Was the Kettenkrad useless?

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  • Опубликовано: 16 дек 2019
  • In this Jens Wehner and I talk about the Kettenkrad, particularly about its usefulness for the German military over the course of the war, yet, also about its value for the individual soldier. As such we discuss its capabilities, strength and weaknesses.
    Disclaimer I: I was invited by the Militärhistorisches Museum der Bundeswehr Dresden.
    Disclaimer II: I was invited by the Panzermuseum Munster to Stahl auf der Heide 2019.
    Militärhistorisches Museum der Bundeswehr Dresden: mhmbw.de/startengCover by vonKickass.
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    » SOURCES «
    Spielberger, Walter; Doyle, Hilary Lous, Jentz, Thomas L.: Halbkettenfahrzeuge des deutschen Heeres
    Spielberger: Halftracked Vehicles of the German Army 1909-1945 (Spielberger German Armor and Military Vehicle)

Комментарии • 905

  • @terraflow__bryanburdo4547
    @terraflow__bryanburdo4547 4 года назад +1130

    Expensive and high-maintenance vehicle...in the Wehrmacht? I am SHOCKed I tell you! SHOCKED!

    • @user_____M
      @user_____M 4 года назад +22

      @dwiggins01 Are Porsche high maintenance? I read that 99% of them from the past 20 years are still in the streets.

    • @mecalpsha4473
      @mecalpsha4473 4 года назад +13

      Europe does not have the -40/-50 winter temperatures then the mud like the Soviet Union does. They were fine operating in their own country and the supplies lines were over extended and not equipped to handles the climates.

    • @HaVoC117X
      @HaVoC117X 4 года назад +37

      @@mecalpsha4473
      The german vehicles performed much better under those temperatures. Rommel was able to run circles around the allies in North Africa (even so he was outnumbered), because the german tanks and aircrafts worked much better in those hot and dusty environments.The Luftwaffe was outnumbered over africa, but still managed to put up a good fight, because the aircrafts had much higher ready rates than the british ones. They had special modification kits for their aircrafts to operate in tropical climate like the Bf 109 F4 Trop
      Have you ever tried to cold start a Diesel engine at -40°. German tanks can exchange their coolant water to preheat a cold engine with the hot water of an already running engine.
      So the germans were not completely unprepared. Or why do you think they developed halftracks with excelent cross country performance? But the supplies lines were indeed over extended.

    • @HaVoC117X
      @HaVoC117X 4 года назад +22

      @dwiggins01 Have you ever worked on Cars? German, Japanese, French, Italian, American??
      VW spare parts are darn cheap for older cars (at least in Europe) and german cars are in general quite easy to fix compared to other brands.
      IIf you buy luxury cars you have to deal with luxury maintenance cost. Buying the a car is only half the deal. What do you think will a high performance Porsche disk brake cost you as a spare part? Same is true for other non german luxury brands.

    • @logoseven3365
      @logoseven3365 4 года назад +32

      Freestyle
      In the States we have a similar expensive, high maintenance, useless vehicle, they are called Harley Davidsons

  • @ThePhred66
    @ThePhred66 4 года назад +509

    1 of 10 for cost, 3 of 10 for maintenance, 4 of 10 for needed, 6 of 10 for useful, 146 of 10 for cool factor.

    • @MistahFox
      @MistahFox 4 года назад +31

      Or cute factor too.

    • @willisix2554
      @willisix2554 4 года назад +13

      So it's just like my Mercedes Benz

    • @Ratkill9000
      @Ratkill9000 4 года назад +5

      2nd kind of cool is always a great excuse to have one.

    • @dougnaumann1225
      @dougnaumann1225 4 года назад +4

      Ja und this generates die Dieter score of 763.62. Guten Tag and now we dance.

    • @Enzo012
      @Enzo012 4 года назад +1

      Same score as the King Tiger?

  • @jefferyindorf699
    @jefferyindorf699 4 года назад +534

    I always thought that the kettenrad looked like the result of a Panther molesting a motorcycle.

    • @Alpostpone
      @Alpostpone 4 года назад +73

      I rather like the idea of motorcycle seducing a Panther.

    • @mbr5742
      @mbr5742 4 года назад +12

      Actually a halftrack spending a night or two with a cheap to have motorcycle (The halftracks used interleaved road wheels well before the Kitty)

    • @patrickwentz8413
      @patrickwentz8413 4 года назад +11

      the love which has no name

    • @KaiservonKrieger
      @KaiservonKrieger 4 года назад +5

      Chotto matte kudasai

    • @visi7754
      @visi7754 4 года назад +6

      Your a Twisted Pup! Nice one and Cheers.

  • @havokvladimirovichstalinov
    @havokvladimirovichstalinov 4 года назад +635

    I dont care if it was useless or not I want one!!!!!!!

    • @ozdavemcgee2079
      @ozdavemcgee2079 4 года назад +29

      Be pretty cool to go down the shops to pick up the bread and milk lol. A friend of mine had a Bren gun carrier with rubber tracks. But regardless of that about 25yr ago he could no longer get registration to drive it on the road

    • @jameshope7933
      @jameshope7933 4 года назад +14

      I know, right? imagine how cool it would be to roll up to a biker bar on this!

    • @obelic71
      @obelic71 4 года назад +14

      You don't want one it's even worse you NEED one!
      A motorbike with tracks you can drive tru the lanes in your local supermarket to get the groceries.
      And outside you can rip and tear up the neighboorhood driving straight home because you need no roads.

    • @havokvladimirovichstalinov
      @havokvladimirovichstalinov 4 года назад +3

      @@obelic71 Yes. 1000% Yes!

    • @CrusaderSports250
      @CrusaderSports250 4 года назад +2

      As we are living our fantasies why decide, have both a bren gun carrier and a kettenkrad, together with a dingo for when you want to be more discrete!!☺.

  • @DARisse-ji1yw
    @DARisse-ji1yw 4 года назад +220

    Sit down son.
    When a motorcycle and a tank love each other very much ......

    • @jasonhunt19201
      @jasonhunt19201 4 года назад +14

      when a motorcycle transitions to a murdercycle

    • @SonsOfLorgar
      @SonsOfLorgar 4 года назад +11

      @@jasonhunt19201 that would just be a BMW mptorcycle with an MG34 or MG42 in a side car.

