Notes: The HWK-11 is a German-built tracked APC intended for service with the pre-unification Bundeswehr. The HWK-11 was never adopted for German service, but has had extensive sales in foreign countries, primarily in Latin America. It has a hatch on the front deck for the driver, a commander’s hatch with a pintle mount (NHT equivalent), two large passenger hatches on the rear deck and a hinged ramp at the back.

Marder 1

Notes: This IFV is in service only with Germany and Argentina. By 1983, almost all Marders in service with those countries had been upgraded to at least the 1A2 standard, and some 1600 had been upgraded to the 1A3 standard, with heavier armor and more powerful autocannon. In addition to those Marders, 5 other variants of the chassis were in service. A version with even heavier armament was built, but these were quite rare compared to even the 1A3 version, and a Marder 2 version was designed and a few built, but almost none of those entered service in time for the Twilight War. There is a driver’s hatch on the front left, hatches in the turret deck for the commander and gunner, a hatch for the infantry squad leader to the rear of the driver’s hatch, and a powered ramp with a door in it at the rear of the vehicle. There are 2 firing ports on each side of the passenger compartment (they are blocked off by appliqué armor on the 1A3), two roof hatches on each side of the rear hull deck, and a remote controlled MG-3 machinegun in the rear center deck that be traversed 135 degrees either way of center and normally faces to the rear. The seats in the passenger compartments may be rearranged so that 4 of the crew may lie down and sleep. The Marder is not normally amphibious, but can ford to a depth of 1.5 meters without preparation and 2.5 meters with 6 minutes preparation if a kit is available. A kit was also designed to make the Marder fully amphibious, but these were not picked up for general issue by the German or Argentine armies, and by 2000, are scarcer than hen’s teeth.

There have been many variants of the Marder, not all of which were put into service or even went beyond the conceptual states. The Basic Marder 1A1 has a KUKA turret designer for the Marder that can also be fitted to other vehicles. It uses a 20mm Rh-202 autocannon and an MG-3 machinegun. These weapons are fitted to an overhead mount so that they may be fired from under armor. This turret also has 6 smoke grenade dischargers.

The Marder 1A1(+) gives double belt feed capability to the Rh-202 autocannon. Night vision is improved with passive IR vision for driver, and gunner. A Milan 1 ATGM missile launcher is added to the turret, but firing it requires the commander to expose his head and torso while he aims, fires, and guides. The 1A1(+) includes a hand-held image intensification viewer for the commander, and the internal layout is revised to allow more room for bulky equipment the Milan missiles. It does carry fewer infantrymen. The fire control system uses a thermal pointer, a sort of low-tech laser rangefinder. The Marder 1A1(-) is identical, but does not have the thermal pointer. The mount is still there, however.

The Marder 1A2 upgrades the Milan launcher to Milan II standards. The vehicle is fitted with thermal imaging equipment, and the searchlight is removed. However, the rear-mounted mini-turret for the MG-3 is also removed.

The Marder 1A3 marks a large upgrade for the Marder. Virtually everything is improved, from the armor to the armament; the cost for the extra armor is that the firing ports have been plated over, in a manner similar to US Bradley Fighting Vehicles.

Notes: This vehicle is the German counterpart to the Swedish BV-206s, being optimized for difficult terrain such as ice, deep snow, and swamps. It uses extra-wide tracks and an engine with additional low gears to accomplish this sort of mobility. The commander and driver are seated at the front, with bullet resistant windows to their front and sides. Smaller windows are on the sides of the passenger compartment. The commander and driver have doors on either side of their positions and there is a large door in the rear of the vehicle that also has a window. The vehicle has heating and air conditioning. The TH-439 is used in a variety of roles, including troop carrier, command post, ambulance, and mortar towing vehicle. Many of these vehicles have 3 firing ports in each side and one in the rear, a hatch above the commander's position with a machinegun mount, and hatches above the passenger compartment. By 2000, volume production had yet to commence.

Twilight 2000 Notes: Some 100 of these vehicles made it into the Twilight War, usually with mountain troops.

Notes: This is a larger development of the Wiesel multipurpose vehicle, used as a personnel carrier in light infantry formations. The Wiesel 2 has one more roadwheel on each side and twice the interior space. It carries half a standard German infantry squad and their equipment. The troops enter through a large door in the hull rear face. There is a hatch on the front left deck for the driver, and a cupola on the front right deck for the commander. The cupola has a remote MG-3 machinegun that can be aimed and fired from under armor. New treads and a more powerful engine complete the redesign.

The Wiesel 2 Ambulance is a medical evacuation version of the Wiesel 2 APC. In this role, the Wiesel can carry a stretcher, and has medical supplies. The Wiesel 2 Ambulance carries a oxygen tank, a selection of medical supplies, a doctor's medical bag, and refills for one squad's worth of personal medical kits. It is normally unarmed.