Soon after invading the USSR, German troops discovered that their wheeled transport vehicles were unsuitable for the sparse road network, particularly in the muddy conditions of the rasputitsa. Only half tracks like the Sd.Kfz. 11 could haul supplies to forward units in these conditions, but removing them from their combat role for supply duties was not feasible, so it was decided to produce half-tracked versions of standard Opel, Daimler-Benz, Alfa-Romeo and Ford trucks (lorries) by removing their rear axles, truncating the prop-shafts and connecting them to redundant Panzer I track assemblies. Heavier trucks (4 tons payload) were fitted with Panzer II track assemblies.
Horstmann suspension components employed by the Panzer I was practically identical to the light tank track system used on the Universal Carrier, with the Maultier's use of them closely resembling the roadwheel/suspension system used by the T16 American-produced version in its roadwheel design. Most Maultier conversions were based on Opel Blitz model S trucks, which proved successful in service.
Although they lacked the overall mobility of purpose-built half tracks, they were cheaper and sufficiently effective. From 1943 some Maultier trucks were fitted with armored bodies, designated Sd.Kfz. 4.[2] Some of these were armed with ten-tube rocket launcher Panzerwerfer 42, and were designated Sd.Kfz.. 4/1.
Productionedit
The vehicles were built by Opel at the Klöckner-Humboldt-Deutz AG and also in France in the Ford factory in Asnieres. In 1942 a total of 635 vehicles were produced, 1943 there were 13,000 and 1944 only 7,310.[3]
^Jean-Denis G.G. Lepage, German Military Vehicles of World War II: An Illustrated Guide to Cars, p. 112
^. Archived from the original on 11 July 2015. Retrieved 19 June 2013.
^"Lexikon der Wehrmacht". www.lexikon-der-wehrmacht.de. Retrieved 24 December 2018.
April 10, 2024
maultier, this, article, needs, additional, citations, verification, please, help, improve, this, article, adding, citations, reliable, sources, unsourced, material, challenged, removed, find, sources, news, newspapers, books, scholar, jstor, july, 2013, learn. This article needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources Maultier news newspapers books scholar JSTOR July 2013 Learn how and when to remove this template message Maultier English mule or Sd Kfz 3 is the name given to series of half track trucks used by Nazi Germany during World War II They were based on Opel Mercedes Benz Alfa Romeo or Ford trucks MaultierOpel Maultier exiting from a Messerschmitt Me 323 Gigant transport TypeHalf trackPlace of originNazi GermanyService historyIn service1941 1945WarsWorld War IIProduction historyDesigned1941Produced1942 1944No built20 945SpecificationsMass3 930 5 500 kg 8 660 12 130 lb 1 Length5 95 7 9 m 19 ft 6 in 25 ft 11 in Width2 25 2 36 m 7 ft 5 in 7 ft 9 in Height2 1 3 2 m 6 ft 11 in 10 ft 6 in Crew2ArmornoneEngine3 6 litre 6 cyl petrol engine Opel Blitz Maximum speed36 38 km h 22 24 mph Contents 1 History 2 Production 3 See also 4 ReferencesHistory editSoon after invading the USSR German troops discovered that their wheeled transport vehicles were unsuitable for the sparse road network particularly in the muddy conditions of the rasputitsa Only half tracks like the Sd Kfz 11 could haul supplies to forward units in these conditions but removing them from their combat role for supply duties was not feasible so it was decided to produce half tracked versions of standard Opel Daimler Benz Alfa Romeo and Ford trucks lorries by removing their rear axles truncating the prop shafts and connecting them to redundant Panzer I track assemblies Heavier trucks 4 tons payload were fitted with Panzer II track assemblies Horstmann suspension components employed by the Panzer I was practically identical to the light tank track system used on the Universal Carrier with the Maultier s use of them closely resembling the roadwheel suspension system used by the T16 American produced version in its roadwheel design Most Maultier conversions were based on Opel Blitz model S trucks which proved successful in service Although they lacked the overall mobility of purpose built half tracks they were cheaper and sufficiently effective From 1943 some Maultier trucks were fitted with armored bodies designated Sd Kfz 4 2 Some of these were armed with ten tube rocket launcher Panzerwerfer 42 and were designated Sd Kfz 4 1 Production editThe vehicles were built by Opel at the Klockner Humboldt Deutz AG and also in France in the Ford factory in Asnieres In 1942 a total of 635 vehicles were produced 1943 there were 13 000 and 1944 only 7 310 3 See also editList of Sd Kfz designations Radschlepper Ost Raupenschlepper OstReferences edit Jean Denis G G Lepage German Military Vehicles of World War II An Illustrated Guide to Cars p 112 Germany s Maultier mule Archived from the original on 11 July 2015 Retrieved 19 June 2013 Lexikon der Wehrmacht www lexikon der wehrmacht de Retrieved 24 December 2018 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Maultier amp oldid 1201833649, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
