Vehicle shelters

Peter Bauer (GE):

The Peter Bauer factory (Fahrzeugfabrik Peter Bauer, 1872 - 1996) was situated in Lukasstrasse, Ehrenfeld, a part of Cologne (Köln) in Germany.
The factory produced cabs, cargo bodies, trailers, busses, shelters, municipal vehicles etc.
Production of shelters took place from the mid 1950´s. The first customer was the Belgian army, who ordered workshop-, movie- and air control-vehicles in 1954 based on Ford´s G798B 3 ton all wheel drive truck.
The US Army in Germany ordered a batch of fuel trucks based on Ford FK4000.
In 1956 the German armed forces (Bundeswehr) who placed an order for development and part production of the 3- and 5 ton standard shelter (Einheitskoffer).
Some 2500 units were produced of the 3 ton shelter, which were mounted on Ford´s G398SAM truck. They were used as offices, workshop, communication, filed kitchen and ambulances.
The 5 ton shelter was produced in some 7.500 examples. They were mounted on MAN´s 630L2A truck. Besides Peter Bauer these shelters were produced by Blumhard in Wuppertal, Glas in Dingolfing and Zeppelin in Fridrichshafen.
Besides shelters Bauer converted commercial Daimler-Benz trucks into field kitchens, command posts, radio vehicles, mobile class rooms and first aid stations to be used by the Bundeswehr.
The company was taken over by Zeppelin Systemtechnik in Offenburg in summer 1990. The Peter Bauer Fahrzeugbau continued operation, but the products were badged "Zeppelin". The reason for Zeppelins acquisition was to strengthen their position for military shelters. The production line in Fridrichshafen were producing standard shelters for the Bundeswehr, but mainly used for communication. The Bauer range consisted of medical shelters, field kitchens and mobile conference rooms.
The Ehrenfeld factory was permanently closed in 1993, and production moved to a leased facility in Kerpen-Sindorf. This facility was closed in 1996. Production of cargo bodies were transferred to the Kumlin company in Waldkirch/Breisgau, and shelter- and ambulance-production to Zeppelin´s facilities in Fridrichshafen.

In 1966 the 6th Danish Signal Battalion received a batch of NATO-founded Mercedes-Benz LA911 mounted with Peter Bauer shelters. Most of the shelters became obsolete, when the battalion was closed in 1993, but 9 units were transferred to Signal Operations Platoon/BALTAP where they soldiered on until 2001.

Fokker (NL):

Between 1911 and 1928 Anthony Fokker developed his company to what was once the worlds largest aircraft manufacturer with factories in Europe and America. In those years Stork (then Werkspoor) supplied wood-structured wings to Fokker.
After WW II, Fokker restarted its activities in aviation with the help of the Netherlands government and some industrialists. It is here where the relationship between Stork and Fokker is being formalised as Stork is asked to appoint a seat in the Advisory Board of Fokker.
The manufacture of aircraft's seized in March 1996.
Fokker (now Stork Fokker AESP) has been developing and producing shelters since the early 1960´s for international customers like NATO and for the Dutch Ministry of Defense. Today's range can comply with the highest EMC (Electro Magnetic Compatibility) requirements and all specifications.
The main areas of activity are new shelters (development, engineering and manufacturing), subsystems, modification and integration. Fokker Shelters cover a wide spectrum of applications like intelligence systems for electronic defense, radio stations, radar/weapon control centers, satellite communication stations, command posts, water recycling plants, launderettes, decompression sets, repair shops and mobile hospital.

The Danish army used some Fokker shelters. The 6th Danish Signal Battalion received a RB4 shelter (type 141) mounted on a Mercedes-Benz 911/36 in early 1985. The shelter housed a ELCROVOX secure voice system (CCU-3).

At approx the same time the The 2nd Danish Signal Battalion received a batch of the same type of shelters to house multiplex-equipment from the AUTOKO area communication system. The shelters were mounted on Magirus-Deutz 168M11FAL trucks which had a BMW 404B generator mounted between the cab and the shelter.

Rinaldo Piaggio (IT):

Industrie Aeronautiche e Meccaniche Rinaldo Piaggio SpA was founded in 1915 in Genoa, Italy. Piaggio started building military shelters in 1964, and since then has produced shelters both military and civil purposes. In 1991 5 basic shelters were available with a far larger number being produced for special purposes.
Piaggio was the first manufacturer to respond to NATO´s then new requirement for EMP shelters (shelters protected from Electro Magnetic Pulse caused by a nuclear blast), and in the period from 1980 to 1983 Piaggio was the sole supplier for this kind of shelters to NATO and NATO affiliated nations.
The Piaggio shelters are produced under licence agreement by CGEE/Alsthorn in France and Compair Holman Iberica in Spain.

In the period 1975 to 1978 the 2nd and the 6th Danish Signal Battalion received a batch of NATO-founded vehicles mounted with Piaggio shelters. 3 different sizes of shelters were delivered, Type I, II and III.

