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Automotive manufacture had a long tradition in Germany. Many important and innovative developments were made in Germany. But the Army had little interest for motor vehicles until the outbreak of World War I. This changed during war. But the initial reservation led to negative effects.
After World War I, Germany was allowed to have a 100,000 men army, only. Supernumerary equipment had to be transferred to the victorious parties or was sold. So the period of the Weimar Republic was characterised by shortage. Many automobile manufacturers had to announce bankrupt or were taken over to the end of the world’s economic crisis at the beginning of the 1930s. Rearmament of Germany starting in 1933 and an improving business situation brought a boom for the German automobile industry. This led to a sprawling type variety and increasing production numbers. The type variety of the Wehrmacht was mainly influenced by this. After the beginning of the war in 1939, many civilian vehicles were drawn in which made the situation worse. The partly transposed Schell-Plan - which was initiated shortly before the outbreak of World War II - could not really change the situation.
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