SdKfz 250
Encyclopedia
The Sd.Kfz. 250 was a light armoured halftrack, very similar in appearance to the larger Hanomag
-designed Sd.Kfz. 251, and built by the DEMAG
firm, for use by Nazi Germany
in World War II
.
Compared to U.S. halftracks, the SdKfz 250 series was less mobile, with unpowered front wheels. However, its tracks made it far more mobile than the armoured cars it replaced, and it was a popular vehicle. Most variants were open-topped and had a single access door in the rear.
The Sd. Kfz 250 was adopted in 1939 to supplement the standard halftrack. Production delays meant the first 250 did not appear until mid-1941.
, the designer of the smallest half-track in service, the Sd.Kfz. 10, was selected to develop the light armored troop carrier (leichter gepanzerter Mannschafts-Transportwagen) or Sd.Kfz. 250. The D7 chassis of the Sd.Kfz. 10 was shortened by one roadwheel station, an armored hull (Panzerwanne) replaced the sheet steel hull and almost every component was specially designed for the D7p, as the armored chassis was designated.
6-cylinder, water-cooled, 4.17 litre (254 cu in) HL 42 TRKM gasoline engine of 100 hp. It had a semi-automatic pre-selector Maybach VG 102 128 H transmission with seven forward and three reverse gears. Gears were first selected and then the clutch depressed to change the ratio, the next gear could then be selected in advance. In effect the clutch acted as a gear change 'switch'. It could attain 76 km/h (47.2 mph), but the driver was cautioned not to exceed 65 km/h (40.4 mph).
Both tracks and wheels were used for steering. The steering system was set up so that shallow turns used only the wheels, but brakes would be applied to the tracks the farther the steering wheel was turned. The drive sprocket had rollers rather than the more common teeth. The rear suspension consisted of four double roadwheels mounted on swing arms sprung by torsion bars. An idler wheel, mounted at the rear of the vehicle, was used to control track tension. The front wheels had transversely mounted leaf springs and shock absorbers, the only ones on the vehicle, to dampen impacts.
The Sd.Kfz. 250 was unique among German half-track designs as it, and its parent Sd.Kfz. 10, used a hull rather than a frame.
The vehicle was used in a wide variety of roles throughout World War II
. The basic troop carrier version was used as an armored personnel carrier for reconnaissance units, carrying scout sections. This basic variant usually mounted one or two MG34 machineguns. Later variants carried 20 mm, 37 mm, and even 75 mm guns to support the more lightly armed versions (see table below).
Several special-purpose variants were seen early in the war. The 250/3 and 250/5 were command variants, equipped with fewer seats but with long-range radio equipment. These were used by battalion and higher commanders as personal command vehicles, most famously the 250/3 used by Erwin Rommel
in the North African campaign
. Early versions had large 'bedframe' antennas easy to spot at long range, making them more vulnerable to artillery
fire. Later variants dispensed with this and used a whip antenna instead.
The Sd.Kfz. 253 variant was fully enclosed, and was used by artillery forward observers to accompany tank and mechanized infantry units.
The initial design had an armoured body made of multi-faceted plates which gave good protection against small arms fire, but which made the design both expensive to manufacture and quite cramped. Production of this early version stopped in October 1943 with some 4,200 built, and a second version (neue art or "new version"), greatly simplified to speed up manufacture, began replacing it. In both variants, the armour was useful only for stopping small-arms fire and small artillery fragments. Heavy machinegun fire, anti-tank gun fire, or almost any tank gun could penetrate the Sd.Kfz. 250 at long range.
