| SdKfz 250 | |
|---|---|
 Sd.Kfz. 250/2 |
|
| Type | Half-track armored personnel carrier |
| Place of origin |  Nazi Germany |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1941–45 |
| Used by | Nazi Germany |
| Wars | World War II |
| Production history | |
| Designer | Demag |
| Designed | 1939–40? |
| Manufacturer | Demag, Adlerwerke, Büssing-NAG, MWC |
| Produced | 1941–45 |
| Number built | Approx. 6628 |
| Variants | see list below |
| Specifications (Sd.Kfz. 250/1 Ausf. A) | |
| Weight | 5,800 kilograms (13,000 lb) (loaded) |
| Length | 4.56 metres (15.0 ft) |
| Width | 1.945 metres (6.38 ft) |
| Height | 1.66 metres (5.4 ft) |
| Crew | 2 + 4 |
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|
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| Armor | 5.5–14.5 mm (0.22–0.57 in) |
| Primary armament |
1 or 2 x 7.92 mm (0.312 in) MG 34 machine guns |
| Engine | Maybach 6-cylinder, water-cooled HL42 TRKM petrol 100 horsepower (100 PS) |
| Power/weight | 17.2 HP/ton |
| Transmission | 7 + 3 speed Maybach VG 102128 H |
| Suspension | torsion bar |
| Ground clearance | 28.5 centimetres (11.2 in) |
| Fuel capacity | 140 litres (37 US gal) |
| Operational range |
300–320 km (190–200 mi) (road) 180–200 km (110–120 mi) (cross-country) |
| Speed | 76 km/h (47 mph) (road) |
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.[1]
Contents |
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. Demag, the designer of the smallest half-track in service, the Sd.Kfz. 10, was selected to develop the light armored troop carrier (leichter gepanzert Mannschaft-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.[2]
Description
Power for the Sd.Kfz. 250 was provided by a Maybach 6-cylinder, water-cooled, 4.17 litre (254 cu in) HL 42 TRKM gasoline engine of 100 horsepower (100 PS). It had a semi-automatic Maybach VG 102 128 H transmission with seven forward and three reverse gears. It could attain 76 km/h (47 mph), but the driver was cautioned not to exceed 65 km/h (40 mph).[3]
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.[3]
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 (0.57 in)/30° | 8 mm (0.31 in)/35-30° | 10 mm (0.39 in)/10° | 5.5 mm (0.22 in)/?° |
| Hull | 14.5 mm (0.57 in)/12° | 14.5-10 mm (0.18 in)/0° | 8 mm (0.31 in)/45° | 5.5 mm (0.22 in) |
Service history
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 20mm, 37mm, and even 75mm 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,[1] 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 leichte Truppenluftschützpanzerwagen
- Antiaircraft variant armed with a dual MG34, never reached production.
- Sd.Kfz. 250/4 leichte Beobachtungspanzerwagen
- Observation vehicle for a Sturmgeschütz detachment.
- Sd.Kfz. 250/5 leichte Beobachtungspanzerwagen
- Command variant with additional radio equipment.
- Sd.Kfz. 250/6 leichte 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 leichte Schützenpanzerwagen (schwerer Granatwerfer)
- With 80 mm Mortar.
- Sd.Kfz. 250/7 leichte Schützenpanzerwagen (Munitionsfahrzeug)'
- Ammunition transporter, carried 66 rounds for 80 mm mortar.
- Sd.Kfz. 250/8 leichte Schützenpanzerwagen (7.5 cm)
- Support variant armed with a 7.5cm KwK 37 L/24 gun and an MG 34.
- Sd.Kfz. 250/9 leichte Schützenpanzerwagen (2 cm)
- Reconnaissance variant with a 2 cm KwK 38 autocannon coaxial with an MG34 or MG42 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 leichte Schützenpanzerwagen (3.7 cm PaK)
- Reconnaissance platoon leader's variant with 3.7 cm PaK 35/36. 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 leichte Schützenpanzerwagen (schwere Panzerbüchse 41)
- With 2.8 cm sPzB 41 heavy anti-tank rifle and an MG-34.
- Sd.Kfz. 250/12 leichte Messtruppanzerwagen
- Survey and artillery range spotting vehicle.
- Sd.Kfz. 252 leichte Gepanzerte Munitionskraftwagen
- Ammunition carrier for Sturmgeschütz.
- Sd.Kfz. 253 leichte Gepanzerte Beobachtungskraftwagen
- Artillery forward observer vehicle, with fully-enclosed armoured body and artillery radios.
Notes
References
- Chamberlain, Peter, and Hilary L. Doyle. Thomas L. Jentz (Technical Editor). Encyclopedia of German Tanks of World War Two: A Complete Illustrated Directory of German Battle Tanks, Armoured Cars, Self-propelled Guns, and Semi-tracked Vehicles, 1933–1945. London: Arms and Armour Press, 1978 (revised edition 1993). ISBN 1-85409-214-6
- Hogg, Ian V. Greenhill Armoured Fighting Vehicles Data Book, p. 274, "Sd Kfz 250 (alte) APC". London: Greenhill Books, 2000. ISBN 1-85367-391-9.
- ____, and Weeks, John. Illustrated Encyclopedia of Military Vehicles , p. 251, "SdKfz 10 Light (One-ton) Military Tractor)". London: Hamlyn, 1980. ISBN 0-600-33195-4.
- Jentz, Thomas L. Leichter Schutzenpanzerwagen: (Sd.Kfz. 250) Ausf.A and B: History of Production, Variants, Organization and Employment from 1941 to 1945 (Panzer Tracts No. 15-1) Boyds, MD: Panzer Tracts, 2008. ISBN 0-9815382-0-7
- Niehorster, Leo W. G. German World War II Organizational Series, Vol. 4/II: Mechanized GHQ units and Waffen-SS Formations (28 June 1942) Milton Keyes, Buckinghamshire: Military Press, 2004
- Spielberger, Walter J. Halftracked Vehicles of the German Army 1909-1945. Atlgen, PA: Schiffer, 2008 ISBN 978-0-7643-2942-5
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: SdKfz 250 |
- SdKfz 250 at The Campaign Battlefront
- SdKfz 250 at WWIIvehicles
- SdKfz 250 photo gallery at WW2Photo.mimerswell.com
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