    • @dionmoore879
      @dionmoore879 4 года назад +9

      Yes, but nowadays it has to be mutually agreed to in writing. Otherwise the one might call "me too" on the other. Just sayin.....

    • @stuforty2
      @stuforty2 4 года назад +2

      One of the first hybrid vehicles 😀

    • @manbunnmcfanypakjustacoolg4965
      @manbunnmcfanypakjustacoolg4965 4 года назад +3

      It takes a lot of lubrication.

  • @Top_Weeb
    @Top_Weeb 4 года назад +304

    Perfect for exploring a post-apocalyptic world.

    • @Gaehhn
      @Gaehhn 4 года назад +66

      yay, depression potatoes

    • @johndowe7003
      @johndowe7003 4 года назад +38

      good luck finding enough grease to keep it lubed lol

    • @justjoeable
      @justjoeable 4 года назад +49

      and after finding grease you gotta make sure yuu-chan doesn't try eating or cooking with it

    • @SonsOfLorgar
      @SonsOfLorgar 4 года назад +10

      Actually, it would be useless for exploring a post apocaluptic world.
      You'd be better off with an ex Soviet Lada, a Volvo 740 or earlier or even an east-german Trabant than a Kettenkrad.

    • @Top_Weeb
      @Top_Weeb 4 года назад +28

      SonsOfLorgar Get a load of this guy.

  • @aquilatempestate9527
    @aquilatempestate9527 4 года назад +326

    Useless? It looks pretty good for delivering the mail.

    • @N3003Q
      @N3003Q 4 года назад +39

      And christmas presents.

    • @JohnRodriguesPhotographer
      @JohnRodriguesPhotographer 4 года назад +13

      It was too small to carry a significant amount of supplies and too light to pull a large load.

    • @killerkraut9179
      @killerkraut9179 4 года назад +1

      there is a new version of Kettenkrad Here in Mini ruclips.net/video/ejkmQffNYjk/видео.html

    • @allangibson8494
      @allangibson8494 4 года назад +11

      @@JohnRodriguesPhotographer It was used later in war as an aircraft tractor - particularly for jets. It was quite capable of pulling a load having been originally designed for logging and used by the Wehremacht to haul small antitank guns and run phone lines.

    • @ostsan8598
      @ostsan8598 4 года назад +16

      And travel the post apocalypse.

  • @TheBlazeraider
    @TheBlazeraider 4 года назад +324

    Don't bully the kettenkrad, it's doing it's best!

    • @FirstDagger
      @FirstDagger 4 года назад +6

      @ger du ; The battle was rigged from the start against it!

    • @killerkraut9179
      @killerkraut9179 4 года назад +2

      There is a New Version of the Kettenkrad ruclips.net/video/ejkmQffNYjk/видео.html

    • @michaelm9975
      @michaelm9975 4 года назад

      Hi, Derpy! :D

    • @nmarbletoe8210
      @nmarbletoe8210 4 года назад +1

      who would be mean to a kitten cart? awww

    • @stuforty2
      @stuforty2 4 года назад

      Yeah it’s cool I like it 😀

  • @fryingpancakes8445
    @fryingpancakes8445 4 года назад +60

    Who is here from Gril's Last Tour? The use of a Kettenkrad makes complete sense because it is good for difficult terrain and the two girls are on an existential tour in the end of the world. They even drive up and down stairs in the anime too.

    • @ecthelionalfa
      @ecthelionalfa 4 года назад +1

      m.mangahere.cc/manga/shoujo_shuumatsu_ryokou/ the manga, enyoy It ending

    • @raylast3873
      @raylast3873 4 года назад +7

      Of course, it‘s actually terrible for the post-apocalypse, because where are you gonna get spare parts or lube?

    • @ethanyeung6216
      @ethanyeung6216 3 года назад +2

      @@raylast3873 :(

    • @spiceforspice3461
      @spiceforspice3461 3 года назад +7

      @@raylast3873 The story actually acknowledges that, and they eventually have to leave it behind because the engine breaks and it can't be fixed.

  • @wjlasloThe2nd
    @wjlasloThe2nd 4 года назад +69

    In reference to pulling aircraft around, I believe this was in order to save valuable aviation/jet fuel that otherwise would be used up taxiing. In addition, 262's Jumo 004 engines had an atrocious service life, to the point that saving minutes taxiing would be worth it.

  • @Steve-lh8by
    @Steve-lh8by 4 года назад +354

    High-maintenance, expensive, not particularly useful and German, but that's enough about my wife. I want one of these!

    • @fukhue8226
      @fukhue8226 4 года назад +11

      Just another of the many reasons the Germans lost the war. For the British and Americans it was a very useful machine. It helped to keep the Germans from building effective weapons that actually worked.

    • @humanresearchtestsubjecth.1184
      @humanresearchtestsubjecth.1184 4 года назад +2

      😆

    • @salientissues4109
      @salientissues4109 4 года назад +1

      Hahahaha🤣

    • @DARisse-ji1yw
      @DARisse-ji1yw 4 года назад +1

      Ha !

    • @DARisse-ji1yw
      @DARisse-ji1yw 4 года назад +2

      @Scott E ouch !

  • @therealmaxilist
    @therealmaxilist 4 года назад +282

    No it wasn't useless, it helped Yuu-chan and Chi-chan travel the barren wasteland and saved them from starving for an entire season!

    • @derptank3308
      @derptank3308 4 года назад +41

      Although that was a much thiccer Kettenkrad
      Also hello fellow weeb

    • @jamesharding3459
      @jamesharding3459 4 года назад +7

      What anime is that?

    • @petman515
      @petman515 4 года назад +3

      @@derptank3308 whats the reference? this taku can't place it.

    • @casadelshed9128
      @casadelshed9128 4 года назад +1

      Latemodeloldtaku The anime was called, I think, if I remember rightly, Girls on parade

    • @petman515
      @petman515 4 года назад

      @@casadelshed9128 thank you

  • @YerluvinunclePete
    @YerluvinunclePete 4 года назад +103

    It had a heater and you weren't marching. Of course they liked it.

    • @TheDave159
      @TheDave159 4 года назад +6

      I think it's main use would have been drinking rallies. Load a crate of open beer in the back, complete a course as quick as possible and drink what is left.

    • @BobSmith-dk8nw
      @BobSmith-dk8nw 4 года назад +1

      It had a heater????!!!!!
      .

    • @TheDave159
      @TheDave159 4 года назад +15

      @@BobSmith-dk8nw You learn fast that anything with an engine has a heater.

