The actual German Army was a weird assortment of foot soldiers, people on horses, mules, bicycles, tops of tanks, civilian carts pulled by agricultural machines, etc. They never had enough vehicles and stole them wherever they found them and even had to recruit civilian drivers as they had not enough trained soldiers...
There is a reason for so many variants, the unit was supposed to be an armored mobile force, while it could tow artillery pieces, it should have been capable of rapidly engaging in combat to match its speed at which it can reach the combat, unhitching an anti-tank gun then deploying is time consuming and dangerous in the heat of battle, it was vastly necessary for the mechanized infantry to be quickly supported. here is the list of the variants, what they are often organized into and such Sd. Kfz. 251/1 Schützenpanzerwagen - The basic standard production variant used as the transportation, etc. Practically in all units of a division mechanized forced being the squad, platoon, company, brigade, and battalion levels. They are mainly used in the basic Panzergrenadier units, but may occasionally be used in reconnaissance units as scout vehicles. For example the 505. Schwere Panzerabteilung where its reconnaissance units was issued SPW's Sd. Kfz. 251/2 Schützenpanzerwagen (Granatwerfer) - The variants with a heavy mortar attached to the unit for fast mobile mortar fire. If put on a truck, precious time would be wasted trying to deploy the mortar, this resolves it by having the mortar attached to the vehicles and could fire basically after the vehicle stopped, then continue on moving from position to position. They were issued in the mortar platoons which were further divided into two mortar groups, the mortar groups co insisted of 2x Sd. Kfz. 251/2, and with 2 groups made a total of 4x 251/4 units for the platoon. (I believe there was 1 platoon for the battalion, or it might be the division, I'm unsure. Sd. Kfz. 251/3 mittlerer Kommandopanzerwagen (Funkpanzerwagen) - The variants with extra radios equipped. It was meant for providing communications to units whether it be for signaling or command.They were issued in the multiple units of varying sizes, mostly headquarter units. It was included in the Battalion and Company Headquarters, alongside beside in the Signal Platoons. Often 1 or 2 would be assigned in the Battalion, and Company Headquarters Sd. Kfz. 251/4 Schützenpanzerwagen für Munition und Zubehör des leIG18 - It has a towing hook to tow artillery pieces like infantry guns, Pak 40, Pak 36, Pak 38, Flaks, Light artillery, etc. Used in units which carry the guns. So Anti-Tank Battalion, Anti-Air Battalions, Artillery Battalions, etc. Sd. Kfz. 251/5 Schützenpanzerwagen für Pionierzug - Equipped only in the Armored engineer battalion of the Panzer grenadier division, it is equipped with disassemblable bridges, it has extra storage space, and stores inflatable boats. Sd. Kfz. 251/6 mittlere Funkpanzerwagen (Kommandopanzerwagen) - Has more command stuff and better stuff than the 251/3 but was later phased out by the 251/3 Sd. Kfz. 251/7 Pionierpanzerwagen - Equipped only in the Armored engineer battalion of the Panzer grenadier division, similar to 251/5, but equipped with the Sturmbrücke assault bridges on its side. Sd. Kfz. 251/8 Krankenpanzerwagen - Ambulance version of the SPW, only equipped in the Medical battalion. Not available in every Panzergrenadier Division as some had basic medical trucks opposed to this vehicle. Issued to the Battalion Headquarters aswell. Sd. Kfz. 251/9 Schützenpanzerwagen (7.5 cm KwK37) - A version with a short 7.5cm howitzer, it was used in 3 different units, (sometimes) the pioneer unit (engineer), with a headquarters unit, and always issued with the cannon groups which is under the Heavy Platoon. The heavy platoon being like the StuGs meaning to support the infantry in the breakthrough or assault. Sd. Kfz. 251/10 Schützenpanzerwagen (3.7 cm PaK) - A version with a 3.7cm Anti-Tank gun, was issued to platoon leaders in order to support their units. Sd. Kfz. 251/11 Fernsprechpanzerwagen - A telephone wire laying variant, vary important for communications, it was put with the Signals Battalion and possibly the Reconnaissance Battalion. issued to Feld cable troops of the Signals battalion Sd. Kfz. 251/12 Messtrupp und Gerätpanzerwagen - Planned artillery surveyor variant with extra measuring tool and equipment for artillery,y never built. Sd. Kfz. 251/13 Schallaufnahmepanzerwagen - Sound recording variant to air paired with artillery observer and stuff, supposed to aid in finding enemy artillery and doing counter battery fire to attack back at enemy artillery. Never built. Sd. Kfz. 251/14 Schallaufnahmepanzerwagen - Sound ranging variant, works in conjunction with 251/13 to help determine location and range of enemy artillery so that counter artillery fire can be done. Never Built. Sd. Kfz. 251/15 Lichtauswertepanzerwagen - Artillery flash spotting variant, also works with the 2 previous to spot enemy artillery so that the German artillery can fire back. Never built. Sd. Kfz. 251/16 Flammpanzerwagen - Flame thrower version, issued to each Panzergrenadier regiment, about 4-8 per division, 2 regiments per panzer grenadier division, and if each regiment has 2x then it's 4 units, if each regiment has 4x, then it totals 8x, I'm too lazy to find how many are issued. Sd. Kfz. 251/17 Schützenpanzerwagen (2 cm) - 2cm Anti-Aircraft version, it was issued to the Anti-Aircraft Battalion with each battery consisting of 4 of these. By late was it was issued as Platoon leader vehicles to replace the 251/10 Sd. Kfz. 251/18 Beobachtungspanzerwagen - Artillery observer/spotter, it goes out, finds target, radios artillery to shell the area to hell, and coordinate more precise strike. issued to the Artillery Battalions of the division, I think either 1 or 2 are issued per Artillery Battalion. Sd. Kfz. 251/19 Fernsprechbetriebspanzerwagen - Telephone exchange vehicles, basically has communications and telephone stuff, works in conjunction with the telephone wire layer. Sd. Kfz. 251/20 Schützenpanzerwagen (Infrarotscheinwerfer) - Infrared version of unit, Donna how it was organized. Sd. Kfz. 251/21 Schützenpanzerwagen (Drilling MG151s) - Anti-Aircraft SPW with triple MG151, used only in the Anti-Aircraft Battalion. Sd. Kfz. 251/22 7.5 cm PaK40 L/46 auf mittlerem Schützenpanzerwagen - It has a Pak 40 Anti-Tank gun, issued to cannon units, Battalion or Company headquarter units, and Anti-Tank units if any. Sd. Kfz. 251/23 2 cm Hängelafette 38 auf mittlerem Schützenpanzerwagen - An SPW with a turret and 2cm Autocannon, partially meant to replace the 251/9, but mainly as the new reconnaissance variant, never built. Making the variants of all of these allowed a faster unit in general, to move and engage in battle. While truck have to deploy the heavy guns, these could fire on the move not needing to waste precious time deploying or redeploying, they would also do greatly in keeping up with the mechanized infantry giving them full support along the way. And considering how useful StuGs were, the 251/9 was of course very valuable and effective, keeping up with the infantry, firing on the move, and quickly redeploying. Many of these variant would provide the edge in battle, no matter how many the modification way seem for some, they give the maximum output of the Panzergrenadier division. I mostly study tank designs, organization, and other things, but this is the simple stuff I know on this vehicle, so it's quite limited, especially since I lack documents on these.
After reading more up on this vehicle I took the view point that this half-track was a great troop transport that was asked to do way too much, "You have a bit of armour so go do this." Made into a glass cannon with various assault guns and mortars some of which actually rattled the vehicle to bits. Imagine using this over an armored car or light tank to do recon? She's a massive target that turns slow compared to a dedicated armored car for this role. The A.A. version without the armored sides is also a bit disturbing reminds me a bit of the guns you'd see mounted on the back of Toyota pickups. I think it's a fantastic vehicle for moving troops through artillery fire or mud and snow but any sustained combat by this thing you are a massive 12 for 1 target (fully loaded) for any anti-vehicle weapon. But take everything I say as an opinion. All my videos are more for fun.
