SdKfz 7

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Sd.Kfz. 7 (mittlerer Zugkraftwagen 8t, Krauss Maffei Typ KM m 11, HLm 11, Saurer 11 ) was a halftrack military vehicle used by the German Wehrmacht, Luftwaffe and Waffen-SS during the Second World War.
The origins of the SdKfz 7 vehicle are associated with the Krauss-Maffei company project labelled MS(m5) which had been prepared in 1928. Serious work on the vehicle construction started in 1933, after the Wehrmacht High Command had placed an order for the 8-ton half-track tractor. Many experimental series were produced in the years 1934 to 1937 but the final version of the KM m11, labelled Sd.Kfz.7, was approved only in 1937. Sd.Kfz 7 was the primary tractor of the well-known 8.8 cm Flak 18, 36 and 37 guns. It was also used as a tractor for many other guns, e.g., the 15 cm sFH and the 10.5 cm K. The SdKfz 7 tractor could carry 12 men along with with equipment and ammunition. The artillery crew was seated on the benches behind the driver. The canvas roof was used for protection from heat and rain. The vehicle could tow guns and vehicles weighing up to 8,000 kg. Most vehicles were fitted with a winch that could pull up to 3450 kg. Some of the latter had protective armour plating. Part of the final production batches of the tractor version had austere bodywork with a wooden body.
The SdKfz 7 seemed to be the most useful vehicle of this kind and was very well popular. The Italians manufactured almost the same vehicle under the name Breda 61. The Germans were intensively expanding production. At the end of 1942 there were 3,262 SdKfz7 vehicles in service. Not all of them were tractors because the payload capacity made them perfect artillery truck. The production of the SdKfz 7 vehicles was terminated in 1944. By this time they were manufactured at Krauss-Maffei factories in Munich, Sauer-werke in Vienna and Borgward in Bremen. After the war, a lot of those vehicles were taken into service by the Allies, also the Czechoslovak Army used them for many years.

Specifications

 crew
 driver + 10 soldiers
 weight
 11 550 kg
trailer weight
8000 kg
wimch capaacity
3500 kg
load limit
1800 kg
 lenght
 6900 mm
 width
 2350 mm (2400 mm Flak variants)
 height
 2620 mm
 max speed
 50,5 km/h
 range
 250 km (135 km off-road)
 fording
 650 mm
 climbing ability
 24°
 circulation
 8 m
 ground clearance
 410 mm
 engine
 Maybach HL 62 TUK, 6191 cm3 , 6 cylinder inline liquid cooled petrol engine producing up to 138 hp (103 kW) at 2600 rpm (since 1943: Maybach HL 62 TR )
 transmission, suspension
 4 forward, 2 reverse, dry 2-plate clutch. Controlled-differential, actuated by steering wheel. Air brakes on drive sprockets. Transversal leaf spring at front, torsion bar suspension at rear.
battery
12V 105Ah
 fuel consumption
 81 l (167 l off-road)
 fuel capacity
 213 or 203 l
 tracks
 Zgw.50/360/180
track lenght
2235 mm
 number of links per track
 54
 tires x thread
 9,75 x 20” x 2000
wheel base
3470 mm
 production
 12189 (KM m11 variant)

Variants

Sd.Kfz. 7
Sd.Kfz. 7/1 – AA Sd.Kfz. 7 armed with a 2 cm Flakvierling 38 L/65 (traverse: 360°, elevation: -10° +100°) quadruple anti-aircraft gun mounting, appearing with both open and armored cab. Driver cab armor: 8 mm. Ammo was carried in a special single axle trailer. Production: 319.
Sd.Kfz. 7/2 – AA Sd.Kfz. 7 armed with a 3.7 cm FlaK 36/37/43 anti-aircraft gun (traverse: 360°, elevation: -8° +85°). Open and armored cab variants existed. Production: 123.
Sd.Kfz. 7/3 – 2,5 ton crane
Sd.Kfz. 7/6 – Flakmesstruppenwagen (used for setting up AA gun positions)
Sd.Kfz. 7/7 – prototype armed with a 5cm FlaK 41 gun
Sd.Kfz. 7/9 – Feuerleitpanzer für V2 Raketen auf Zugkraftwagen 8t. Observation and command post for the V-2 ballistic missile.

Bibliography and sources

  • German Half-Tracks of World War Two – Frank V. De Sisto, Concord Armor At War 7054
  • Die mittleren Zugkraftwagen der Wehrmacht 1934-1945 – Reinhard Frank, Waffen-Arsenal 134, Podzun-Pallas-Verlag 1992
  • Sd.Kfz.7 Mittlerer Zugkraftwagen 8 t – History File 004 (Italian/English)
  • Flak Auf Sd.Kfz.7 Part I – Kagero Photosniper 9, 2001
  • Halbkettenfahrzeuge: German Half-track Vehicles 1939-1945 – J. Williamson, Almark Publishing, Wehrmacht illustrated No.4
  • German Half-Tracked Vehicles of World War 2: Unarmoured Support Vehicles of the German Army 1933-45 – John Milsom, Arms & Armour Press 1975
  • Die Halbkettenfahrzeuge des Deutschen Heeres 1909 – 1945 – Walter J. Spielberger, Motorbuch Verlag 1993
  • Halbketten-Fahrzeuge – Uwe Feist , Das Waffen-Arsenal Band 8 (german)