Was this ever really done, or just fantasy?
The recoil of the .50 wouldn’t shake the vehicle to pieces?
The recoil of the .50 wouldn’t shake the vehicle to pieces?
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It was done, but without the .50. The recoil would bend the floorpan.
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There is a photo of this vehicle without the .50.
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There are tons of captured Kubel pics
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Russians captured lots of them. Even Tamiya released a lot with three Soviet officer and a driver figures.
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Details…details…looks good though.
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For all those who were kind enough to post endless pics of captured Kubelwagens - thanks, but that was not the point at all. Did you happen to notice the .50 mounted in the back seat? I even mentioned that! I know that any running captured vehicle was pressed into service - cars; halftracks; even the “Cuckoo” Panther tank.
Looks like SSG Toms was the only person astute enough to understand my post. 
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He already answered that question - the .50 would’ve tore itself off the bottom of the tub; M191A4s on the other hand, would’ve been more feasible.
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Uhhh…that’s what the last sentence in my last post referred to. 
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I know… That’s what i read.
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I understood it.
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Not many of us were around back then, but here’s my take:
50 cals were mounted on Jeeps. I know becasue I used to watch Rat Patrol as a kid.
And in spite of what the experts on this forum say, they were mounted on M151s as well. They seem to have worked.
Perhaps the venerable Kubelwagen wasn’t designed for it, but I’m sure it could’ve handled a .50.
Probably not in standard form, but what’s to stop some enterprising GI from doing something like this?:
Oh, well that’s not designed for a .50.
Indeed it was:
Give me (or any of ten other guys I know) an oxy-acetylene rig and a welder, and I guarantee eleven designs fabricated and built within an hour for the Kubelwagen, all of which work.
(Okay - I might need a tire as well to make rubber washers from)
Next week a few of you will meet the oldest guy in our MC. He stole a mini gun from a base and mounted it in a 3/4 ton. You can ask him yourself when you meet him,.
By the way, a Dishka has a hell of a lot more recoil, and I’ve seen them mounted in Hiluxes.
So while some folks may waste hours trying to find a photo online, I’m just going to say, “Yes. Very feasiblr.”
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I know, the next one is not a Kübelwagen, but instead it’s cousin the Schwimmenwagen…. it is under new Uncle Sam use and management…
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We mounted 50s in the back of cargo HMMWVs with the pedestal braced and welded to a piece of sheet steel that was bolted over the pressed aluminum cargo bed. I agree with 18bravo - I am confident any welder worth his salt could cut some steel and come up with a mount that would fit and work just fine for a Kubelwagen.
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There you go again breaking up a good story. 
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I have not seen a photo of a .50 on a Kubel, but never put anything past a GI with a welding rig. . .50’s were not supposed to be mounted in jeeps or M151’s, but I’ve seen them in person and in photos.I have seen a minigun mounted on the bed of a 3/4, 55 years have clouded the memory of what unit used it, but it was in III Corps area of Vietnam. I’ve learned, “never say never”.
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