@@steffenrosmus9177 That's a good example of a vehicle that was pressed into service for many more roles than originally designed. You make a good point that there are more examples of vehicles with lots of variants. I wouldn't count field mods because that did not consume factory resources. But remember this in context because Germany could have better used these limited resources elsewhere like buying more trucks as was noted.
Basically, some of the variants had their uses, but overall it was part of Nazi Germany's habit of tweaking and toying around way too much with their stuff...which at first is a strength but turns into a weakness when they kept doing it even when it was becoming clear they were losing ground and running short on resources (even shorter on resources since we now know through post-war historical math that they didn't have resources to maintain a prolonged war from the very beginning).
The Hanomag SDKFZ 251 was a cool looking vehicle! In "A Brigde too far" (1977) and "Force 10 of navarone" (1978) there is a strange replica of this vehicle. great video again!👍❤
I think those were Unic P107 Halftracks. They were a French tractor design that was adopted in limited numbers by the Germans as a trop carrier with angled armour. There are also appearance of this vehicle (maybe its all the same vehicle?) in "Is Paris Burning" and "Night of the Generals".
I loved the "mocking" you did to yourself with that Downfall scene. I notice you do such things in your late videos and they give a funny tone above the educational video. Really like it 👍👍
The term Hanomag is like a German soldier seeing a Sherman and shouting "General Motors!" He's technically right, but nobody called it that. (The term seems to first pop up as the vehicle name on plastic model kits in the 70s and 80s.)
It is somewhat ironic about the cost of the halftrack compared to that of the truck. Many trucks used in the Battle of France were sold off after the defeat of France and replaced by horse drawn wagons to save cost. They then bought halftracks to transport troops in. Also horses did not do well in the Russian winter.
Johnny at 4:39 is Sd.Kfz. 251/1-II "Stuka zu Fuß/walking stuka is mounted with schwere wurfgerat 41 though the earlier 40 was made of wood in stead of steel. This vehicle of Nebeltruppe/smoke troop uses many types of Nebelwefer/smoke mortar with Schwere wurfgerat/launch frame being one of many type of this weapon. The Nebeltuppe was a specialised detachment of the Wehrmacht responsible for operating & dealing with enemy chemical weaponry as well as rocketry. These launch frame propelled Gas, smoke & so many munition types it is hard to into with rockets just being 1 of many that was less frequently used. many projectiles didn't uses rocket fuel but pressurized gas or reaction medium that gave off gas to propel the charges for safety reasons. The Nebeltruppe also used ''flame oil'' early napalm though arguably more effective. The German pioneers where also allocated this variant of German launch frame half track as smoke was necessary to allow the pioneer to the work they do to make permanent emplacement under fire or crossing over river under fire. Sd.Kfz with mounted schwere wurfgerat had 350 of this variant mad in 1940 in it's 1st year of production of all 16,000 Sd'fz's made in ww2 by Germany. If production remained the same let alone that means 1750 walking stuka's where made minimum in ww2 as production ramped up to it height in 1943/1944 according German command. 1 in 9 to 1 in 8 of the '23' varients Sd.kfz where this launch frame type. NebelWefer/smoke mortars/fog mortars are rocket artiller yet not & mortars yet not. A meld that blind the line between rockets & mortars as they use both types of shells & more types of specialised shells. Apologies for any German spelling mistakes but I haven't used it in about a decade fluently & it was my 3rd language.
@@JohnnyJohnsonEsq Johnny I'm an Engineer that grew up around all this gear. My fathers side is British My mothers German & French. Funnily she cant speak a lick of German or French being non the wiser;) Family gathering where odd but amusing. My mothers German great grand Parents & great uncle are still alive & I'm not at liberty to discuss their political ties. My fathers side is even more odd as all the colonies gather from the the America's, Caribbean, Hong Kong, China & more. Me, my brother & father are palest ones at family gathers with a family tree that would confuse anyone with ''no direct relations'' Amazing how many bastards my British elders sired but unlike most took credit for it. My grand father Jim alone had at dozen children with only 3 from his 4 ex-wife's. The Anglo-Indian think they are above the other Indians ironically going on about racial supremacy far more then my German side ever do.
@@JohnnyJohnsonEsq Sure mixing is fine but you don't need to do it with every way & creed in 1 life time;) I almost swear British side was trying to out break the previous holders record till my father by contrast broke that 'family trend'.
The best thing about the sdkfz is that it can be made into anything.It can be with a at gun (pak 38,36 or pak 40),an aa gun or a recon vechicle like the puma
For utility, the Brit Universal Carrier took some beating . It could tow trailers , artillery. Supply arms, medicine, etc . Recon ,and limited combat duties. Basically,a jeep on steroids . A very useful piece of kit with 120,000 built.
My gradfather actually used one during his compulsory military service but he doesn't remember if it was captured original or post-war one. They were actually impressed by it, especially the gearbox with lot of speeds available.
@@alexsky88749 No, it was in 1950's Czechoslovak army and from my knowledge they made no photos of it... Beside that, it was only one time. He spent most of his service with German and Soviet howitzers pulled by Tatras working in fire direction.
Nicely done. Captured US halftracks were prized by German troops because of the powered front wheels and simple rubber band tracks with virtually no maintenance. German engineers loved their interleaved road wheels and needle bearings in their track links that were absolutely nightmares as far as field upkeep.
The SDKFZ 251 unlike the M3 only had engine power going to the tracks. The M3 had power going to the tracks and optionally the front axle. Having a dead axle up front was not a sound choice in rough terrain. The reason that so many German half tracks were diverted into the transportation role for supplies on the Eastern front was the terrible roads in Russia. The opal blitz, the standard truck for supply had trouble dealing with the mud on the Russian roads.Only tracked vehicles could handle the Russian mud.
Hence the development of a half-tracked Opel Blitz known as "Maultier" or "Mule". Which was further developed into an armoured version with a Nebelwerfer rocket launcher on top.
@Johnny Johnson Germany had extensive half-track development since the Weimar Republic. Thus, their half-track designs were diverse in design. The Sd.Kfz.251 is essentially an armored version of the Sd.Kfz. 11, which was primarily used to tow medium sized artillery and was used in many roles throughout the war. I suggest you watch “German War Files” videos if you’re interested.
Thanks man I'll check it out! All my videos are more for fun and food for thought. After reading up on this half track it reminded me a lot of the Humvee. "You have a bit of armour so go do this you weren't designed for." I do believe they were excellent troops transports either way.
‘Further complicating half-track production was the German habit of stashing guns everywhere they could’ American interwar designs shoving machine guns in every crevice imaginable: *chuckle awkwardly*
He was referring to the German penchant on sticking larger and larger weapons onto platforms for which they were never intended, not in the number of MG's on board. The best example is the 251/22 which mounted the Pak40 which weighed in at almost 3200lbs, completely overwhelming the suspension of the 251.
Very good video! It's worth noting that all of the ww2 german 251 variants were open topped. It wasn't until post war production that roofed in bodyshells were seen. It's conversions of these post war versions that pop up most commonly in movies.
Say what you want, but the availability of the OT-810 in war movies is such a great improvement of historical accuracy against the use of the m3 as Sd.Kfz. 251 in the old movies.
