Figure 1.--Here American GIs expect abandoned German armored halftracks (Sd.Kfz. 250/251 Sonderkraftfahrzeug). They were built as a offensive weapon to participate in Blitzkrieg. This required air superiority and closeair support which the Germans had i the first 3 years of the War (1939-42). Notice the tree branches used to camapfloge the half-tracks here. We believe that the photograph was taken around Falaisle in France (August 1944).

The idea behind the half-track was to produce a vehicle that married the manueverability of a truck and the cross countrt capability of a tank. Thehalf-track was an offensive weapon, one of many elements of the German tactical docrine of mobility so that overwealming force could be rapidly applied to critical points on the battlefield. The wheels provided manuerability. The tracks reduced the pressure on any given area in sharp contrast to wheeled vehicles. The track spread the weight of the vehicle's and load over a larger area. Thus the vehicle could go cross country a well as move over roads in snow and mud that was impassible to wheeled vehicles. They could could thus keep up with and accompny tanks in offensive operations, both to carry infantry as well as supplied and artillery. They added to the mobility of armored divisions because they enabled the infantry and artillery to keep up with the tanks. The infantry was needed to both protect the tanks and to rapidly exploit breeches in the enemy lines made by the tanks. As the war progressed and infantry anti-tank weapons were developed, infantry to protect the tanks becae increasingly important. They added both firepower and protection to the infantry. The Germns used them for Panzergrenadiers deployed to protect the tanks as light anti-tank wepons were developed for the infantry.

Created: 2:36 AM 2/9/2013
Last updated: 7:09 AM 2/25/2016