    • @YerluvinunclePete
      @YerluvinunclePete 4 года назад +1

      @@BobSmith-dk8nw I know eh! German and over-engineered? I'm SHOCKED!

    • @BobSmith-dk8nw
      @BobSmith-dk8nw 4 года назад +4

      @@TheDave159 Well ... yeah ... you can get heat off the engine - and for something like a motor cycle where you're pretty much sitting astride the engine ... sure - but that's not a real "heater" that would warm up the guys on the back of the thing. Although ... if these things were giving Ranking Officers rides - maybe they did have a heater ...
      I've spent to many hours freezing my ass off in worn out patrol trucks that were - supposed to have a heater - it just didn't work ... Trust me ... I (like anyone else who's been in the military) could go on and on ... There's the way things are supposed to be ... and then ... there's the way they are ...
      .

  • @WilhelmScreamer
    @WilhelmScreamer 4 года назад +79

    It's such a delightful little contraption

  • @kimjanek646
    @kimjanek646 4 года назад +99

    Theres an anime about two girls driving around in a Kettenkrad. Cleary it was not useless but infact completely changed our future :D

    • @darkanglesfallen4558
      @darkanglesfallen4558 4 года назад +18

      love that anime it me go awhh

    • @ctrlaltdebug
      @ctrlaltdebug 4 года назад +24

      And it's pretty realistic that they had to constantly fix it

    • @jonathansibrian695
      @jonathansibrian695 4 года назад +3

      @@ctrlaltdebug need sause

    • @ecthelionalfa
      @ecthelionalfa 4 года назад

      @@jonathansibrian695 m.mangahere.cc/manga/shoujo_shuumatsu_ryokou/ there you have the manga, estoy it

    • @thatguys4341
      @thatguys4341 2 месяца назад

      @@jonathansibrian695the name is Girls’ last tour

  • @zachariaszut
    @zachariaszut 4 года назад +92

    It is good to have some light Kast over this interesting vehicle.

  • @aimformyheadplease
    @aimformyheadplease 4 года назад +19

    So so happy that this channel came up in my RUclips recommendations, this is quickly becoming my favourite history channel regarding the Second World War from a very unique, entertaining viewpoint, and with no fear of "sacred cows" (they always make the tastiest hamburgers). When I got the service records of all my relatives that fought (and mostly were killed) during the war, my great-uncle's last posting was in a krad recce coy in a panzer-grenadier unit, so this video really interested me. I haven't even started going back to watch all the back catalogue of videos on the channel either, but am really excited about it. Keep 'em coming, great work!!

  • @fukhue8226
    @fukhue8226 4 года назад +22

    Was the Kettenkrad useless? No! In the movie "Saving Private Ryan" Tom Hanks used one to draw the Germans into a battle.

  • @david-1775
    @david-1775 4 года назад +12

    My grandfather managed to find an abandoned one and got it running. I have several pictures of him driving it. I always thought it was a very cool looking motorcycle/half-track.

  • @ShaDoW-uc7bn
    @ShaDoW-uc7bn 4 года назад +67

    Useful for capturing control points and laying booby traps if you know what I mean.

    • @jonathansibrian695
      @jonathansibrian695 4 года назад +8

      Scorch earth FTW

    • @wiemisstmaneigentlicharmla1394
      @wiemisstmaneigentlicharmla1394 4 года назад +4

      it can go invisible too..

    • @lwilton
      @lwilton 4 года назад +4

      80 KPH is 50 MPH, which isn't that fast for a wheeled vehicle, especially a motorcycle. It is pretty fast for a tracked vehicle.
      If you had a smooth road and you yourself didn't have to lube the vehicle and replace all the worn-out parts, I don't see why it wouldn't be able to go 50 MPH -- for a while.
      Towing trains or 155mm long guns up mountain trails or whatever else it can do in video games is something else. But getting up to 80 KPH on a soccer pitch before crashing into the goal net should be possible. :-)

    • @horsthorstens2266
      @horsthorstens2266 4 года назад

      CoH :D

    • @jonathansibrian695
      @jonathansibrian695 4 года назад +1

      @@lwilton it can go faster with some defencive vet

  • @Puritan1985
    @Puritan1985 4 года назад +9

    After watching this video, RUclips now keeps suggesting I watch more kettenkrad videos. Who knew RUclips had a seedy "kettenkrad" side of it?

  • @princeofcupspoc9073
    @princeofcupspoc9073 4 года назад +64

    OK, I have period pics of the krad pulling 37mm gun, Arado and M262 jet aircraft, a trailer of logs, and even pulling a truck out of the mud. Now maybe they burned out the motors a minute after the pics were taken, but it looks like it can pull a bit more than we are giving it credit for.

    • @coiledsteel8344
      @coiledsteel8344 4 года назад

      Not a 37 mm gun, that was in US Army inventory.

    • @jamesharding3459
      @jamesharding3459 4 года назад +16

      Coiled Steel 3.7 cm PAK 36, fine. Same thing.

    • @bellator11
      @bellator11 4 года назад +3

      It could reliably pull this (Arado weighes between 8 and 10 tons), otherwise they wouldn't even attempt it. So it would undouobtedly pull a PaK40 (1.4 tons) without a problem.

    • @kiisu74
      @kiisu74 4 года назад +9

      @@bellator11 You think pulling an airplane down a runway can compare to pulling a trailer through the mud? Shit, man, you and me and a couple of our toughest friends could push an eight ton Arado down a flat, smooth runway. Twenty-eight hundred pounds up a hill? Probably not. I'm not saying the 'Krad isn't capable, mind you...

    • @jkleopard4617
      @jkleopard4617 4 года назад +2

      Coiled Steel the pak 36 was a 37mm gun from the Germans.

  • @ryangrimm9305
    @ryangrimm9305 4 года назад +29

    Many years ago, I think the 1970s, I was told by an old US Forest Service retiree that they brought 200 of them over here to the USA for forest roads and other work.
    Could have been just rumour, but I'd heard stuff in the 60s that turned out to have been declassified in the 1990s...
    *shrugs*

    • @ahoneyman
      @ahoneyman 4 года назад +4

      A lot of these ended up on German farms after the war. I could see these being useful for Forest Service rescue or resupply.

