The Renault AHx was a range of light/medium

truck A truck or lorry is a motor vehicle designed to transport cargo, carry specialized payloads, or perform other utilitarian work. Trucks vary greatly in size, power, and configuration, but the vast majority feature body-on-frame construction ...

s with carrying capacities from 2 to 5 tonnes manufactured by

Renault Groupe Renault ( , , , also known as the Renault Group in English; legally Renault S.A.) is a French multinational automobile manufacturer established in 1899. The company produces a range of cars and vans, and in the past has manufactured ...

between 1941 and 1947. Various versions were used in

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

by the German forces.

History

Bundesarchiv Bild 101I-308-0799D-11, Italien, Tiertransport mit LKW in Ortschaft

Prototypes of the first AHx truck, the AHS2, were unveiled by 1939. It was aimed at replacing the similar AGC truck (which had a maximum payload of 1.5 tonnes). The truck was designed to be used by the French military on the 2.5-tonne carrying capacity group, but it was rejected. The

Wehrmacht The ''Wehrmacht'' (, ) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the ''Heer'' (army), the ''Kriegsmarine'' (navy) and the ''Luftwaffe'' (air force). The designation "''Wehrmacht''" replaced the previous ...

in turn ordered the production of the model, reclassifying it as a 2-tonne payload model and naming it ''Lastkraftwagen 2 to''. The AHN (4-tonne payload) was the successor of the AGR and was produced for the Wehrmacht with the designation ''Lastkraftwagen 3.5 to''. The heaviest AHx model, the AHR, was produced with a 5-tonne payload and, as the two other versions, was used by the Germans. The Wehrmacht was supplied with about 23,000 AHS, 4,000 AHN, and between 1,000 and 2,000 AHR. After the war, evolutions of the AHS2 and AHN (AHS3/AHS4 and AHN2/AHN3) with 2 and 3.5 tonnes of payload respectively, were produced mainly for the civilian market. In 1947, these trucks were replaced by the Renault Galion. The AHx cabin was also the basis for a 7-tonne payload truck, the Renault 208 E1.

Technical details

The AHS has a 2.38-litre inline-four petrol engine (delivering ) while the AHN and AHR use a 4.05-litre

inline-six The straight-six engine (also referred to as an inline-six engine; abbreviated I6 or L6) is a piston engine with six cylinders arranged in a straight line along the crankshaft. A straight-six engine has perfect primary and secondary engine balan ...

petrol unit, the latter with a power output of . The three models had a 4-speed manual gearbox. Both the Renault AHS and the AHN have

gasifier Gasification is a process that converts biomass- or fossil fuel-based carbonaceous materials into gases, including as the largest fractions: nitrogen (N2), carbon monoxide (CO), hydrogen (H2), and carbon dioxide (). This is achieved by reacting ...

-equipped versions using engines similar to the petrol versions. The AHS version (AHSH) has a power output of at 2,800 rpm while the AHN version (AHNH) has a power output of at 2,800 rpm. The AHx range has a

cab forward The term cab forward refers to various rail and road vehicle designs that place the driver's compartment substantially farther towards the front than is common practice. Rail locomotives In steam locomotive design, a cab forward design will ...

layout, a design introduced by Renault in 1934 and gradually extended to all its truck lineup. The AHN has a height of 2.6 metres, a length of 6.4 metres and a width of 2.4 metres.

References

{{Renault CV until 1945 World War II vehicles of Germany Cab over vehicles Vehicles introduced in 1941 AHx