Sd.Kfz. 8 – Foto's & Video's

De Sonderkraftfahrzeug 8 ("special motorized vehicle 8") was een Duitse half-track die op grote schaal werd gebruikt in de Tweede Wereldoorlog. De belangrijkste rollen waren als drijvende kracht achter zware getrokken kanonnen zoals de 21 cm Mörser 18, de 15 cm Kanone 18 en de 10,5 cm FlaK 38, maar het was ook in staat om te dienen als infanterietransport. Tussen 1938 en 1945 werden er ongeveer 4.000 geproduceerd. Het werd gebruikt in elke campagne die door de Duitsers in de Tweede Wereldoorlog werd uitgevochten, met name de invasie van Polen, de Slag om Frankrijk, de Balkancampagne, het oostfront, de Noord-Afrikaanse campagne, de Slag om Normandië en de Italiaanse campagne.

Bron: Sd.Kfz. 8 op Wikipedia

The Sd.Kfz. 8 was a German half-track vehicle that was used during World War II. It was designed as a heavy tractor for towing artillery pieces and other heavy loads. The Sd.Kfz. 8 had a crew of four and could carry up to 12 passengers. It was powered by a Maybach HL 85 TUKRM engine that gave it a top speed of 50 km/h on roads and 30 km/h off-road. The Sd.Kfz. 8 was equipped with a 7.92 mm MG 34 or MG 42 machine gun for self-defense.
The Sd.Kfz. 8 was first produced in 1937 and saw service in various theaters of war, such as Poland, France, the Soviet Union, North Africa and Italy. It was mainly used to tow the 15 cm sFH 18 howitzer, the 21 cm Mörser 18 heavy mortar and the 8.8 cm Flak gun. The Sd.Kfz. 8 could also be fitted with special equipment for different purposes, such as bridging, engineering, recovery and fire-fighting. The Sd.Kfz. 8 was a reliable and versatile vehicle that proved its value in many situations.