    • @billwilson3609
      @billwilson3609 3 года назад +4

      I believe the Kettenkrad stayed in production after the war because those were widely used by the forestry service in several European countries. The US probably brought some over for military evaluation and forestry work. In 1995 I got to check one out at our local airport during an airshow that also had a WW2 German re-enactment group from Texas showing off that, a Hetzer and BMW R75 sidecar rig. They said the tank and bike were purchased in Europe while the Kettenkrad was bought at a US Govt. surplus auction. They drove the Kettenkrad with the front wheel off because those wore out fast and weren't needed for steering.

    • @gheetza14
      @gheetza14 Год назад +2

      They were designed begore the war gor forestry services in Germany so it makes sense.

  • @MARfilms
    @MARfilms 4 года назад +25

    It's not useless, it got two girls from point A to point B.

  • @tisFrancesfault
    @tisFrancesfault 4 года назад +70

    That thing has more grease points than a combine...

    • @princeofcupspoc9073
      @princeofcupspoc9073 4 года назад +3

      Mostly tracks.

    • @420JackG
      @420JackG 4 года назад +8

      Tractor tech has come a very long way. My uncle collects and works on vintage tractors and they are crazy to maintain.

    • @chapiit08
      @chapiit08 4 года назад +2

      More grease points than a Mexican

    • @yourhandlehere1
      @yourhandlehere1 4 года назад +1

      Years ago working at an oil change place, a guy brought in one of those trucks they pull whole trees out of the ground with. Got the big hydraulic spiky shovels of death or whatever they call them. I think I counted about 120.

    • @MrGreatness412
      @MrGreatness412 4 года назад +1

      @@chapiit08 😲😲

  • @glynluff2595
    @glynluff2595 4 года назад +29

    So, it served a need at the time but events overtook it. That is not unreasonable. It would also seem that it was not designed to be a point vehicle but to provide support services. The side car outfits were used as point vehicles and failed as such in the Greek campaign because the losses against the English riflemen on mountain roads were ruinous. The kettenkrad would have had immediate vindication in the Polish campaign as the roads broke up quickly under military use and at that time the military loads would have been within its capacity. One has, I suggest, also to remember that in the early campaigns it would have had its major use in the second line of advance. Later it would have been involved in far more fluid battle situations where it’s riders vulnerability would have become quickly apparent. Without doubt though a delightful piece of engineering.

    • @seanmalloy7249
      @seanmalloy7249 3 года назад +3

      One of the books I have on the Kettenkrad suggests that it was presented in response to a requirement for a light tractor that could fit inside a Ju52 for transport, intended to tow, as described in the video, the 3.7cm PaK. With the demise of airborne operations, that role for the Kettenkrad disappeared, and it got jobbed out for other roles, like cable laying and as a generic light utility vehicle. From looking at the German halbketten designs, having a lubrication point on each track link was standard, a case of German overengineering that the troops in the field then hand to deal with.

  • @star5398
    @star5398 4 года назад +2

    Chito and Yuu really know how much repair it needs

  • @WildBillCox13
    @WildBillCox13 4 года назад +18

    I read somewhere that the Luftwaffe used a few kettenkrad as aircraft towing vehicles and literal bomb trucks (towing bomb limbers). That might make sense as (I believe) it was developed for the air mobile infantry.

    • @Collectorfirearms
      @Collectorfirearms 4 года назад +1

      I heard that too

    • @chrisknight6884
      @chrisknight6884 4 года назад +2

      These were also used to retrieve me 163 rocket fighters after they had landed, with the use of a complex lift and carry trailer, as the me163's wheels were jettisoned after take off.

    • @WildBillCox13
      @WildBillCox13 4 года назад

      @@chrisknight6884 Interesting. Thanks for sharing.

    • @DmdShiva
      @DmdShiva 4 года назад +1

      According to the sources I've read, it was the result of a requirement for a light artillery tractor that would fit inside a Ju-52 transport for airborne troops.

    • @chrisknight6884
      @chrisknight6884 4 года назад

      @@DmdShiva Interesting, but I do find this a little difficult to comprehend given the limited size and location of the JU52s cargo door. This would also be only viable if the the only field gun this machine could tow, the 37mm, would also fit in the JU52, not much point otherwise. Not being an expert on the carrying capacity of this aircraft I would not discount this until I can do more research. Thanks for the info.

  • @isaiahwolftail867
    @isaiahwolftail867 4 года назад +48

    Very neat bike they should make a modern one. Just for the badass factor

    • @SonsOfLorgar
      @SonsOfLorgar 4 года назад +5

      There are reproductions

    • @axelhopfinger533
      @axelhopfinger533 4 года назад +2

      Imagine a modern one with a light composite body and electrical drive. You could probably drift with it.

    • @wdwerker
      @wdwerker 4 года назад +3

      Look into the “ripchair “ tracked vehicle by Howe & Howe !

    • @Derpy-qg9hn
      @Derpy-qg9hn 3 года назад

      Basically a snowmobile. Give it ATV wheels instead of skis, figure out cooling the tread wheels (or just make them steel), bam, reverse Kettenkrad.

  • @briangreen1781
    @briangreen1781 4 года назад +3

    Thank you for doing a video on this.

  • @lucisferre6361
    @lucisferre6361 2 года назад +2

    Thanks for explaining the origin of some of the more pertenant terms in text on this video. This was appreciated in addition to the informative talk.

  • @russwoodward8251
    @russwoodward8251 4 года назад +2

    This channel always presents an advanced and well thought out discussion. Thank you very much.

  • @FloofyTanker
    @FloofyTanker 4 года назад +8

    The best use case was for exploring the post apocalyptic world by 2 girls.

  • @MrRenegadeshinobi
    @MrRenegadeshinobi 4 года назад +12

    Chiito and Yuri wouldn't call this vehicle useless. For those who get this reference.

    • @justjoeable
      @justjoeable 4 года назад +1

      It did break down at one point

  • @anthonygreenfield123
    @anthonygreenfield123 3 года назад +1

    Thank you so much for shedding light on this cute little mini tank, it looks awesome.

  • @williamreynolds8210
    @williamreynolds8210 4 года назад

    They are so cool! Excellent commentary. Vielen dank!

  • @KB4QAA
    @KB4QAA 4 года назад +6

    Thanks to the Military Museum!!!

  • @StaffordMagnus
    @StaffordMagnus 4 года назад +63

    I guess the lack of pulling power was down to the engine, not a lack of traction?

