The Schienenwolf, or “Rail Wolf,” also known as a Schwellenpflug or “Sleeper Plough,” was a German rail vehicle designed for devastating rail tracks, featuring a robust, hook-shaped plow.
Krupp factory produced these railroad plows in 1942. They mounted a colossal hook on a platform, which, driven by two locomotives at speeds of 7-10 km/h, would slide under the sleepers, wrenching the rails out of place, shattering the track’s center, and fracturing the sleepers.
Activating this track destroyer took merely 6-8 minutes, managed by a crew of 10. It could obliterate railway tracks, completely breaking 100% of the sleepers, 70-93% of the rails, and disrupting up to 30% of the track bonds.
Deployed in the Nazis’ scorched earth strategy during the Third Reich’s downfall, the Schienenwolf also ripped up bridges and signaling equipment, rendering the severely damaged rail routes into Germany unusable.
With the Soviet Union’s rail network being a different gauge and the Germans operating significantly heavier trains, the Nazi Germany had to reconstruct or alter the railway lines during their invasion. Some tracks were adjusted to standard gauge by shifting the rails.
The Germans swapped the Soviet wooden sleepers with metal ones, indicating the tracks being destroyed were likely Soviet (albeit modified), as depicted in photographs showing wooden sleepers. The heavier German trains necessitated the more robust steel sleepers for support.
Operated in conjunction with a locomotive, the Schwellenpflug was towed along the tracks, uprooting sleepers and bending rails as it moved.
When deployed, the plow is lowered to tear through the track’s center while being towed by a locomotive, fracturing the wooden sleepers and displacing the steel rails from their aligned position.
The Schwellenpflug, translating to “sleeper plow” in English, was a specialized railway demolition device used by the German military during World War II.
Its deployment was a tactical measure within the broader German strategy of scorched earth, aimed at denying resources and operational ease to the advancing enemy.
By destroying railways, the Schwellenpflug significantly impacted the logistical capabilities of enemy forces, affecting their supply lines and troop movements.
The Schwellenpflug remains a notable example of railway sabotage equipment, illustrating the extent to which both sides in the conflict went to disrupt the enemy’s operations and secure a tactical advantage.
The tool was highly effective in rendering railway lines inoperable, requiring significant repair efforts before the tracks could be used again.
Railroad plough from the Military Museum in Belgrade. The hook can be raised for transportation or lowered for track destruction.
