Chefkuebel

[pvschlosser]

I am currently doing a translation about a Panzer Division on the Eastern Front. My German is fairly fluent; but I keep running across the word "Chefkuebel." Obviously Landser jargon for something. I believe it means something like "Commander's Quarters." I could be wrong. To put this in context, the sentence reads:" Ich sah ein paar Landser am brennenden Chefkuegel, die mit Spaten Erde hochwarfen, um die Flammen zu ersticken." I saw a couple of soldiers by the burning ???, who were tossing up heaps of soil with their shovels, in order to extinguish the flames. Thanks for the help.

[Zepp]

Something like kuebelwagen,maybe?

[Tom Houlihan]

I see where you're going with that, Zepp!

I remember that Kübel was also just a nickname for a car. So, Chefkübel could simply be the commander's car. It makes sense within the context of the sentence.

[Zepp]

Chefkübel is an office container on a truck.

[Tom Houlihan]

So that would just be a mobile office? Administration on wheels?

[Hiltraut Tieden]

On our trip to Germany last month, we went to the "August Horch Museum" in Zwickau. Among all the great vehicles to look at, I saw a "Kübelwagen" from WW2. I asked the guard about it, and he told me that a "Kübelwagen" was a utility vehicle (open) used in WW2. It was the lowest vehicle to be given to the officers/soldiers (according to the guard). "Chefkübel" was more a mocking in order to make it sound more important.
I just thought I share this with you.
Hiltraut

Here are some links:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/nb-fotos/4742413927/
http://www.kfzderwehrmacht.de/Homepage_ ... wagen.html

[Christoph Awender]

Hello

All small, simple built passenger cars (Pkw) was called Kübel (-wagen). THE Kübelwagen per se was the VW Kübelwagen we all know. "Chefkübel" is - as said above - the car of a commander. No officer container on a truck or something else.

/Christoph

[Zepp]

"Chefkübel" is,according to my sourse (ss-off) an office(container) on the bed of a truck.
This has nothing to do with a "kübelwagen".
As far as I know, "kübel" is a box or a kettle.

[Christoph Awender]

Hello,

Well, maybe you ask him again and it is a missunderstanding or they simply used it for such a officer container too. In this case I am 100% sure that the passenger car of the commander caught fire.

/Christoph

[Zepp]

No misunderstanding! Maybe your sourses are wrong....

[Christoph Awender]

Hello,

Well, maybe you ask him again and it is a missunderstanding or they simply used it for such a officer container too. In this case I am 100% sure that the passenger car of the commander caught fire.

/Christoph

Which sources??? I am a german native speaker, research the german Wehrmacht since 20 years, used, heard, read this term dozens of times also from veterans. When the veteran you know says that "Chefkübel" was not used for a light passenger car of a officer then he is wrong. That is as simple as it is. As I said maybe he just knows the term used for a "officer container".. that does not say that it was JUST used that way.
By the way I would be interested in a photo or info of such a "officer container".

/Christoph

[Alanmccoubrey]

Christoph, I agree with you as if it isn't the "Chef's car" then it must be the bucket he sits in and that would just be silly !

[Tom Houlihan]

Christoph, I agree with you as if it isn't the "Chef's car" then it must be the bucket he sits in and that would just be silly !

Unless it was the officers' latrine?

[Alanmccoubrey]

Tom, Perhaps that is why we see so many pics of WW2 German vehicles with a bucket hanging from them ?

[Zepp]

Hi Cristoph Awender.
It is "office (büro) container" not "officer cont".
I see what I can do on photo.
Sveinung