    • @edi9892
      @edi9892 4 года назад +13

      Pulling power depends AFAIK very much on weight and friction. You could put a modern engine in and try to pull a plane with it, but the vehicle would just dig itself in...

    • @patrichausammann
      @patrichausammann 4 года назад +8

      ​@@edi9892 A Cessna 172 might be moved with a Kettenkrad without digging in yourself.😉 And as they told during the video, it was actually used to move Me 262 airplanes.

    • @neildahlgaard-sigsworth3819
      @neildahlgaard-sigsworth3819 4 года назад +5

      edi you're right, but when everything else is equal a low power engine will give you less pulling power than a higher power engine.

    • @peterstickney7608
      @peterstickney7608 4 года назад +18

      It's Torque, not Horsepower, that does the pulling. Horsepower is defined as Torque * Rotational Speed.
      If you take the output of your engine and gear it down to 1/2 crankshaft speed, then you've doubled the torque.
      (1/3 = trebled, an so on.)
      So, it's not only the power of the core engine, but its gearing that make a difference there.
      That being said, traction is, of course, very important - and also very dependent on ground condition.
      (Consider if you will, a 400 HP Muscle Car at a stop light, with an 60 HP compact car next to it -
      When the light changes, which vehicle pulls ahead? In summer, it's the Muscle Car. But, on a wet or snow-covered road, the Muscle Car will have broken traction, just spinning its wheels, and the compact car will easily pull away.)
      There are situations where a large footprint, with a low ground contact pressure, like wide tires, or tracks, will give you more traction, There are other conditions where a high ground contact pressure will give more traction.
      (Snow plowing, for example)

    • @edi9892
      @edi9892 4 года назад +1

      @@peterstickney7608 but when you have two identical Lamborghini, one with minimal fuel and no one on the other seat and the other fully loaded, I put my money on the second car when it comes to winning the pulling match.

  • @Ale-to3fv
    @Ale-to3fv 4 года назад

    always nice videos! thanks!

  • @f12mnb
    @f12mnb 4 года назад

    Nice video - two consistent themes that seems to pop up is the development or lack of development of engines and how some projects that have one or two interesting features but don't really fulfill some bigger goal still keeps getting resources.

  • @kyle857
    @kyle857 4 года назад +4

    The German half track system was insanely overcomplicated. The Chieftan has a good talk about it.

  • @ian_b
    @ian_b 4 года назад +7

    I want one of these so I can drive around my neighbourhood like a boss.

    • @j3lny425
      @j3lny425 3 года назад +1

      Rescue stranded people and cars on the highway after a blizzard and be a hero

  • @WILDBEES_LATVIA
    @WILDBEES_LATVIA 4 года назад

    I always watch all videos about this machine, many thanks for You for bringing up new facts about this cool vehicle. I would be very happy to see more videos from You about this cool thing.

  • @Will-ux1dg
    @Will-ux1dg 2 года назад

    This is the best WW2 site on RUclips

  • @guidor.4161
    @guidor.4161 4 года назад +4

    It should actually be counted as a fully tracked vehicle. It can be run perfectly well without the front wheel.

  • @SJM6791
    @SJM6791 4 года назад +5

    The coolness factor alone is enough of a reason for me to want to buy one of these beautiful machines.

  • @jonathanallard2128
    @jonathanallard2128 4 года назад +3

    I had the chance to visit this Museum when I travelled Germany back in 2012. Went to Dresden to see (because I assumed there was) a museum about the terrible bombing of 1945. Found the museum by chance. Wonderful building and expositions. There's even a segment dedicated to the animals that were used in war at any point. Loved to see it featured here.

    • @LJWalter78
      @LJWalter78 10 месяцев назад

      Agree 100%. The horses in particular took on a HUGE roll in the war effort. Of course, so very much about the eastern conflict was truly horrifying, especially for the dedicated teams pulling artillery, supply wagons, wounded soldiers, and everything else imaginable. Performed their duties thru blazing summer heat and Brutal -40 below zero Russian winter conditions just the same. Pushing thru endless kilometers while beyond exhausted and more often than not, while starving.
      It was ironically these animals that taught mankind what selfless sacrifice really is.

    • @jonathanallard2128
      @jonathanallard2128 10 месяцев назад

      Absolutely.
      Also featured were Camels, used for transport like horses, oxen, just the same, but also geese used as alarms, manning fields, ostrich, used for transport of ''light'' materiel, and pigeons for courrier work.
      Animals were extensively used and they very much deserve their recognition in their use by man in their wars with each other. The poor creatures never knew what they were used for. @@LJWalter78

  • @avnrulz8587
    @avnrulz8587 4 года назад +2

    There is a nearby aviation flight museum in VA Beach, VA, which has one of these in running order for use.

  • @bvkronenberg6786
    @bvkronenberg6786 4 года назад +6

    It would be good to compare the Kettenkrad to the USMC mule motorized cart. I think the two machines had the same purpose to pull heavy equipment.

  • @fanta4897
    @fanta4897 4 года назад +3

    It was extremelly useful for civilians especially in jobs in terrain where you had to transport something very heavy. Because of this you can see a lot of them in Czechoslovakia after the war used for transporting logs in forests with bad terrain. P.S. when it comes to Kettenkrad towing Me262 and other planes, that was only done because of lack of fuel, so planes were towed to starting position by truck or Kettenkrad so that the plane wouldn't waste precious, high-quality fuel.

  • @Aikaramba12
    @Aikaramba12 3 месяца назад +2

    You can say the same for any 6x6 ATV in military use. It cant pull a lot, probably expensive, but can do stuff no other Vehicles can. Definitively useful for recon etc.

  • @hal4192
    @hal4192 4 года назад

    Fascinating. Cool vehicle. I've subscribed. Thanks. 👍

  • @amaladiguna8873
    @amaladiguna8873 4 года назад +19

    I would love a signal corps video (or maybe I'm part of the minority that watches logistics videos)

  • @fhlostonparaphrase
    @fhlostonparaphrase 4 года назад +4

    Hehe, as an old signaller I was amused by the slight change of subject towards the end ;)
    Interesting to hear that signal troops of the era is something of a blank spot, but I have to agree that the topic of signals wouldn't be the most sought after video on here :-P

  • @danielporter7662
    @danielporter7662 3 года назад

    This would be so dope to drive around in

  • @thoreau283
    @thoreau283 Год назад +1

    Thanks for this in English. It is appreciated.

