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Unmanned Suicide Vehicle: Goliath

The German remote control mine is also known as the Goliath was a specially designed demolition vehicle. This vehicle was used by the German forces during World War II. It was approximately 1.5 meters in length with the later versions having the capacity to hold up to 100 kilograms of high explosives. The Goliath's primary use was to destroy enemy tanks however it could also be used to disrupt dense infantry formations as well as demolishing buildings and bridges.

Goliath tracked mine was originally modeled from a French prototype. The early models were developed to hold a capacity of 50 kilograms of explosives. The vehicle was steered remotely via a joystick control box. The control box was then attached to the Goliath by a triple-stranded cable connected to the rear of the vehicle.

German soldier controlling the Goliath via a joystick control box

This would then transmit power to the electrically driven engine. Two of these strands were used to move and steer the vehicle with the third used for detonating. The Goliath had approximately 650 metres of cable.

Goliath tracked mine (colorized)

Early models of the Goliath used an electrical motor but these were incredibly expensive and difficult to repair in combat, later models used a simpler gasoline engine. This also allowed the Goliath to travel greater distances. From about 1942, Goliaths were sent to have been used on all fronts.

Germans preparing the Goliaths during the Warsaw Uprising, August 1944 (colorized)

They were primarily used by the panzer combat engineer units. The vehicles saw action in Anzio in Italy in April 1944 as well as against the Polish resistance during the Warsaw Uprising of 1944.

More than 7,500 Goliaths were produced. The single-use weapon was not considered a success due to the high unit cost. The vehicle had an extremely low speed of 9 kilometers an hour as well as poor ground clearance. The command cables were vulnerable to attack as well as the thin armor which failed to protect the remote bomb from any form of anti-tank weapons.

British soldiers stand next to captured German Goliaths (colorized)

The Goliaths were just another example of German ingenuity during World War II. However, despite them being not as successful as they could be. It could be said that they paved the way for modern remote-controlled vehicles and aircraft.

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