The medium armored personnel carrier was developed in 1940 by the Ganomag company. The chassis of a half-track three-ton tractor was used as a base. Just as in the case light armored personnel carrier, in the undercarriage used caterpillars with needle joints and external rubber pads, a staggered arrangement of road wheels and a front axle with steered wheels. The transmission uses a conventional four-speed gearbox. Starting from 1943, boarding doors were mounted in the rear of the hull. Medium armored personnel carriers were produced in 23 modifications depending on the armament and purpose. For example, armored personnel carriers equipped to mount a 75 mm howitzer, 37 mm anti-tank gun, 8 mm mortar, 20 mm anti-aircraft gun, infrared searchlight, flamethrower, etc. were produced. Armored personnel carriers of this type had limited mobility and poor maneuverability on the ground. Since 1940, they have been used in motorized infantry units, sapper companies and in numerous other units of tank and motorized divisions. (See also “Light armored personnel carrier (special vehicle 250)”)
From the history of creation
The tank was developed during the First World War as a means of breaking through long-term defenses on the Western Front. He should have broken through the line of defense, thereby paving the way for the infantry. The tanks could do this, but they were unable to consolidate their success due to their low movement speed and poor reliability of the mechanical part. The enemy usually had time to transfer reserves to the place of breakthrough and plug the resulting gap. Due to the same low speed of the tanks, the infantry in the attack easily accompanied them, but remained vulnerable to small arms fire, mortars and other artillery. Infantry units suffered heavy losses. Therefore, the British came up with the Mk.IX carrier, designed to transport five dozen infantrymen across the battlefield under the protection of armor, however, until the end of the war, they managed to build only a prototype, and did not test it in combat conditions.
In the interwar years, tanks in most armies of developed countries came out on top. But the theories of the use of combat vehicles in the war were very diverse. In the 30s, many schools of conducting tank battles arose around the world. In Britain, they experimented a lot with tank units, the French looked at tanks only as a means of supporting infantry. The German school, whose prominent representative was Heinz Guderian, preferred armored forces, which were a combination of tanks, motorized infantry and support units. Such forces were to break through the enemy defenses and develop an offensive in his deep rear. Naturally, the units that were part of the forces had to move at the same speed and, ideally, have the same off-road capability. Even better, if the support units - sappers, artillery, infantry - also move under the cover of their own armor in the same battle formations.
The theory was difficult to put into practice. The German industry experienced serious difficulties with the release of new tanks in mass quantities and could not be distracted by the mass production of armored personnel carriers. For this reason, the first light and tank divisions of the Wehrmacht were equipped with wheeled vehicles, intended instead of the “theoretical” armored personnel carriers for the transport of infantry. Only on the eve of the outbreak of World War II, the army began to receive armored personnel carriers in tangible quantities. But even at the end of the war, the number of armored personnel carriers was enough to equip one infantry battalion in each tank division with them.
The German industry generally could not produce fully tracked armored personnel carriers in more or less noticeable quantities, and wheeled vehicles did not meet the requirements for increased cross-country ability comparable to the cross-country ability of tanks. But the Germans had a wealth of experience in the development of half-track vehicles, the first artillery half-track tractors were built in Germany in 1928. Experiments with half-track vehicles were continued in 1934 and 1935, when prototypes of armored half-track vehicles armed with 37-mm and 75- mm cannons in rotating towers. These vehicles were seen as a means of fighting enemy tanks. Interesting cars, which, however, did not go into mass production. since it was decided to concentrate the efforts of the industry on the production of tanks. The Wehrmacht's need for tanks was simply critical.
The 3-ton half-track tractor was originally developed by Hansa-Lloyd-Goliath Werke AG from Bremen in 1933. The first prototype of the 1934 model had a Borgward six-cylinder engine with a cylinder capacity of 3,5 liters, the tractor was designated HL KI 2 Serial production of the tractor started in 1936, in the form of the HL KI 5 variant, 505 tractors were built by the end of the year. Other prototypes of half-track tractors were also built, including vehicles with a rear power plant - as a platform for the possible development of armored vehicles. In 1938, the final version of the tractor appeared - HL KI 6 with the Maybach engine: this machine received the designation Sd.Kfz.251. This option was perfect as a base for creating an armored personnel carrier designed to transport an infantry squad. Hanomag from Hanover agreed to revise the original design for the installation of an armored hull, the design and manufacture of which was undertaken by Büssing-NAG from Berlin-Obershönevelde. After completing all the necessary work in 1938, the first prototype of the “Gepanzerte Mannschafts Transportwagen” appeared - an armored transport vehicle. The first Sd.Kfz.251 armored personnel carriers were received in the spring of 1939 by the 1st Panzer Division stationed in Weimar. The vehicles were enough to complete just one company in an infantry regiment. In 1939, the Reich industry produced 232 Sd.Kfz.251 armored personnel carriers, in 1940 the production volume was already 337 vehicles. By 1942, the annual production of armored personnel carriers reached the level of 1000 pieces and reached its peak in 1944 - 7785 armored personnel carriers. However, armored personnel carriers were always in short supply.
