The

Sd.Kfz. ''Sonderkraftfahrzeug'' (abbreviated ''Sd.Kfz.'', German for "special purpose vehicle") was the ordnance inventory designation used by Nazi Germany before and during World War II for military vehicles; for example ''Sd.Kfz.'' 101 for the Panzer ...

254 was a German fully tracked armoured

scout car A scout car is a light wheeled armored military vehicle, purpose-built and used for passive reconnaissance. Scout cars are either unarmed or lightly armed for self-defense, and do not carry large-caliber weapons systems. This differentiates them ...

employed by

Wehrmacht The ''Wehrmacht'' (, ) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the German Army (1935–1945), ''Heer'' (army), the ''Kriegsmarine'' (navy) and the ''Luftwaffe'' (air force). The designation "''Wehrmac ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. From 1936, the vehicle was developed under the designation RR-7 by the

Saurer Adolph Saurer AG was a Swiss manufacturer of embroidery and textile machines, trucks and buses under the Saurer and Berna (beginning in 1929) brand names. Based in Arbon, Switzerland, the firm was active between 1903 and 1982. Their vehicles were ...

company as an

artillery tractor An artillery tractor, also referred to as a gun tractor, is a specialized heavy-duty form of tractor unit used to tow artillery pieces of varying weights and calibres. It may be wheeled, tracked, or half-tracked. Traction There are two m ...

for the Austrian army. Testing was completed and in 1937, an order was placed for the tractors and they were manufactured in 1938. About 12 vehicles were made prior to ''

Anschluss The (, or , ), also known as the (, ), was the annexation of the Federal State of Austria into Nazi Germany on 12 March 1938. The idea of an (a united Austria and Germany that would form a "German Question, Greater Germany") arose after t ...

'' (the annexation of Austria by Nazi Germany in 1938). Manufacture of the vehicle continued after the ''Anschluss''. Records indicate that a total of 140 units were built with the new designation RK-7 (''Räder-Kettenfahrgestell''), although they were named as Sd.Kfz. 254 by the ''

''. The vehicle featured a wheel-track layout and a diesel motor. The wheels were lowered when it was used on roads and retracted for tracked movement cross-country. A number saw service with the

Afrika Korps The German Africa Corps (, ; DAK), commonly known as Afrika Korps, was the German expeditionary force in Africa during the North African campaign of World War II. First sent as a holding force to shore up the Italian defense of its Africa ...

, serving as artillery observation vehicles after being fitted with a

radio Radio is the technology of communicating using radio waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves of frequency between 3 hertz (Hz) and 300 gigahertz (GHz). They are generated by an electronic device called a transmitter connec ...

and rail antenna.

The freedom tank

In 1950 the former mechanic Václav Uhlík from

Líně Líně is a municipality and village in Plzeň-North District in the Plzeň Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 2,900 inhabitants. Etymology The name of the village is derived from the Czech word ''líný'', i.e. 'lazy'. Either this village ...

in the

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, also known as Czechia, and historically known as Bohemia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the south ...

found the wreck of an RR-7 artillery tractor. He repaired and rebuilt the machine as an armoured carrier. On 25 July 1953, with seven passengers in the vehicle, he got through three border zones including wire obstacles, and penetrated thirty kilometres into

West German West Germany was the common English name for the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) from its formation on 23 May 1949 until its reunification with East Germany on 3 October 1990. It is sometimes known as the Bonn Republic after its capital c ...

territory. There he applied for asylum and emigrated to the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

, where the machine was exhibited as the "freedom tank" (Czech: ''tank svobody''). Today it is owned by a private collector.

References

Sources

External links

www.panzernet.netSd.Kfz. 254
wiivehicles.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Sd.Kfz. 254 World War II armoured fighting vehicles of Germany Armoured cars of the interwar period Military vehicles introduced in the 1930s