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Sd.Kfz. 8

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Schwerer Zugkraftwagen 12 t,Sd.Kfz. 8
A Sd.Kfz. 8 towing a GothaGo 242glider
TypeHeavyhalf-track
Place of originNazi Germany
Service history
In service1939–1945
Used byNazi Germany
Czechoslovakia
Romania
Bulgaria
WarsWorld War II
Production history
DesignerDaimler-Benz
Designed1936–1939
ManufacturerDaimler-Benz,Krupp,Krauss-Maffei,Škoda
Unit cost46,000RM
Produced1937–1944
No.builtapprox. 4,000
Specifications (DB 10)
Mass14,700 kg (32,400 lb)
Length7.35 m (24 ft 1 in)
Width2.5 m (8 ft 2 in)
Height2.77 m (9 ft 1 in) overall
Crew2 + 11
EngineMaybach HL85 TUKRM8.5L12-cylinderwater-cooledpetrol
185PS(182hp;136kW)
Payload capacity2,550 kg (5,620 lb)
TransmissionZF4 + 1 speed
Suspensiontorsion bar
Ground clearance40 cm (16 in)
Fuel capacity250 L (55 imp gal; 66 US gal)
Operational
range
250 km (160 mi) road
125 km (78 mi) cross-country
Maximum speed51 km/h (32 mph) road
21 km/h (13 mph) cross-country

TheSonderkraftfahrzeug8( "special motorized vehicle 8" ), usually abbreviated toSd.Kfz. 8,was aGermanhalf-trackdesigned byDaimler-Benzthat saw widespread use inWorld War II.Its main roles were as aprime moverfor heavy towed guns such as the21 cm Mörser 18,the17 cm Kanone 18and the10.5 cm FlaK 38.However, it was also capable of serving as an infantry transport. Approximately 4,000 were produced between 1938 and 1945. It was used in every campaign fought by the Germans in World War II, notably theInvasion of Poland,theBattle of France,theBalkans Campaign,theEastern Front,theNorth African Campaign,theBattle of Normandyand theItalian Campaign.

Description[edit]

The final version of theSd.Kfz. 8,the DB 10, was powered by aMaybach12-cylinder, water-cooled, 8.52-litre (520 cu in)HL85 TUKRMgasoline engine developing 185 PS (182 hp; 136 kW) at 2,500 rpm. It had aZFtransmission with four forward and one reverse gears in both high and low ratios. It had two fuel tanks, a main one of 210 litres (55 US gal) and a reserve of 40 L (11 US gal) capacity.[1]The driver's seat was mounted on top of the main tank in the cab.[2]

Both tracks and wheels were used for steering. The steering system was set up so that shallow turns used only the wheels, but brakes would be applied to the tracks the farther the steering wheel was turned. The drive sprocket had rollers rather than the more common teeth. The rear suspension consisted of six double roadwheels, overlapping and interleaved in the usualSchachtellaufwerksystem used for German half-track vehicles, mounted on swing arms sprung bytorsion bars.The torsion bars were enclosed inside the lateral members of theladder framechassis.[3]Track idler wheels were used to control track tension via an adjusting mechanism at the rear of the vehicle.[4]The front wheels hadleaf springsand shock absorbers.[1]

The upper body had a crew compartment with three bench seats, one for the driver and his assistant, and two others for the crew. The rear cargo area contained storage compartments, one on each side and two in the rear. The windshield could fold forward and was also removable. A convertible canvas top was mounted above the rear storage compartments. It fastened to the windshield when erected.[5]

TheSd.Kfz. 8was initially designed to have a towing capacity of 12 tonnes (12 long tons; 13 short tons), but the wartimeDB 10could tow 14 tonnes (14 long tons; 15 short tons).[6]

Design and development[edit]

Preliminary design of all the German half-tracks of the early part of the war was done byDipl.Ing.Ernst Kniepkamp of the "Military Automotive Department" (Wa Prüf 6) before theNazistook power in 1933. His designs were then turned over to commercial firms for development and testing.[7]Daimler-Benzhad been working on its own half-track design during 1931–1932, theZD.5.It weighed 9.3 tonnes (9.2 long tons; 10.3 short tons), used a twelve-cylinder, 150 hp (110 kW)MaybachDSO 8gasoline engine and its upper body had three bench seats behind the driver. Its suspension was based on theWorld War I-eraMarienwagen IIand bore absolutely no relation to the interleaved roadwheels andtorsion barsused by the various models of theSd.Kfz. 8.[8]

Daimler-Benz combined the best of both designs in theDB s7prototype which appeared in 1934. It used the same engine as theZD.5,but otherwise bore little resemblance to the older model other than an upper body that had two bench seats for the crew behind the driver's seat. This upper body remained the same over the life of theSd.Kfz. 8.It weighed 14.4 tonnes (14.2 long tons; 15.9 short tons) and could pull loads of 12 tonnes (12 long tons; 13 short tons). An improved version was introduced in 1936 as theDB s8.[9]

The heavier (15 tonnes (15 long tons; 17 short tons))DB 9model appeared in 1938. It used theMaybach HL85 TUKRMengine, could carry an 800-kilogram (1,800 lb) payload and could tow a 14-tonne (14-long-ton; 15-short-ton) load. Daimler-Benz tried unsuccessfully to use theirdieselOM 48/1engine, but it was repeatedly rejected by theArmy Weapons Office.[10]

TheDB 10introduced in October 1939 was a refined version of theDB 9with a new gearbox and transmission: this final version was produced until 1944.[11][12]

