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World War II Wiki

The SdKfz 11 was a half-track that was used by Germany during World War II.

Description[]

The SdKfz 11 had a Maybach NL 38 engine that was capable of propelling it at speeds of up to 53 kilometers per hour.  The total length of the SdKfz 11 was 5.48 meters while its total weight was 5,600 unloaded. The vehicle itself was unarmed but often up to 14 mm of armor and weapons could be fitted in the battlefield.

The SdKfz 11 also had a torsion bar suspension system and it was designed to be able to carry behind it various medium artillery pieces. However, late in the war, other pieces that oftentimes proved to be too strenuous for the vehicle where mounted because of a shortage in more capable tractors.[1]

A crew of at least a single driver with an additional navigator being preferred was required for the SdKfz 11 to operate effectively. Additional, six men could also travel in the rear of the vehicle. The operational range was 240 kilometers with a 4 speed forward, 1 speed reverse transmission system.

Variants[]

The first variant of the SdKfz 11 series was the SdKfz 11/1 which had been modified to carry special ammunition for Nebelwerfer artillery. The SdKfz 11/2 was a chemical decontamination vehicle which was retrofitted to have sixteen metal containers on the rear of the vehicle for manual decontamination. Each of these made up for a total of 760 kilograms of bleach in the canisters.[2]

The SdKfz 11/3 did quite the opposite and had up to 500 liters worth of poison gas storage as well as a spray nozzle. The final variants, the SdKfz 11/4 and 11/5 were both variants that were modified to carry Nebelwerfer ammunition. The SdKfz 11/5 though was different from earlier models in that most things were simplified and wood replaced metal where possible.

History[]

The SdKfz 11 was first developed in the early 1930s with the first real prototypes being created during the German rearmament. By the time the war had begun, the SdKfz 11 was in full production and it continued to serve wherever German troops went. It was noted for its reliability and fought in many major battles. In total, around 9,000 production models were constructed by the end of the war.

References[]


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