I wouldn't say the Sd. Kfz 251 Hanomag was the MOST famous halftrack. I think the American M-3 is more familiar (to Americans, at least), as it came in toy sets when I was a kid, appeared in countless movies, and persisted in use through the 1950s with several Allied countries (including Israel, with whom it is visible in lots of documentary footage of those Middle East wars). To me the M-3 (and it's like variants) is what pops into my head when I hear the word "halftrack". I WOULD say the Hanomag is the most famous GERMAN halftrack, though.
Some Skdfz infantry armoured trucks came with a mortar team above it or an anti Tank gun making support Mechanized and Mobile. And it is functional if it comes to an anti Tank Skdfz for example during the Normandy campaign you can hide these in a hedgerow and you can hunt tanks as much as you like.
Maybe none, but I give the 60's war movies a pass. It was just how they did films in that era. The "Tiger" in the Big Red One was a friggin Israeli Sherman. At least in the Battle of the Bulge movie they put the M24's correctly on the American team. I really didn't care about them using M47's as Tigers, but they painted the darn things early war panzer grey and put the tri color camo on the US vehicles!!!
I remember this vehicle being really effective in bf5 I would park it and sit in the gunner seat and the enemy couldn't shoot back unless they blew up the vehicle
I don't think producing more tanks and/or trucks instead of halftracks would have been more 'efficient'. Tanks are tanks, they fight instead of transport. Trucks are trucks, they transport instead of fight. Halftracks (like the 251) and other APC's are meant to deliver troops close to, at, or even behind the front lines whilst being protected from small arms fire. During an offensive, they allowed supporting infantry (Panzergrenadiere) to move at the pace of the tanks they were assigned to protect. In other words, they had a unique and very specific role and couldn't have been replaced by either tanks or trucks. I believe the 251's (and 250's) were quite vital to the German 'Blitzkrieg', exploiting breakthroughs with fast moving, mobile infantry units.
After reading more up on this vehicle I took the view point that this half-track was a great troop transport that was asked to do way too much, "You have a bit of armour so go do this." Made into a glass cannon with various assault guns and mortars some of which actually rattled the vehicle to bits. Imagine using this over an armored car or light tank to do recon? She's a massive target that turns slow compared to a dedicated armored car for this role. The A.A. version without the armored sides is also a bit disturbing reminds me a bit of the guns you'd see mounted on the back of Toyota pickups. I think it's a fantastic vehicle for moving troops through artillery fire or mud and snow but any sustained combat by this thing you are a massive 12 for 1 target (fully loaded) for any anti-vehicle weapon. By saying more trucks or tanks what I mean to say is more vehicles dedicated to roles they were designed to play so I'd also say this for the half-track too. More half-tracks if used as armored troop transports. But take everything I say as an opinion. All my videos are more for fun.
@@JohnnyJohnsonEsq The 250 and 251 where prefered over armored cars for recon in Russia since they where more mobile in rugged and muddy terrain. Light Tanks had far shorter ranges and would not survive in combat any better than a half track with a 37mm PAK mounted. Post WW2 there was quite a bit of infighting between "The Russians" and "The Africans" when it came to "how to equip the armored recon force of the west german army". First the Russians one (and got us M41), then the Africans (Luchs) and by the early 1980s we had a mix of Luchs 8x8 backed by Leopard tanks in the armored recon.
It truthfully depends. During the early war periods, the anti tank rifle and and rifle grenade were the primary anti tank weapon of the infantry squad, at this time they were relatively effective. However the amount of anti armour devices and weapons distributed amongst infantry platoons later on in the war would make them substantially less effective in the mobile MG role.
@@ryancook6452 while you are no doubt correct, the idea in german doctrin was that the sdkfz 251 would stay behind and cover the advancing infantery who were to dismount prior to the engagement. thus it would be harder for AT teams to get near them.
The roof is really a bad idea as even people smaller than me won't be able to sit upright in it! When you are inside the open top version, your helmet is likely to protrude to a significant degree! This isn't too bad as you can crouch in case of an engagement, but doing so for all the ride is nasty! Lastly, I do see value in mounting cannons and auto cannons on them. They are cheaper than tanks or SPAA, but faster to deploy than towed guns. The latter really matters when you're exposed to artillery fire, or your position is overrun... Towed guns need to be permanently abandoned on a regular basis because of it...
"Simply producing more trucks.......would have been more efficient"??? That's NOT what the German Army stated during the war, they were actually begging for MORE tracked vehicles instead of trucks because of the terrain. That's why the eastern front trucks were (partly) rebuild into a tracked "Maultier" version and why the tracked Ostschlepper was introduced.
It's a theory and an opinion. Trucks got fuel and troops to the front lines as well as anti-tank guns. Tracked vehicles were harder to transport long distances. Tracked vehicles broke down and required more fuel. Tracked vehicles did work better once at the front. They operated better in the mud and snow in Russia but also broke down more in the cold and snow. It's not a black and white opinion. Tracked vehicles ARE better if you have the logistics for it. Germany did not have proper repair vehicles and fuel trucks for the Eastern front. When you have massive logistics issues sometimes what is simple is best. A tracked vehicle uses 20x the steel of a truck and takes 5x longer to produce. Research and development of 50 different tracked transport vehicles was also a waste at wars end. Focus on what you need immediately. Again just an opinion.
@@JohnnyJohnsonEsq It's all true IF you can get the trucks to the front AND running. If you have twenty trucks stuck in the mud OR one halftrack or "Maultier" that still can move around which is most useful? A tracked "Maultier" truck will cost about twice the amount of steel of a normal truck, the twenty times might be true for a SdKfz 251 etc. The R&D for the tracked vehicles was mostly done before WW2 (dipl ing Kniekamp). Normal trucks were only useful during a short (summer) period on the eastern front.
I would argue that if your hand full of Maultiers didn't have fuel, food for the crews, and parts for repairs they were useless. Obviously a balance is important and half-tracks were important in the mud. My point was mostly that building and testing an insane number of variants such as what was done with the 251 was probably not an efficient use of resources. Half tracks are only as good as their supply chain and yes they are also part of the supply chain but clearly the supply chain suffered significantly. So you can double down on research and development as Germany almost always did or you can put resources into what you already have that is proven such as yes the Maultier and more trucks, particularly fuel trucks. I'd also like to highlight that this image of Russia being this giant mud hole is a bit exaggerated. A significant number of vehicles were lost simply for not having dust filters. Dust was often a larger issue than mud. And cold is harder on tracks than tires. But again it's a giant front with lots of different logistic issues.
@@JohnnyJohnsonEsq For most of the war germany was fighting with the inner line and could (and did) use rail transport for most of it's logistics. The russian air force did not have enough bomber force to disrupt the rail logistics and the western allies only started so in 1944. A single BR52 (and they build well over 7000 of those) can haul 1250 metric tons basically everywhere a rail line is (The 50s series steam engines are designed for second level / badly build tracks)
Really cool video, might be a tricky video to make but I’d really like to see one about German ww2 assault guns, such as the SturmTiger. As well as this, videos on German artillery would be really awesome in my opinion
Thanks for adding this! You of course correct. I think the point I was trying to make was that it is sometimes referred to by it's Sonderkraftfahrzeug designation unlike other military vehicles but I gotta work on my clarity for future videos lol
@@JohnnyJohnsonEsq touché I did enjoy allied campaign but I like german stuff it’s so freakin difficult and I haven’t play any dlc yet so idk what pacific Finland Africa and Dunkirk look like
You did miss the biggest difference between the US half-tracks and the German ones. The US half-tracks powered the front wheels, giving them better off road performance.
