The Sdkfz 251 Half track was the primary armoured personnel carrier of the German army during World War II. It served on all fronts from the pre-war years of 1938 all the way until 1945. Its light armour offered protection from light fire arms and from artillery shell fragments and its speed allowed the infantry to keep pace with the panzers during attacks.
While the original goal was for infantry to dismount during an attack either from the rear door or over the sides of the half track, many Panzer grenadiers used the 251 as a mobile firing platform and shot over the side walls of the passenger compartment. While the driver’s compartment featured top cover and armoured vision slits, the passenger compartment was open topped and generally a miserable place to be during inclement weather. Tarps were often times draped over the passenger compartment to offer some protection from rain and snow.
During the course of the 251's operational life, the model saw many modifications and improvements. The sharply angled nose plate over the engine was simplified, the front machine gun mounting was given an armoured shield to protect the gunner, extra machine guns were added and the model variants were fitted with all types of weapons including rockets, flame throwers and even 75mm tank guns. All in all, over 23 variants of the 251 were introduced during the course of its over 15,000 unit production run. Even with the large production run of the 251, there were never enough to go around and many infantry units had to make due with trucks for transport.
DEZE SET BEVAT 2 MODELLEN!
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