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The . 7 was a half-track military vehicle used by the German Wehrmacht Heer, Luftwaffe and Waffen-SS during the Second World War. . is an abbreviation of the German word Sonderkraftfahrzeug, “special purpose vehicle“. A longer designation is . 7 mittlerer Zugkraftwagen 8t, “medium towing motor vehicle 8t“.
The vehicle could carry gun crews of up to 12 men in theatre-type seats. Under the seats was storage room for various tools, and the whole vehicle was spacious enough to carry their kit. The rear of the vehicle housed an enclosed compartment for storage of ammunition, though a second ammunition carrier was desirable. The tractor could tow loads up to 8,000 kg (17,600 lb) in weight. Most were fitted with a winch that could pull up to 3450 kg. It had a payload of 1800 kg. The windscreen was able to fold down and a canvas roof could be erected. A number were also constructed with a hard top, but this was less common in service. A later simplified type appeared with a timber frame truck-type layout, the ammunition being stored behind the driver’s station and the gun crew having space on wooden benches behind.
The running gear consisted of two front wheels with hydro-pneumatic tires for steering and a track each side with 14 road wheels—7 per side, overlapping and interleaved in the common Schachtellaufwerk design for German half-tracks—on each side of the vehicle; a drive sprocket was located at the front of each track system. Minor variations on the track and road wheel design and manufacture took place throughout the course of service, some being combined in the field as repairs took place. In 1943, the Maybach HL62 engine was replaced with a Maybach HL64.
The use of half-tracked prime movers for artillery was common in the German forces but not elsewhere. Compared to wheeled vehicles, half-tracks are more difficult to maintain, they often suffer track breakages, and are slower on roads. However, they have better off-road mobility compared to wheeled vehicles.
The was used throughout the war. They were seen during the 1940 Paris victory parade and the . 7 features in much German wartime propaganda footage, contributing to the myth of the mechanized Blitzkrieg. In fact, while produced in large numbers, there were never enough to fully equip the German forces. Typically, like many other types, the artillery elements of Panzer and mechanized infantry units (Panzergrenadier) received them, while other units continued to rely on horses to draw their guns.
The . 7 saw extensive use in the North African Campaign where their tracks allowed them to drive through the desert sands far more effectively than trucks. Often, columns carrying troops or POWs would include at least two half tracks with one generally riding point in order to make a path through the sands that the trucks could follow.
. 7/1 at the Wehrtechnische Studiensammlung Koblenz
The . 7 also became the basis of a number of self-propelled anti-aircraft variants based on 20 mm and 37 mm flak types in use. The . 7/1 was armed with a 2 cm Flakvierling 38 quadruple anti-aircraft gun system. The . 7/2 was armed with a single 3.7 cm FlaK 36 anti-aircraft gun. On many of these variants, the driver’s position and the engine cover was armored (8 mm thickness). There were also conversions made mounting a single 2 cm anti-aircraft gun. Trial vehicles mounting a 5 cm FlaK 41 were produced but proved unsuccessful, and did not enter serial production.
A variant with an armored superstructure based on the . 7, the Feuerleitpanzer auf Zugkraftwagen 8t, was used by launch crews of the V-2 ballistic missile. This was necessary as the V-2 sometimes malfunctioned and exploded on the launch pad. It was also used to tow the launch pad into place. Bunkers were not used as the V-2 was transported to widely dispersed launchpads by carriage on Meillerwagen trailers that could erect them atop the launchstands/flame deflectors that each dispersed launchpad facility was equipped with for surprise launches, to avoid Allied air attacks.
ome . 7 were taken into service by the Allies after the Second World War. The Czechoslovak Army used them for some years after the war.
In The Tank Museum, Dorset, UK, there is a detailed evaluation of a captured . 7 produced by Vauxhall Motors in 1942, pursuant to the Traclat project mentioned above.
(Bron Wikipedia).
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