Hi Johnny, great summery. But I disagree with the point you made in comparison with trucks or building more tanks. The halftrack is a mixture between a fully tracked and a wheeled vehicle, so a lot of truck drivers are common on the most mechanical issues. You also havve some protection as you mentioned, which a truck does not provide. With the tracks you can keep up with the tanks, which was the purpose of the whole idea. The Germans had problems all over the war with oil and rubber, so using the production capacity on tanks or truck would fuel the problem not solve it. The habit of using a working chassis and making it suitable for more uses was a good choice for keeping the spare parts needed a bit lower. As with all the lootet vehicles from the occupied nations we had big time problems to keep them moving. Hope you had a great Christmas Johnny, looking forward to your next one.
Hey man! After reading more up on this vehicle I took the view point that this half-track was a great troop transport that was asked to do way too much, "You have a bit of armour so go do this." Made into a glass cannon with various assault guns and mortars some of which actually rattled the vehicle to bits. Imagine using this over an armored car or light tank to do recon? She's a massive target that turns slow compared to a dedicated armored car for this role. The A.A. version without the armored sides is also a bit disturbing reminds me a bit of the guns you'd see mounted on the back of Toyota pickups. I think it's a fantastic vehicle for moving troops through artillery fire or mud and snow but any sustained combat by this thing you are a massive 12 for 1 target (fully loaded) for any anti-vehicle weapon. By saying more trucks or tanks what I mean to say is more vehicles dedicated to roles they were designed to play so I'd also say this for the half-track too. More half-tracks if used armored troop transports. But take everything I say as an opinion. All my videos are more for fun and I do appreciate your words because I'm here to learn and be proven wrong too :)
@@JohnnyJohnsonEsq hello buddy, no you are not wrong. The point I was trying to make was, there are so many thing to keep in mind and to consider when talking about history and parts of it. Would it be perfect for the Wehrmacht if they could build many more of them and fuel them? Sure, but they could not. And as this vehicle has shown it's value, everybody has an idea to use it. As mortar platform, as tank-hunter, as everything. That was not allways good, but could they do better? I enjoy your content a lot and if we sometimes have different views, that is a good thing. Because now we see more. Take care and hope to see a lot more from your side.
still remember playing Close Combat III Russian Front and only of my half tracks equipped with a short barrel 75 was able to knock out a Russian beast in its belly as it approached up the hill...those were scary times...all on Windows 98
Hey how about a Video on the StuG III? The StuG and it's history is very interesting and it was used way more often than all German tank models (Pzkpfw. 1-7) ^^
for ppl who know more than me about theses vehicules how did the radiator cools air if the plate in front of it is armoured and doesn't seem to allow air flow into the engine compartiment ?
slight correction (even tho johnny us never going to read this): the cross featured on german military equipment is the "Balkenkreuz" or 'bar cross' sometimes referred to as teutonic or german cross, not the iron cross which only refers to the military award
En la película salvando al soldado Ryan también aparecía un Sd.kfz251, cuando la unidad de capitán miller se retira hacia al álamo... Osea hacia el puente.
Good Video. Mixing Movies with Reality..! And ALSO, I was unaware of a Re. Make of the 'Battle of the Bulge 2020' will be hunting a Copy, DVD or other, Pronto..! ( How good it is..!? I dont Care, I just soak up the Armour..!) Cheers (you have a New Subscription.) Kim in Oz..! 😎
They should be called the “sitting duck” half track. In every movie the guys in these things are doomed .
Hence the nickname for the M3 : Purple Hart box ....
Look how they massacred my boys
Die Filme sind auch in der Regel absoluter Dreck
Yeah, in a movie. Movies are not real life and you shouldn't base your opinions from them
@@jotunn6891
It was a joke. The Hollywood Nazis are doomed no matter what they are in.
I am always surprised to see so few horses in the German army in films. They would be easier and cheaper to use; as well as being more historical.
Most movie writers go by WW2 propaganda reels. Some older german movies (08/15, Hunde wollt ihr ewig leben) show more horses
The actual German Army was a weird assortment of foot soldiers, people on horses, mules, bicycles, tops of tanks, civilian carts pulled by agricultural machines, etc. They never had enough vehicles and stole them wherever they found them and even had to recruit civilian drivers as they had not enough trained soldiers...
The only one where I saw they actually show some horses was the Band of Brothers mini-series. I guess because it's based on memoirs.
Well, they're already ate them, so...
I know in Stalingrad it shows much more of the horses
There is a reason for so many variants, the unit was supposed to be an armored mobile force, while it could tow artillery pieces, it should have been capable of rapidly engaging in combat to match its speed at which it can reach the combat, unhitching an anti-tank gun then deploying is time consuming and dangerous in the heat of battle, it was vastly necessary for the mechanized infantry to be quickly supported. here is the list of the variants, what they are often organized into and such
Sd. Kfz. 251/1 Schützenpanzerwagen - The basic standard production variant used as the transportation, etc. Practically in all units of a division mechanized forced being the squad, platoon, company, brigade, and battalion levels. They are mainly used in the basic Panzergrenadier units, but may occasionally be used in reconnaissance units as scout vehicles. For example the 505. Schwere Panzerabteilung where its reconnaissance units was issued SPW's
Sd. Kfz. 251/2 Schützenpanzerwagen (Granatwerfer) - The variants with a heavy mortar attached to the unit for fast mobile mortar fire. If put on a truck, precious time would be wasted trying to deploy the mortar, this resolves it by having the mortar attached to the vehicles and could fire basically after the vehicle stopped, then continue on moving from position to position. They were issued in the mortar platoons which were further divided into two mortar groups, the mortar groups co insisted of 2x Sd. Kfz. 251/2, and with 2 groups made a total of 4x 251/4 units for the platoon. (I believe there was 1 platoon for the battalion, or it might be the division, I'm unsure.
Sd. Kfz. 251/3 mittlerer Kommandopanzerwagen (Funkpanzerwagen) - The variants with extra radios equipped. It was meant for providing communications to units whether it be for signaling or command.They were issued in the multiple units of varying sizes, mostly headquarter units. It was included in the Battalion and Company Headquarters, alongside beside in the Signal Platoons. Often 1 or 2 would be assigned in the Battalion, and Company Headquarters
Sd. Kfz. 251/4 Schützenpanzerwagen für Munition und Zubehör des leIG18 - It has a towing hook to tow artillery pieces like infantry guns, Pak 40, Pak 36, Pak 38, Flaks, Light artillery, etc. Used in units which carry the guns. So Anti-Tank Battalion, Anti-Air Battalions, Artillery Battalions, etc.
Sd. Kfz. 251/5 Schützenpanzerwagen für Pionierzug - Equipped only in the Armored engineer battalion of the Panzer grenadier division, it is equipped with disassemblable bridges, it has extra storage space, and stores inflatable boats.
Sd. Kfz. 251/6 mittlere Funkpanzerwagen (Kommandopanzerwagen) - Has more command stuff and better stuff than the 251/3 but was later phased out by the 251/3
Sd. Kfz. 251/7 Pionierpanzerwagen - Equipped only in the Armored engineer battalion of the Panzer grenadier division, similar to 251/5, but equipped with the Sturmbrücke assault bridges on its side.
Sd. Kfz. 251/8 Krankenpanzerwagen - Ambulance version of the SPW, only equipped in the Medical battalion. Not available in every Panzergrenadier Division as some had basic medical trucks opposed to this vehicle. Issued to the Battalion Headquarters aswell.
Sd. Kfz. 251/9 Schützenpanzerwagen (7.5 cm KwK37) - A version with a short 7.5cm howitzer, it was used in 3 different units, (sometimes) the pioneer unit (engineer), with a headquarters unit, and always issued with the cannon groups which is under the Heavy Platoon. The heavy platoon being like the StuGs meaning to support the infantry in the breakthrough or assault.
Sd. Kfz. 251/10 Schützenpanzerwagen (3.7 cm PaK) - A version with a 3.7cm Anti-Tank gun, was issued to platoon leaders in order to support their units.
