Italeri 6426 VW Typ 87 with Afrikakorps Soldiers

Volkswagen Type 1 (other names: VW Beetle or VW Beetle, the name KdF-Wagen was also used in 1939-1945) is a German small passenger car, which was first presented to the public in 1938. Its production started in the same year and lasted until 2003. In the World War II version, it was powered by a single engine with a capacity of 0.995 cm3 and a maximum power of 26 HP.

The history of VW Beetle dates back to the 1930s, when the Nazi regime in Germany decided to create a "people's car" as cheap and easy to produce as possible. It was also assumed that the new vehicle would be as easy as possible to operate and operate. After talks with many German automotive companies, it was decided to create a separate entity to carry out this task called Volkswagen (German: people's or people's car), and Ferdinand Porsche became the main designer of the new vehicle. It was assumed that large-scale production would be undertaken for civilian purposes, but it was significantly reduced after the outbreak of World War II. In the years 1941-1944 the VW Typ 60 was produced, which was intended primarily for Nazi dignitaries. At the same time, the production of military versions, such as the Volkswagen Typ 87, also known as Kommandeurswagen, which was also produced between 1941 and 1944 and served as a staff car. The VW Type 82e car played a similar role. A light ambulance (Type 83) and a vehicle using a gas generator (Type 230, the so-called Holzbrenner) were also built.