Krupp Protze

The Krupp Protze (officially L 2 H 43 and L 2 H 143) was a six-wheeled 6x4 German truck and artillery tractor produced between 1934 and 1941 and heavily used in World War II. It was powered by a 4-cylinder, 55 hp or, from 1936, 60 hp Krupp M 304 petrol engine. Its main purpose was to tow artillery, especially the 3.7 cm Pak 36 anti-tank gun (designated Kfz 69), and transport motorized infantry (designated Kfz 70).

Krupp L 2 H 43 / L 2 H 143 / Kfz.70
Krupp Kfz.70 on display at Deutsches Panzermuseum, Germany.
TypeArtillery tractor / Utility truck
Place of origin Germany
Service history
Used by Germany
WarsWorld War II
Production history
DesignerKrupp
ManufacturerKrupp
Produced1934–1941
No. built7,000
VariantsSeveral, see text
Specifications
Mass2,600 kg (5,700 lb)
Length5.10 m (16 ft 9 in)
Width1.93 m (6 ft 4 in)
Height1.96 m (6 ft 5 in)
Crew1 + 5 passengers + 1 light towed gun (Kfz.69), 2+10 (Kfz.70)
ArmorNone
EngineKrupp Boxer motor, 3.3 liters
53 or 60 hp
Payload capacity1,150 kg (2,540 lb)
Fuel capacity110 L (24 imp gal; 29 US gal)
Operational
range
450 km (280 mi) on road
Maximum speed 70 km/h (43 mph)

This vehicle was extensively used on the Eastern Front, during the North African campaign and in France and Sicily. The "Krupp-Protze" was of relatively advanced design. Its fuel consumption was relatively high (24 Litres / 100 km on road) in comparison to the comparable Opel Blitz 1.5 t truck (16.5 liters / 100 km, produced 1938 - 1942).

Total production was about 7,000 units.

Variants

A successful design, the Krupp-Protze was converted into several variants:

Kfz.19
Telephone truck
Kfz.21
Staff car
Kfz.68
Radio mast carrier
Kfz.69
Standard configuration for towing the 3.7 cm Pak 36 anti-tank gun. Carried 2 in front with 4 in a pair of forward and rear facing seats.
Kfz.70
Standard configuration for personnel carrying. carried 2 in front with 10 seated in the rear on benches.
Kfz.81
Ammo carrier conversion for 2 cm FlaK anti-aircraft gun, usually towed
  • Kfz.83
Generator carrier for anti-aircraft searchlight, usually towed
Sd.Kfz. 247 Ausf. A
armoured personnel carrier, six-wheeled version, only 20 built in 1937; production went to Daimler-Benz, who built the Ausf. B four-wheeled version in 1941 and 1942.

Sometimes anti-tank (37 mm Pak 36) and anti-air (2 cm Flak) guns were mounted directly on the truck bed (Portée).

See also

Notes

    References
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