Goliath!

[fred.]

Expensive to build for the effect they had.

This kind of sums up the whole German war effort. We should be glad that they choose to build a myriad of different stuff, rather than the allied approach of building shed loads of medium tanks.

[Duke Speedy of Leighton]

Only 7500+ built!

http://miliblog.co.uk/wp-content/gallery/originalusaww2army/us-troops-captured-pile-of-goliath-remote-controlled-explosive-devices.jpg

[Ithoriel]

Over 7,500 built and yet how many appear on the tabletop compared to the number of King Tigers (<500 produced), Jagdpanthers (just over 400 produced) or Jagdtigers (between 77 and 88 produced).

Does rather indicate the success of the poor little Goliath

[Techno]

So.....Were they basically designed to 'clear' mines as Rob said ?
Cheers - Phil

[fsn]

Yes. They were described as demolition vehicles.

I think of them as a Bangalore Torpedo on tracks.

[getagrip]

Over 7,500 built and yet how many appear on the tabletop compared to the number of King Tigers (<500 produced), Jagdpanthers (just over 400 produced) or Jagdtigers (between 77 and 88 produced).

Does rather indicate the success of the poor little Goliath

Could also indicate there's a lot of gamers out there who have to have the biggest band best.

[Rob]

Yes. They were described as demolition vehicles.

I think of them as a Bangalore Torpedo on tracks.

Exactly. Not sure when first available but i first read of them at Kursk '43. They are deployed by engineer companies using StugIII vehicles. They tow a number of the Goliath's behind the Stug ready for action. The Goliath can be controlled from the Stug under armour or the engineers can dismount.

At Kursk they were deployed as Army/Corps level troops to support the armoured thrusts. It seems the Germans thought they were succesful as by '44 they were including these Stug/Goliath companies attached to the panzer regiment within favoured armoured divisions under the FKL designation. After the summer of '44 they seem to have dropped out of use although the engineers stayed, now in halftracks with a more generalised role. I presume because of the specialised attacking role of the Goliath there were less occasions where it could be used profitable after Normandy and Bagration.

Cheers, Rob 

[Ithoriel]

So.....Were they basically designed to 'clear' mines as Rob said ?
Cheers - Phil

Actually, mine clearing is the only thing I haven't come across the Goliath doing. Entirely possible I've not read enough detailed accounts or that it was such a regular occurrence that no one thought to mention it in the ones I have read. Not convinced they'd be terribly effective in clearing a minefield. Breaching dragon's teeth type obstacles, cutting wire entanglements, destroying pillboxes (or at least suppressing their occupants!) and knocking out unsuspecting tanks seem more usual (and more likely to be effective) for something that is functionally a very large HE shell on tracks.

[Techno]

Not convinced they'd be terribly effective in clearing a minefield.

Thanks, I.

I must admit that it struck me that if you sent one of those into a minefield it would go 'bang' when it hit the first one.
Not particularly effective, surely. 
Your other explanations seem to be much more 'useful' in terms of the wee vehicle.

Cheers - Phil

[Rob]

25th June General Model was present when 2nd company of sPz Abt 505 (Tigers) practiced the breaching of Soviet minefields in co-operation with Funklenk (FKL) Company 312. Page 183, "Zitadelle" by Mark Healy.

There was another style mine clearing vehicle being used by Funklenk company 313 - the Borgward BIV. This was a small crewed vehicle which carried the HE on its sides and carried into the minefield, dropping off the charges on the way, to be remotely blown. It seems the Goliath was more efficient.

Things to remember:
1. There were two mine types A/T and A/P. A/P went bang when anything touched it but would not harm an armoured vehicle.
2. A/T went bang only when a weight of a few hundred kilos went over it and was a much larger expolsive than A/P to destroy heavy vehicle tracks and suspension. Would not go off when infantry or very light vehicles went over it.
3. A/P were used more in closed infantry terrain. A/T were used more in open tank terrain.
4. The difficulty with lifting A/T mines is engineers in the open are exposed. They can also be burried deep making explosives the best way of getting them.
5. Bangalore torpedoes are designed for A/P mines and barbed wire. I think the nearest comparison to Goliath/Borgward concept is the modern British Viper which shoots a chain of explosives across a minefield to explode a path through it.

Hope that makes more sense.


Cheers, Rob  

[Techno]

Thanks, Rob.

I'll get there eventually ! 

So......If the Goliath trundled over an A/P mine.....The mine would go off.....But not damage the wee vehicle too badly/at all ?......And so it could then carry on and keep setting off any other mines in its path ?

If it went over an A/T......The Goliath wasn't heavy enough to set the mine off ?

Cheers - Phil

[Rob]

Thanks, Rob.

I'll get there eventually !  

So......If the Goliath trundled over an A/P mine.....The mine would go off.....But not damage the wee vehicle too badly/at all ?......And so it could then carry on and keep setting off any other mines in its path ?

If it went over an A/T......The Goliath wasn't heavy enough to set the mine off ?

Cheers - Phil

Not quite. An A/P mine would almost certainly destroy it, but in the conditions of the time it would not be deployed in close terrain against A/P mines. It would only be deployed in the open terrain against A/T mines where it was difficult to deploy dismounted engineers.

I do not think it would set off an A/T mine by its weght. I am guessing but there are clues in the way the Borgward operated, i.e. dropping off a trail of charges, and the fact that the Golieth is remotely detonated.

I think what they did was to blast a safe path trough a minefield wheether they located a mine or not. Similar to the Viper theory but using tracks rather than a rocket.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zHszRV5-bd4

It may sound expensive but if its saves you a Tiger, Ferdinand or PzIV its gotta be a sound investment.


Cheers, Rob  

[Techno]

Clink !!

That's the sound of the penny dropping, at last.
Very many thanks, Rob.
Cheers - Phil

[Ithoriel]

The Goliath seems to be a single charge, detonated all at once unlike the Borgward. Anyone have any idea whether you'd need a chain of Goliaths to clear a path of any depth or would the pressure wave created by the sizeable bang do the job?

My Russians may need to practice laying mixed minefields

[getagrip]

Very comprehensive explanation Rob, makes perfect sense really