SdKfz 4
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| SdKfz 4 | |
|---|---|
| General characteristics | |
| Crew | 3 |
| Length | 6 m w/o gun |
| Width | 2.2 m |
| Height | 2.5 m |
| Weight | 7.1 tonnes |
| Armour and armament | |
| Armour | 8mm |
| Main armament | 150 mm Nebelwerfer 421, 20 rounds (SdKfz 4/1 only) |
| Secondary armament | 7.92 mm MG34 or MG421, 2000 rounds |
| Mobility | |
| Power plant | 6 cylinder Opel 3.6 litre engine. |
| Suspension | halftrack |
| Road speed | 40km/h, |
| Power/weight | - |
| Range | 130 km |
The SdKfz 4 Gleissketten-Lastkraftwagen (track chain truck) or 'Maultier' was a family of halftracks developed in the World War II by Germany which, between 1933 and 1945, was the leader in production of these vehicles [1].
The SdKfz 4 was developed after the 1941 invasion of Russia as the ice and mud of Russia bogged down the commercial vehicles (primarily the 3t Opel-Blitz Type 3.6-36 S, the 3t Ford V8 Type G 398 TS/V 3000 S, the Magirus Type S 3000 and the 4.5t Mercedes-Benz Type L 4500 R)[2] that were used to supply German forces.
A total of 22'500 SdKfz 4 halftracks were produced by 1944 [3]. Later in the war, Opel trucks were outfitted with 15cm Panzerwerfer 42 rocket launchers and designated SdKfz 4/1's, with around 300 being produced [4]. However these variants, with the extra weight, could only manage a top speed of 25mph.
The vast majority of SdKfz 4's operated using British Carden-Lloyd running gear, with the exception of the Type L 4500 R, which used PzKpfw. II running gear. The halftracks 6 cylinder engines used 5 forward gears and one reverse, at 3000rpm, to attain a maximum forward speed of 40km/h. Each halftrack was equipped with the FuG Spr G f radio.
Aside from the SdKfz 4/1, the SdKfz's were armed only with a light 7.92 mm MG34 or MG42 machine gun with a traverse of 270° and elevation limits of -12° to +80°. With thin armour plating, the SdKfz's were not idea in close quarter battle against anything greater than small arms fire.
[edit] References
- http://www.wwiivehicles.com/germany/half_tracks/sdkfz4.html
- http://www.geocities.com/athens/acropolis/8141/halftracks.html
| German armored fighting vehicles of World War II | |
|---|---|
| Tanks | |
| Panzer I | Panzer II | Panzer III | Panzer IV | Panther | Tiger I, II | Panzer 35(t) | Panzer 38(t) | |
| Self-propelled artillery | |
| Wespe | Hummel | Grille | Panzerwerfer | sIG 33 | Wurfrahmen 40 | |
| Assault guns | |
| StuG III | StuG IV | StuH 42 | Brummbär | Sturmtiger | |
| Tank destroyers | |
| Panzerjäger I | Marder I , II , III | Hetzer | Jagdpanzer IV | Jagdpanther | Nashorn | Jagdtiger | Elefant | |
| Half-tracks | Armored cars |
| SdKfz 4 | 6 | 7 | 10 | 11 | 250 | 251 | 252 | 253 | 254 | Sdkfz 221/22/23 | Sdkfz 231/32/34/63 |
| Self propelled anti-aircraft | |
| Flakpanzer IV: Möbelwagen, Wirbelwind, Ostwind, Kugelblitz | Gepard | |
| Prototypes | |
| Maus | E- series | Panther II | Waffenträger | Neubaufahrzeug | |
| Proposed designs | |
| Panzer VII 'Löwe' | |
| German armored fighting vehicle production during World War II | |