  • @pnutz_2
    @pnutz_2 4 года назад +4

    grats on getting referred via a Forgotten Weapons video Mr Not Visualised

  • @DirtyHairy1
    @DirtyHairy1 4 года назад +42

    367 likes and 0 dislikes
    that's how girls take their last tour

    • @ctrlaltdebug
      @ctrlaltdebug 4 года назад +5

      Best post-apocalypse vehicle

    • @hanskc3302
      @hanskc3302 4 года назад +5

      That was beautiful series.

    • @SirAntoniousBlock
      @SirAntoniousBlock 4 года назад +1

      @@ctrlaltdebug Yeah screw Musk and his stupid Cybertruck.

  • @JeffBilkins
    @JeffBilkins 4 года назад +2

    Please do the video about signalling and how it integrated with the other parts of the army.

  • @loupiscanis9449
    @loupiscanis9449 4 года назад

    Thank you

  • @Fronzel41
    @Fronzel41 4 года назад +20

    Americans might not know that a "lorry" is what they'd call a "truck".

    • @Wallyworld30
      @Wallyworld30 4 года назад +4

      Fronzel41 I learned what a Lorry was from Top Gear. Top Gear said we like to put dog houses in the front nose of our lorries. 😂

    • @Wallyworld30
      @Wallyworld30 4 года назад +2

      Fast Turtles Well said. I learned British English from Top Gear first but now RUclips has exposed Americans to much more British terminology. Hell, a third of the channels I’m Subbed to are British.

    • @neurofiedyamato8763
      @neurofiedyamato8763 4 года назад

      I don't see why we wouldn't know what a lorry is... We don't use the term often but whenever I seen it used its always referred to a truck... so unless its your first encounter with it, I think its pretty obvious from context alone.

    • @jimmym3352
      @jimmym3352 4 года назад +1

      It's not a word I knew in my younger years. But with youtube and just watching stuff from all over the world, I've learned quite a bit of British English. I'd say most Americans who watch youtube videos should know what a lorry is.

    • @Desertduleler_88
      @Desertduleler_88 4 года назад

      Truck sounds more virile than lorry.

  • @cabbagecabbage5047
    @cabbagecabbage5047 4 года назад +16

    Nice suit.

  • @lwilton
    @lwilton 4 года назад +1

    What a cute little toy. The one thing that really surprises me is the back-facing rear seat rather than a pair of side seats. I think you could face two seats in from the side, and that would have allowed the riders to face forward and shoot if necessary.

  • @KlunkerRider
    @KlunkerRider 4 года назад +1

    The half-track system worked well for Richard Hammond in crossing Wales, kinda proved the system still works well off road even today.

  • @mark12strang58
    @mark12strang58 4 года назад +10

    They built this Kettenkrad, but the Wehrmacht was insufficiently motorized. Only a small part of the Wehrmacht was motorized, the rest relied on horse, trains or walked long distances.

    • @ineednochannelyoutube5384
      @ineednochannelyoutube5384 4 года назад

      Motorized doesnt mean infantry riding trucks. It means heavy equipment being truck drawn, and supplies being truck transpkrted.

    • @fazole
      @fazole 4 года назад +5

      @airborneleaf
      TIK channel shows how they lacked enough fuel to run all those vehicles. Basically, by July 1941, they had a lack of fuel in Russia. We know Rommel always complained about lack of fuel. I've read some German soldier memoirs and those relate that the soldiers marched through Russia; sun-up to sundown, 6 days a week. They were in half rags by the time they reached Stalingrad.

    • @mark12strang58
      @mark12strang58 4 года назад +1

      This vehicle was an expensive toy, that worked. It didnt change the fact that the Wehrmacht lost a lot of vehicles, trucks and cars over the course of the war.

    • @fazole
      @fazole 4 года назад +1

      @airborneleaf
      To be fair, he had to truck fuel 1000 miles from Tripoli for much of the campaign. It takes A LOT of fuel to transport fuel, In Russia, the mud made fuel consumption increase exponentially because they also had to use tanks as tow vehicles.

    • @ineednochannelyoutube5384
      @ineednochannelyoutube5384 4 года назад +2

      @@fazole TIK is not famous for his great accuracy...
      As for German motorization, well, they began with the idea of mixed cavalry and motorized infantry units, but that didnt prove sucha great idea, so they concentrated their vehicles inzo purely motorized units by barbarossa.
      Non motorized units had their vehicles assigned to the baggage train, and as artillery tractors. This was indeed insufficent, so horse drawn supplie carriges were still in rather extensive use, but that is by no means unique at this point in time.
      In fact in the whole war the only forces to have completely motorized supply were the BEF and US expeditionary forces.
      As for truck bprne infantry, that didnt exist outside of dedicated manouver units, such as the infantry regiments of a tank division until the late fifties, anywhere. And I mean not in the US or Soviet army.

  • @readhistory2023
    @readhistory2023 4 года назад +101

    The Brits universal carrier was a better design for basically the same job. This thing is a bit of a dog's breakfast but I still like it.

    • @ballagh
      @ballagh 4 года назад +16

      Hoehner Tim, exactly what I was thinking. Given how simple the universal carrier was it would not surprise me if it was cheaper as well.

    • @USSAnimeNCC-
      @USSAnimeNCC- 4 года назад

      On board the Kittenkard

    • @HaVoC117X
      @HaVoC117X 4 года назад +3

      I would compare it to an sdkfz 251, given the overall weight of the universal carrier.

    • @ballagh
      @ballagh 4 года назад +4

      HaVoC117X , in terms of weight the universal carrier sits right between the sdkfz251 and the kettenkrad, roughly 3.5T with the sdkfz251 at roughly 7.5T and the kettenkrad at 1.5T. It left it small enough to be used as a company level run around, much in the fashion of a jeep, but armoured, which is where the comparison with the kettenkrad seems applicable.

    • @HaVoC117X
      @HaVoC117X 4 года назад +16

      @@ballagh
      LOL. I would call that double standard. First of all the universal carrier had a weight of 4t. The are many versions of the german halftrack system in different weight classes. The sdkfz 250 had a weight of 5t. Universal carrier's and sdkfz 250/51 were manly used as APCs and not like small traktors or Kradmelder. They were a totally different breed of vehicles.

