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SdKfz 252 leiche Gepanzerte Munitionskraftwagen

1940 WORLD WAR 2

History

With the massive expansion and rearmament of the German army in the 1930s, so did its demand. By the time of the invasion of Poland, mechanized warfare had evolved into a "blitzkrieg" requiring more powerful and versatile machines. Work began on a self-propelled ammunition carrier based on the successful 1939 SdKfz 250 series half-tracks (the half-track workhorse of the German Army during World War II), with 6,628 delivered. With its unique design qualities, the half-track combines the undercarriage of a standard truck and tracked vehicle - offering the best of both worlds in both on- and off-road driving.

Half-track vehicles reached their heyday during World War II and were eventually replaced by four-wheel drive or full-track vehicles in the ensuing decades.

The new ammunition carrier is designated SdKfz 252 "leiche Panzerte Munitionkraftwagen", which translates to "light armored vehicle ammunition", fully detailing its purpose and classification. The system provides only modest light armor protection for its standard two occupants, with a thickness of 18mm on the upper and lower forward hulls. The sides, top and bottom of the hull are only 8mm thick. At its core, the SdKfz 252 is intended for use with mobile German assault guns ("Sturmartillerie"), especially self-propelled assault guns. The total weight of the vehicle is 5.7 tonnes.

Structurally, the SdKfz 252 has a barrel length of 4.7 meters, a width of 1.95 meters and a height of 1.8 meters. Although based on the SdKfz 250 series, the fuselage was shortened for replenishment and a set of sprockets was lost. Its shape is dominated by a unique fuselage layout, with a long barrel nose, a medium-sized crew compartment, and a faceted fuselage with sloping sides and tail.

The very sloping rear is particularly noticeable, not intended for ballistic protection due to less German steel used in its manufacture and controlled operating weight. The SdKfz 252 is actually a bit of a German half-track anomaly, as it's one of the few vehicles with a fully enclosed crew compartment - necessary due to the valuable (and highly explosive) cargo inside it. An optional defensive aiming machine gun (MG34) can be mounted and communicated via a Fu 15 series radio.

Maybach supplied the 100 hp liquid-cooled 6-cylinder Maybach HL 42 TRKM engine mounted in the front compartment. The vehicle thus achieves a top speed of 65 kilometers per hour and a cruising range of 320 kilometers.

Its semi-truck, semi-tank chassis gives it strong off-road capability to keep up with a moving and fluid front.

Demag and Bussing-NAG jointly delivered the D7p pilot vehicle. Serial production, carried out by Demag and Wegman, began as early as 1936, although the project only really picked up pace in June 1940 and continued until December of that year. Bohler produced the armored hull superstructure, which was then assembled by competing German companies. It was at this point that it was decided to transfer production to the Deutsche Werke factory, which ceased production at the end of 1941.

After commissioning, the SdKfz 252 began operations on the Western and Eastern Fronts, beginning with the German invasion of France in May. June 1940. After a period of actual operational service, the SdKfz 252 product line was expanded to include a trailer to further increase its tactical utility. By the end of the war, production of the SdKfz 252 eventually totaled 413 units, with only a few believed to be in circulation by the end of 1944.

The SdKfz 252 vehicle was replaced by the updated SdKfz 250/6 model, a like-minded ammunition carrier for German commandos.