Military Museum Blog: Speyer Technical Museum, Germany

45 kilometres west of the Sinshiem Technical Museum, and about half and hour south of Mannheim, is the Speyer Technical Museum. The sister museum of Sinsheim, Speyer is also a massive affair with vast halls displaying everything from sewing machines to fire engines. Although the two museums are relatively close to each other and appear to be similar in concept, their collections are so huge that there is little cross over. Visiting both won't leave one with a feeling of disappointment.

One of the points of difference at the Speyer museum is that it has a larger maritime section, with a German seagoing submarine from the post-war period as well as an impressive collection of wartime German midget submarines.

Like Sinshiem, Speyer's aircraft collection is spectacular, with an Antonov An-22 heavy transporter and the Soviet version of the space shuttle, the Buran. A collection of airliners are also mounted above the museum halls. https://speyer.technik-museum.de/en/

Mercedes-Benz

Ford DUKW amphibious truck.

Fire engine collection https://speyer.technik-museum.de/en/fire-engines

Moto Guzzi Falcone and Citroen Traction Avant

KDF Kubelwagen. The Volkswagenwerkes' main production during the war. https://heinkelscooter.blogspot.com/2014/07/volkswagen-at-war.html

Messerschmitt Me109

Junkers Ju52 https://speyer.technik-museum.de/en/junkers-ju-52

Junkers Ju52

Biber https://speyer.technik-museum.de/en/submarine-beaver

Biber German midget submarine. These were developed late in the Second World War as coastal defense submarines. They were poorly designed and built and more dangerous to their pilots than enemy vessels as their poorly ventilated Opel car engine filled the cockpit with carbon monoxide. The Biber had no means of navigating beneath the surface or aiming the torpedoes other than driving straight at the target. Almost all Biber missions failed to achieve anything other than killing their crews.

SdKfz.2 NSU Kettenkrad https://tanks-encyclopedia.com/ww2/nazi_germany/kettenkrad_sdkfz2.php

Mig

Fokker Dr1 triplane. Most famous as the aircraft that Baron Manfred von Richtoffen was flying when he was killed in 1917.

Zundapp motorcycle

Junkers Ju52. On the wall at the rear is the remains of a Dornier Do17.

Trains and steam rollers

LZ-127 Graf Zeppelin model

Warship models

Aircraft display.

On the left is a Hawker Hunter and on the right a Lockheed Starfighter. https://speyer.technik-museum.de/en/lockheed-f-104-g-starfighter

Aircraft display

Soviet helicopters

Suhhoi Su 22 in the foreground https://speyer.technik-museum.de/en/suchoi-su-22 and Sean O'Kelley houseboat https://speyer.technik-museum.de/en/the-kelly-family

Antonov An-2 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antonov_An-2

View looking back to the entrance with Speyer cathedral in the background. In the foreground are number of diesel marine engines.

Dornier Do24 remains. In the background is Speyer's spectacular cathedral. Construction of the cathedral commenced in 1030 and became important as the burial place of the Salian, Staufer and Habsburg emperors until the 14th century, when the Habsburg's settled in Vienna as their seat of power. https://www.speyer.de/sv_speyer/en/Tourism/Tourist%20attractions/The%20Speyer%20Cathedral/

The scant remains of a Dornier Do 24 flying boat https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dornier_Do_24
These flying boats were among a series built by Dornier as passenger and fast mail aircraft during the interwar years. During the war they were used by the RLM as long range reconnaisance and maritime patrol aircraft.

Antonov An22 heavy transport https://speyer.technik-museum.de/en/antonov-an-22

View from the top of U-9 https://speyer.technik-museum.de/en/submarine-u9

German Seehund midget submarine. The Seehund addressed the problems with smaller types, such as the Biber, and had the potential to be effective coastal defense midget subs, but were too late in the war to have any effect. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seehund

Seehund

Sukhoi Su 22 in the yard. Mounted in the centre is a Fairey Gannet. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fairey_Gannet

Developed after the war as a carrier based anti-submarine and reconnaissance aircraft. They were powered by contra-rotating propellers, an unusual choice. They were introduced in 1953 and had an extremely long service, being finally retired in 1973. They also served in the Royal Australian Navy.