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World War II Wiki

The SdKfz 252 was a half-track that was used by Germany during World War II.

Description[]

The SdKfz 252 had a Maybach HL 42 engine that was capable of propelling it at speeds of up to 65 km/h. Since the SdKfz 252 is an ammunition carrier, it had no offensive armament, but in case of attack, the SdKfz 252 was armed with a single MG 34.  The SdKfz 252 also had a crew of two men, a driver and commander, and had no room for passengers. The armor thickness of the 252 was about 18 mm in most areas.[1] In order to carry more cargo, the SdKfz 252 was also fitted with a Sonderanhänger 32 ammunition trailer. 

The vehicle was equipped with a FuG 15 radio and was capable of traveling 320 kilometers on roadways. The total length was 4.7 meters while its total weight was 4,700 kilograms.[2]The double door exits of vehicle were located on the rear wall and the SdKfz 252 also had a 7 speed forward, 1 speed reverse transmission system. An unexpected bonus to the design of the SdKfz 252 was that the sloped armor added to the protection of the vehicle. The chassis itself was based upon the SdKfz 250

History[]

SdKfz 252 Ostfront

Troops unloading munitions from an SdKfz 252.

The SdKfz 252 was initially developed in 1939 following the success of the SdKfz 250 platform. Once adopted, the SdKfz 252 was immediately sent into combat in France where it served Panzer and Assault Gun battalions throughout the campaign. However, production shortages even further delayed the amount of examples that reached the front line. Following the campaign in France, the SdKfz 252 was sent to the Eastern Front where it would serve until 1942 in which it was replaced by the SdKfz 250/6. In total, around 413 conversions had been made.

References[]


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