In practice, the self-propelled railway car was used to reconnoiter positions near contested ground or support ongoing infantry actions by bringing large-caliber guns to bear against unsuspecting elements. Denial of strategic rail junctions and bridges could also be had as the cars could be moved anywhere the rail network allowed. Of course all this changed the moment an Allied bomb or demolition charge ruined the tracks - then denying the cars advancement of any kind.
The Schweren Schienenpanzerspahzug concept began construction in May of 1944 and entered service around November of that year. Of the sixteen complete systems planned, just six were realized and these were operated into April of 1945 - the final month of the war in Europe. If not taken as war prizes, the cars were stripped of their war-making usefulness and scrapped.
Content ©MilitaryFactory.com; No Reproduction Permitted.