During the transition from US-manufactured heavy transport and recovery equipment left by the allied powers upon their departure from Austria to new Austrian-manufactured equipment, Gräf & Stift produced heavy engineer cranes as well as heavy recovery vehicles. All were based on the same, 6x6 high-mobility chassis, the only difference were the different crane types installed. These vehicles were powered by the Mercedes-Benz OM 355, inline 6-cylinder diesel engine, originally producing 210 HP, later 240 HP.
Our vehicle is equipped with an early-series Wilhag crane, in parallel also Kässbohrer cranes were installed (the attached data sheet shows the Kässbohrer version, however the chassis were identical).
These heavy recovery vehicles were predominantly issued to the tank and maintenance units and were capable of recovering/towing even the heaviest tanks in service at that time (M47 and later M60 medium battle tanks), see also the video about this vehicle towing an M47 tank in our video section.
By the mid-1980s, these vehicles were replaced with the ÖAF 32.281 FDA “PK 30” recovery vehicles.
Gräf & Stift Wilhag recovery vehicle towing an M47 medium battle tank at the Austrian Museum of Military History, Vienna: