This silent WWII era German Army training film shows winter operations, including the use of tire chains for large vehicles including trucks, as well as motorcycles. Some rare WWII vehicles are seen in this film, including a Kübelwagen, a Kommandeurswagen, the Einheitsdiesel truck, a Tatra 81 and a Skoda 256G truck. This is Reel 2 of the film, a related film can be seen here: https://youtu.be/uCpKrlaZR94

The film starts with a demonstration of placing track chains with adjustable tension. At 1:07, chains are clamped to the wheels of a truck, the truck driven forward and the chain is installed. At 2:14, installation of chains without tension brackets is shown, with a car as subject. At 3:30, the film demonstrates how a chain can be partially installed on a stuck wheel, to provide traction to escape a pothole or low traction situation. At 4:08, installation of chains on a Kdf wagon or Volkswagen Typ 87 is shown. (This vehicle was also known as the Kommandeurswagen, and it is a World War II, four-wheel-drive version of the Volkswagen Beetle. It was produced from 1941 to 1944 by the Volkswagen plant, primarily for high officers of the Wehrmacht.) At 4:30, a chain is put down with the Typ 87’s metal rope used to connect it, for anti-skid purposes. Chains can also be installed without this. At 6:11, a military motorcycle has chains installed. At 7:15, chains are shown installed on a large diesel truck with dual rear wheels, aka dually or DRW. At 10:30, a connection is made to turn the chain into a “track” that spans both sets of rear wheels on the truck, so it becomes almost like a half-track. At 12:05, repair of a broken chain link is shown using a spare tire. At 12:42 a title card states, “With such anti-skid chains you can drive well and safely!” A snowplow is shown using chains followed by shots of a Volkswagen or possibly a Mercedes-Benz type 320 WK Kübelwagen, and a motorcycle moving swiftly through the snow. At 14:30, a Volkswagen Kübelwagen is shown stuck in heavy snow. The titles advise releasing air in the tires when the traction situation becomes difficult. At 15:13, air is pumped back into the tires. At 15:30, an Einheits-Diesel truck is shown on the move. (The Einheitsdiesel is a standardized truck developed for the German Wehrmacht ahead of World War II. It was built until 1940 and used throughout the war.) At 15:58 a Tatra 81 heavy-duty truck (model made by Czech manufacturer Tatra between 1940 and 1942) is shown followed by a Skoda 256G.

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This film is part of the Periscope Film LLC archive, one of the largest historic military, transportation, and aviation stock footage collections in the USA. Entirely film backed, this material is available for licensing in 24p HD, 2k and 4k. For more information visit http://www.PeriscopeFilm.com