Spectacular photos: Wehrmacht motorbike from Danube looks almost 'like new'
The photo of the Wehrmacht motorcycle recovered in Budapest has gone around the world: from "Times of India" and "Vietnam.VN" to British media such as the "Daily Mirror" and US platforms like Yahoo Autos,...
The photo of the Wehrmacht motorcycle recovered in Budapest has gone around the world: from "Times of India" and "Vietnam.VN" to British media such as the "Daily Mirror" and US platforms like Yahoo Autos, outlets are reporting on the spectacular find.
According to Hungary's Institute and Museum of Military History, the recovered motorcycle is a DKW NZ 350-1.
The DKW NZ 250 and NZ 350 models were regarded by motorcyclists at the time as particularly robust and reliable. From 1944, DKW therefore introduced the NZ 350-1, a variant developed specifically for wartime use.
The Hungarian museum recovered the machine on 2 August at Batthyány Square, opposite the parliament. The motorcycle is almost completely intact. As it was saturated with water and mud when it was lifted, it weighed in at more than 200 kilograms. The machine is currently being cleaned and preserved in the museum's hangar in Budapest.
The DKW NZ 350-1 was built between 1944 and 1945; just under 12,000 units were produced by the end of the war.
One interesting feature is a small detail that is easy to overlook today: the rear frame had a kind of "fin", a mud and snow scraper. Its purpose was to prevent mud and snow from sticking to the tyre and then getting into the chain drive. This modification apparently drew on experience gained during the Russian winter.
Striking, too, was the engine block made of grey cast iron, an iron casting alloy with a high graphite content. One reason was the wartime shortage of aluminium. On the basis of the information released so far, however, this particular find still cannot be dated to a specific day or month of production.
DKW, the manufacturer of the NZ 350-1
The DKW company traces its origins to Danish engineer Jørgen Skafte Rasmussen. In 1907 he first set up a business for mechanical and steam engineering in Zschopau, Saxony. The DKW brand name came later and originally stood for "Dampfkraftwagen" (steam-powered vehicle). In 1922 the first DKW two-stroke engine was built in Zschopau. Over the years that followed, the company grew into one of Germany's most important motorcycle manufacturers.
In 1932 DKW joined forces with Audi, Horch and Wanderer to form Auto Union AG. Within the new group, the DKW plant in Zschopau remained the centre of motorcycle and engine production.
During the 1930s, DKW was increasingly drawn into Germany's rearmament. The NZ 350 was also produced in large numbers for the Wehrmacht.
The importance of the Zschopau plant is clear from the production figures: as early as 1934, the 350,000th DKW motorcycle rolled off the line, followed by the 500,000th in 1939. With the outbreak of the Second World War, civilian motorcycle production was gradually scaled back and manufacturing focused increasingly on military demand.
The DKW NZ 350-1 now recovered from the Danube dates from this late phase of the war.
After the end of the Second World War, the DKW plant in Zschopau was dismantled by the Soviet occupying forces. Machinery and equipment were taken to the Soviet Union. DKW engineers from Zschopau were also transferred to Izhevsk to help rebuild motorcycle production there. The story of the NZ 350 did not end there: from 1946, the IZh-350 was produced in the Soviet Union, a model that was technically largely based on the DKW NZ 350. More than 127,000 of these were built by 1951.
In recent days, parts of the original equipment have been found in the dried-up bed of the Danube along with the Wehrmacht motorcycle, including a petrol can, a Y-strap and a bayonet frog.
A Y-strap was a leather harness worn over the shoulders and connected at the front and back to additional straps. Its purpose was to secure equipment to the body, such as a bread bag, ammunition pouches or a water bottle. The designation "Y" comes from the shape of the shoulder straps.
A bayonet frog is the holder for a bayonet that is attached to the belt or other gear. The bayonet is carried in it when it is not fixed to the rifle.
The mortal remains of two German soldiers were discovered beneath the motorcycle. Their fully preserved identity tags could, for the first time in more than 80 years, provide information about who they were and what happened to them. A so-called "Kuban" sleeve shield was also found.
This badge could indicate that its former wearer had previously served at the Kuban bridgehead in the Caucasus.
At present it is assumed that the remains belong to the motorcycle's rider and passenger. However, there is another possible explanation: the Hungarian Institute of Military History (source in German) (source in Hungarian) believes that the site may be a wartime rubble or refuse pit created after the end of the siege. Apparently ammunition and pieces of equipment, among other things, were dumped there.
The circumstances of the find alone therefore do not allow any firm conclusion as to whether the two men were on the DKW at the time of their deaths.