  • @82SSchultz
    @82SSchultz 3 года назад +2

    I have read that the Kettenkrad was designed for Fallschirmjaeger as a tractor. It was not to be dropped into combat with the troops but delivered via Ju 52 after a field was captured. Not certain on the accuracy of this though.

  • @jediclarity8662
    @jediclarity8662 2 года назад

    Very very useful... Specially capturing point in company of heroes... Its fast....

  • @daves2520
    @daves2520 4 года назад +22

    This video reminds me how important the jeep was to the American forces. It was cheap to produce and could go just about anywhere. In fact, we supplied the Russians with 50,000 of them.

    • @visionist7
      @visionist7 4 года назад +13

      The Kubelwagen was simpler and even cheaper, and could go much farther than any other 4x2 vehicle thanks to its low weight and flat underside

    • @damascus1111
      @damascus1111 4 года назад +4

      @@visionist7 Source? I can believe the cost or even simplicity, but the mileage? Never heard this claim.

    • @visionist7
      @visionist7 4 года назад +3

      @@damascus1111 by farther I didn't mean further ;-) Off road most RWD vehicles got bogged down but the Kubelwagen could often cross almost the same terrain as a Jeep, within reason.

    • @damascus1111
      @damascus1111 4 года назад

      Felice Graziano awwwwe okay so it’s cross country ability was better than that of the Jeep or 4x4’s. May I ask, if you know why that is?

    • @JohnRodriguesPhotographer
      @JohnRodriguesPhotographer 4 года назад +1

      @@damascus1111 basically it was made out of stamped metal with the engine out of the original Volkswagen. The Volkswagen Beetle was actually an idea from Hitler. So the average German could drive on the Autobahn

  • @bellator11
    @bellator11 4 года назад +3

    I feel like they're seriously underestimating its pulling power of the Kettenkrad, I mean as they mentioned themselves the thing was used to pull aircraft as heavy as 7 tons. So it could undoubtedly pull a PAK40, the most common German AT gun, which comes in at 1.4 tons.

    • @DmdShiva
      @DmdShiva 4 года назад

      There generally aren't many hills on an airfield, and an airfield tends to have nice, solid ground where it isn't paved. Additionally, you don't want to go much over a couple miles per hour when towing an aircraft, so you can keep it down in bottom gear where you have the torque.

    • @bellator11
      @bellator11 4 года назад

      @@DmdShiva Well it obviously couldn't pull an Me262 across rough ground, but it is also 5 times heavier than a PaK40 and doesnt have giant wheels to ease towing it. A PaK40 generally shouldn't be a problem for the Kettenkrad, as long as it doesn't have to pull it through deep mud, but as mentioned here any truck wouldve failed too.

  • @tomaltomal2702
    @tomaltomal2702 4 года назад

    Nice one.

  • @p.istaker8862
    @p.istaker8862 4 года назад

    Good video. Do any of the six cylinder models still exist?

  • @MajorMalfunction
    @MajorMalfunction 4 года назад +7

    So that's what the girls were driving in the anime _Girls' Last Tour._

  • @ThrowawayModeller
    @ThrowawayModeller 4 года назад +4

    I'd love to have Ketten-kun. I agree with Mr. Wehner, it looks like a lot of fun

  • @seasong7655
    @seasong7655 8 месяцев назад +1

    Legendary vehicle. We need to bring this one back!

  • @dr.ryttmastarecctm6595
    @dr.ryttmastarecctm6595 4 года назад

    I would love to have one of these on our horse farm during the snowy winter months and the wet clay mud months.

  • @cleanerben9636
    @cleanerben9636 4 года назад +8

    They may as well have just upped it into a half-track car sort of thing.

  • @MrBigCookieCrumble
    @MrBigCookieCrumble 4 года назад +23

    It's pretty useful in a post apocalyptic scenario, or.. so im told.

    • @SonsOfLorgar
      @SonsOfLorgar 4 года назад +2

      Or not.
      Any vehicle that's high on specialised maintenance is useless in a post apoc scenario.

    • @understand6970
      @understand6970 4 года назад +6

      @@SonsOfLorgar you didn't get the reference mate

    • @Tenshi-Takodachi
      @Tenshi-Takodachi 4 года назад +3

      Riqi Alka Must not be a man of culture.

  • @davidfranklin2393
    @davidfranklin2393 4 года назад +1

    Very useful on an airstrip to recover Me163's after gliding in to land and then totally immobile and exposed to air/ground attack.

  • @at1970
    @at1970 4 года назад

    Love the training wheels

  • @2217Video
    @2217Video 4 года назад +3

    Be assured, that once you have driven one, you are a permanent member of the Kettenkrad fan club. By the way, the vehicle that is shown in this video is static. The track is unbelievably tight and something would snap if it was actually driven. Whoever restored it got that part very very wrong. There appears to be the correct number of track links, but I suspect that there has been substitution of parts for the idler tensioning and they got the lengths wrong.

    • @ragazzi25
      @ragazzi25 Год назад

      Maybe its just for show and not meant to duplicate a working machine...

    • @2217Video
      @2217Video 2 месяца назад

      @@ragazzi25 You do have to question their knowledge when they can't even depict the vehicle properly.

  • @MistahFox
    @MistahFox 4 года назад +8

    The Kübelwagen may be the only vehicle the German army produced during the war that was objectively reliable and low-maintenance.

    • @Defenestrationflight
      @Defenestrationflight 4 года назад +3

      Mk1 Pferd was also good.

    • @pistonar
      @pistonar 4 года назад

      @@Defenestrationflight What's that?

    • @DoddyIshamel
      @DoddyIshamel 4 года назад

      @@pistonar Horse 😂

    • @pistonar
      @pistonar 4 года назад +2

      @@DoddyIshamel Certainly more widely used, but still could not be parked and left. They require daily fueling and basic maintenance. It's also much more difficult to replace a damaged part.

    • @DoddyIshamel
      @DoddyIshamel 4 года назад

      @@pistonar Certainly hard to repair, people have been leaving them parked for thousands of years though. Also whilst needing fuelled at least it was a more widely accessible fuel.

  • @johnsmith-wo4fr
    @johnsmith-wo4fr 4 года назад

    IIRC, the front wheel was removable and it could crave tracks only on really rough terrain.

  • @mikebussy3334
    @mikebussy3334 4 года назад

    Totally sweet!

