The Tatra 81 was heavy-duty truck model made by Czech manufacturer Tatra between 1940 and 1942. The development was ordered by German government in the aftermath of the

German occupation of Czechoslovakia German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

in 1939 and was complete the same year. It was mainly used in Germany by

Ordnungspolizei The ''Ordnungspolizei'' (), abbreviated ''Orpo'', meaning "Order Police", were the uniformed police force in Nazi Germany from 1936 to 1945. The Orpo organisation was absorbed into the Nazi monopoly on power after regional police jurisdiction w ...

, but few were utilized by

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 ...

to ferry supplies. The vehicle had an 8-cylinder diesel engine with 12467 cc rated to power. It had 4 gears and 1 reverse gear. The truck chassis, based on the Tatra

backbone chassis Backbone tube chassis is a type of automobile construction chassis that is similar to the body-on-frame design. Instead of a two-dimensional ladder-type structure, it consists of a strong tubular backbone (usually rectangular in cross section) ...

conception, has 5700kg empty weight. The truck was rated for 6500 kg payload The Tatra 81 was capable of traveling at . The civilian use Tatra 81H and Tatra 81HB were fitted with wood gas generator and a 14726 cc, power engine working on wood gas. To avoid drastic reduction of the engine power, the pistons diameter was increased by 10mm.

References

External links

Tatra 81 photo (with trailer)
81 Cars of the Czech Republic Military trucks of Czechoslovakia {{Czechoslovakia-mil-stub