Many firms were connected to the serial production of Sd.Kfz.251 machines - “Schutzenpanzerwagen”, as they were officially called. The chassis was produced by Adler, Auto-Union and Skoda, the armored hulls were produced by Ferrum, Scheler und Beckmann, Steinmuller. The final assembly was carried out at the factories of the Wesserhütte, Vumag and F. Shihau." During the war years, a total of 15252 armored personnel carriers of four modifications (Ausfuhrung) and 23 variants were built. The Sd.Kfz.251 armored personnel carrier became the most massive model of German armored vehicles. These machines operated throughout the war and on all fronts, making a huge contribution to the blitzkrieg of the first war years.
In general, Germany did not export Sd.Kfz.251 armored personnel carriers to its allies. However, some of them, mainly modification D, were received by Romania. Separate vehicles ended up in the Hungarian and Finnish armies, but there is no information about their use in hostilities. Used captured half-tracks Sd.Kfz. 251 and the Americans. They usually installed 12,7-mm Browning M2 machine guns on vehicles captured during the fighting. Several armored personnel carriers were equipped with either T34 "Calliope" launchers, which consisted of 60 guide tubes for firing unguided rockets.
Sd.Kfz.251 were produced by various enterprises, both in Germany and in the occupied countries. At the same time, a system of cooperation was widely developed, some firms were engaged only in assembling machines, while others produced spare parts, as well as finished components and assemblies for them.
After the end of the war, the production of armored personnel carriers was continued in Czechoslovakia by Skoda and Tatra under the designation OT-810. These machines were equipped with 8-cylinder Tatra diesel engines, and their conning towers were completely closed.
From the history of creation
Armored personnel carrier Sd.Kfz. 251 Ausf. A
The first modification of the Sd.Kfz.251 armored personnel carrier. Ausf.A, weighed 7,81 tons. Structurally, the car was a rigid welded frame, to which an armor plate was welded from below. The armored hull, made mainly by welding, was assembled from two sections, the division line passed behind the control compartment. The front wheels were suspended on elliptical springs. Stamped steel wheel rims were equipped with rubber spikes, the front wheels did not have brakes. The caterpillar mover consisted of twelve staggered steel road wheels (six rollers per side), all road wheels were equipped with rubber tires. Suspension of road wheels - torsion bar. The drive wheels of the front location, the tension of the tracks was regulated by moving the sloths of the rear location in a horizontal plane. Tracks in order to reduce the weight of the tracks were made of a mixed design - rubber-metal. Each track had one guide tooth on the inner surface, and a rubber pad on the outer surface. The tracks were connected to each other by means of lubricated bearings.
The hull was welded from armor plates with a thickness of 6 mm (bottom) to 14,5 mm (forehead). A large double-leaf hatch was arranged in the top sheet of the hood for access to the engine. On the sides of the hood of the Sd.Kfz. 251 Ausf.A, ventilation flaps were made. The left hatch could be opened with a special lever by the driver directly from the cab. The fighting compartment is made open on top, only the driver's and commander's seats were covered with a roof. The entrance and exit to the fighting compartment was provided by a double door in the aft wall of the hull. In the fighting compartment, two benches were mounted along its entire length along the sides. In the frontal wall of the cabin, two observation holes were arranged for the commander and the driver with replaceable observation blocks. In the sides of the control compartment, one small observation embrasure was arranged. Inside the fighting compartment there were pyramids for weapons and racks for other military-personal property. For protection from bad weather, it was envisaged to install an awning above the fighting compartment. Each side had three observation devices, including the instruments of the commander and the driver.
The armored personnel carrier was equipped with a 6-cylinder liquid-cooled engine with an in-line arrangement of 100 hp. at a shaft speed of 2800 rpm. The engines were manufactured by Maybach, Norddeutsche Motorenbau and Auto-Union, which was equipped with a Solex-Duplex carburetor, four floats ensured the operation of the carburetor at extreme tilt gradients of the car. The engine radiator was installed in front of the hood. Air was supplied to the radiator through shutters in the upper armor plate of the hood and released through holes in the sides of the hood. The muffler with the exhaust pipe was mounted behind the front left wheel. Torque from the engine to the transmission was transmitted through the clutch. The transmission provided two reverse and eight forward speeds.
