Development of a new medium artillery tractor began in 1934 at Büssing-NAG, in Berlin. The vehicle, produced in around 750 units until 1942, could carry up to 11 men in three rows, covered by a canvas structure. As well as a tractor for the 10.5 leFH 18 howitzer, the vehicle was to be used to tow heavy equipment for engineer units. Production was carried out by both Büssing-NAG and Daimler-Benz.[1][2]
Description
The engine used gave 90–115 hp (67–86 kW), depending on the production version. Sd.Kfz. 6 was used by the various German military forces (Army, Waffen-SS, Luftwaffe) for the entire war.[1][2]
Variants
Sd kfz 6/2
Sd.Kfz. 6/1: Standard half-tracked vehicle, used for towing various artillery pieces and transporting anything up to fifteen people.[1][3]
3,7 cm FlaK36 auf Fahrgestell Zugkraftwagen 5t (Sd.Kfz. 6/2): Sd.Kfz. 6 fitted with a 3.7 cm Flak 36 anti-aircraft gun, sides would fold down to allow space to work on. Crew of seven.,[1][3] with three loaders and two gunners in the back, with the rest in the front.[4] 339 were produced during the first half of the war.
The gun had an elevation of -8° to +85°, and was produced by Daimler Benz, Büssing-NAG & BMM. It came with a trailer to carry more ammunition.
7.62 cm FK 296(r) auf Selbstfahrlafette Zugkraftwagen 5t (Sd.Kfz. 6/3).
A Panzerjaeger constructed from a Sd.Kfz. 6 carrying a captured Soviet 76mm F-22 gunportée within an armoured superstructure.[1][3] The gun was emplaced on the rear on its field carriage and 5 mm (0.20 in) thick armour plates were added to the sides and rear to augment the protection given by the gun shield.[5] Nine were produced in 1941-42[6]
References
Notes
^Meaning "special purpose vehicle", Sd.Kfz numbers were used for inventory designation of German military vehicles
^White, B T (1968). German Tanks and Armored Vehicles 1914-1945. Arco. pp. 107–108.
^Chamberlain, Peter; Doyle, Hilary. German Self-propelled Weapons. AFV Profile No.55. Profile Publishing. p. 18.
Bibliography
Bishop, Chris, ed. (1998). The Encyclopedia of Weapons of World War II. Aerospace Publishing.
Lepage, Jean-Denis (2007). German Military Vehicles of World War II: An Illustrated Guide to Cars, Trucks, Half-Tracks, Motorcycles, Amphibious Vehicles and Others. McFarland. ISBN978-0-7864-2898-4.
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