Variants[edit]

Main article:8.8 cm Flak 18 (Sfl.) auf schwere Zugkraftwagen 12t (Sd.Kfz 8)

Ten8.8 cm Flak 18anti-aircraftguns were mounted on pedestals onDB s8andDB 9chassis in 1939 as the8.8 cm Flak 18 (Sfl.) auf Zugkraftwagen 12t (Sd.Kfz. 8)— also known as theBunkerflakorBufla— foranti-tankduties. Agun shieldwas provided for the gun, but the gun crew had no other protection. The driver's cab was replaced by a lower, armored cupola and the engine compartment was lightly (14.5 millimetres (0.57 in)) armored. The vehicle weighed 20 tonnes (20 long tons; 22 short tons), was 7.35 metres (24.1 ft) long, 2.8 metres (9.2 ft) tall and 2.65 metres (8.7 ft) wide.[13]The gun could fire directly ahead without any problem, but traverse was limited to 151° to each side by the gun shield. Elevation was between -3° and +15°. All ten were assigned to the first company of the anti-tank battalionPanzerjäger-Abteilung 8which participated in theInvasion of Polandin 1939, theBattle of Francein 1940 andOperation Barbarossain 1941. The company was redesignated asPanzerjäger-Kompanie( "Anti-Tank Company" ) 601 in January 1942 and then as the third company of Anti-Tank Battalion 559 the following April. It reported that the last three vehicles had been lost by March 1943.[14]

Production and use[edit]

Daimler-BenzandKruppwere the main builders of theSd.Kfz. 8during the war, withKrauss-Maffeiproducing 315 in 1940–1941;Škodajoined in the last years of the war making vehicles under the S10 designation.[15]

Total production numbers are: 780 were built from 1934 to 1939; 516 in 1940; 828 in 1941; 840 in 1942; 507 in 1943; and 602 in 1944, for a total of 4070 vehicles of all variants.[15]1615 were on hand on 20 December 1942.[16]TheSd.Kfz. 8was used byCzechoslovakiaafter the war, but it is not known if production continued atŠkodaor when they were finally discarded.[6]TheSd.Kfz. 8was also used byRomaniaduring the war.[17][failed verification]

Unlike most of the other German half-tracks, theSd.Kfz. 8was mostly used as a tractor for heavy artillery pieces and was generally not modified for other roles (apart from the few anti-tank conversions mentioned above).[18]The intended towed guns were the15 cm Kanone 16;the15 cm Kanone 18;the10.5 cm FlaK 38,and the21 cm Mörser 16.[19]It was also capable of towing other artillery pieces such as the Škoda30.5 cm Mörser,various models of the8.8 cm Flak,and the15 cm sFH 18,[20]

Apart from towing artillery, theSd.Kfz 8was also used as a recovery vehicle by tank maintenance crews and as a general heavy transport. For example, it was capable of towing a disabledSd.Kfz. 6/2 in a straight pull and hauling aPanzer 38(t)on a steerableSd. Ah. 116tank transporter trailer.[21]

In 1942, fiveSd.Kfz. 8'coupled together were used to pull a trailer carrying a 30.5 cm (12.0 in) gun barrel forBatterie Miruson Guernsey.[22]

Notes[edit]

  1. ^abSpielberger, p. 164
  2. ^Hettler, p.28
  3. ^Frank, p. 12
  4. ^Hettler, p. 20
  5. ^Spielberger, p. 79
  6. ^abSpielberger, p. 85
  7. ^Spielberger, p. 24
  8. ^Spielberger, pp. 76, 85
  9. ^Hettler, p. 5
  10. ^Spielberger, p. 85
  11. ^Spielberger, pp. 85–86, 164
  12. ^Hettler, p. 6
  13. ^Chamberlain and Doyle, p. 186
  14. ^Jentz & Doyle, pp. 28–31
  15. ^abHettler, p. 6
  16. ^Spielberger, p. 86
  17. ^Granillo[page needed]
  18. ^Spielberger, p. 77
  19. ^Frank, p. 3
  20. ^Frank pp. 8, 15-16
  21. ^Frank, pp. 20–21
  22. ^News Report transporting barrel and operating gun

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  • *Chamberlain, Peter; Doyle, Hilary L. (1978). Thomas L. Jentz (ed.).Encyclopedia of German Tanks of World War Two: A Complete Illustrated Directory of German Battle Tanks, Armoured Cars, Self-propelled Guns, and Semi-tracked Vehicles, 1933–1945(revised 1993 ed.). London: Arms and Armour Press.ISBN1-85409-214-6.
  • Frank, Reinhardt (1996).German Heavy Half-Tracked Prime Movers 1934–1945.Translated by Don Cox. Atglen, PA: Schiffer.ISBN0-7643-0167-5.(first published in German in 1994)
  • Hettler, Nicolaus; et al. (2002).Schwerer Zugkraftwagen 12 to and variants (Daimler-Benz) (Sd.Kfz. 8).Nuts & Bolts. Vol. 16. Nuts & Bolts.
  • Jentz, Thomas L.; Doyle, Hilary L. (2004).Panzerjaeger (3.7 cm Tak to Sfl. Ic): Development and Employment from 1927 to 1941.Panzer Tracts. Vol. 7–1. Boyds, MD: Panzer Tracts.ISBN0-9744862-3-X.
  • Spielberger, Walter J. (2008).Halftracked Vehicles of the German Army 1909-1945.Atglen, PA: Schiffer.ISBN978-0-7643-2942-5.

External links[edit]

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