Description

The Wehrmacht heavy tractor multi-purpose vehicle Hanomag SS-100 was produced from 1936 to 1945. Originally manufactured in 1936 as the SP-100 heavy agriculture tractor, it was quickly pressed into military service with both the Wehrmacht and the Luftwaffe, and became one of the most widely used heavy tractors in German military service. Powered by a 8550 cc 6-cylinder D85 diesel engine,  it could accommodate up to five passengers and a driver and supported a variety of supplemental equipment attached to the rear frame. Among other things, V2 units used it to tow the Vidalwagen & Meillerwagen, which transported the empty V2 rocket before fueling. After 1945 it was produced in France as the ST-100. Known in the civilian world as the 'Gigant', Hanomag road tractors of all sizes were popular as off-road transport well into the 1960's. The Aggregat 4, or V-2 (German Vergeltungswaffe 2, "Retribution Weapon 2") guided missile, was among Nazi Germany's most important technological achievements during World War II, and was among the most feared weapons of mass destruction before the nuclear age. These were the first long-range ballistic missiles to be used in war, ultimately inspiring the infamous 'SCUD' missiles of the Soviet Union during the Cold War. The V-2 became the first man-made object in history to exit the Earth's atmosphere into space.

Designed by Otto Daus in the Tempo-works at Vidal & Sohn Co., the Vidalwagen was a strong and lightweight transport trailer, easily supporting the weight of the empty V2 rocket.  The Vidalwagen was used by the Germans to transport the V2 from the railhead to the field stores depot and to the transloading point, where the weapon was hoisted onto the Meillerwagen (Takom No.2030) for transport to the launch site.