If while watching war films you saw a squat, elongated German car with rather powerful armor, then for sure it was the Khanomag armored personnel carrier. It was widely used by the troops of the Third Reich and managed to prove the effectiveness of a completely new type of transport - it was after its appearance on the battlefields that many allies and opponents of Germany also decided to create analogues.
Why was it created
Shortly before the outbreak of World War II, German strategists came to the conclusion that the troops needed a fundamentally new type of military equipment, which would be a compromise between a conventional car and a tank. This is how the Sd Kfz 251 appeared, nicknamed "Khanomag" by the troops - after the name of the manufacturer.
He had a very unusual appearance - elongated, squat and very stable. This allowed him to successfully fulfill his mission and become almost as famous a model of German weapons as the MP-40 submachine gun and the heavy Tiger tank. It is no coincidence that hefound in many war films.
In fact, he became the first in his class, as he got into the troops already in 1939 - shortly before the start of the war. The next armored personnel carrier, the American M3, was developed only two years later, just when the US military appreciated the convenience of an armored vehicle, its reliability and efficiency.
It was used both for the transfer of troops and for the transportation of heavy weapons: flamethrowers, mortars, heavy machine guns. Of course, with a sufficient number of armored personnel carriers, the mobility of any detachment increased significantly. In addition, it provided pretty good protection - both from bullets fired from submachine guns and grenade fragments. This was especially important if the BTR 251 "Khanomag" was ambushed, which happened quite often in the occupied territories of the USSR and Yugoslavia, where there was a particularly strong partisan movement.
It proved its effectiveness and therefore was produced in really large quantities - more than 15 thousand pieces. According to this indicator, among armored personnel carriers, he was inferior to the already mentioned M3 - they were released twice as many.
Today, preserved copies can be seen in museums of military equipment, as well as private collections.
Basic performance characteristics
If we talk about this car, then first of all we should list the main performance characteristics of the armored personnel carrier. Its length was almost six meters, or rather, 598 centimeters. With a width of 210 and a height of 175 centimeters. The clearance was 32 centimeters, thanks to which the car confidently moved alongoff-road.
The mass of the filled armored personnel carrier with weapons and ammunition was 9140 kilograms - significantly less than the lightest tank, although several times more than the trucks of that time used on the fronts.
Protection of an armored personnel carrier
The Hanomag armored personnel carrier has gained considerable popularity precisely because of the armor. Of course, she did not save from a land mine laid on a forest road, or dagger fire from a machine gun. But still, the chances of survival of the soldiers significantly increased.
The most powerful armor was installed on the frontal part - quite reasonable, considering that armored personnel carriers were often used when advancing on enemy positions. Here the thickness was 14 mm. The sides and stern had less powerful protection - only 10 cm. But everywhere it was installed at a certain angle - 14.5-15 degrees. It was this arrangement that provided the maximum likelihood of ricochets, without breaking through the hull.
The weakest armor, like any armored personnel carrier, was located on top and bottom - only 8 millimeters. It is quite reasonable - it is difficult to imagine a situation in which the shooting would be carried out at him at such an angle. And in the event of a landmine explosion, the crew and the car would hardly have been saved by much more powerful armor.
A few words about the engine
Of course, in order for an armored personnel carrier weighing more than 9 tons to move successfully, developing a decent speed, a powerful engine was needed.
For this, a six-cylinder water-cooled carburetor engine was chosen. Its powerwas 100 horsepower - very good for its time. It was this indicator that allowed the car to effectively cope with various obstacles (we will return to this a little later), as well as reach speeds on the highway up to 53 kilometers per hour.
At the same time, the smell of running on the highway was very impressive - up to 300 kilometers. This gave the transport a serious autonomy, allowing it to travel long distances both in convoys and independently.
Crew
It is important that the crew of the Sd Kfz 251 Hanomag consisted of only two people. The first was a driver. His place was not separated from the troop compartment, but between him and the power compartment there was a reliable fire barrier, which increased the chances of survival in case of fire.
The armored personnel carrier was also highly valued because any person who knew how to drive a truck would easily figure out how to operate it. The same steering wheel, three pedals (gas, brake and clutch) and two levers (handbrake and gear shift) located on the right, made it possible to retrain the driver very quickly, without spending extra weeks and months on training.
The second member of the crew was the commander, who also took on the duties of a signalman. When driving, he was in his place to the right of the driver. However, in some later modifications, the commander's seat was moved to the stern.
Transportation of troops
At the same time, the Khanomag armored personnel carrier transported up to 10 people (not counting the crew). If necessary, he could accommodateand more, however, in this case, it would not be possible to quickly leave the troop compartment.
Benches were located on both sides of the compartment for the convenience of soldiers while riding. The first versions used simple benches covered with leatherette. But in later modifications they were replaced by an analogue welded from thick pipes and covered with tarpaulin. A number of armored personnel carriers with wooden benches were also produced.
