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EWK M2

Germany · Bridging vehicle · built by Eisenwerke Kaiserslautern (EWK)

EWK M2
West German amphibious bridging and ferry vehicle by Eisenwerke Kaiserslautern; units can be coupled into ferries or floating bridges, and it served the German and British armies for nearly 30 years.
EWK M2
Also known asM2B Alligator, M2D, Amphibie M2
ManufacturerEisenwerke Kaiserslautern (EWK)
CountryGermany
TypeBridging vehicle
StatusProduction
UseMilitary
Propulsion
Land drive4x4
In waterPropeller
Engine2 x Deutz (KHD) F8L 714a air-cooled diesel, 178-180 hp each
Power356 hp
Dimensions & performance
Length11.3 m
Width3 m
Weight21,800 kg
Speed on land60 km/h
Speed on water14 km/h

Specifications need checking. Some figures here were taken from the archive and have not been confirmed against a source.

The EWK M2 is an amphibious bridge and ferry vehicle designed and built by Eisenwerke Kaiserslautern (EWK) in West Germany. Known in its main version as the M2B 'Alligator', it was used by both the German and British armies for close to 30 years, until it was replaced by the M3.

Design

The M2 is a large four-wheeled vehicle about 11.3 m long and 3 m wide on the road, weighing around 22 tonnes. Two side pontoons fold onto its back for road travel and swing out for use in the water, widening the vehicle to about 5.9 m. The front and rear axles are hydraulically adjustable in height, which helps off road and lets the wheels be drawn right up into the hull when swimming. In the water it is driven by a central steering propeller and two propellers in the pontoons. Each of its two Deutz air-cooled diesels (about 178-180 hp) can drive the wheels and the water propulsion at the same time.

On the road it reaches about 60 km/h and has a range of about 1,000 km. As a single-bay ferry it does about 14 km/h unladen and 13 km/h with 12 tonnes aboard; a three-bay ferry carrying MLC 60 loads makes about 11 km/h. A small crane (600 kg at 2 m) and a winch are fitted.

Use

A single M2 serves as a ferry with a 12-tonne payload. Several can be coupled side by side into multi-bay ferries for two or three vehicles, or 10 to 30 units can be joined into a bridge rated up to MLC 60, usable in currents of up to about 3 m/s. When the Challenger 1 tank entered service, British vehicles were upgraded to M2D standard with strengthened ramps, air bags and compressors. In German service the M2 was withdrawn in 1996 when the amphibious engineer battalions were reorganised and the M3 took over.

The M2 also formed the basis of the ALF-1 amphibious fire appliance. After military service some vehicles were sold on: one advertisement offers a demilitarised M2 with full specifications, and another offers two 'AMF' amphibians with the same dimensions and engines that had been coupled together to carry a tunnel-dredging machine on an artificial lake in Spain.

3 Photographs

50 photographs in the archive folder. Click any image to view it full size.

EWK M2, picture 1 EWK M2, picture 2 EWK M2, picture 3 EWK M2, picture 4 EWK M2, picture 5 EWK M2, picture 6 EWK M2, picture 7 EWK M2, picture 8 EWK M2, picture 9 EWK M2, picture 10 EWK M2, picture 11 EWK M2, picture 12 EWK M2, picture 13 EWK M2, picture 14 EWK M2, picture 15 EWK M2, picture 16 EWK M2, picture 17 EWK M2, picture 18 EWK M2, picture 19 EWK M2, picture 20 EWK M2, picture 21 EWK M2, picture 22 EWK M2, picture 23 EWK M2, picture 24 EWK M2, picture 25 EWK M2, picture 26 EWK M2, picture 27 EWK M2, picture 28 EWK M2, picture 29 EWK M2, picture 30 EWK M2, picture 31 EWK M2, picture 32 EWK M2, picture 33 EWK M2, picture 34 EWK M2, picture 35 EWK M2, picture 36 EWK M2, picture 37 EWK M2, picture 38 EWK M2, picture 39 EWK M2, picture 40 EWK M2, picture 41 EWK M2, picture 42 EWK M2, picture 43 EWK M2, picture 44 EWK M2, picture 45 EWK M2, picture 46 EWK M2, picture 47 EWK M2, picture 48 EWK M2, picture 49 EWK M2, picture 50

4 Documents

  • Manual 'Spanner' manual (scanned, no text layer) original

5 Related vehicles

Voran / Hoppe & Krooss amphibian (1929) Germany · 1929 Volkswagen Schwimmwagen Type 166 Germany · 1942 Volkswagen Schwimmwagen Type 128 Germany · 1940 Volkswagen Golf amphibious prototype (1984) Germany · 1984

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