UGV Deja Vu: Ukraine and the Echo of the Goliath
Just one year ago, I was visiting the Newsweek website and noticed the following headline: “Video Shows Fighters Use Remote-Controlled ‘Kamikaze’ Cars on Russian Tanks.” As a historian I thought, “Wow, history does rhyme doesn’t it?”
I have always been interested in how the past impacts the present. I’m an interdisciplinary scholar and enjoy using various research routes to come to evidence-based conclusions about contemporary issues. So when I saw that Newsweek headline I realized that there was historical precedence for this kind of battlefield technology. What started as mere curiosity turned into a deep dive into unmanned vehicles, including unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs). But there was one in particular that I thought of first: the Goliath.
In 1942, a small, remote-controlled vehicle was introduced to the German military. The Goliath Light Demolition Carrier had two main uses for battlefield situations. First, it could be used as a mine-clearing vehicle. The second use, and most important for this comparison with the contemporary battlefield in Ukraine, was as a mobile land mine (or land torpedo as some dubbed it).
There were two versions of the Goliath, but the most recognizable is the Sonderkraftfahrzeug (Sd. Kfz.) 302, or Special Purpose Vehicle 302. The 302 was an electronically powered unit, run by two 12-volt storage batteries, and most often attached to a cable as the radio-controlled version was more expensive. Its engine was just over three horsepower and the Goliath had a range of 1.5 km (just under 1 mile) on a road surface; off-road it went slightly less than a kilometer. Inside the front of the 302 was an explosive charge of approximately 60 kg (130 lbs), which when detonated could incapacitate or obliterate anything it came into contact with.¹
Most of these Goliaths were initially intended for German armoured units and some of the first were used on the Eastern Front with success. This success ensured that its usage would be broadened, and when Allied troops landed at Anzio and Normandy in 1944, they gained a new perspective on this particular UGV.
German troops defending the beaches had envisioned using these vehicles as a way to drive up to the Allied landing craft and detonate the explosive charges. However, the bombardment of the area by naval and air forces had stopped them from being used, most likely because of damage to the cables needed to operate them. Therefore when the Germans retreated, Allied troops had time to inspect the Goliaths that were left behind.²
We can get a better understanding of the size of the Goliath through the photo above. Here we see men of the 2nd Naval Beach Battalion (USN) inspecting a Sd. Kfz. 302 on the beaches of Normandy just after the invasion. For some, the design will remind them of a miniature version of the early tanks of the First World War.
The Goliath was around 1.5 meters (~5 feet) in length and weighed an impressive 369 kg (815 lbs). In the image above, two sections are highlighted by numbers. These are two separate panels that house the propulsion system. Number 1 is where the motor would be mounted. Number 2 is the battery compartment. The sailor in this photo is holding the control panel that steers and guides the Goliath, and his feet are in the compartment that would hold the detonation charge.
In this image of another Goliath, the transmitter that the control panel would communicate with would be housed near the rear of the unit (Number 4). The wire needed to communicate with the Goliath would be housed in the panel on the very back (Number 3). Finally, a rear bumper (noted by the yellow arrow) would help guide the wire and ensure that it would not be run over or cut by the tracks.
Issues surrounding transport, battery upkeep, vulnerabilities of the wire and enemy fire doomed the Goliath. Although an updated version was produced (the gas-powered Sd. Kfz. 303), the insignificant amount of armour and cumbersome nature of the unit was not practicable for further development. Plus, the German war machine was breaking down under the pressure of the Russians in the East and the rest of the Allies in the West. Time, money, and effort was diverted to other projects.
As we bring this topic back to the contemporary era, we must keep in mind that the lessons learned from older weapons systems, such as the Goliath, resonates on the battlefields of today. It can be argued that the small, remote controlled car highlighted in the Newsweek article is even more deadly than the Goliath. Why? Cost, maneuverability, reliability, psychological effect, availability, and usability.
In fact, the progression of UGVs is moving at an astounding rate due to the ever-changing aspect of conflict zones. Within the last few months, Ukraine has begun deploying unmanned ground vehicles that are equipped with machine guns. Although this may help to save lives at the front (for the attacker with the UGV), we must ponder what this means for the future of unmanned vehicle usage and ethical concerns behind it.
A question to ponder: How will these vehicles incorporate the latest artificial intelligence (AI) technology in years to come, and what does that mean for the future of warfare and deterrence?
References
- Everett, H. R. Unmanned Systems of World Wars I and II. Cambridge, Massachusetts ; The MIT Press, 2015.
- Ibid.