The machine was equipped with a mechanical type hand brake and pneumatic servo brakes installed inside the drive wheels. The pneumatic compressor was placed to the left of the engine, and the air tanks were suspended under the chassis. Turns with a large radius were carried out by turning the front wheels by turning the steering wheel; on turns with small radii, the brakes of the drive wheels were connected. The steering wheel was equipped with a front wheel position indicator.
The armament of the vehicle consisted of two 7,92-mm Rheinmetall-Borzing MG-34 machine guns, which were mounted in the front and rear of the open fighting compartment.
Most often, the Sd.Kfz.251 Ausf.A half-tracked armored personnel carrier was produced in the Sd.Kfz.251 / 1 versions - an infantry transporter. Sd.Kfz.251/4 - artillery tractor and Sd.Kfz.251/6 - command vehicle. Smaller quantities were produced modifications Sd.Kfz. 251/3 - communication vehicles and Sd.Kfz 251/10 - armored personnel carriers armed with a 37-mm cannon.
Serial production of Sd.Kfz.251 Ausf.A conveyors was carried out at the factories of Borgvard (Berlin-Borsigwalde, chassis numbers from 320831 to 322039), Hanomag (796001-796030) and Hansa-Lloyd-Goliath (up to 320285 )
Armored personnel carrier Sd.Kfz. 251 Ausf. B
This modification went into mass production in mid-1939. The transporters, designated Sd.Kfz.251 Ausf.B, were produced in several versions.
Their main differences from the previous modification were:
lack of onboard viewing slots for infantry paratroopers,
a change in the location of the radio station antenna - it moved from the front wing of the car to the side of the fighting compartment.
Machines of later production series received an armored shield for the MG-34 machine gun. In the process of mass production, the covers of the engine air intakes were armored. The production of vehicles of the Ausf.B modification was completed at the end of 1940.
Armored personnel carrier Sd.Kfz.251 Ausf.S
Compared to the Sd.Kfz.251 Ausf.A and Sd.Kfz.251 Ausf.B machines, the Ausf.C models had many differences, most of which were due to the designers' desire to simplify the machine's production technology. A number of changes were made to the design based on the acquired combat experience.
The Sd.Kfz. 251 Ausf armored personnel carrier, launched into mass production, was distinguished by a modified design of the front part of the hull (engine compartment). One-piece frontal armor plate provided more reliable engine protection. The vents were moved to the sides of the engine compartment and covered with armored covers. Lockable metal boxes with spare parts, tools, etc. appeared on the fenders. The boxes were moved to the stern and reached almost to the end of the fenders. The MG-34 machine gun, located in front of the open fighting compartment, had an armored shield that provided protection to the shooter. Armored personnel carriers of this modification have been produced since the beginning of 1940.
The cars that came out of the walls of the assembly shops in 1941 had chassis numbers from 322040 to 322450. And in 1942 - from 322451 to 323081. Weserhütte" in Bad Oyerhausen, "Paper" in Görlitz, "F Schiehau" in Ebling. The chassis was manufactured by Adler in Frankfurt, Auto-Union in Chemnitz, Hanomag in Hannover and Skoda in Pilsen. Since 1942, Stover in Stettin and MNH in Hannover have joined the production of armored vehicles. Reservations were made at the enterprises of HFK in Katowice, Laurachütte-Scheler und Blackmann in Hindenburg (Zabrze), Mürz Zuschlag-Bohemia in Czech Lipa and Steinmüller in Gummersbach. The production of one machine took 6076 kg of steel. The cost of the Sd.Kfz 251/1 Ausf.С was 22560 Reichsmarks (for example: the cost of a tank ranged from 80000 to 300000 Reichsmarks).
Armored personnel carrier Sd.Kfz.251 Ausf.D
The last modification, which outwardly differed from the previous ones, in the modified design of the rear of the vehicle, as well as in the spare parts boxes, which completely fit into the armored body. On each side of the body of the armored personnel carrier there were three such boxes.
Other design changes were: replacement of observation units with viewing slots and a change in the shape of the exhaust pipes. The main technological change was that the body of the armored personnel carrier began to be made by welding. In addition, many technological simplifications made it possible to significantly speed up the process of serial production of machines. Since 1943, 10602 Sd.Kfz.251 Ausf.D units were produced in various variants from Sd.Kfz.251 / 1 to Sd.Kfz.251 / 23
