrust for 11 seconds. After taking off at a 30 degree angle, the aircraft would proceed to an altitude of 1.5km (5100'), at a speed of 1850 km/h (1149 mph). The main rocket engine would then be fired for 8 minutes, burning 90 tons of fuel and propelling the Silverbird to a speed of 22100 km/h (13724 mph) and an altitude of over 145 km (90 miles). Now the skipping started...

As the aircraft accelerated and descended under the pull of gravity, it would then hit the denser air at about 40 km (25 miles) and 'skip' back up, just like a stone thrown on a lake. The skips would gradually decrease until the aircraft would glide back to a normal landing using its tricycle landing gear, after covering approximately 23500 km (14594 miles).





http://www.luft46.com/jhart/jhsang.html

In June 1935 and February 1936, Dr. Eugen Sänger published articles in the Austrian aviation publication Flug on rocket-powered aircraft. This led to his being asked by the German High Command to build a secret aerospace research institute in Trauen to research and build his "Silverbird", a manned, winged vehicle that could reach orbit. Dr. Sänger had been working on this concept for several years, and in fact he had began developing liquid-fuel rocket engines. From 1930 to 1935, he had perfected (through countless static tests) a 'regeneratively cooled' liquid-fueled rocket engine that was cooled by its own fuel, which circulated around the combustion chamber. This engine produced an astounding 3048 meters/second (10000 feet/second) exhaust velocity, as compared to the later V-2 rocket's 2000 meters/second (6560 feet/second).

http://members.visi.net/~djohnson/misc/sanger.html

http://www.spacefame.org/sanger.html

http://www.pp.htv.fi/jwestman/space/sang-e.html

Jagdpanzer E-100 "Krokodil"

Jagdpanzer E-100 Krokodil: Super Heavy Tank Destroyer

Model by Frank Forster from: http://www.track-link.net/gallery/2871

A model of the Krokodil.

The E-100 is infrequently referred to as the "Tiger III" and more commonly mistaken for the Maus super heavy tank. Not without good reason, considering that development of the E-100 and the Maus were concurrent and because the Maus progressed more quickly the E-100 was intended to have mounted an identical turret. This makes even technical illustrations of the two look surprisingly similar, but the E-100 was more than just a lousy Maus imposter. As the scale tipping end of Germany's rather ingenious "E-series" of next generation tanks the E-100 was planned to be the platform for a variety of super heavy armored vehicles. Among these was the E-100 "Krokodil", a super heavy anti-tank vehicle.

Without the Maus turret to contend with the Krokodil would have slimmed down the impressive 3.6 meter profile of the turreted E-100 and lightened the load on the E-100's 800 horsepower Maybach engine. While the E-100 was unlikely to acheive the promised road speed of 40 kilometers per hour (twice as fast as the Maus) the Krokodil would have likely come closer. The Krokodil would have maintained or even enhanced the E-100s 24 centimeters of sloped armor. The most powerful anti-tank gun fielded by the Germans by the end of the war was the 128mm KwK 44 used by the Jagdtiger and planned for the Maus. The E-100 tank and Jagdpanzer Krokodil both would have mounted a 170mm anti-tank gun capable of driving an armor piercing shot through anything on the battlefield at ranges up to four kilometers.

The E-100 was projected to weigh a "mere" 136 tons, but this number hardly seems realistic given that the weight of the less heavily armed Maus was 188 tons. The E-100, like the Maus, also mounted a coaxial 75mm gun for anti-personnel duty. This gun would have been done away with in the purpose-built Krokodil and would have further trimmed the operational weight of the vehicle and freed up room for more ammunition.

E-100 chassis.

History: The E-Series, or "Einheitsfahrgestell" Series, or General Purpose Chassis Series if you like English, began in April of 1943 with an order to various manufacturers to begin developing different weight classes of vehicles. The E-series was envisioned as a sort of fresh start for the panzer armies of Germany, an entire new wave of armored vehicles in all shapes and sizes. They ranged from the E-5 ultra-light tanks in the 5-10 ton range all the way up to the gargantuan E-100 series. The idea was a grander realization of what was attempted with the Koenigs Tiger and formative Panther II; a complete interchangeability of parts. Every piece of an ultra-light E-5 tank possible would be made to work in a super-heavy E-100 tank, greatly streamlining the efficiency of production, maintenance, and training. This was an impressive goal and one which has yet to be fully realized by any military to this day.

