Poem on the one thousandth design change of the HS-30, 1960

“It’s nice to always be able to make changes, you change the preliminary drafts, but you can also change what is finished and signed at will.”

This poem was written by employees of Hanomag (Hannoversche Maschinenbau-Aktien-Gesellschaft) to mark the one thousandth design change to the HS 30 infantry fighting vehicle in March 1960. In it, they comment ironically on the constant defects and associated changes to the HS 30.

In 1956, the Swiss company Hispano-Suiza was awarded the contract to build the first infantry fighting vehicle for the German army. It brought Hanomag on board together with Henschel and the British company BMARC. Hanomag was founded in 1871 and manufactured locomotives, cars, trucks and tractors, but was also involved in the construction of cannons, infantry fighting vehicles and tanks during the Second World War. In contrast to Hispano-Suiza, Hanomag therefore already had a great deal of experience in the manufacture of tracked armored vehicles, even though many specialists had left the company since the Second World War.

Due to the numerous shortcomings of the design, the production companies Hanomag and Henschel had to carry out additional development work. But even after revision, the vehicle exhibited various problems in practice. For example, fuel tanks and batteries blocked the rear hatch, which is why the soldiers had to sit over the side of the vehicle during maneuvers. Not only were they unprotected against enemy fire, but they could also injure themselves when jumping or get caught on the side of the vehicle and the tracks.

Of the 10,680 units originally ordered, only 2,176 were ultimately delivered. This did not meet the needs of the mechanized infantry battalions, which is why they had to fall back on dummy infantry fighting vehicles for training. Work therefore quickly began on the successor model, the “Marder”, which was not delivered as hastily as its predecessor, but only after more than 10 years of development in 1971. The hasty procurement and series production of the HS-30 led to a committee of inquiry by the German Bundestag.