Meillerwagen

Meillerwagen
V-2 rocket on Meillerwagen (S.I. Negative #76-2755)
Overview
Manufacturer	Gollnow & Son
Assembly	Germany
Body and chassis
Class	trailer
Related	SdKfz, Vidalwagen
Dimensions
Wheelbase	9,800 millimetres (32.2 ft)
Length	14,700 millimetres (48.2 ft)
Width	2,800 millimetres (9.2 ft)
Height	3,270 millimetres (10.73 ft)
Curb weight	11,300 kilograms (24,900 lb)

The Meillerwagen (English: Meiller Vehicle) was a German World War II trailer used to transport a V-2 rocket from the 'transloading point' of the Technical Troop Area to the 'launching point', to erect the missile on the Brennstand (English: firing stand), and to act as the service gantry for fuelling and launch preparation.

The unofficial 'Meillerwagen' name was often used in official documents and refers to a parts supplier for the trailer, Meiller-Kipper GmbH of Munich, Germany (founded 1850). The Army Research Center Peenemünde designed the Meillerwagen, and the Gollnow & Son company assembled the Meillerwagen from supplied components. The Meillerwagen was assembled with Italian and Russian prisoner laborers of the Lager Rebstock. The Meillerwagen was vehicle code number 102 of several vehicles in a V-2 launching battery, which included an 8 ton launch control vehicle. Launching of V-2s from mobile equipment was studied under code name Regenwurm ("Earthworm") to replace bunkers such as at the Watten bunker.

The Meillerwagen A-4/V-2 transport-launcher device consisted of the following vehicles:

After completing the process of fitting the warhead to the V-2 rocket, the Technical Troop used a 'strabo crane' at the transloading point to transfer the missile from the Vidalwagen to the Meillerwagen for transport to the launching point. Typically a Hanomag SS-100 tractor pulled the Meillerwagen up to 45 km/h (28 mph) forward with the rocket travelling tail-first – the maximum speed in reverse was 15 km/h since the Meillerwagen's pneumatic brakes could not be coupled to the tractor when being pulled backward.

After the Meillerwagen was close to the launch point, the Firing Platoon Truck Section took charge and removed the rocket's camouflage cover and rudder protection. The control compartment batteries, alcohol-filling connection, tools, and other equipment were loaded into a box on a strut at the top of the Meillerwagen's lift frame. The Meillerwagen was moved via hand winches to the firing stand and then levelled via the two extendable outriggers with end-jacks.