June 07, 2019
By David Fortier
In part one of this three part series we did an introductory “walk around” of this classic World War II German halftrack. In part two we climb inside, examine the crew’s compartment and find out what all the controls do. Designed by Hanomag and adopted in 1939, the Sd.Kfz 251 does not feature a live front axle, but a track system provided impressive cross-country mobility. Powered by a 99 hp 6-cylinder Maybech HL 42 gasoline engine the Sd.Kfz. 251 could reach speeds up to 32 mph. It featured a two-speed transfer case and four-speed manual transmission. Track brake levers were provided to aid steering. The rear suspension featured a smooth riding, but complicated torsion bar suspension with over-lapping road wheels.
The vehicle seen here is actually a post-war Czech OT 810 copy of the Sd.Kfz. 251 at DriveTanks.com in in Uvalde, Texas. This living history museum will be featured in the 2018 season of Guns&AmmoTV, in the pages of Firearms News and online here. The Sd.Kfz. 251 will be the first vehicle from their collection covered online by FirearmsNews.com with others following shortly. FirearmsNews.com has a variety of interesting videos coming up which include hitting the range with a M4A2E8 Sherman and Soviet T-34/85, along with a host of small arms and an anti-tank gun or two. So make sure to check back here, and tune into Guns&AmmoTV, available on The Sportsman Channel, for separate coverage.
If you’ve cut the cord to cable TV you can stream it through our MOTV.com streaming service. If you’d like the opportunity to drive an Sd.Kfz.251, and other classic armored vehicles, take a look at DriveTanks.com .
See Part 1 here .here .
