Hello Folks today well be talking about another vehicle that few people actually know of
The Marder. The one from World War 2? No! The one from the 70s that is still in service an known everywhere? No!.
What i mean is the Marder 2
The Marder 2 was supposed to be a successor to the original Marder 1. Made to close the gap in Firepower between the Marder 1 and Leopard 1.
Thus German engineers came up with this:
This is the Marder 2 that sadly never went into serial production. Not because of Budget. Not because of technical issues. Heck when it was shown in 1991 it was considered the most modern IFV of its time. And there lies the Problem. In 1991 the soviet union collapsed and with it the thought of needing a replacement for the Marder 1.
Well be taking a lool at this Marvellous machine.
Requirements of the Programm:
-Effective combat range of 2000m and more
-Protection against 30mm rounds
-Up to 7 soldiers carried in the back
-Full combat compatibility with the Leopard 2
These rather heavy Requirements called for multiple companies.
Kraus-Maffei (today KNDS) who had experience through the PUMA programm, Rheinmetall for the Fire Controls and oerlikon and Heckler&Koch for the Gun.
Some time later they came out wit the Versuchsträger 1 VT-001
At the time this was a technical marvel a 35mm/50mm fast firing gun with double ammunition feeding, quick interchangable rounds with an advanced FCS and optical system and good all round protection with high road speed (60kp/h) thanks to a 1000hp engine along with still space and room for 7 soldiers + 3 tank operators (Driver, gunner, commander) and all that 7m long not even 4m wide and barely 3m tall. Tho 44 tonnes heaby. A technical marvel and definetly a contestant for “the most modern IFV of its time”. Sadly this vehicle never saw the light of day. This makes it a perfect addition to Warthunder or atleast a story worthy of being mentioned.
Thanks for reading and feel free to contribute by commenting.
