Sd.Kfz. 250
| Sd.Kfz. 250 | |
|---|---|
Sd.Kfz. 250/2
|
|
| Type | Half-track armored personnel carrier |
| Place of origin | Nazi Germany |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1941–45 |
| Used by | Nazi Germany Kingdom of Romania |
| Wars | World War II |
| Production history | |
| Designer | Demag |
| Designed | 1939–40? |
| Manufacturer | Demag, Adlerwerke, Büssing-NAG, MWC |
| Produced | 1941–45 |
| No. built | Approx. 6,628 |
| Variants | see list below |
| Specifications (Sd.Kfz. 250/1 Ausf. A) | |
| Weight | Load: 5,800 kg (12,800 lb) |
| Length | 4.56 m (15 ft 0 in) |
| Width | 1.945 m (6 ft 5 in) |
| Height | 1.66 m (5 ft 5 in) |
| Crew | 2 + 4 |
|
|
|
| Armor | 5.5–14.5 mm (0.22–0.57 in) |
|
Main
armament |
1 or 2 x 7.92 mm (0.312 in) MG 34 machine guns |
| Engine |
Maybach 6-cylinder, water-cooled HL42 TRKM petrol 100 PS (99 hp, 74 kW) |
| Power/weight | 17.2 hp/ton |
| Transmission | 7 + 3 speed Maybach VG 102128 H |
| Suspension | torsion bar |
| Ground clearance | 28.5 cm (10 in) |
| Fuel capacity | 140 l (37 US gal) |
|
Operational
range |
Road: 300–320 km (190–200 mi) Cross Country: 180–200 km (110–120 mi) |
| Speed | Road: 76 km/h (47 mph) |
The Sd.Kfz. 250 (German: Sonderkraftfahrzeug 250; 'special motor vehicle') was a light armoured halftrack, very similar in appearance to the larger Hanomag-designed Sd.Kfz. 251, and built by the DEMAG firm, for use by Nazi Germany in World War II. Most variants were open-topped and had a single access door in the rear.
The Sd. Kfz 250 was adopted in 1939 to supplement the standard halftrack. Production delays meant that the first vehicle did not appear until mid-1941.
In 1939, the Inspectorate for Motorized Troops (AHA/In 6) decided that it would be useful for small armored half-tracks to accompany tanks in the attack. They could satisfy requirements for which a larger vehicle wouldn't be needed, such as headquarters, artillery forward observer, radio, and scout vehicles.
Demag, the designer of the smallest half-track in service, the Sd.Kfz. 10, was selected to develop the "light armored troop carrier" (leichter gepanzerter Mannschafts-Transportwagen) or Sd.Kfz. 250.
To this end, the Sd.Kfz. 10 hull was shortened by one road wheel station, and an armored hull (Panzerwanne) constructed around the truncated running gear.
While intended as a derivative of a standard inventory item, eventually virtually every component was redesigned and specific to the Sd Kfz 250.
Power for the Sd.Kfz. 250 was provided by a Maybach 6-cylinder, water-cooled, 4.17-litre (254 cu in) HL 42 TRKM gasoline engine of 100 horsepower (100 PS). It had a semi-automatic pre-selector transmission with seven forward and three reverse gears: Maybach SRG, type VG 102 128 H, (SRG=Schaltreglergetriebe, VG=Variorex-Getriebe, H=Hohlachse).
Gears were first selected and then the clutch depressed to change the ratio, the next gear could then be selected in advance. In effect, the clutch acted as a gear change 'switch'. It could attain 76 km/h (47 mph), but the driver was cautioned not to exceed 65 km/h (40 mph).
Both tracks and wheels were used for steering. The steering system was set up so that gentle turns used just the steerable front wheels, but brakes would be applied to the tracks the farther the steering wheel was turned. The Sd Kfz 250 also inherited the track-sparing but more complicated rollers in place of the more commonplace toothed sprockets.
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Wikipedia