Sd.Kfz. 7
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

The Sd.Kfz. 7 was a
half-track A half-track is a civilian or military vehicle with wheels at the front for steering and continuous tracks at the back to propel the vehicle and carry most of the load. A half-track combines the soft-ground traction of a tank with the Car handl ...
military vehicle used by the
German Army The German Army (, 'army') is the land component of the armed forces of Federal Republic of Germany, Germany. The present-day German Army was founded in 1955 as part of the newly formed West German together with the German Navy, ''Marine'' (G ...
,
Luftwaffe The Luftwaffe () was the aerial warfare, aerial-warfare branch of the before and during World War II. German Empire, Germany's military air arms during World War I, the of the Imperial German Army, Imperial Army and the of the Imperial Ge ...
and
Waffen-SS The (; ) was the military branch, combat branch of the Nazi Party's paramilitary ''Schutzstaffel'' (SS) organisation. Its formations included men from Nazi Germany, along with Waffen-SS foreign volunteers and conscripts, volunteers and conscr ...
during the
Second World War 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 ...
.
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 ...
is an abbreviation of the German word ''Sonderkraftfahrzeug'', "special purpose vehicle". A longer designation is mittlerer Zugkraftwagen 8t, Sd.Kfz. 7, "medium towing motor vehicle 8t".


Development

Development of the Sd.Kfz. 7 can be traced back to a 1934 Wehrmacht requirement for an eight-tonne (8.3 tons) half-track. Various trial vehicles were built by
Krauss-Maffei KraussMaffei is a German manufacturing company. It is a manufacturer of injection molding machines, machines for plastics extrusion technology, and reaction process machinery. It was acquired by ChemChina in 2016. History KraussMaffei was forme ...
from 1934 to 1938.Bishop, Chris (editor),
The Encyclopedia of Weapons of World War II
', Sterling Publishing Company, Inc. (2002), p.78-79
The production vehicle first appeared in 1938 and was intended to be used mainly as the tractor for the 8.8 cm FlaK gun and the 15 cm sFH 18 150 mm
howitzer The howitzer () is an artillery weapon that falls between a cannon (or field gun) and a mortar. It is capable of both low angle fire like a field gun and high angle fire like a mortar, given the distinction between low and high angle fire break ...
. Production was stopped in 1944. The vehicle was made by Krauss-Maffei in Munich, the Saurerwerke in Vienna and the
Borgward Borgward was a car manufacturing company, based in Bremen, Germany, founded by Carl F. W. Borgward (1890–1963). It produced cars of four brands, which were sold to a diversified international customer base: Borgward, Hansa, Goliath a ...
works at Bremen.


Description

The vehicle could carry gun crews of up to 12 men in theatre-type seats. Under the seats was storage room for various tools, and the whole vehicle was spacious enough to carry their kit. The rear of the vehicle housed an enclosed compartment for storage of ammunition, though a second ammunition carrier was desirable. The tractor could tow loads up to 8,000 kg (17,600 lb) in weight. Most were fitted with a winch that could pull up to 3450 kg. It had a payload of 1800 kg.Lepage, Jean-Denis,
German Military Vehicles of World War II: An Illustrated Guide to Cars, Trucks, Half-Tracks, Motorcycles, Amphibious Vehicles and Others
' McFarland (2007), , p. 141-142
The windscreen was able to fold down and a canvas roof could be erected. A number were also constructed with a hard top, but this was less common in service. A later simplified type appeared with a timber frame truck-type layout, the ammunition being stored behind the driver's station and the gun crew having space on wooden benches behind. The
running gear In railway terminology the term running gear refers to those components of a railway vehicle that run passively on the rails, unlike those of the driving gear. Traditionally these are the wheels, axles, axle boxes, springs and vehicle frame of ...
consisted of two front wheels with hydro-pneumatic tires for steering and a track each side with 14 road wheels—7 per side, overlapping and interleaved in the common '' Schachtellaufwerk'' design for German half-tracks—on each side of the vehicle; a drive sprocket was located at the front of each track system. Minor variations on the track and road wheel design and manufacture took place throughout the course of service, some being combined in the field as repairs took place. In 1943, the Maybach HL62 engine was replaced with a Maybach HL64.Mittlerer Zugkraftwagen 8t Sd.Kfz.7
achtungpanzer.com accessed 2012-07-22
It was used as a recovery vehicle for lightly armored vehicles.