By the end of the war many vehicles in the E-Series had progressed well into the prototype phase, including a variety of light anti-tank guns. For the E-100, fate was less kind. Because of the terrible situation Germany found itself in by 1944, development of super heavy tanks was all but halted. A handful of engineers at the Henschel facility in Paderborn were allowed to continue assembling a prototype of the E-100 tank. They had nearly completed the chassis when the facility was overrun by the British and Americans in 1945. The chassis was carted off to England where it was eventually scrapped.

The legacy of the E-100 and the Krokodil are particularly sad considering that so much noise is made about the Maus when they were both clearly superior vehicles. Their greatly improved speed, even if a bit optimistic, places them leaps and bounds ahead of the Maus in terms of the usefulness they would have had on the battlefield.

From a WWW2 gaming perspective, 28mm versions are elusive in the extreme.
I did find a diecast version in 1/50 but the $230 price tag kinda scared me off...
http://www.themotorpool.net/German-E-100-Jagdpanzer-Krokodil-Tank-Destroyer-p/gaskrokodil.htm

Agis has built a 1/76 kit from Cromwell which has turned out beautifully (like the rest of his stuff I might add)
http://www.adpublishing.de/html/panzer_prototypes.html

BA349 Natter Fighter

Designed near the end of the war, the strange-looking Bachem BA349 Natter ("Adder") interceptor required no run-way for take-off.

Instead, the aircraft was launched up a vertical 8 meter (25ft) rail attached to a small tower. The flight of the fighter would be controlled by radio from the ground until it neared a group of Allied bombers. Then, the pilot would take over and jettison the nosecone to fire off salvos of rockets into the formation.

After firing off all of the rockets, and running out of fuel, the plane would glide down to 3000m (10,000 ft), whereupon a number of parachutes in the rear fuselage would deploy. The entire front of the aircraft (including the cockpit) would detach from the tail, and then the pilot would (hopefully) parachute to safety. Only the pilot and the tail (containing the rocket engine) would be recovered from each mission – the cockpit, wings, and nose were all expendable. Despite the death of a test-pilot during the first manned launch of the plane, 36 of these fighters were built, although none were before the end of the war.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bachem_Ba_349
http://www.wwiivehicles.com/germany/aircraft/fighters/bachem-ba-349-natter.asp
http://www.lonesentry.com/features/f36_natter-bachem-ba349.html

X-Ray Destruction Beam

These are Science Channel CGI renderings of the Strahlenkanone of Oberst d L Schröder-Stranz, an incredulous X-Ray Destruction Beam Weapon backed by a desperate Heinrich Himmler and the SS late 1944 to early 1945.

Note the artist has used the Karl Morser chassis as basis of his rendering.

http://germansecretweaponsnazi.devhub.com/blog/516196-x-ray-beam-weapon-i/

V-3 Supergun

Developed as a vengeance weapon in order to strike back at London, as Allied bomber fleets pounded German cities to rubble, the V-3 (Vergeltungswaffe 3) cannon was capable to delivering a 140kg shell to a range of more than 160 km. The secret to this enormous range was a number of side channels attached to the 140m barrel. These channels each contained an electrically fired propellant charge which helped to accelerate the finned shell to a muzzle velocity of 1500m/s.

Hitler was most impressed by the prototype, and ordered 25 of them to be built at a site at Mimoyecques, in France. However, this site was heavily bombed by Allied bombers, which forced the Germans to abandon it. Two shorter-barreled 50m versions were later built and used against Luxemburg, where they fired a total of 183 shells, only managing to kill 10 civilians and injure 35. Shortly afterwards, both guns were captured by American troops.

Soundkannone

An American officer stands in front of a captured German sound cannon, a dream weapon intended to translate explosions of oxygen and methane into killing noise.

