This is the medium 5-ton semitrack prime mover. It is designed as an artillery tractor to tow the piece and carry the gun crew of fourteen men. It is similar in design to all of the standard line of semitrack prime movers for artillery. It can tow a trailer load of 11,000 pounds when loaded to a combat weight of 19,360 pounds. The weight distribution on the front axle is 2,860 pounds, and on the track 16,500 pounds.

The suspension is made up of six dual-rim, rubber-tired bogie wheels, three of which are alternately straddle-mounted to torsion bars, followed by the idler which just clears the ground. The sprocket is fitted with contact rollers and rigidly mounted to the frame.

The vehicle is powered by a Maybach NL 38 TRKM 95 horsepower engine fitted with standard 12-volt Bosch magneto ignition and No. 40 JFF 2 Solex Carburetor.

The transmission combines the final drive which includes an epicyclic reduction gear for each sprocket. Steering is effected from the steering wheel in the usual manner up to 15°, after which the epicyclic steering brakes cause a reduction in the speed of the track on the inside of the turn, while through the differential a relative compensating action takes place.

This vehicle has a fuel tank capacity of 47 gallons; its highway fuel consumption is 1 gallon in 4 miles. The lifting winch which is fitted to the rear has a lifting power of 2.7 tons.

SPECIFICATIONS

German: p. 53

The following variations of the 3-ton light semitrack prime mover are known: (1) medium armored personnel carrier (Sd. Kfz. 251); (2) smoke vehicle (Sd. Kfz. 11/1) when it is apparently fitted with racks to carry generators; (3) medium decontamination vehicle (Sd. Kfz. 11/2); (4) medium bulk contamination vehicle (Sd. Kfz. 11/3); (5) ambulance. The vehicle is also used for mounting antiaircraft weapons.

The body and frame are constructed of electrically welded steel.

The suspension is the normal type as used for semitrack vehicles. Six pressed-steel, double-rim bogie wheels are straddle mounted on torsion bars which are housed in cross tubes, each containing two torsion bars. The track consists of rubber-pad track blocks which contain needle-bearings.

A normal type forged front axle is used to carry two pressed-steel wheels with 7.5 x 18 tires. No front brakes are provided. Triangular radius rods similar to conventional Ford system are attached from axle to cross members at rear of engine.

The power plant consists of a 6-cylinder, in-line, valve-in-head, liquid-cooled engine Maybach engine, type NL 42 TUKRR, rated 100 horsepower.

The vehicle has a radius of action of 168 miles on roads and 84 miles cross-country. It has a seating capacity for eight men, including the driver.

SPECIFICATIONS

German: p. 52

The medium semitracked prime mover, like all German semitracks, is highly maneuverable. Its maneuverability is due to an epicyclic-controlled differential drive for the track with a brake linkage connected to the front-wheel steering system. These brakes are applied to the epicyclic on the side to which the turn is being made when the front wheels are turned. This results in easy steering.

This vehicle has a seating capacity for 12 (with driver), a trailer load capacity of 8.5 tons and a maximum highway range of 155 miles on a fuel capacity of 50 gallons. Its combat weight is 12.7 tons.

Body cross members are made up of flat steel welded to form an I-beam construction. All brackets, supports, etc., are welded and a minimum of rivets and bolts are used. Rather than cut holes in the frame to attach the body, a C-clamp is used.

Both spring and torsion bars were utilized in its suspension. A transverse spring, concave downward, is used as the suspension for the front end. The track portion of this vehicle has a total of four springs, two on each side, that make up the spring suspension for the rear. In addition, the trailing idler of each track is mounted eccentrically on a torsion bar which allows the tracks to be readily adjusted.

The power plant is a Maybach, valve-in-head, 6-cylinder gasoline engine, rated 140 hp. at 2,600 r.p.m. The power train includes a feature well worth reviewing. Incorporated in the clutch assembly is a brake that is located to the rear of the clutch disks. When the clutch is disengaged, the brake functions and retards the speed of the drive shaft to the transmission. This results in very easy gear-shifting.

This semitrack is equipped with inertia starter in addition to the electric starter, and a cable winch, capable of lifting 3.8 tons, is fitted in the rear.

SPECIFICATIONS

German: p. 54

This is the light armored ammunition carrier with the chassis of a light semitrack prime mover. Except for its sloping rear superstructure and small personnel compartment it is similar in appearance to the Sd. Kfz. 250 and 253, all of which are armored counterparts of the Sd. Kfz. 10. Unlike the Sd. Kfz. 10, however, the suspension of this armored version has only four straddle-mounted bogie wheels on each side instead of five.