Sd. Kfz. 251/11 Fernsprechpanzerwagen - A telephone wire laying variant, vary important for communications, it was put with the Signals Battalion and possibly the Reconnaissance Battalion. issued to Feld cable troops of the Signals battalion
Sd. Kfz. 251/12 Messtrupp und Gerätpanzerwagen - Planned artillery surveyor variant with extra measuring tool and equipment for artillery,y never built.
Sd. Kfz. 251/13 Schallaufnahmepanzerwagen - Sound recording variant to air paired with artillery observer and stuff, supposed to aid in finding enemy artillery and doing counter battery fire to attack back at enemy artillery. Never built.
Sd. Kfz. 251/14 Schallaufnahmepanzerwagen - Sound ranging variant, works in conjunction with 251/13 to help determine location and range of enemy artillery so that counter artillery fire can be done. Never Built.
Sd. Kfz. 251/15 Lichtauswertepanzerwagen - Artillery flash spotting variant, also works with the 2 previous to spot enemy artillery so that the German artillery can fire back. Never built.
Sd. Kfz. 251/16 Flammpanzerwagen - Flame thrower version, issued to each Panzergrenadier regiment, about 4-8 per division, 2 regiments per panzer grenadier division, and if each regiment has 2x then it's 4 units, if each regiment has 4x, then it totals 8x, I'm too lazy to find how many are issued.
Sd. Kfz. 251/17 Schützenpanzerwagen (2 cm) - 2cm Anti-Aircraft version, it was issued to the Anti-Aircraft Battalion with each battery consisting of 4 of these. By late was it was issued as Platoon leader vehicles to replace the 251/10
Sd. Kfz. 251/18 Beobachtungspanzerwagen - Artillery observer/spotter, it goes out, finds target, radios artillery to shell the area to hell, and coordinate more precise strike. issued to the Artillery Battalions of the division, I think either 1 or 2 are issued per Artillery Battalion.
Sd. Kfz. 251/19 Fernsprechbetriebspanzerwagen - Telephone exchange vehicles, basically has communications and telephone stuff, works in conjunction with the telephone wire layer.
Sd. Kfz. 251/20 Schützenpanzerwagen (Infrarotscheinwerfer) - Infrared version of unit, Donna how it was organized.
Sd. Kfz. 251/21 Schützenpanzerwagen (Drilling MG151s) - Anti-Aircraft SPW with triple MG151, used only in the Anti-Aircraft Battalion.
Sd. Kfz. 251/22 7.5 cm PaK40 L/46 auf mittlerem Schützenpanzerwagen - It has a Pak 40 Anti-Tank gun, issued to cannon units, Battalion or Company headquarter units, and Anti-Tank units if any.
Sd. Kfz. 251/23 2 cm Hängelafette 38 auf mittlerem Schützenpanzerwagen - An SPW with a turret and 2cm Autocannon, partially meant to replace the 251/9, but mainly as the new reconnaissance variant, never built.
Making the variants of all of these allowed a faster unit in general, to move and engage in battle.
While truck have to deploy the heavy guns, these could fire on the move not needing to waste precious time deploying or redeploying, they would also do greatly in keeping up with the mechanized infantry giving them full support along the way. And considering how useful StuGs were, the 251/9 was of course very valuable and effective, keeping up with the infantry, firing on the move, and quickly redeploying.
Many of these variant would provide the edge in battle, no matter how many the modification way seem for some, they give the maximum output of the Panzergrenadier division.
I mostly study tank designs, organization, and other things, but this is the simple stuff I know on this vehicle, so it's quite limited, especially since I lack documents on these.
After reading more up on this vehicle I took the view point that this half-track was a great troop transport that was asked to do way too much, "You have a bit of armour so go do this." Made into a glass cannon with various assault guns and mortars some of which actually rattled the vehicle to bits. Imagine using this over an armored car or light tank to do recon? She's a massive target that turns slow compared to a dedicated armored car for this role. The A.A. version without the armored sides is also a bit disturbing reminds me a bit of the guns you'd see mounted on the back of Toyota pickups. I think it's a fantastic vehicle for moving troops through artillery fire or mud and snow but any sustained combat by this thing you are a massive 12 for 1 target (fully loaded) for any anti-vehicle weapon. But take everything I say as an opinion. All my videos are more for fun.
This list kinda proves his point, 23 variations!?! I understand mechanized support vehicles but this takes it too far.
@@ericboyle8296 as the Us Army today 35 Humvee variants including field modifications
@@steffenrosmus9177 That's a good example of a vehicle that was pressed into service for many more roles than originally designed. You make a good point that there are more examples of vehicles with lots of variants. I wouldn't count field mods because that did not consume factory resources. But remember this in context because Germany could have better used these limited resources elsewhere like buying more trucks as was noted.
Basically, some of the variants had their uses, but overall it was part of Nazi Germany's habit of tweaking and toying around way too much with their stuff...which at first is a strength but turns into a weakness when they kept doing it even when it was becoming clear they were losing ground and running short on resources (even shorter on resources since we now know through post-war historical math that they didn't have resources to maintain a prolonged war from the very beginning).
I think for another "WW2 Vehicles in movies:" I think it would be cool to talk about the Panzer III/Panzer IV and the Willy's Jeep.
Willys will be easy tons of footage. Panzer III and IV should work if I put them together.
@@JohnnyJohnsonEsq In the 1955 version of Finnish Tuntematon sotilas they had a Panzer IV to depict a Soviet tank. Usually it goes other way around :)
I'll have to get my hands on it :)
You can also talk about bren gun carrier
@@JohnnyJohnsonEsq Could you possibly do one on the stug 3 and 4 too?
The Hanomag SDKFZ 251 was a cool looking vehicle! In "A Brigde too far" (1977) and "Force 10 of navarone" (1978) there is a strange replica of this vehicle. great video again!👍❤
I think those were Unic P107 Halftracks. They were a French tractor design that was adopted in limited numbers by the Germans as a trop carrier with angled armour. There are also appearance of this vehicle (maybe its all the same vehicle?) in "Is Paris Burning" and "Night of the Generals".
My fav one were the short version of it.
I loved the "mocking" you did to yourself with that Downfall scene. I notice you do such things in your late videos and they give a funny tone above the educational video.
Really like it 👍👍
Yes with Reichsmarschall Goering whom we saw twice.🤣😂😂
He lends himself to so much comedy haha
@@JohnnyJohnsonEsq that's before he tries to goose step to afternoon tea...not
The term Hanomag is like a German soldier seeing a Sherman and shouting "General Motors!"
He's technically right, but nobody called it that.
(The term seems to first pop up as the vehicle name on plastic model kits in the 70s and 80s.)
A bunch of inaccurate nicknames for WWII vehicles came from model makers! They'd just make stuff up that sounded cool.
5:35 “and could aid in towing of other vehicles”
-last words of German corporal before disaster
It is somewhat ironic about the cost of the halftrack compared to that of the truck. Many trucks used in the Battle of France were sold off after the defeat of France and replaced by horse drawn wagons to save cost. They then bought halftracks to transport troops in. Also horses did not do well in the Russian winter.
The Germans didn't sell their trucks off. After France surrendered, the French company Renault produced 30,000 trucks for the German military.
Nobody does well in Russian winter.
Johnny at 4:39 is Sd.Kfz. 251/1-II "Stuka zu Fuß/walking stuka is mounted with schwere wurfgerat 41 though the earlier 40 was made of wood in stead of steel.
This vehicle of Nebeltruppe/smoke troop uses many types of Nebelwefer/smoke mortar with Schwere wurfgerat/launch frame being one of many type of this weapon.
The Nebeltuppe was a specialised detachment of the Wehrmacht responsible for operating & dealing with enemy chemical weaponry as well as rocketry.