Type I shelters, used by 6th Danish Signal Battalion only, was mounted on Mercedes-Benz LA911/47. The battalion had 8 such vehicles, and they were used as mobile offices in COMBALTAP´s Mobile War Headquarter.

Type II shelters, which were used by both battalions, were mounted on Mercedes-Benz LA911 and Mercedes-Benz LA1313. They were used as teletype-, multiplex-, system control-, facility control- and HF-radio trucks. At 2nd battalion the Mercedes trucks were superseded by Magirus 168M111FAL in the period 1981 to 1983.

Type III shelters, used by 2nd Danish Signal Battalion only, was mounted on Unimog 404.0. They were used as multiplex- and radio relay-trucks. The Unimogs were superseded by MAN 8.136 in the late 1990´s.

All shelters had lifting jacks, which enabled the personnel to place the shelters on the ground during long exercises and if a truck was broken down. They were heated by electrical radiators and had a NBC-filter (type S-60-C) produced by Savabini in Italy.

The type II shelter was also acquired nationally. It was used to house a 1000 W HF Single Sideband radio. They were mounted on Bedford MJP2, Mercedes-Benz 1213/36 and a few on Magirus 168M11FAL.

Scandia (DK):

The Danish train factory dates back to 1861 when an English railway company started a factory making material for railroad construction. The factory was located in Hvide Mølle ("White Mill") in Randers.
The factory was sold to an English engineer from the company (Frederic James Rowan) in 1869, and the name was changed to Randers Jernbanevogn-Fabrik.
In 1875 the factory was sold to a company called Scandia, and the name was changed to Vognfabrikken Scandia. The company re-located to its present location in 1896 where a new factory had been build. In 1911 the name was changed to Scandia.
After joint ventures with Ascan A/S and ABB Scandia, the company was taken over by Adtranz.
In 2001 Adtranz sold the company to Canadian Bombadier.
Today, the best known product from the Randers site is the Flexliner train-set, which was developed in co-operation with DSB (Danish State Railways) in the 1980s. From 1988 - 2003, more than 225 Flexliner trains were delivered to customers in Denmark, Sweden, Spain and Israel, in addition to 240 Flex Front systems for Belgium. Today, the plant in Randers specialises in final assembly, vehicle refurbishment and development, and assembly of diesel power-packs.

At least 2 different shelters have been produced for the Danish army, the M/77 and M/83 - the latter in light and medium versions.

After trials in the 1960´s and 1970´s a shelter was standardised as Shelter M/77. The shelter is used for mobile offices, communication, command and control etc. and have been mounted on vehicles like Bedford MJP2, Mercedes-Benz 1213, MAN 13.192F, Magirus 168M11FAL and MAN 18.225 LAEC. Some of the shelters have been rebuild during the late 1990´s.

The M/77 was developed into the M/83 in the early 1980´s. Used in identical configuration to the M/77, the M/83 (medium) is typically mounted on MAN 13.192F, Magirus 168M11FAL and MAN 18.225 LAEC.

The M/83 (light) is typically mounted on MAN 8.136 and used for communications and as mobile office.

Zeppelin Metallwerke GmbH (GE):

In 1950 the Zeppelin Foundation founded the Metallwerke GmbH as the successor to the Zeppelin Luftschiffbau GmbH. Thus began the activities which led to shelter technology and mobile systems.
At first a "Lightweight Construction Department" produced for example, luggage racks for railways, gondolas for cable railways and single-axle aluminium trailers for motorcycles. Tanker trucks were built and fire department vehicles equipped. The company won a good reputation with the development of a special modifications branch for vehicles.
The beginning of the nineties saw the independence of the company under the name Zeppelin Systemtechnik GmbH, which was later renamed as Zeppelin Mobile Systeme GmbH.
The Peter Bauer shelter production was acquired in 1990.
The core of today's program is the Zeppelin Shelter with its lightweight self-supporting aluminium-sandwich construction. The shelter is offered as a basic unit in differing, user-specific variants and versions. From communications shelter, to workshop, service unit, or medical sub-system, through to mobile clinics.

In 1985 the 2nd Danish Signal Battalion received a batch of NATO-founded communication equipment. The equipment, which was produced by Siemens and ANT in Germany was mounted in 2 different sized shelters; "Kabine I" and "Kabine II".
Kabine I contained a Field Telephone Exchange (2 delivered), and Kabine II a Nodal Exchange (8 delivered). The Telephone Exchange was mounted on Magirus 90M6FL, and the Nodal Exchange on Magirus 168M11FAL. After a few years the Magirus 90M6FL was superseded by MAN 8.136.

Both types of shelters had 220/24V electrical system and air-condition. They had a Bundeswehr standard rack to mount the communication equipment.

This type of shelters are also produced by Dornier in Fridrichshafen.