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German Sd. Kfz. 4 Maultier Tracked Light Truck - 4.Panzer Division, Kursk, Russia, 1943

By: Eaglemoss

Type: Miniatures Pack

Product Line: Military Vehicles (1/43) (Eaglemoss)

Last Stocked on 5/14/2021

Product Info

Title
German Sd. Kfz. 4 Maultier Tracked Light Truck - 4.Panzer Division, Kursk, Russia, 1943
Publisher
Publish Year
2018
Dimensions
3.25x8.5x3.25"
NKG Part #
2147754606
MFG. Part #
EGMEMW208
Type
Miniatures Pack

Description

The Sd. Kfz. 4 Gleissketten-Lastkraftwagen (track chain truck) or 'Maultier' was a family of half-tracks developed during the Second World War by Germany which, between 1933 and 1945, was the leader in production of these vehicles.

The Sd. Kfz. 4 was developed after the 1941 invasion of Russia as the ice and mud of Russia bogged down the commercial vehicles (primarily the 3-ton Opel-Blitz Type 3.6-36 S, the 3t Ford V8 Type G 398 TS/V 3000 S, the Magirus Type S 3000 and the 4.5t Mercedes-Benz Type L 4500 R) that were used to supply German forces.

A total of 22,500 Sd. Kfz. 4 halftracks were produced by 1944. Later in the war, Opel trucks were outfitted with 15cm Panzerwerfer 42 rocket launchers and designated Sd. Kfz. 4/1's, with around 300 being produced. With the extra weight, these variants could only manage a top speed of 25mph.

The vast majority of Sd. Kfz. 4's were operated using the British Carden-Lloyd running gear, with the exception of the Type L 4500 R, which used PzKpfw II running gear. The half-track's 6-cylinder engines used 5 forward gears and one reverse, and at 3000rpm could attain a maximum forward speed of 40km/h. Each halftrack was equipped with the FuG Spr G f radio.

Aside from the Sd. Kfz. 4/1, the Sd. Kfz.'s were armed only with a light 7.92 mm MG34 or MG42 machine gun with a traverse of 270 and elevation limits of -12 to +80. With thin armor plating, the Sd. Kfz's were not ideal for close quarter combat against anything greater than small arms fire.

Pictured here is a 1:43 scale replica of a German Sd. Kfz. 4 Maultier tracked light truck that was attached to the 4. Panzer Division, then deployed to Kursk, Russia, during 1943.