Sd.Kfz. 250/2 leichter Fernsprechpanzerwagen
Sd.Kfz. 250/3 leichter Funkpanzerwagen
Sd.Kfz. 250/4
Sd.Kfz. 250/5 leichter Beobachtungspanzerwagen
Sd.Kfz. 250/6 leichter Munitionspanzerwagen
Sd.Kfz. 250/7:
Sd.Kfz. 250/8 leichter Schützenpanzerwagen (7.5 cm)
Sd.Kfz. 250/9 leichter Schützenpanzerwagen (2 cm)
Sd.Kfz. 250/10 leichter Schützenpanzerwagen (3.7 cm PaK)
Sd.Kfz. 250/11 leichter Schützenpanzerwagen (schwere Panzerbüchse 41)
Sd.Kfz. 250/12 leichter Messtruppanzerwagen
Sd.Kfz. 252 leichter gepanzerter Munitionskraftwagen
Sd.Kfz. 253 leichter gepanzerter Beobachtungskraftwagen
Hanomag
Hanomag was a German producer of steam locomotives, tractors, trucks and military vehicles. Hanomag first achieved international fame by delivering a large number of steam locomotives to Romania and Bulgaria before World War I....
-designed Sd.Kfz. 251, and built by the DEMAG
Demag
Demag or Demag Cranes AG is a German heavy equipment manufacturer now controlled by US based Terex. The roots of Demag date back prior to its formation, but became Märkische Maschinenbau-Anstalt, Ludwig A.-G in 1906 as the biggest crane building company in Germany employing 250-300 people...
firm, for use by Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
Compared to U.S. halftracks, the SdKfz 250 series was less mobile, with unpowered front wheels. However, its tracks made it far more mobile than the armoured cars it replaced, and it was a popular vehicle. Most variants were open-topped and had a single access door in the rear.
The Sd. Kfz 250 was adopted in 1939 to supplement the standard halftrack. Production delays meant the first 250 did not appear until mid-1941.
Development
In 1939 the Inspectorate for Motorized Troops (AHA/In 6) decided that small armored half-tracks would be useful to accompany tanks in the attack. They could satisfy requirements for which a larger vehicle wouldn't be needed such as headquarters, artillery forward observer, radio, and scout vehicles. DemagDemag
Demag or Demag Cranes AG is a German heavy equipment manufacturer now controlled by US based Terex. The roots of Demag date back prior to its formation, but became Märkische Maschinenbau-Anstalt, Ludwig A.-G in 1906 as the biggest crane building company in Germany employing 250-300 people...
, the designer of the smallest half-track in service, the Sd.Kfz. 10, was selected to develop the light armored troop carrier (leichter gepanzerter Mannschafts-Transportwagen) or Sd.Kfz. 250. The D7 chassis of the Sd.Kfz. 10 was shortened by one roadwheel station, an armored hull (Panzerwanne) replaced the sheet steel hull and almost every component was specially designed for the D7p, as the armored chassis was designated.
Description
Power for the Sd.Kfz. 250 was provided by a MaybachMaybach
Maybach-Motorenbau GmbH is a German luxury car manufacturer. It was founded in 1909 by Wilhelm Maybach and his son. The company was originally a subsidiary of Luftschiffbau Zeppelin GmbH and was itself known as Luftfahrzeug-Motorenbau GmbH until 1912.Today, the ultra-luxury car brand is owned by...
6-cylinder, water-cooled, 4.17 litre (254 cu in) HL 42 TRKM gasoline engine of 100 hp. It had a semi-automatic pre-selector Maybach VG 102 128 H transmission with seven forward and three reverse gears. Gears were first selected and then the clutch depressed to change the ratio, the next gear could then be selected in advance. In effect the clutch acted as a gear change 'switch'. It could attain 76 km/h (47.2 mph), but the driver was cautioned not to exceed 65 km/h (40.4 mph).
Both tracks and wheels were used for steering. The steering system was set up so that shallow turns used only the wheels, but brakes would be applied to the tracks the farther the steering wheel was turned. The drive sprocket had rollers rather than the more common teeth. The rear suspension consisted of four double roadwheels mounted on swing arms sprung by torsion bars. An idler wheel, mounted at the rear of the vehicle, was used to control track tension. The front wheels had transversely mounted leaf springs and shock absorbers, the only ones on the vehicle, to dampen impacts.
The Sd.Kfz. 250 was unique among German half-track designs as it, and its parent Sd.Kfz. 10, used a hull rather than a frame.