These launch frame propelled Gas, smoke & so many munition types it is hard to into with rockets just being 1 of many that was less frequently used.
many projectiles didn't uses rocket fuel but pressurized gas or reaction medium that gave off gas to propel the charges for safety reasons.
The Nebeltruppe also used ''flame oil'' early napalm though arguably more effective.
The German pioneers where also allocated this variant of German launch frame half track as smoke was necessary to allow the pioneer to the work they do to make permanent emplacement under fire or crossing over river under fire.
Sd.Kfz with mounted schwere wurfgerat had 350 of this variant mad in 1940 in it's 1st year of production of all 16,000 Sd'fz's made in ww2 by Germany.
If production remained the same let alone that means 1750 walking stuka's where made minimum in ww2 as production ramped up to it height in 1943/1944 according German command.
1 in 9 to 1 in 8 of the '23' varients Sd.kfz where this launch frame type.
NebelWefer/smoke mortars/fog mortars are rocket artiller yet not & mortars yet not.
A meld that blind the line between rockets & mortars as they use both types of shells & more types of specialised shells.
Apologies for any German spelling mistakes but I haven't used it in about a decade fluently & it was my 3rd language.
Fantastic info. Tell me more about your background. School or work. Or just a amateur historian??
@@JohnnyJohnsonEsq Johnny I'm an Engineer that grew up around all this gear.
My fathers side is British
My mothers German & French.
Funnily she cant speak a lick of German or French being non the wiser;)
Family gathering where odd but amusing.
My mothers German great grand Parents & great uncle are still alive & I'm not at liberty to discuss their political ties.
My fathers side is even more odd as all the colonies gather from the the America's,
Caribbean, Hong Kong, China & more.
Me, my brother & father are palest ones at family gathers with a family tree that would confuse anyone with ''no direct relations''
Amazing how many bastards my British elders sired but unlike most took credit for it.
My grand father Jim alone had at dozen children with only 3 from his 4 ex-wife's.
The Anglo-Indian think they are above the other Indians ironically going on about racial supremacy far more then my German side ever do.
Hey the more we are mixed the better I say! Sounds like a great many to learn from.
@@JohnnyJohnsonEsq Sure mixing is fine but you don't need to do it with every way & creed in 1 life time;)
I almost swear British side was trying to out break the previous holders record till my father by contrast broke that 'family trend'.
The best thing about the sdkfz is that it can be made into anything.It can be with a at gun (pak 38,36 or pak 40),an aa gun or a recon vechicle like the puma
For utility, the Brit Universal Carrier took some beating . It could tow trailers , artillery. Supply arms, medicine, etc .
Recon ,and limited combat duties.
Basically,a jeep on steroids . A very useful piece of kit with 120,000 built.
nah bro accidentally created a link to a website ☠️
My gradfather actually used one during his compulsory military service but he doesn't remember if it was captured original or post-war one. They were actually impressed by it, especially the gearbox with lot of speeds available.
Interesting. Was your grandfather in the German army? Which period? Do you happen to have a picture of as SDKfz 251 from your grand father?
@@alexsky88749 No, it was in 1950's Czechoslovak army and from my knowledge they made no photos of it...
Beside that, it was only one time. He spent most of his service with German and Soviet howitzers pulled by Tatras working in fire direction.
Nicely done. Captured US halftracks were prized by German troops because of the powered front wheels and simple rubber band tracks with virtually no maintenance. German engineers loved their interleaved road wheels and needle bearings in their track links that were absolutely nightmares as far as field upkeep.
The SDKFZ 251 unlike the M3 only had engine power going to the tracks. The M3 had power going to the tracks and optionally the front axle. Having a dead axle up front was not a sound choice in rough terrain. The reason that so many German half tracks were diverted into the transportation role for supplies on the Eastern front was the terrible roads in Russia. The opal blitz, the standard truck for supply had trouble dealing with the mud on the Russian roads.Only tracked vehicles could handle the Russian mud.
Hence the development of a half-tracked Opel Blitz known as "Maultier" or "Mule". Which was further developed into an armoured version with a Nebelwerfer rocket launcher on top.
@@flitsertheo Not only Opel made the Maultier, also Ford and Mercedes produced them. It was the name for a truck with tracks.
@Johnny Johnson Germany had extensive half-track development since the Weimar Republic. Thus, their half-track designs were diverse in design.
The Sd.Kfz.251 is essentially an armored version of the Sd.Kfz. 11, which was primarily used to tow medium sized artillery and was used in many roles throughout the war.
I suggest you watch “German War Files” videos if you’re interested.
Thanks man I'll check it out! All my videos are more for fun and food for thought. After reading up on this half track it reminded me a lot of the Humvee. "You have a bit of armour so go do this you weren't designed for." I do believe they were excellent troops transports either way.
‘Further complicating half-track production was the German habit of stashing guns everywhere they could’
American interwar designs shoving machine guns in every crevice imaginable: *chuckle awkwardly*
He was referring to the German penchant on sticking larger and larger weapons onto platforms for which they were never intended, not in the number of MG's on board. The best example is the 251/22 which mounted the Pak40 which weighed in at almost 3200lbs, completely overwhelming the suspension of the 251.
Very informative mate. Great video. I didn’t know much about these half tracks. Cheers.
Very good video! It's worth noting that all of the ww2 german 251 variants were open topped. It wasn't until post war production that roofed in bodyshells were seen. It's conversions of these post war versions that pop up most commonly in movies.
Absolutely thanks for adding this 🙏
every since u talked about the sd kfz, you should talk about the schwerer panzerpanhwagen.
One of my old US Army Company Commanders owns a fully converted OT-810 as well as a 222.
Great Video!
Say what you want, but the availability of the OT-810 in war movies is such a great improvement of historical accuracy against the use of the m3 as Sd.Kfz. 251 in the old movies.
"Who's doing the shooting?........WHO"S DOING THE SHOOTING?!"
Great video
Thank you!
The German vehicles don’t have Iron crosses. The Iron cross has curves.
The straight cross they have is the “Balkenkreuz” meaning 2x4-, or bar cross
Once again the Czechs do a great service for ww2 movies , by keeping german equipment in production post war .
To je velké plus Čechů. Můžeme vyrábět zbraně pro Rakušany, Němce, Rusáky nebo Američany. Podle toho kdo nás zrovna okupuje.
@@vrbka2692 Jen si tu odložím to, že Česká zbrojovka vlastní Colt, nikoliv naopak.
@@SC0RCH3er Nevím přesný čísla ale neprodá ČZ nejvíc zbraní v USA?
@@vrbka2692 No a není to i tím, že USA jsou největší trh pro malé zbraně na světě? :D
Je velký rozdíl mezi "okupací" a obchodem.
@@SC0RCH3er A ty víš jak vypadá okupace?
I wouldn't say the Sd. Kfz 251 Hanomag was the MOST famous halftrack. I think the American M-3 is more familiar (to Americans, at least), as it came in toy sets when I was a kid, appeared in countless movies, and persisted in use through the 1950s with several Allied countries (including Israel, with whom it is visible in lots of documentary footage of those Middle East wars). To me the M-3 (and it's like variants) is what pops into my head when I hear the word "halftrack". I WOULD say the Hanomag is the most famous GERMAN halftrack, though.
I love that you use clips from Bo
another great and educational video. keep up the great work man
The 251 still looks great to this day. I would not want to go to war in one, but they do look good.
Some Skdfz infantry armoured trucks came with a mortar team above it or an anti Tank gun making support Mechanized and Mobile.
And it is functional if it comes to an anti Tank Skdfz for example during the Normandy campaign you can hide these in a hedgerow and you can hunt tanks as much as you like.
Good stuff again Johnny
The 1965 film the Battle of the Bulge was a total insult as there were very few German WW2 vehicles in it.
