The Kugelpanzer (“ball tank”) is a one-man armoured vehicle built by Germany during World War II. The history of the vehicle is practically unknown other than the fact that at least one example was exported to the Empire of Japan and used by the Kwantung Army.
source.image: Found And Explained
Only five points seem certain based on the single known example:It is a German-made vehicle that was shipped to Japan. It was used as a light reconnaissance vehicle. It was captured by Soviet troops in 1945, presumably in Manchuria. The outer armour is only five millimetres thick. The vehicle was powered by a single-cylinder two-stroke motorcycle engine.
One can only deduce the functionality of the vehicle based on its exterior. It seems to be a one-man reconnaissance tank, equipped with an armoured outer wall and a viewing slot. The drive was probably located under or behind the driver. At the rear there is a steerable wheel to shift the center of gravity behind the axis of the two track wheels and to support rotary movements that are carried out with the track wheels.
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In stationary operation, the tank could probably serve as an armoured refuge or makeshift bunker. Based on available images, it cannot be determined whether there was an opening below the viewing slot to allow for the use of firearms from inside the tank.
