KUBELWAGEN AND SCHWIMMWAGEN A Visual History of German Army’s Multi-Purpose Vehicles

The vehicle that was to become the Type 82 Kübelwagen had its roots in the development of the Volkswagen “People’s Car.” With war clouds gathering over Europe, the efforts of the Volkswagen facility were turned to the production of military vehicles. In January 1938 work began in earnest on the vehicle that would come to be popularly known as the Kübelwagen. The term Kübelwagen means “bucket car” and was actually applied to a variety of vehicles from a number of makers, but has come to be synonymous with the Volkswagen Type 82. Even under the skilled tutelage of Dr. Ferdinand Porsche, two years of work and testing were required before the Kübelwagen took its classic form. It was soon to become as ubiquitous as the U.S. Army’s Jeep and was also designed a produced as an amphibious car known as the Schwimmwagen. As always, this Visual History title mixes rare and interesting archival imagery with photos of restored vehicles.