Immediately before World War I, Austro-Daimler constructed several series of the first petrol-engined four-wheel drive artillery tractors. These were some of the first commercially successful vehicles for both the Austro-Daimler company and their designer Ferdinand Porsche.
In the period before World War I, France and Belgium fortified their Eastern borders by constructing a series of large forts, notably around Liège. To counter these forts during a potential invasion, Germany sought large siege artillery, from Krupp.
Although Italy and Austria-Hungary were, with Germany, members of the Triple Alliance, Italys adherence to this in time of war was doubted. From 1903, the Austro-Hungarian general staff began to plan for the expectation of a war against Italy.. This would require improved heavy artillery, and the means to move it in mountainous country. Particular concerns were the forts of Verena [de; it], Campolongo [de; it] and Campomolon [de; it].
The army of Austria-Hungary also obtained large siege mortars. These were difficult to transport, even though they could be separated into two loads: barrel and carriage.
Austro-Daimler had previously provided the Lohner-Porsche car for trials with the Austro-Hungarian Army. In 1904, Paul Daimler had produced the first armoured car with a turret. Austro-Daimlers first successful contract to build vehicles for the army was to be a series of artillery tractors to move these mortars. Daimler had returned to Daimler at Stuttgart in 1905 and in 1906 Ferdinand Porsche had been appointed as his successor as the chief engineer at Austro-Daimler in Wiener Neustadt, with Otto Köhler as his design engineer.
Captain Robert Wolf[i] was the head of Army research and development. He was an advocate of army mechanisation and now sought a tug or artillery tractor for the new heavy siege artillery.
One of Porsches first projects was the M 06, intended as this artillery tug. It used Paul Daimlers four-wheel drive system from the armoured car chassis, lengthened to a wheelbase of 3,200 millimetres (130 in). Engine power was increased with an 8,500 cc engine of 50 bhp. Drive through the steering joints of the front wheels used the same system as Paul Daimlers armoured car, with a series of bevel gears and vertical shafts within the kingpins. It was also fitted with a drum winch.
The inspector general of artillery, Archduke Leopold Salvator, had his own ideas about mechanical transport. Having a mechanical background, he had already patented his own design of four-wheel drive system. This used a complex central differential and diagonal shafts to each wheel. Skoda constructed a 40 bhp example named Lion[ii], although its four-wheel steering was so heavy that the steering wheel had to be made large enough to allow two men to haul on it.
The first large production contract for the military, was the M 08 of 1908. Wolf approached Eduard Fischer, managing director of Austro-Daimler, and his engineer Porsche to provide a dozen tractors for towing large mortars. These were of similar size to and developed from the M 06 design, but with significant improvements. The first of these was a new engine, of twice the power. Although intended as tractor units, they also had a wooden load-carrying body at the rear. This was made deeper than on the M 06, with the top edge sloping downwards to the rear. The overall silhouette of the tractor gave rise to its name of Robbe or Seal.
The engine was Austro-Daimlers own design for an inline-six of 13,854 cc and giving a power of 80 bhp. The cylinders were cast, in typical fashion for the time, as three pairs of non-monobloc cylinders with sidevalves.
Following Robert Wolfs influence, each vehicle was fitted with its own drum winch under the nose, which could be used to climb slopes too steep for the solid rubber tyres to grip on. One of the first batch was also equipped as a recovery vehicle, with a large winch on the rear deck, carrying 1,000 feet of cable.
Although well-received by the military, this whole new type of military vehicle was far from perfected as yet, particularly for its four-wheel drive system and the difficulty of driving it.
The M 09 or Titan of 1911 was an evolutionary development of the M 08 and used the same 80 bhp engine.
Around this time, the German Daimler company were no longer investors in the Austro-Daimler company. This pleased the Austro-Hungarian military, who at this time saw Germany as both a potential (and eventual) ally, but also a potential enemy. Investment instead came from the Bohemian Škoda Works in Pilsen, who were Austro-Hungarian and more acceptable to the military. Especially so as they had recently moved their head office to Vienna. Skodas controlling interest also led to Eduard Fischers replacement as managing director by Skodas secretary, Burmann, although the real executive power now became Porsches alone.
The Austro-Hungarian Army increased its artillery with an even heavier mortar, the Skoda M 11 30.5cm siege mortar, intended for use against the Italian fortifications. Development of this piece began in 1906 and two dozen of them were ordered by the end of 1911. In March 1912, Austro-Daimler began work on a more powerful artillery tractor for them and the first tractors were completed by the end of the year. A rapid start was possible because the Army was in such a rush for them that it used a slush fund to pay for them, rather than waiting for a formal tender and budget allocation process.
This new M 12 tractor was nicknamed the Hundred, after its 100 hp engine of 20,300 cc. Another inline-six, this had twin spark ignition and twin updraught carburettors. The chassis and drivetrain were similar to the M 09 and used the same system of bevel shafts in the kingpins. The centre differential was lockable. Weight had increased to 8,000 kilograms (18,000 lb) and required new ten-spoke cast wheels, rather than the previous eight-spoke. The rear wheels were larger than the front, at 1.5 metres (59 in), and also had double tyres fitted, althrough these were still of a treadless solid rubber pattern. Each tractor was now capable of towing between 30 and 36 tons, depending on road conditions. The wooden side boards of the tractor body folded down to make rows of lengthwise bench seats to carry the mortar crew.
Eight mortar batteries were formed, with two apiece, and each mortar train potentially requiring three tractors. Forty Hundreds were supplied for this, rather than the full forty eight, as some of the mortars were used defensively, or were expected to be moved by rail.
Although intended for use by the Austro-Hungarian Army, against Italian fortifications, their first use came on the Western Front in a historically decisive campaign at the start of World War I. Germany planned to invade France by passing through the neutral country of Belgium, in order to attack Frances less defended Northern flank. This involved assaulting the Belgian forts, particularly Liège and its ring of forts, which began on the 6 August 1914 with a rapid assault, repulsed by the Belgians, and which then developed into a protracted siege. This was what the forts had been designed to withstand and they were expected to hold out for at least a month, allowing time for a counterattack to be mounted.
This early in the war, only the two prototypes of the German Krupp 420 mm (17 in) mortar had been completed. To defeat Liège. Germany called upon its Austro-Hungarian ally for support. Eight of the Skoda 305mm mortars, with their tractors, were deployed but the Liège forts surrendered by the 16 August, before they had arrived.[iii]
The process was repeated at Namur, from 21 to 23 August. The Austro-Hungarian mortars arrived by rail on the 20 August, spent two days driving the 50 kilometres (31 mi) to their positions, and went into action on 22 August. German experience and the Austro-Hungarian mortars made their siege against similar forts even quicker. After a further drive of 60 kilometres (37 mi) they arrived at Maubeuge on 29 August and that fort surrendered on 8 September.
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