Combat use


German Army

The use of half-tracked prime movers for artillery was common in the German forces but not elsewhere. Compared to wheeled vehicles, half-tracks are more difficult to maintain, they often suffer track breakages, and are slower on roads. However, they have better off-road mobility compared to wheeled vehicles. The Sd.Kfz.7 was used throughout the war. They were seen during the 1940 Paris victory parade and the Sd.Kfz. 7 features in much German wartime propaganda footage, contributing to the myth of the mechanized
Blitzkrieg ''Blitzkrieg'(Lightning/Flash Warfare)'' is a word used to describe a combined arms surprise attack, using a rapid, overwhelming force concentration that may consist of armored and motorized or mechanized infantry formations, together with ...
. In fact, while produced in large numbers, there were never enough to fully equip the German forces. Typically, like many other types, the artillery elements of
Panzer {{CatAutoTOC, numerals=no Words and phrases Germanic words and phrases Words and phrases by language la:Categoria:Verba Theodisca ...
and
mechanized infantry Mechanized infantry are infantry units equipped with Armoured personnel carrier, armored personnel carriers (APCs) or infantry fighting vehicles (IFVs) for transport and combat (see also armoured corps). As defined by the United States Army, me ...
units (
Panzergrenadier (), abbreviated as ''PzG'' (WWII) or ''PzGren'' (modern), meaning ''Armoured fighting vehicle, "Armour"-ed fighting vehicle "Grenadier"'', is the German language, German term for the military doctrine of mechanized infantry units in armoured fo ...
) received them, while other units continued to rely on horses to draw their guns. The Sd.Kfz. 7 saw extensive use in the
North African Campaign The North African campaign of World War II took place in North Africa from 10 June 1940 to 13 May 1943, fought between the Allies and the Axis Powers. It included campaigns in the Libyan and Egyptian deserts (Western Desert campaign, Desert Wa ...
where their tracks allowed them to drive through the desert sands far more effectively than trucks. Often, columns carrying troops or
POWs A prisoner of war (POW) is a person held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610. Belligerents hold prisoners of war for a ...
would include at least two half tracks with one generally riding point in order to make a path through the sands that the trucks could follow. The Sd.Kfz. 7 also became the basis of a number of self-propelled anti-aircraft variants based on 20 mm and 37 mm flak types in use. The Sd.Kfz. 7/1 was armed with a 2 cm Flakvierling 38 quadruple anti-aircraft gun system. The Sd.Kfz. 7/2 was armed with a single 3.7 cm FlaK 36 anti-aircraft gun. On many of these variants, the driver's position and the engine cover was armored (8 mm thickness). There were also conversions made mounting a single 2 cm anti-aircraft gun. Trial vehicles mounting a 5 cm FlaK 41 were produced but proved unsuccessful, and did not enter serial production. A variant with an armored superstructure based on the Sd.Kfz. 7, the Feuerleitpanzer auf Zugkraftwagen 8t, was used by launch crews of the
V-2 The V2 (), with the technical name '' Aggregat-4'' (A4), was the world's first long-range guided ballistic missile. The missile, powered by a liquid-propellant rocket engine, was developed during the Second World War in Nazi Germany as a " ven ...
ballistic missile A ballistic missile is a type of missile that uses projectile motion to deliver warheads on a target. These weapons are powered only during relatively brief periods—most of the flight is unpowered. Short-range ballistic missiles (SRBM) typic ...
. This was necessary as the V-2 sometimes malfunctioned and exploded on the launch pad. It was also used to tow the launch pad into place. Bunkers were not used as the V-2 was transported to widely dispersed launchpads by carriage on ''
Meillerwagen The ''Meillerwagen'' () was a German World War II trailer used to transport a V-2 rocket from the 'transloading point' of the Technical Troop Area to the launching point, to erect the missile on the ''Brennstand'' (), and to act as the Service to ...
'' trailers that could erect them atop the launchstands/flame deflectors that each dispersed launchpad facility was equipped with for surprise launches, to avoid Allied air attacks.


Other armies

A licensed Italian-manufactured copy was built during the war (designated Breda 61, 250 produced 1942-1944) and is easily recognized by its longer hood and right-hand-drive steering.


