From the early stages of World War II, the German army began to equip their Panzergrenadiers with armoured half-tracks that would support their panzers in action. They developed the excellent Sd.Kfz 251 series, made by Hanomag, and steadily produced them in their thousands, with over twenty versions seeing service in most theatres of the war.
Originally developed as an anti-aircraft weapon, the Flak 37 8.8cm (or Eighty-eight as it became known by Allied troops) had a high muzzle velocity to allow it to reach the higher ranges modern bombers were capable of at the time. This would make it an exceptionally deadly anti-tank weapon as many Allied tank crews would learn to their peril. The 88 could also be deployed as a conventional artillery piece – as one infantryman noted, the 88 was 'anti-everything’…
The Sd.Kfz 251/7 Ausf D half-tracked engineer commonly known as the Pionierwagen. Based on the ubiquitous Sd.Kfz 251 Hanomag half-track, the Pionierwagen was a very useful vehicle for the assault engineers of the German Army, seeing service on all fronts, from the vast open areas of the Russian Front to the rubble-choked streets of Berlin in 1945.
Most commonly known as the Panzer 38(t), this light tank was originally a Czech design – the LT vz. 38 – which fell under the Third Reich’s control when Germany occupied Czechoslovakia in 1938. The 't’ in its designation relates to the German for Czech – tschechisch.
Originally developed as an anti-aircraft weapon, the Flak 37 8.8cm (or Eighty-eight as it became known by Allied troops) had a high muzzle velocity to allow it to reach the higher ranges modern bombers were capable of at the time. This would make it an exceptionally deadly anti-tank weapon as many Allied tank crews would learn to their peril. The 88 could also be deployed as a conventional artillery piece – as one infantryman noted, the 88 was 'anti-everything’…
Containing a single Sd.KLfz 251/1 ausf C half-track, more popularly known as a 'Hanomag’, this easy to build, yet remarkably detailed, plastic boxed set gives your Landsers mobility, a degree of protection and the supporting firepower of their MGs for and aft.
Marrying the obsolete but reliable chassis of the Czech-built Pz 38(t) tank and the captured Soviet 76.2mm PaK 36(r) L/51 anti-tank gun, the Marder (Marten) provided the Wehrmacht with a potent self-propelled gun. These captured Soviet weapons were rechambered to accept German 75mm PaK 40 ammunition and avoid supply issues. As the war progressed, the main guns were replaced with the PaK 40 anti-tank guns.
Based on the reliable Czechoslovakian Panzer 38(t) chassis, almost 3,000 of Hetzers (Baiters) were built by the war’s end. Their small size and very low profile gave them distinct advantages in the role of tank hunters.
Perhaps a more famous adaptation was the Opel Maultier „Mule” half-track. Introduced in 1941 following the dire Rasputitsa conditions of the Eastern Front that had brought the entire army to a stand still. This conversion, utilizing the track system of the obsolete Panzer I, gave the German army a very competent all purpose mover and it would see action through out the rest of the war.
The Panther was the best all-round German tank of the war and although conceived as a medium tank, at 45 tons and with frontal armour over 100mm thick, it could easily be rated more highly.
Amongst the most feared tanks in the Second World War, the mere mention of the name 'Tiger’ was enough to cause panic amongst Allied armoured formations.
Box contains 1 plastic, metal and resin halftrack in 1:56 scale. Also contains 2 metal crewmen and a full-colour waterslide decal sheet.