This watertender of the Volunteer Fire Brigade of the German town of Straelen is no longer in active duty. Nowadays it is part of the Youth fire brigade.
That is no water tender, it´s a pumper, german: "Löschgruppenfahrzeug LF 8" = pumper truck with a pump of 800 liter / min for a fireman group of one comander and eight fireman
THe LF8 was the standard pump for German small town volunteer fire companies for many decades after WWII, and they were to be found all over West Germany. They were inexpensive and simple, based on a 4 tonne GVW panel van with a front mounted light pump. Because of their low weight, they could be driven on a passenger car license, so the crew did not have to wait for a member with a truck license before they could turn out.
Mercedes were the main supplier, with 408 and 608 vans, but there were also quite a few Opels and some early Hanomags. A few LF8s were also coach built on heavier Mercedes 813, 913 and Unimog chassis.
Added by Karl - Ludwig Ostermann on 13 October 2006.