In the strict sense, then, when we address the topic of German secret weapons of World War II, we are faced with an enormous task. But the term 'secret weapons' has a more precise meaning in general use: it implies something which goes beyond the development of a piece of more or less mundane equipment in conditions of secrecy. It implies a genuinely new concept, something truly out of the ordinary, which simply could not work without a new understanding of physical science or chemistry; a new mastery of technology; or some great leap of creative, imaginative invention. In the place and at the time in question, there was certainly no lack of those.

Perhaps the alternative term frequently used in Germany at the time - Wunderwaffen - comes closer to defining the true nature of these secret devices, for they were often truly things of wonder, being either completely new and hitherto undreamed-of outside a small select group, or achieving previously unthinkable levels of performance thanks to breakthrough innovations in science and technology. Some of them, it is true, were 'ideas whose time had come', in that the basic principle was understood, but had not yet been successfully applied, and in these cases, teams of scientists and engineers in America, Britain and Germany (and sometimes elsewhere: there were several significant advances made by Italy) were engaged in a headlong race to get the first reliable working version onto the battlefield. The development of the jet aircraft and of radar, not to mention the development of nuclear fission, stand out amongst those. But in other areas, particularly in rocketry and the invention and perfection of the all-important guidance systems, Germany stood head and shoulders above the rest.

Her scientists made an enormous and outstanding contribution, not just to the German war effort, but to modern civilisation. However, there were areas where German science and technology were deficient, most importantly - arguably - in the field of electronic computing machines, which were not weapons themselves but something without which the bounds of technological development would soon be reached. However, all too often these deficiencies arose as a result of demand chasing insufficient resource, and time simply ran out for the scientists of the Third Reich before a satisfactory result could be produced.

TOO LITTLE, TOO LATE

Time and again in the course of this work we will come upon development programmes which were either cancelled before they came to fruition or which were still in progress at the war's end. Many of them, of course, did not get under way until 1944, when the spectre of defeat was already looming large in Berlin and many essential items were in increasingly short supply. We can only speculate upon the possible outcome of an earlier start on the course of the conflict. Others were cancelled simply because they did not appear to offer the likelihood of spectacular results, and in those cases we can, all too often, detect the hand of Adolf Hitler. In general, we can note what can only be described as a wrong-headed insistence on his part that big (and powerful) was always beautiful (and irresistible). This major flaw led him to push for the development of weapons such as the fearsome - but only marginally effective and very expensive - PzKpfw VI Tiger and King Tiger tanks, which would have been far better consigned to the waste bin from the very outset, and the resources squandered upon producing them - and then keeping them in service - redirected into more appropriate channels such as the more practical PzKpfw V Panther.

In a very real sense, Hitler himself motivated and ran the German secret weapons programme. There seems to be a direct and very tangible link between this programme and his psyche, and we are perhaps left wondering whether the Wunderwaffen would have existed without him. On balance, it seems certain that they would have done, given the creative imagination of so many German scientists and the readiness of many of her military men to accept innovation, but it is equally certain that without Hitler's insistence, many weapons systems which made a very real impact upon the course of the war would either not have been developed at all, or would, at best, have been less prominent.

Nonetheless, without the genius of many German scientists and the brilliance of German technologists and engineers, the entire programme would have been stillborn. Many of the weapons produced for the first time in Germany and employed in World War II went on to become accepted and very important parts of the broader armoury, and several have made an enormous impact on life as a whole outside the military arena. The more spectacular failures have a certain grandeur, despite their shortcomings, and even the outright myths - and there were many, some remarkably persistent - frequently had an underpinning of fact.

From http://www.deradlertag.info/2009/01/wunderwaffen.html

Panzer Proposals

E Series
In mid-1943 a programme for the development of a completely new series of AFV's was initiated by the German Weapons Department. The principal intention was to draw upon the potential of those firms in the automobile industry who were not yet engaged in AFV production. The vehicles were to be standardised within the shortest possible time and were to be capable of being used in a variety of rules with a maximum commonality of component parts.

The following types were planned: 

E-5 A light vehicle in the 5-ton class, intended to serve as a light armoured personnel carrier, small tank, radio-controlled tank or recce tank.