Armor
| Thickness/slope from the vertical | Front | Side | Rear | Top/Bottom |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Superstructure | 14.5 mm (0.570866141732284 in)/30° | 8 mm (0.31496062992126 in)/35-30° | 10 mm (0.393700787401575 in)/10° | 5.5 mm (0.216535433070866 in)/?° |
| Hull | 14.5 mm (0.570866141732284 in)/12° | 14.5-10 mm/0° | 8 mm (0.31496062992126 in)/45° | 5.5 mm (0.216535433070866 in) |
Service history
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. The basic troop carrier version was used as an armored personnel carrier for reconnaissance units, carrying scout sections. This basic variant usually mounted one or two MG34 machineguns. Later variants carried 20 mm, 37 mm, and even 75 mm guns to support the more lightly armed versions (see table below).
Several special-purpose variants were seen early in the war. The 250/3 and 250/5 were command variants, equipped with fewer seats but with long-range radio equipment. These were used by battalion and higher commanders as personal command vehicles, most famously the 250/3 used by Erwin Rommel
Erwin Rommel
Erwin Johannes Eugen Rommel , popularly known as the Desert Fox , was a German Field Marshal of World War II. He won the respect of both his own troops and the enemies he fought....
in the North African campaign
North African campaign
During the Second World War, the North African Campaign took place in North Africa from 10 June 1940 to 13 May 1943. It included campaigns fought in the Libyan and Egyptian deserts and in Morocco and Algeria and Tunisia .The campaign was fought between the Allies and Axis powers, many of whom had...
. Early versions had large 'bedframe' antennas easy to spot at long range, making them more vulnerable to artillery
Artillery
Originally applied to any group of infantry primarily armed with projectile weapons, artillery has over time become limited in meaning to refer only to those engines of war that operate by projection of munitions far beyond the range of effect of personal weapons...
fire. Later variants dispensed with this and used a whip antenna instead.
The Sd.Kfz. 253 variant was fully enclosed, and was used by artillery forward observers to accompany tank and mechanized infantry units.
The initial design had an armoured body made of multi-faceted plates which gave good protection against small arms fire, but which made the design both expensive to manufacture and quite cramped. Production of this early version stopped in October 1943 with some 4,200 built, and a second version (neue art or "new version"), greatly simplified to speed up manufacture, began replacing it. In both variants, the armour was useful only for stopping small-arms fire and small artillery fragments. Heavy machinegun fire, anti-tank gun fire, or almost any tank gun could penetrate the Sd.Kfz. 250 at long range.
Variants
Sd.Kfz. 250/1 leichter Schützenpanzerwagen- The standard troop carrier.
Sd.Kfz. 250/2 leichter Fernsprechpanzerwagen
- Equipped with cable-laying gear.
Sd.Kfz. 250/3 leichter Funkpanzerwagen
- Command variant, equipped with radio equipment and "bedstead" aerial frame.
- Sd.Kfz. 250/3-I (Fu 7, Fu 18) (Luftwaffe)
- Sd.Kfz. 250/3-II (Fu 5, Fu.Spr. f)
- Sd.Kfz. 250/3-III (Fu 8, Fu 4, Fu.Spr. f)
- Sd.Kfz. 250/3-IV (Fu 8, Fu.Spr. f)
- Sd.Kfz. 250/3-V (Fu 12, Fu.Spr. f)
Sd.Kfz. 250/4
- Sd.Kfz. 250/4 leichter Truppenluftschutzpanzerwagen
- Antiaircraft variant armed with a dual MG34, never reached production.
- Sd.Kfz. 250/4 leichter Beobachtungspanzerwagen
- Observation vehicle for a SturmgeschützSturmgeschützSturmgeschütz is a German word for "assault gun", usually abbreviated StuG. The vehicle was a leading weapon of the Sturmartillerie, a branch of the German artillery tasked with close fire support of infantry in infantry, panzer, and panzergrenadier units...
detachment.
Sd.Kfz. 250/5 leichter Beobachtungspanzerwagen
- Command variant with additional radio equipment.
Sd.Kfz. 250/6 leichter Munitionspanzerwagen
- Ammunition carrier for assault guns.
- Sd.Kfz. 250/6 Ausf A
- carried 70 rounds for 75 mm StuK 37 L/24 gun.
- Sd.Kfz. 250/6 Ausf B
- carried 60 rounds for 75 mm StuK 40 L/48 gun.
