Sd.Kfz. 11/1

The Sd.kfz. 11/1 or Selbstfahrlafette (Sd. Kfz. 11/1) für 2 cm Flak 38 auf le. Zgkw. 3t mit Panzerschutz was a German half track manufactured for the German military during the Second World War.[1] There was an earlier vehicle with this designation, the Nebelkraftwagen Sd. Kfz. 11/1, an ammunition carrier for the Nebelwerfer mortar carrier. When that vehicle was no longer being made, the designation was then used for this vehicle.

Design

The half track chassis has a similar original design to the Sd.Kfz. 251, so is sometimes mistaken for it. It is fundamentally an Anti Aircraft half track, with the front half armoured, and the back part a flat bed, upon which is mounted a 2 cm flak gun. By March 1945 a total of 644 vehicles had been manufactured. It was crewed by 5, and powered by a Maybach HL42 TUKRM engine, reaching top road speeds of 53 km/h and a range of 250 km on road. Front armour was 15mm, side armour 8mm.[2]

Operational Use

The vehicle saw action on the Eastern Front, in particular during the period when the Russian Air Force gained air dominance.[2]

Surviving Vehicles

Only one example of this Half track is known to exist. It arrived at the Australian Armour and Artillery Museum, Cairns, Australia on 28 February 2020 , and has been restored to a fully operational state.

References
  • Chamberlain, Peter, and Hilary L. Doyle. Thomas L. Jentz (Technical Editor). Encyclopedia of German Tanks of World War Two: A Complete Illustrated Directory of German Battle Tanks, Armoured Cars, Self-propelled Guns, and Semi-tracked Vehicles, 1933–1945. London: Arms and Armour Press, 1978 (revised edition 1993). ISBN 1-85409-214-6
  • Niehorster, Leo W. G. German World War II Organizational Series, Vol. 4/II: Mechanized GHQ units and Waffen-SS Formations (28th June 1942) Milton Keyes, Buckinghamshire: Military Press, 2004
  • Spielberger, Walter J. Halftracked Vehicles of the German Army 1909-1945. Atlgen, PA: Schiffer, 2008 ISBN 978-0-7643-2942-5
  1. "Sd.Kfz. 11-1 2cm Flak 38". Kfzderwehrmacht.de. Retrieved 20 September 2019.
  2. "2 cm Flak 38 auf Selbstfahrlafette Zgkw 3t Sd.Kfz. 11/1". Vvlka.cz. Retrieved 20 September 2019.
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