E-10 In the 10-ton class, intended as a personnel carrier, light tank destroyer or weapons carrier.

http://ww2drawings.jexiste.fr/Files/1-Vehicles/Axis/1-Germany/04-Panzerjaegers/E-Serien/E-10.htm

E-25 In the 25-ton class intended as a reconnaissance tank, medium tank destroyer or heavy weapon carrier. Development contracts went to Argus, though there was aPorsche design for a vehicle of this class.

http://ww2drawings.jexiste.fr/Files/1-Vehicles/Axis/1-Germany/04-Panzerjaegers/E-Serien/E-25.htm

E-50 In the 50 to 65-ton class as a light battle tank intended eventually to replace the Panther. Development contracts went to Adler, Argus and Auto-Union

http://ww2drawings.jexiste.fr/Files/1-Vehicles/Axis/1-Germany/03-sPanzers/E-50/E-50.htm

E-75 In the 75 to 80-ton class this was a medium battle tank intended as a Tiger replacement. The development contract went to Adler. The E-50 and E-75 were to be equipped with the Maybach H 234 engine producing 1200hp at 3000rpm, and the Makrudo mechanical/hydrolic two-speed clutch steering gear. In appearance and size they were similar but the E-75 was to be more heavily armoured

http://ww2drawings.jexiste.fr/Files/1-Vehicles/Axis/1-Germany/03-sPanzers/E-75/E-75.htm

E-100 In the 140-ton class this was to be the heaviest tank. Development was undertaken by Adler and a hull with suspension was produced, but it was scrapped in late 44.

 

http://ww2drawings.jexiste.fr/Files/1-Vehicles/Axis/1-Germany/03-sPanzers/E-100/E-100%282%29.htm

RATTE

The Landkreuzer P.1000 "Ratte" ("Rat") was a super-heavy tank designed by Krupp in 1942. Hitler gave the project his blessing and the program set about to create the most powerful tank ever devised. It was an ambitious undertaking to say the least and - should it have been built - would also have become the largest tank ever produced. Albert Speer, the German Minister of Armaments and War Production for the Third Reich, saw the fruitlessness of such an endeavor and cancelled the P.1000 in early 1943. As such, the Ratte never made it off of the drawing boards.

Dimensions:

Overall Length: 114.83ft (35.00m)   Width: 45.93ft (14.00m)   Height: 36.09ft (11.00m)
Crew 20
Weight: 1,000.0 Tons 
Armour:     Maximum: 360 mm - Minimum: 150 mm Armament Suite:
PRIMARY:           2 x 280mm 54.5 SK C/34 naval guns
SECONDARY:    1 x 128mm KwK 44 L/55 anti-tank gun
                             8 x 20mm Flak 38 anti-aircraft cannons
                             2 x 15mm Mauser MG 151/15 autocannons
 
Engine(s): 8 x Daimler-Benz MB501 20-cylinder marine engines developing 16,000 horsepower OR 4 x MAN V12732/44 24-cylinder marine diesel engines developing 17,000 horsepower.

Maximum Speed: 25mph (40 km/h)Systems:

Obviously all of these were abandoned in the late war era, but what could have been by 1949....

Since researching this, I've found that Agis Neugebauer has done an amazing job writing his own wargaming supplmene tup for these Panzer Prototypes here:
http://www.adpublishing.de/html/panzer_prototypes.html

More here at these sites:
http://fingolfen.tripod.com/eseries/eseries.html
http://henk.fox3000.com/maus.htm
http://www.ww2incolor.com/forum/showthread.php?3292-Panzer-projects-amp-prototypes
http://ww2drawings.jexiste.fr/index.htm

Strange (but true) German vehicles

Multi-turreted tanks? Black Wolf experimental SS tank? Submarine/Torpdo hybrids?

Rail-zeppelin bullet train? 2-man mini tanks!