Maybe none, but I give the 60's war movies a pass. It was just how they did films in that era. The "Tiger" in the Big Red One was a friggin Israeli Sherman. At least in the Battle of the Bulge movie they put the M24's correctly on the American team. I really didn't care about them using M47's as Tigers, but they painted the darn things early war panzer grey and put the tri color camo on the US vehicles!!!
5:38 hey that’s Bo! I love that channel.
well made! good work
I remember this vehicle being really effective in bf5
I would park it and sit in the gunner seat and the enemy couldn't shoot back unless they blew up the vehicle
5:36 I see you used bo time gaming footage nice great gamer as well ad at 6:46 and keep up the work johhny
Interesting to see clips from Ravic and BoTimeGaming here
7:08 ah hell nah its the luftwaffle
I always look forward to your videos
1:16 The Foreign French Legion March?
I don't think producing more tanks and/or trucks instead of halftracks would have been more 'efficient'. Tanks are tanks, they fight instead of transport. Trucks are trucks, they transport instead of fight. Halftracks (like the 251) and other APC's are meant to deliver troops close to, at, or even behind the front lines whilst being protected from small arms fire. During an offensive, they allowed supporting infantry (Panzergrenadiere) to move at the pace of the tanks they were assigned to protect. In other words, they had a unique and very specific role and couldn't have been replaced by either tanks or trucks.
I believe the 251's (and 250's) were quite vital to the German 'Blitzkrieg', exploiting breakthroughs with fast moving, mobile infantry units.
After reading more up on this vehicle I took the view point that this half-track was a great troop transport that was asked to do way too much, "You have a bit of armour so go do this." Made into a glass cannon with various assault guns and mortars some of which actually rattled the vehicle to bits. Imagine using this over an armored car or light tank to do recon? She's a massive target that turns slow compared to a dedicated armored car for this role. The A.A. version without the armored sides is also a bit disturbing reminds me a bit of the guns you'd see mounted on the back of Toyota pickups. I think it's a fantastic vehicle for moving troops through artillery fire or mud and snow but any sustained combat by this thing you are a massive 12 for 1 target (fully loaded) for any anti-vehicle weapon. By saying more trucks or tanks what I mean to say is more vehicles dedicated to roles they were designed to play so I'd also say this for the half-track too. More half-tracks if used as armored troop transports. But take everything I say as an opinion. All my videos are more for fun.
@@JohnnyJohnsonEsq The 250 and 251 where prefered over armored cars for recon in Russia since they where more mobile in rugged and muddy terrain. Light Tanks had far shorter ranges and would not survive in combat any better than a half track with a 37mm PAK mounted.
Post WW2 there was quite a bit of infighting between "The Russians" and "The Africans" when it came to "how to equip the armored recon force of the west german army". First the Russians one (and got us M41), then the Africans (Luchs) and by the early 1980s we had a mix of Luchs 8x8 backed by Leopard tanks in the armored recon.
“Sticking every gun imaginable, on every chassis available”
Oof I been waiting for this video🔥
The strangest mock ups of this I’ve ever seen was in the first episode of the show a French village at the paper mill
Informative. Thanx !
I was they start making halftrack trucks only on next winter.
I wonder, was the 251 really affective as a mobile (moving) MG nest as shown in the movies?
It truthfully depends. During the early war periods, the anti tank rifle and and rifle grenade were the primary anti tank weapon of the infantry squad, at this time they were relatively effective.
However the amount of anti armour devices and weapons distributed amongst infantry platoons later on in the war would make them substantially less effective in the mobile MG role.
@@ryancook6452 Oh damn, but still interesting.
@@ryancook6452 while you are no doubt correct, the idea in german doctrin was that the sdkfz 251 would stay behind and cover the advancing infantery who were to dismount prior to the engagement. thus it would be harder for AT teams to get near them.
The roof is really a bad idea as even people smaller than me won't be able to sit upright in it!
When you are inside the open top version, your helmet is likely to protrude to a significant degree! This isn't too bad as you can crouch in case of an engagement, but doing so for all the ride is nasty!
Lastly, I do see value in mounting cannons and auto cannons on them. They are cheaper than tanks or SPAA, but faster to deploy than towed guns. The latter really matters when you're exposed to artillery fire, or your position is overrun... Towed guns need to be permanently abandoned on a regular basis because of it...
One small detail escapes pretty much every english-speaker: A "Kraftfahrzeug" isn't just a vehicle, it's specifically an (engine-)powered vehicle.
Great video!
"Simply producing more trucks.......would have been more efficient"???
That's NOT what the German Army stated during the war, they were actually begging for MORE tracked vehicles instead of trucks because of the terrain.
That's why the eastern front trucks were (partly) rebuild into a tracked "Maultier" version and why the tracked Ostschlepper was introduced.
It's a theory and an opinion. Trucks got fuel and troops to the front lines as well as anti-tank guns. Tracked vehicles were harder to transport long distances. Tracked vehicles broke down and required more fuel. Tracked vehicles did work better once at the front. They operated better in the mud and snow in Russia but also broke down more in the cold and snow. It's not a black and white opinion. Tracked vehicles ARE better if you have the logistics for it. Germany did not have proper repair vehicles and fuel trucks for the Eastern front. When you have massive logistics issues sometimes what is simple is best. A tracked vehicle uses 20x the steel of a truck and takes 5x longer to produce. Research and development of 50 different tracked transport vehicles was also a waste at wars end. Focus on what you need immediately. Again just an opinion.
@@JohnnyJohnsonEsq It's all true IF you can get the trucks to the front AND running. If you have twenty trucks stuck in the mud OR one halftrack or "Maultier" that still can move around which is most useful? A tracked "Maultier" truck will cost about twice the amount of steel of a normal truck, the twenty times might be true for a SdKfz 251 etc. The R&D for the tracked vehicles was mostly done before WW2 (dipl ing Kniekamp). Normal trucks were only useful during a short (summer) period on the eastern front.
I would argue that if your hand full of Maultiers didn't have fuel, food for the crews, and parts for repairs they were useless. Obviously a balance is important and half-tracks were important in the mud. My point was mostly that building and testing an insane number of variants such as what was done with the 251 was probably not an efficient use of resources. Half tracks are only as good as their supply chain and yes they are also part of the supply chain but clearly the supply chain suffered significantly. So you can double down on research and development as Germany almost always did or you can put resources into what you already have that is proven such as yes the Maultier and more trucks, particularly fuel trucks. I'd also like to highlight that this image of Russia being this giant mud hole is a bit exaggerated. A significant number of vehicles were lost simply for not having dust filters. Dust was often a larger issue than mud. And cold is harder on tracks than tires. But again it's a giant front with lots of different logistic issues.
@@JohnnyJohnsonEsq For most of the war germany was fighting with the inner line and could (and did) use rail transport for most of it's logistics. The russian air force did not have enough bomber force to disrupt the rail logistics and the western allies only started so in 1944. A single BR52 (and they build well over 7000 of those) can haul 1250 metric tons basically everywhere a rail line is (The 50s series steam engines are designed for second level / badly build tracks)
Really cool video, might be a tricky video to make but I’d really like to see one about German ww2 assault guns, such as the SturmTiger. As well as this, videos on German artillery would be really awesome in my opinion
Have an exceptional, and Great New Year!
Take care, and all the best.
You too!
Echo that sentiment..
@@eamonnclabby7067 Thanks E all the best!
@@JohnnyJohnsonEsq same thing to you sir...
I'm sure someone has already mentioned this, but Sonderkraftfahrzeug designations were given to EVERY German AFV in Nazi Germany.
Thanks for adding this! You of course correct. I think the point I was trying to make was that it is sometimes referred to by it's Sonderkraftfahrzeug designation unlike other military vehicles but I gotta work on my clarity for future videos lol
I didn’t know you knew Bo Time Gaming. That’s awesome!