British improved copy

The British company Bedford Motors (a subsidiary of
Vauxhall Motors Vauxhall Motors Limited , ;Company No. 00135767. Incorporated 12 May 1914, name changed from Vauxhall Motors Limited to General Motors UK Limited on 16 April 2008, reverted to Vauxhall Motors Limited on 18 September 2017. is a British Automoti ...
) built an improved copy of the Sd.Kfz.7. Designated the Bedford Tractor (BT) and codenamed Traclat (Tracked Light Artillery Tractor) this was to be a 'go anywhere' artillery tractor for
17 pounder The Ordnance Quick-Firing 17-pounder (or just 17-pdr)Under the British standard ordnance weights and measurements the gun's approximate projectile weight is used to denote different guns of the same calibre. Hence this was a 3-inch gun, of which ...
, 25 pounder and Bofors 40 mm guns but, so far as possible, built using existing parts and production capacity. In 1943, the Ministry of Supply asked Vauxhall Motors to construct a three-quarter tracked vehicle using a similar track and rear suspension system to that of the Sd.Kfz.7 medium artillery tractors. To this end a number of captured half-tracks were shipped back to Britain from Libya.
Morris Morris may refer to: Places Australia * St Morris, South Australia, place in South Australia Canada * Morris Township, Ontario, now part of the municipality of Morris-Turnberry * Rural Municipality of Morris, Manitoba ** Morris, Man ...
put them through a trials and evaluation programme with a view to developing a similar machine for British use. Six prototypes were built for trials in 1944, but the war in Europe ended before mass production could be considered. Unlike the German original, the Traclat was powered by two off-the-shelf Bedford engines mounted side-by-side and geared to a common shaft; but like the original, when the steering wheel went beyond a gentle turn, power was diverted progressively to the outermost wheel and track. In some ways the Traclat was superior to its progenitor: the ammunition lockers were accessible from outside of the vehicle and it also had power-assisted steering. By early 1945 Vauxhall Motors had supplied prototypes to the Fighting Vehicle Proving Establishment (FVPE) for official trials in conditions ranging from arctic to tropical and the vehicles proved excellent, being able to climb a one-in-two gradient and wade in water six feet deep; however, the war ended before mass production could be contemplated. In July 1946, the test vehicle was required to tow a 25-pounder gun and limber, pitted against a Crusader artillery tractor and an
Alecto Alecto () is one of the Erinyes or Furies in Greek mythology. Family and description According to Hesiod, Alecto was the daughter of Gaea fertilized by the blood spilled from Uranus when Cronus castrated him. She is the sister of Tisiphone a ...
self-propelled gun. While the Traclat gave the best performance, it bogged down in mud. A number of vehicles were shipped to Germany for more trials but this came to nothing, due to excessive cost, and because existing tractors were coping with combat conditions in Western Europe, there was no longer any requirement for series production. The paired standard Bedford engines produced a combined 136 bhp, with a combined fuel consumption of 3.5mpg(1.27 km/litre). The Traclat achieved a maximum road speed of 30 mph (48 km/h).Classic Military Vehicle Magazine Issue 46 March 2005


Allied use of Sd Kfz 7

Some Sd.Kfz. 7 were taken into service by the Allies after the Second World War. The
Czechoslovak Army The Czechoslovak Army (Czech and Slovak: ''Československá armáda'') was the name of the armed forces of Czechoslovakia. It was established in 1918 following Czechoslovakia's declaration of independence from Austria-Hungary. History In t ...
used them for some years after the war. In
The Tank Museum The Tank Museum (previously the Bovington Tank Museum) is a collection of armoured fighting vehicles at Bovington Camp in Dorset, South West England. It is about north of the village of Wool and west of the major port of Poole. The collectio ...
,
Dorset Dorset ( ; Archaism, archaically: Dorsetshire , ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by Somerset to the north-west, Wiltshire to the north and the north-east, Hampshire to the east, t ...
, UK, there is a detailed evaluation of a captured Sd.Kfz. 7 produced by
Vauxhall Motors Vauxhall Motors Limited , ;Company No. 00135767. Incorporated 12 May 1914, name changed from Vauxhall Motors Limited to General Motors UK Limited on 16 April 2008, reverted to Vauxhall Motors Limited on 18 September 2017. is a British Automoti ...
in 1942, pursuant to the Traclat project mentioned above.


Variants

;Sd.Kfz. 7 :Basic Sd.Kfz. 7 prime mover, with open bodywork and theatre-type seating for gun crews. No armor. ;Sd.Kfz. 7/1 :Sd.Kfz. 7 armed with a 2 cm Flakvierling 38 L/65 quadruple anti-aircraft gun mounting, appearing with both open and armored cab. 750-800 produced by the end of December 1944 ;Sd.Kfz. 7/2 :Sd.Kfz. 7 armed with a 3.7 cm FlaK 36 anti-aircraft gun (in 1944 switched to 3.7 cm FlaK 43). Again, both open and armored cab variants existed. About 1000 produced by the end of January 1945 ;''Feuerleitpanzer auf Zugkraftwagen 8t'' :Observation and command post for the
V-2 The V2 (), with the technical name '' Aggregat-4'' (A4), was the world's first long-range guided ballistic missile. The missile, powered by a liquid-propellant rocket engine, was developed during the Second World War in Nazi Germany as a " ven ...
ballistic missile. Unknown numbers produced. ;Breda 61 : Breda-built licensed Italian copy, 250 produced 1942–1944.


References


External links


sdkfz 7 in action militracks overloon 2010
{{Authority control World War II armoured fighting vehicles of Germany Artillery tractors World War II half-tracks Half-tracks of Germany Military vehicles introduced in the 1930s