If you like the sound of these, then this site is for you!

http://strangevehicles.greyfalcon.us/

Luftfaust -Part II

Found some great pics of the Luftfaust mini by "What the !" miniatures: http://tableterror.blogspot.com/2010/01/mude-krieger.html

Luftfaust

Another awesome (if somewhat impractical) 'secret weapon',but this time I've found a figure! Load with silver tipped rockets in a grund support role and mow those werewolf packs down :-)

Wikipedia: The Fliegerfaust (lit. “pilot fist” or “plane fist”), also known as the "Luftfaust" (lit. “air fist”), was an unguided German multi-barreled ground-to-air rocket launcher designed to destroy enemy ground attack planes and is credited as the first MANPAD (man-portable air-defense) system.

Designed by HASAG (Hugo Schneider AG) of Leipzig in 1944, the Luftfaust was produced in two different versions.

The first version, the Fliegerfaust A, had four 20 mm caliber barrels. These fired 20 mm projectiles weighting 90 g and containing 19 g of explosive, propelled by means of a small rocket.

The second version, the Fliegerfaust B ("Luftfaust") increased the length of the barrels, and added another 5 barrels, for a total of 9 barrels. The weapon had a total length of 150 cm and weighed 6.5 kg. First 4 rounds from every second barrel were fired immediately and the remaining five 0.1 second later to avoid damaging the projectiles themselves by the rockets' exhaust fumes and from interfering with their courses.

The projectile was a standard 20mm high explosive/incendiary round attached to a steel tube containing a solid fuel propellant. Electrically ignited, the rocket motor vented through 4 angled ports in the base of the tube, giving the projectile spin for stability as well as forward thrust. The standard round achieved a velocity of 380 metres per second, spinning at 26,000 revolutions a minute, with an effective range of about 500 metres, and maximum range of about 2,000 metres.

The projector was a fairly simple device, consisting of nine light, metal tubes fitted in a circular array on a shoulder stock, with a pistol grip and a trigger incorporating a magneto firing generator, similar to a Panzerschreck. The rounds were provided in clips of nine, matching the barrel layout, and could be loaded as one.



The Fliegerfaust was not a successful weapon because of its small effective range caused by too large dispersion of projectiles and the designed range of 500 meters was never attained. Although large orders for the weapon were placed in 1945, and with 10,000 launchers and 4 million rockets ordered, only 80 of these weapons were ever used in combat trials, in this case by a unit based at Saarbrücken.

Vampir IR sight

This is pretty cool - now to find a figure for it! Background from various places around the www:

During the final months of World War 2, the German military came up with another ‘wonder weapon” in an attempt to change the tide of battle. This was the ZG 1229 Vampir infrared site for the STG 44 assault rifle. This thing was heavy, about 5 lbs. and was connected to a 30 lbs. battery support pack designed to be carried on the soldiers back.



The Vampir was not the first German Infrared System, but by the end of the war in 1945 it was the most compact and advanced system they had. The technology itself dates back to around the start of the war, when engineers developed the first infrared rangefinder for German light anti-tank artillery. This was improved and some heavier direct-fire artillery was equipped with it as well. By 1944 the Germans had developed a version flexible enough to be mounted on the Panther tank and by the last year of the war were ready to issue the man-portable Vampir system.

The Vampir system consisted of a "black" spot light, one component of its active infrared system, fixed atop the impressive StG-44 assault rifle. Below this infrared light was a range finder that could detect the light emitted by the IR lamp. Since this light was invisible to anyone not equipped with the system it gave a massive edge over relying on flashlights and flares for illumination. The system mounted on the gun was linked by insulated wire to a heavy battery pack and simple control box that the soldier wore in place of his normal gear. It could transform a normal soldier it one capable of fighting in complete darkness, be it a cave or a moonless night, without revealing his position.

There is dispute over whether or not the Vampir was actually issued to combat soldiers. Some reports claim it was given to special units of the Waffen-SS for testing, others claim it was issued to crews of the similarly equipped Panther tanks (although this seems unlikely due to the unit's bulk). My theory is that what few units were combat-ready were probably issued to the ultra-elite commandos of commanders like Otto Skorzeny and perhaps in the final defense of Berlin. Chances are we will never know the exact truth as no photographs exist of troops utilizing the weapons in the field, but the system was proven to work.