Producing more trucks yes but trucks that would have been used to run supplies.
I love how hands on u are with your community
That's what it's all about. Plus I'm here to learn too.
The 2012 Jeep Grand Cherokee Reminded Me of Sd.Kfz 251.
Cool looking half track,
thank you! i like that vehicle alot
Hanomag; Hanover Machine fabrick A.G..( sorry for my spelling in German). The A.G.stands for is a limited liability company!. It's basically a ancroym
Great video, that said i think Ive seen that war thunder video before
He finally did it
i love your videos i like it and you add alot of videos weekly
Seeing this, I don’t think I’ve ever heard about any Soviet half tracks they even exist in ww2?
If i remember correctly most if not all where lead lease
Soviet half track often came from use land leases, any country made halftrack was almost always some weird armored car
Gut gemacht 👌 #bleibabenteuerlustig
LG History Adventure 😉✌️
The lack of Battlefield 5 comments is disappointing
Okay more battlefield in the future.
5:26
germany having a DOZEN variants for everything didnt help at all
They were useful and good at the roles they were suppose to fullfill, mainly AT and AA work
The infrared church light sounds interesting
1:46 for “ah”
I have had the privilege of riding in the 251 and on the Mk III Panzer that was used ij War Pigs.
5:34 and 6:53… that is a famous WarThunder TH-camr, Bo Time Gaming. I see that the game is referenced but the TH-camr. Treading on dangerous ground.
Trust me movie studio footage is far trickier than 15 seconds of commentated game play footage. I give Bo lots of shout outs. He is the man.
Hey sudden strike 4 gameplay that game is so underrated thnx for using the clip lol
Very fun game. Can even learn some history from it.
@@JohnnyJohnsonEsq yep I love it so much shame no one does multiplayer on it
@@JohnnyJohnsonEsq what is your favorite of all the campaigns
@@future_guardian5_gaming Maybe the American because I like the defensive map for The Battle of the Bulge.
@@JohnnyJohnsonEsq touché I did enjoy allied campaign but I like german stuff it’s so freakin difficult and I haven’t play any dlc yet so idk what pacific Finland Africa and Dunkirk look like
You did miss the biggest difference between the US half-tracks and the German ones. The US half-tracks powered the front wheels, giving them better off road performance.
Excellent additional info. Thank you! 🙏
5:25 what the hell is this clip lol
I would have liked to see an explanation of the concept and its effectiveness.
Talk about Saving private Ryan tiger in a future episode PLZ.
I saw one of those relic hunters find one in a pond.
Hi Johnny, great summery. But I disagree with the point you made in comparison with trucks or building more tanks.
The halftrack is a mixture between a fully tracked and a wheeled vehicle, so a lot of truck drivers are common on the most mechanical issues. You also havve some protection as you mentioned, which a truck does not provide. With the tracks you can keep up with the tanks, which was the purpose of the whole idea.
The Germans had problems all over the war with oil and rubber, so using the production capacity on tanks or truck would fuel the problem not solve it.
The habit of using a working chassis and making it suitable for more uses was a good choice for keeping the spare parts needed a bit lower. As with all the lootet vehicles from the occupied nations we had big time problems to keep them moving.
Hope you had a great Christmas Johnny, looking forward to your next one.
Hey man! After reading more up on this vehicle I took the view point that this half-track was a great troop transport that was asked to do way too much, "You have a bit of armour so go do this." Made into a glass cannon with various assault guns and mortars some of which actually rattled the vehicle to bits. Imagine using this over an armored car or light tank to do recon? She's a massive target that turns slow compared to a dedicated armored car for this role. The A.A. version without the armored sides is also a bit disturbing reminds me a bit of the guns you'd see mounted on the back of Toyota pickups. I think it's a fantastic vehicle for moving troops through artillery fire or mud and snow but any sustained combat by this thing you are a massive 12 for 1 target (fully loaded) for any anti-vehicle weapon. By saying more trucks or tanks what I mean to say is more vehicles dedicated to roles they were designed to play so I'd also say this for the half-track too. More half-tracks if used armored troop transports. But take everything I say as an opinion. All my videos are more for fun and I do appreciate your words because I'm here to learn and be proven wrong too :)
@@JohnnyJohnsonEsq hello buddy, no you are not wrong. The point I was trying to make was, there are so many thing to keep in mind and to consider when talking about history and parts of it.
Would it be perfect for the Wehrmacht if they could build many more of them and fuel them? Sure, but they could not. And as this vehicle has shown it's value, everybody has an idea to use it. As mortar platform, as tank-hunter, as everything. That was not allways good, but could they do better?
I enjoy your content a lot and if we sometimes have different views, that is a good thing. Because now we see more. Take care and hope to see a lot more from your side.
Thanks brother you too! I know you have lots of knowledge so keep it coming in future videos :)
@@tabletopgeneralsde310 impressive attention to detail ,sir
Early slope armor design, very innovative and advanced
Plus, the germans used face hardened steel for it, the US halftracks for instance arme made of soft steel and can not hold a rifle bullet.
What was the vehicle in navy seals, with micheal biene, charlie sheen, that had the twin machines guns, that thing was a beast.??
Great video. The commentary sounds like Garfield the cat , but that’s pretty cool in my opinion lol
I'm very okay being compared to Garfield
Any chance of making a video about the DUKW ( duck ) , if indeed , it shows up in any movies !! ( thanking you in advance )
Absolutely!
Who's doing the shooting? Who's doing the shooting? Good movies Johnny that vehicle has like 50+ variants
Half track cover!
still remember playing Close Combat III Russian Front and only of my half tracks equipped with a short barrel 75 was able to knock out a Russian beast in its belly as it approached up the hill...those were scary times...all on Windows 98
Hey how about a Video on the StuG III?
The StuG and it's history is very interesting and it was used way more often than all German tank models (Pzkpfw. 1-7) ^^
Will do a StuG video down the road forsure
@@JohnnyJohnsonEsq
for ppl who know more than me about theses vehicules how did the radiator cools air if the plate in front of it is armoured and doesn't seem to allow air flow into the engine compartiment ?
slight correction (even tho johnny us never going to read this): the cross featured on german military equipment is the "Balkenkreuz" or 'bar cross' sometimes referred to as teutonic or german cross, not the iron cross which only refers to the military award
I read all my comments! Well most. I appreciate the specifics! Gotta up my game.
I have made a Lego Sdkfz and now, with my panzer 3 and Sherman 105 I shall rule the Lego realm bahahahaha
Heck ya
Cool.
5:20 I know you were cracking up when using that footage in this semi-serious video lol
5:34
Of course it's BoTimeGaming :D
How ‘bout doing a video on the Katzenkrad? That is one of the interesting vehicle IMO of WW2.
Absolutely it's on my list :)
Katzenkrad? Cat-Powerbicycle? 🤔🤭 (Krad means Kraft-Rad)
Kettenkrad maybe that what you ment.
Sehr guter Beitrag.
Sd Kfz is german on english will be Sd Kfc not Zed, everything else, amazing video
Ah so that’s the name of that half-track. Thanks Johnny for the video!
En la película salvando al soldado Ryan también aparecía un Sd.kfz251, cuando la unidad de capitán miller se retira hacia al álamo... Osea hacia el puente.
Good Video. Mixing Movies with Reality..!
And ALSO, I was unaware of a Re. Make of the 'Battle of the Bulge 2020' will be hunting a Copy, DVD or other, Pronto..! ( How good it is..!? I dont Care, I just soak up the Armour..!)
Cheers (you have a New Subscription.) Kim in Oz..! 😎
It's so-so good at best :) And Welcome to the channel :)