The power plant and power train in this vehicle are the same as those of the Sd. Kfz. 10 and, although the Sd. Kfz. 252 is heavier, the road performance of the two is similar.

The maximum highway range of this vehicle is 198 miles on a fuel tank capacity of 35 gallons. Its maximum speed is 35 m.p.h. and is operated by a crew of two.

The net weight of the vehicle ready to drive is 10,406 pounds. The combat weight is 12,606 pounds. Weight distribution on the front axle is 2,618 pounds and on the track 9,988 pounds. A power cable winch having a lifting power of 5,500 pounds is fitted as standard equipment. Outside measurement of the turning radius is 35 feet.

SPECIFICATIONS

German: p. 46

This vehicle is an armored version of the l. Zg. Kw. 1 ton (Sd. Kfz. 10) used for reconnaissance purposes. In appearance it closely resembles the light armored personnel carrier (Sd. Kfz. 250). There are a number of minor differences in the suspension of the armored versions as compared with the Sd. Kfz. 10, the principal one being one less bogie wheel.

The mechanical components of the chassis are the same as those utilized in the Sd. Kfz. 10, therefore the road performance of the two vehicles is similar.

The net weight of the vehicle ready to drive is 11,022 pounds; the combat weight 12,540 pounds. The weight on the front axle is 2,552 pounds; the weight on the tracks 9,988 pounds.

Its maximum highway range is 198 miles on a fuel tank capacity of 35 gallons. The crew consists of four, including the driver.

This vehicle, like all semitracks, is equipped with a power cable winch having a lifting power of 5,500 pounds. The turning radius measures 35 feet.

SPECIFICATIONS

German: p. 47

The invasion of Crete (1941) revealed for the first time the use by the Germans of the motorcycle tractor. This vehicle, which retains the standard front wheel and handle bars of a normal motorcycle with the rear wheel replaced by two caterpillar tracks, is used primarily for towing light guns and supply, trailers, and for carrying dispatches in localities where difficult terrain precludes the use of wheeled vehicles. The mobility of this vehicle is as good as most tanks and its ability as a light prime mover, because of its wide gear selection, is excellent. Without load attached it has a maximum speed of 45 m.p.h. on level ground, and is capable of climbing 60 per cent grade.

The chassis is a boxlike structure of pressed steel in two sections, welded together in a horizontal plane below the track guards. It contains the driving compartment, engine, and a transverse seat accommodating two men facing the rear. A hand rail is provided on each side of the back. The driver is seated on a saddle seat directly above the transmission and clutch housing. Gasoline tanks are mounted on each side and, together with the battery and tool compartments, make up the side walls of the vehicle.

Power is furnished by the centrally mounted Opel Olympia 4-cylinder, water-cooled gasoline engine developing 37 gross B.H.P. in a displacement of 91.5 cu. in. Cooling is accomplished by a radiator, with a shaft-driven fan coupled to the crankshaft, at the rear. Six forward and two reverse speeds are available.

The suspension consists of four straddle-mounted, rubber-tired bogie wheels on torsion bars, a front driving sprocket, and a rear idler. The inner bogie wheels are of the hollow-spoke type while the outer wheels are of the removable disk type. The track, made up of 40 links per strand, is equipped with needle bearings and replaceable rubber pads.

SPECIFICATIONS

German: p. 50

This vehicle is used as a troop carrier and for towing light artillery and supply trailers. Accommodation for a crew of seven, including driver, is provided in the well of the body, the sides of which are sufficiently deep to obscure personnel to shoulder height when seated. With all inspection hatches of the hull closed the main body of the vehicle is practically watertight in traversing deep water.

The chassis of this vehicle is used for several specialized mountings: (1) for the 2 cm Flak 30 gun; (2) for gas-detector truck (Sd. Kfz. 10/1); (3) for light decontamination vehicle (Sd. Kfz. 10/2) carrying a hopper for spreading bleaching powder; (4) for light bulk contamination vehicle (Sd. Kfz. 10/3) fitted with a tank for blister gas and spraying device.

The power plant of the later models consists of a Maybach H.L. 42 T.R.K.M. straight-six, water-cooled engine rated at 100 horsepower. The Maybach N.L. 38 T.R.K.M. rated at 95 horsepower was formerly used. The power train is comprised of the twin-plate clutch, the preselective type transmission with four forward and one reverse speeds with high and low range, and the differential unit of spur-gear and pinion type. Steering is effected by normal steering wheel for turns under 15°; turns over 15° are negotiated by the combined action of turning the front wheels and braking the appropriate epicyclic-drive sprocket by means of the steering brakes mounted on the driving shaft.