Sd.Kfz. 250/7:
- Sd.Kfz. 250/7 leichter Schützenpanzerwagen (schwerer Granatwerfer)
- With 80 mm MortarMortar (weapon)A mortar is an indirect fire weapon that fires explosive projectiles known as bombs at low velocities, short ranges, and high-arcing ballistic trajectories. It is typically muzzle-loading and has a barrel length less than 15 times its caliber....
.- Sd.Kfz. 250/7 leichter Schützenpanzerwagen (Munitionsfahrzeug)
- Ammunition transporter, carried 66 rounds for 80 mm mortar.
Sd.Kfz. 250/8 leichter Schützenpanzerwagen (7.5 cm)
- Support variant armed with a 7.5cm KwK 37 L/24 gun and an MG 34MG 34The Maschinengewehr 34, or MG 34, is a German air-cooled machine gun that was first produced and accepted into service in 1934, and first issued to units in 1935. It accepts the 8x57mm IS cartridge....
.
Sd.Kfz. 250/9 leichter Schützenpanzerwagen (2 cm)
- Reconnaissance variant with a 2 cm KwK 38 autocannonAutocannonAn autocannon or automatic cannon is a rapid-fire projectile weapon firing a shell as opposed to the bullet fired by a machine gun. Autocannons often have a larger caliber than a machine gun . Usually, autocannons are smaller than a field gun or other artillery, and are mechanically loaded for a...
coaxial with an MG34 or MG42MG42The MG 42 is a 7.9mm universal machine gun that was developed in Nazi Germany and entered service with the Wehrmacht in 1942...
in a low, open topped turret identical to the SdkFz-222 armoured car (early version) and the sdkfz-234/1 armoured car (late version).
Sd.Kfz. 250/10 leichter Schützenpanzerwagen (3.7 cm PaK)
- Reconnaissance platoon leader's variant with 3.7 cm PaK 35/36PaK 36The Pak 36 was a German anti-tank gun that fired a 3.7 cm calibre shell. It was the main anti-tank weapon of Wehrmacht infantry units until 1942...
. This was the same antitank gun used in a towed mode early in the war. It was normally without protection shield, if any it was a small one.
Sd.Kfz. 250/11 leichter Schützenpanzerwagen (schwere Panzerbüchse 41)
- With 2.8 cm sPzB 412.8 cm sPzB 412.8 cm schwere Panzerbüchse 41 or "Panzerbüchse 41" was a German anti-tank weapon working on the squeeze bore principle. Officially classified as heavy anti-tank rifle , it would be better described, and is widely referred to, as a light anti-tank gun.-Description:Although the sPzB 41 was...
heavy anti-tank rifle and an MG-34.
Sd.Kfz. 250/12 leichter Messtruppanzerwagen
- Survey and artillery range spotting vehicle.
Sd.Kfz. 252 leichter gepanzerter Munitionskraftwagen
SdKfz 252
The Sd.Kfz. 252 leichte Gepanzerte Munitionskraftwagen was an Axis armoured half-track ammunition carrier used during the Battle of France in 1940.-History:...
- Ammunition carrier for Sturmgeschütz.
Sd.Kfz. 253 leichter gepanzerter Beobachtungskraftwagen
SdKfz 253
SdKfz 253 leichter Gepanzerter Beobachtungskraftwagen was a German light observation vehicle that was used by artillery forward observers to accompany tank and mechanized infantry units. The vehicle belonged to the SdKfz 250 family....
- Artillery forward observer vehicle, with fully enclosed armoured body and artillery radios.
See also
- Kégresse track
- M2 Half Track CarM2 Half Track CarThe M-2 Half Track was an armored vehicle used by the United States during World War II.-History:The half-track design had been evaluated by the US Ordnance department using Citroën-Kégresse vehicles...
- M3 Half-trackM3 Half-trackThe Carrier, Personnel Half-track M3 was an armored vehicle used by the United States, the British Empire and the other Allies during World War II and the Cold War. Nearly 43,000 were produced, and supplied to the U.S...
- Sd.Kfz. 251
- Type 1 Ho-HaType 1 Ho-Ha-External links:*...