  • @cyberpunkfalangist2899
    @cyberpunkfalangist2899 4 года назад +9

    It's good for carrying cute potatoes

  • @ymishaus2266
    @ymishaus2266 4 года назад +12

    Still an excellent potato chariot

  • @boathemian7694
    @boathemian7694 4 года назад

    I saw one of these in a Norwegian war museum, it was awesome

  • @Panzer4F2
    @Panzer4F2 4 года назад +1

    I saw a photograph of a Kettenkrad being used as a mechanic's mobile toolbox.

  • @WilhelmVonBaz
    @WilhelmVonBaz 4 года назад +30

    Are the the engineering drawings for this in an archive somewhere?

    • @1320crusier
      @1320crusier 4 года назад +6

      hmm.. a hyabusa engine would pull along a modern version quite nicely >_>

    • @readhistory2023
      @readhistory2023 4 года назад +6

      You could check the US Patent office. They probably have the plans.

    • @quentintin1
      @quentintin1 4 года назад +2

      i would concur too with US archives as the NSU plant was in the US occupation zone.

    • @ABrit-bt6ce
      @ABrit-bt6ce 4 года назад +1

      @@1320crusier LS1 swap :)

    • @peterpiper_203
      @peterpiper_203 4 года назад +2

      A Brit
      7.3 Powerstroke Diesel

  • @JimFortune
    @JimFortune 4 года назад +5

    Give me a kettenkrad, and I will put it to use!

  • @davethompson3326
    @davethompson3326 4 года назад +2

    I need one so badly

  • @CPB1
    @CPB1 4 года назад

    They remind me of "Herman and Klaus" AKA "Craig Ferguson and Geoff Peterson". There I said it.
    Also great video, very informative.

  • @EvilGNU
    @EvilGNU 4 года назад +12

    maybe we can agree on something like a signals short? :P not that I wouldn't watch a whole signal corps series

  • @sebajarosz
    @sebajarosz 4 года назад +7

    You've said a few times that it was expensive vehicle. I've done some small research and it seems the cost was similar to the jeep - is it right?

    • @shnek5143
      @shnek5143 4 года назад +1

      Seba Jarosz yeah it seems fairly simple

    • @TheBandit7613
      @TheBandit7613 3 года назад

      Jeep was $738.74
      How much was the Kettinkrad?

    • @CarrotConsumer
      @CarrotConsumer 3 года назад

      You can't compare prices of German military equipment due to how their economy was controlled. You need to compare manpower, time, tooling and materials required.

  • @minuteman4199
    @minuteman4199 4 года назад +2

    If you want to know what they were used for, look at the type of units they were issued to and the number of them they were issued.

  • @glypnir
    @glypnir 4 года назад +2

    I’d be interested in stuff on the Signal Corps. The US Marines learned at Guadalcanal that tracked vehicles were not good for cables laid on the ground. My father was a “wireman” and they trained him to climb trees. However the Russian Steppes aren’t very heavily forested. Did they have a trenching attachment for the Kettenrad? I notice that ditch witch makes walk behind trenchers with tracks.

    • @TheDave159
      @TheDave159 4 года назад

      I would imaging the German solution just being a line of troops to dig a hole, the vehicle lays the cable in the shallow trench and the troops fill it back in. Otherwise you could in theory add a plough to the front, cable at the back and have a second vehicle follow it to push the dirt back in

  • @nattygsbord
    @nattygsbord 4 года назад +4

    Ingvar Kampfrad - The founder of IKEA

    • @nattygsbord
      @nattygsbord 4 года назад

      (Kampfrad means combat bike in German)

  • @justinterestedmusic
    @justinterestedmusic 4 года назад +3

    Do you take recommendations for topics to study? I belive auxilary powersources for vehicles in 2ww europe would be intresting subject to researce. What kind of options existed for civilians and military in low gas/oil supply situations?
    I know that some cars were converted to carbonmonoxide-powered by installing wood and coal burning units to them. How systematic/widespread these conversions were?

    • @paulmanson253
      @paulmanson253 4 года назад

      It is called producer gas if you wish to do homework on it. Even training tanks were powered by the stuff by war's end. Buses,private cars,other.

    • @Dave_Sisson
      @Dave_Sisson 4 года назад +1

      Gas producers or "charcoal burners" were very common in south eastern Australia during the war. Petrol rationing was very strict, but they had a lot of hardwood forests with trees up to 100 metres high. So many people assembled gas producers in garden sheds and towed them behind their cars.

    • @bertnl530
      @bertnl530 4 года назад +1

      There were a lot, because there was hardly any petrol or gasoline. Germany had hardly own oilfields. They used oil from Romania and tried to reach the wells in the south of the Sowjet Union, but that dit not work out well, They did work on synthetic fuel but it took a lot of efford. The gas generators needed a lot of attention from the drivers and demanded a lot of the vehicles they were build on. You needed the generator to be installed, sometimes on a 1 axle trailer but also it demanded space and load capacity for the wood.

    • @CrusaderSports250
      @CrusaderSports250 4 года назад

      @@bertnl530 but even with all those limitations, it got you mobile, here in Britain some vehicles were converted to domestic gas with a gas bag on the roof, only low pressure and a limited range but once again it was mobility.

    • @bertnl530
      @bertnl530 4 года назад +1

      @@CrusaderSports250 It was better then nothing ,that's for sure. Now people can laugh about it and look outside to their car of motorcycle, but lack of transportation is a killer. During the winter of 1944 the people in the cities of the WEst Netherlands (Amsterdam The Hague Haarlem etc, suffered of foodshortage. Partly due to heavy winter and confiscation by the German occupier, but also artificial as an act of rage. The railways had hardly any material left and lorries and big trucks were mostly confiscated or standing broke down by lack of parts or fuel. In such situations you are happy with every form of motorized transport. Here the city people had to ride like hundreds of kilometers by bicycle to find some food. No tyres anymore, so riding on bare metal, or they had to use small karts or prams, normally use for babies. Wlking for days in broken shoes. Jorse also confiscated. The lack of transportation costed thousands of lifes.

  • @stephenflowers8516
    @stephenflowers8516 4 года назад

    I wish you would have gotten into the mechanics of this thing. It would be interesting to see how you shift it, it looks like it's shifted by hand.

  • @Gestapo93
    @Gestapo93 4 года назад +1

    Gee, it was used in forestry pre-war. And of course post-war. Kettenkrad is handy if you need one. It could also be airlifted. Hence they were being used at Crete.