The pneumatic-tired front wheels are of the disk type and are fitted on a normal type axle suspended by a single transverse semi-elliptic spring. Two hydraulic shock absorbers are fitted. Each of the flexible rear tracks is borne by a driving sprocket at the front end and an idler wheel at the rear, while between these are five pairs of pressed-steel, rubber-tired bogie wheels.

SPECIFICATIONS

German: p. 51

The German wheeled/tracked reconnaissance vehicle is particularly effective in steep and hilly terrain, and in swamps and marshy lowlands where high traction and light weight are desirable. The personnel-carrying capacity is six, and it is capable of towing a trailer load of 2,640 pounds. The Motor-Karrete is capable of operating as a wheeled vehicle and will turn on a radius of 27 feet. It can also operate as a half track vehicle with a turning radius of 8 feet, 2 inches. As a full track vehicle its turning radius is 6 feet, 8 inches.

The three adaptations are accomplished by raising or lowering the front wheels which appear to be mounted on a bell-crank, torsion-type front axle, while the rear wheels (when dismounted from the rear suspension) are mounted on a false axle supported above the rear of the vehicle. The dry-pin steel track is guided from the outside center over a single-tooth front sprocket and a single-flange rear idler. Four small bogie wheels articulate in pairs on a common structure attached to the rear axle. The suspension includes semi-elliptic spring over the rear axle, while rotation of the vehicle is stabilized by a quarter elliptic spring from the front sprocket axle.

The 20 hp. engine is mounted in the rear. The fuel tank capacity is 10 gallons and fuel consumption on highways is 14 m.p.g.—on average terrain 6.8 m.p.g.

The net weight of the vehicle is 3,806 pounds; combat weight, 5,060 pounds. The weight distribution is: front axle 990 pounds; rear axle 4,070 pounds.

SPECIFICATIONS

German: p. 49

This 18-ton vehicle is the heaviest of the German semitrack prime movers. It is often used by the Germans in the evacuation of their damaged tanks. It has a net weight of 16.8 tons and a combat weight of 19.8 tons. Its personnel capacity is 8, including driver and helper, and it can tow a trailer load of 20 tons. The maximum highway range of action is 160 miles on a fuel tank capacity of 72 gallons. Its weight distribution is as follows: front wheels, 5,289 pounds; track, 34,320 pounds.

The front suspension is comprised of a tubular floating axle mounting two pneumatic-tired, heavy duty wheels with transverse leaf springing. The track suspension is the standard semitrack system consisting of straddle-mounted rubber-tired bogie wheels sprung on torsion bars housed in cross tubes; front sprocket, rear idler, and needle-bearing track.

The power plant is the V-12 cylinder, Maybach gasoline engine rated at 230 horsepower. The transmission provides four speeds forward and one reverse with high and low range. Steering is effected by normal steering wheel and an epicyclic-controlled differential drive for the track with a brake linkage connected to the front-wheel steering system.

In addition to the electric starter, this vehicle is also equipped with a Bosch airplane-type inertia starter located on the right side of the engine.

A power winch is located at the rear, with facilities for passing the cable beneath the vehicle and out the front end. The winch-driving mechanism and the drum are located near the center of the chassis. The drum is horizontal and is driven by a propeller shaft from the rear of the transmission. The hub of the winch-driving mechanism is fitted with a slide gear which enables the operator to engage and disengage the winch from the rear of the vehicle. The winch-lifting capacity is 7.7 tons.

SPECIFICATIONS

German: p. 56

This vehicle is a medium armored personnel carrier with the chassis of the Sd. Kfz. 11 (light semitracked prime mover). The Sd. Kfz. 11 has been modified by placing armor on the chassis, altering the cooling arrangement, and mounting the steering wheel in an inverted position. The armor plate thickness measures 7.5 mm on the radiator cover, 8.5 mm on the sides, and 15 mm on the lower front plate, set at angles to the horizontal of 81°, 55-60°, and 55° respectively. It has been reported that these vehicles were used by the motorized infantry of armored divisions. Eight variations are known to exist with designations 251/1 through 251/8. The vehicles are used for infantry, ammunition and as command vehicles with built-in wireless, or ambulances.

The suspension is the same as that utilized for the Sd. Kfz. 11, as is also the power plant and the power train.

The armament normally consists of two 7.92 mm M.G. 34′s, one on a mount welded to the front of the chassis and one on an antiaircraft pedestal mount in the rear of the vehicle. Reports have been received that the 2 cm Kw.K. 30 is also mounted. The vehicle has a seating capacity for eleven men, including the driver.

SPECIFICATIONS

German: p. 45