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The newly refurbished M26 “Pacific” from the collection of the Vienna Museum of Military History

Together with the Museum of Military History in the Vienna Arsenal, on October 12 2012 the Traditionsverband presented US vehicles as they were in service with the re-established Austrian Army in the years immediately after WW2. The event was held at the Martinek Barracks in Baden, the location of the Motorization Institute (HLogS/KFW). More than 20 vehicles documented Army motorization as it was based on US equipment left behind after the departure of allied occupational forced in 1955. Starting with the light Willys Jeeps and Dodge WCs all the way to GMC CCKW and the “heavies” Diamond and Ward LaFrance, our visitors really got a first-hand look at “what kept the Army rolling” in those years.

Forty Years of Heavy Military Vehicle Development

On May 4 2012, the Army Motorization Institute (HLogS/KFW), Rheinmetall Military Vehicles Vienna (RMVV) and the Traditionsverband invited to an event documenting the development of the heavy MAN military vehicle series from its inception in the early 1970s with the ÖAF gl sLKW 20.320 to its current level in the highly mobile MAN HX and SX series trucks. Colonel Günther Gutmann, Chief of the Army Motorization Institute and “host” of the event, presented the development history of the ÖAF “sLKW” from 1974 until 1976. After the first oil crisis in 1973 (in the wake of the Jom Kippur war) and the resulting economic depression, the Austrian government decided that Austrian truck manufacturers should develop and produce a highly mobile, heavy 6x6 truck for the military. While MAN in Germany had just previously developed the “KAT 1” series of 4x4, 6x6 and even 8x8 chassis, it was decided that Austria should develop its own truck. Because ÖAF at that time was already in very close cooperation with MAN (and shortly thereafter would be completely merged into MAN), many parts of the German KAT 1 concept were adopted. The major difference was that ÖAF selected the water-cooled MAN D2538 V8 engine over the air-cooled Deutz engine installed in the German KAT 1. The resulting 6x6 truck was designated ÖAF gl sLKW 20.320 (“geländegängiger schwerer Lastkraftwagen mit 20 Tonnen höchstzulässigem Gesamtgewicht und 320 PS Leistung“).

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