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The SdKfz 2 Kleines Kettenkrad was a light half-track used by Germany during World War II.

Description[]

The SdKfz 2 had gasoline powered, water-cooled, Opel Olympia 38 engine and was capable of propelling it at speeds of up to 80 km/h. The weight of the Kettenkrad was 1,200.2 kilograms and the length was 2.71 meters.[1] The SdKfz 2 had a one-man crew and was capable of carrying one or two passengers.

The armament of the Kettenkrad was any weapon that the passengers possessed, and because the SdKfz 2 was a half-track, it was able to go in many different terrains including mud, snow, and sand. The fuel capacity was eleven gallons (forty-two liters) and it also had a three speed forward, one speed reverse transmission gearbox with a torsion bar suspension system.[2] The main uses for the SdKfz 2 was to laying down cable, towing light anti-tank or field guns, or to carry troops. There were only two variants of the Kettenkrad besides the normal version.

Variants[]

The SdKfz 2/1 and SdKfz 2/2 were only differentiated by the fact that the 2/1 was meant to lay down normal cable and the 2/2 was meant to lay down heavy special cable. The standard SdKfz 2 was mainly used for the all-purpose function, but not the SdKfz 2/1 or 2/2.

History[]

The SdKfz 2's prototype was the HK 101 and the second prototype was the HK 102, but the HK 102 came much later in World War II by which time the Kettenkrad was already in production. The Kettenkrad then appeared in 1939 because of the Wehrmacht's need for a small vehicles able to traverse mountainous, muddy, and snowy terrain.[3] The Kettenkrad was especially useful for laying down wire and towing special trailers that usually carried the spools for laying down cables or supplies. The main use of the SdKfz 2 was in the Eastern Front where snow and mud are constant. Although the first use was in 1941 during the Battle of Crete where Junkers Ju 52s carried the Kettenkrad into battle.

References[]


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