This is a Scale Model Kit, Paint and Glue are not included.
Goliath (full name: Leichter Ladungstrager Sd.Kfz.302, 303) was a German light self-propelled landmine from the Second World War. The mine was powered by two electric motors or a single 12.5 hp internal combustion engine. Serial production of this atypical weapon was carried out in the years 1942-1944, a total of about 7,700 self-propelled mines of this type were produced. Depending on the version, it could carry from 75 to 100 kg. explosive charge.
The design of the Goliath self-propelled mine was based on a captured, prototype vehicle developed by the French engineer Adolphe Kegresse, which was taken over by the Germans after the fall of France in June 1940. On this basis, the Borgward plants developed an improved version intended for the German armed forces. Two versions of the Goliath were developed in the course of production: the first ( Sd.Kfz.302) was powered by two electric motors, and the other (Sd.Kfz.303) had a much less reliable internal combustion engine as a drive. The mine was controlled and detonated by means of a special cable pulled behind it. The downside of this weapon (in the Sd.Kfz.302 version) were the highly emergency engines, and the general drawback - the wired steering, which was very susceptible to damage and destruction. The production cost was also relatively high for a single-use weapon. German troops used Min Goliath during the siege of Sevastopol (1941-1942), the battles at Anzio and during the suppression of the Warsaw Uprising in 1944.
The decisive influence on the shaping of the organization and tactics of the German infantry before the outbreak of World War II was, on the one hand, the experience of the previous World War, but also theoretical works created in the 1920s and 1930s, which often emphasized the need to perceive the German infantry as a tool waging an offensive war. This affected both the equipment and the organization of the German infantry division, which during the September campaign of 1939 consisted of 3 infantry regiments, each of which was divided into 3 infantry battalions, an artillery company and an anti-tank company. In addition, there were numerous support units, including: an artillery regiment with 4 artillery squadrons (including one heavy), an anti-tank battalion, a sapper battalion and a communications battalion. In total, the so-called infantry division In the first mobilization wave, there were approximately 17,700 people and had a significant artillery component, but also was abundantly equipped with machine guns. It also had modern and efficient - for those times - means of communication and command. In the course of the war, infantry divisions underwent transformation - in 1943 some of them were transformed into armored grenadier divisions. However, from 1943, the standard division of the "traditional" infantry consisted of approx. 12,500 men (and not approx. 17,700 as in 1939), and its artillery component - especially heavy artillery - was also reduced in it, while its anti-tank defense was significantly improved. It is assumed that during the entire Second World War, about 350 infantry divisions served in the Wehrmacht.
