SdKfz 251 D

The Sd.Kfz.251 German halftrack was an armoured personnel carrier built by Germany during World War II and it was used and developed into four main models, A B C and D, with many variations. Its initial designed purpose was to carry and deliver10 infantry soldiers into battle, the vehicle itself crewed by a driver and commander. Entrance and exit was normally through doors at the rear but it had an open top. The open top meant that the crew was quite vulnerable especially when alighting over the side of the vehicle. The vehicle was a quite a difficult vehicle to manufacture with many angled and sloping surfaces but as is known, sloping armour can offer substantially more resistance to the affect of projectiles. To offer crew and vehicle protection the vehicle had either an Mg 34 or 42 mounted at the front behind a blast shield or at the rear. The rear weapon would be dismounted by the infantry when they alighted and the front weapon to act as a support weapon to the now deployed soldiers. The Tatra or Skoda OT-810 was a post war Czechoslovakian vehicle very similar in size and specification to the SdKfz 251 and was developed by two manufacturers who had been involved in the development and production of the WW2 German vehicle. There were slight differences in body shape but the overriding change was that the power plant was changed from a somewhat underpowered petrol engine to an up rated Diesel unit. Many 0T-810’s have been converted throughout the world to cater for re-enactors, hobbyists and of course the film industry as original 251’s are rare and almost prohibitively expensive to buy

"The Half Track prepares to leave for the field of battle, Beltring War & Peace Show 2007"