ALARM! FLUGZEUGE!

 
 

Sd.Kfz. 7 Halbketten-Zugmaschine as Flak-carrier

The increasing weight of weapons, crew and ammunition made it necessary to use Halbkettenfahrzeuge (half-tracks) as Flak-carriers. Although meant to be used against aircraft, during the war they were used more and more against ground-targets. Six Zugkraftwagen (1 t, 3 t, 5 t, 8 t, 12 t and 18 t) with different Flak guns were developed, tried as prototype and partially produced.  The Sd.Kfz. 6/2 was a 5 t-Halbketten-Zugmaschine which carried a 3,7cm Flak 36 which was mounted on the back of a Büssing-NAG BN9 halftrack. Intended to provided more firepower then what the SdKfz 10/4 was capable of , it suffered due to a complete lack of armor. Development started in 1934, and production of the final version started in 1939. A total of 3500 was produced till the end of 1943. It was followed up by the Schwere Wehrmachtschlepper; an armored version that carried a 3.7cm Flak 43.

Flak-crew on a Sd.Kfz 6/2.

The light Zugkraftwagen 1 t (Sd.Kfz. 10/4) carried a 2cm-Flak 30, had a crew of seven and became partially armored after the battle of France. In some cases the driver's position was also armored. It served in all Flak-companies of the army and was successful against air- and ground-targets. One of the first self-propelled anti-aircraft vehicles produced it was very poorly armored, and as the war progressed the 2cm cannon became obsolete. Between 1938 and 1944, a little over 600 were constructed.

The 8 t-Halbketten-Zugmaschine was originally developed to tow the 8.8cm Flak 36, but was also used to mountain a 2cm Flak-vierling 38 (four guns) on a flat platform which was installed on the back of the vehicle (known as the Sd.Kfz 7/1). The gun had an armored shield, the drivers position was armored, and it had a crew of five men. By late 1944, production ended with a little over 300 constructed.

		Left, top: A Sd.Kfz. 7/1 in counter-attack in the end of the war. In this way the unprotected vehicle gave fire-support while driving backwards.  Above: A Sd.Kfz. 10/4 from Division Herman Göring".  Left: The Sd.Kfz. 10/4 with an armored 2cm Flak 30.

Sd.Kfz. 222 and Sd.Kfz. 234 Panzerspähwagen as Flak-carrier
The Leichter Panzerspähwagen  4x4 Sd.Kfz. 222 (four-wheeled light armored car) was armed with a 2cm-KwK 30 (Kampfwagenkanone) and a MG 34 which could be used against ground and air targets. The weapons were exchanged in 1940 with a 2cm-KwK and a MG 42 which were coaxial and could be fired simultaneously. They were issued to the armored car squadrons of reconnaissance battalions.  The Sd.Kfz. 234/1 8-Rad-Panzerspähwagen was also armed with the 2cm-KwK 38 and the MG 42 in an open-topped turret instead of the 50mm cannon found on the Puma. It resembled that of Sd.Kfz. 222, and became the standard Panzerspähwagen in 1944. Between June 1944 and January 1945, around 200 were produced.
Above: The Sd.Kfz. 234 with 2cm-KwK 38  Left: The Sd.Kfz. 222 with a 2cm-KwK 38 as main weapon against air-attacks

Sd.Kfz. 250 and 251 Schützenpanzerwagen as Flak-carrier
Since armored cars were difficult to use during bad weather in Russia, Generaloberts Guderian ordered for the production of a light armored vehicle (Leichter Schützenpanzerwagen) with the Sd. Kfz. 222 turret armed with the 2cm KwK 38 and MG 42. It went into production as the Sd.Kfz. 250/9 in March 1942, had a crew of three and was in use till the end of the war.

Based on the chassis of the 3 t-Zugkraftwagen the mittlere Schützenpanzerwagen (Sd.Kfz. 251) was armed with the 2cm Flak 38. The sides could be partially opened to give the crew space, and it was armored and protected against light weapons. It became clear in 1941 that the single gun was insufficient against armored Russian aircraft, and Flak systems with more barrels and heavier caliber's were developed. The Sd.Kfz. 251/21 was armed with three 1.5cm MG 151/15 which derived from aircraft.