So that motorized riflemen do not have to keep their weapons with them all the time, special fasteners were located on the walls of the compartment. They were perfect for fixing MP-38 and MP-40 submachine guns, as well as Mauser 98K carbines, the main armament of motorized infantry.
Armaments
The main armament of the Sonderkraftfahrzeug 251 was a Reinmetall-Borsig MG 34 7.92mm machine gun. Located in front of the fighting compartment, he could conduct suppressive fire, making the movement of the armored personnel carrier safer. In addition, he was equipped with an armored shield, which made it difficult for the enemy to destroy the machine gunner. And powerful bullets of caliber 7.92 mm could cut bushes and young trees, crumble bricks and any other obstacles, leaving the enemy few chances. The standard ammunition for the machine gun was 2010 rounds.
In addition, if necessary, another MG-34 machine gun could be installed in the stern. It was intended for firing both at ground targets and at air targets.
Chassis
However, German soldiers who fought in differentcountries of the world, the Khanomag armored personnel carrier was most valued not for firepower and not even for armor, but for its high cross-country ability. It was provided by a half-track chassis. A pair of wheels located at the front made it possible to direct the transport in the right direction, while thanks to the tracks, excellent cross-country ability was provided. Sand, swamps, black earth soaked after rain - the armored brainchild of "Khanomag" felt equally comfortable in any conditions.
In addition, an unusual engineering solution provided the possibility of a sharp turn. With the usual (up to 15 degrees), the turn was carried out only thanks to the wheels. If the angle of rotation was large, then with the help of a special mechanism, the inner caterpillar was released, and power was transferred from it to the outer one. Thanks to this, the "Khanomag" could easily turn around on the spot - when moving along city streets or attacking from an ambush on a narrow forest road, this gave additional chances for survival.
Overcoming obstacles
A powerful engine combined with a well-thought-out undercarriage allowed the armored personnel carrier to effectively overcome any obstacles.
For example, to force water barriers up to 0.5 meters deep almost regardless of the type of bottom.
Ditches up to 2 meters deep also did not cause problems - the caterpillars performed well even on difficult clay soils.
Finally, sharp rises (up to 24 degrees) were also overcome without much difficulty. When conducting hostilities on the territory of the USSRsuch cross-country ability proved to be especially important.
Modifications
All of the above applies specifically to the base model Sd Kfz 251. However, over the following years, a large number of modifications were released - weapons, purpose and even the main performance characteristics were different - weight, dimensions. A total of twenty-two modifications were released - some proved their effectiveness and were produced in the hundreds, while the release of others was limited to a few trial dozens.
Let's talk about the most interesting of them, which added to the list of armored personnel carriers of the Second World War. After all, each of them deserves special attention:
- For example, Sd Kfz 251/2 was a full-fledged self-propelled mortar. In addition to the standard MG-34 machine gun, it was also equipped with a sGrWr 34 mortar of 81 mm caliber with 66 rounds of ammunition
- And Sd Kfz 251/3 was used as a communication vehicle - this armored personnel carrier was equipped with various models of radio stations and different types of antennas. Of course, as a result, the coordination of action was significantly improved, which allowed the troops to act more smoothly and efficiently.
- The main purpose of the Sd Kfz 251/6 was the transportation of commanders of divisions, corps and armies. It was necessarily equipped with walkie-talkies, thanks to which the commander could receive reports directly from the battlefield, discuss further actions with other commanders.
- Sd Kfz 251/8 was used as an armored ambulance. Accommodated eight seated wounded or four seated andtwo recumbents.
- Sd Kfz 251/9 was a powerful fire unit, as it was equipped not only with the usual machine gun, but also with a real cannon! The short-barreled 75-mm Kwk-37 with 52 rounds of ammunition did not pose a danger to enemy tanks, but it proved to be excellent at destroying enemy manpower, as well as fortified firing points.
- BTR Sd Kfz 251/11 has become a real gift for signalmen. A reel with a telephone cable was installed on the right wing, which made it possible to lay it without leaving the relatively safe troop compartment.
Sd Kfz 251/16 has become a really terrible weapon. In addition to two MG-34 machine guns, it was equipped with two 14-mm flamethrowers. The total supply of fire mixture was 700 liters - this was enough to make up to 80 shots. Moreover, the distance of defeat was quite large - up to 35 meters (the direction and strength of the wind strongly influenced). However, for the destruction of manpower, especially soldiers who had settled in the trenches, this modification was perfect
Where the BTR was used
Let's start with the fact that the German armored personnel carrier "Khanomag" was effectively used throughout the Second World War - from the capture of Poland in 1939, ending with the defense of Berlin in April 1945.
During the occupation of European countries, it allowed to significantly increase mobility, transferring large forces to the right places in the shortest possible time.
But only the commanders-in-chief on the Eastern Front and inAfrica. Off-road, mud, sand - all this made the use of conventional trucks almost impossible. And the caterpillar drive allowed the armored personnel carrier to effectively overcome any obstacles, brilliantly performing the assigned tasks.
Conclusion
This concludes the article. Now you know more about the armored personnel carrier "Khanomag", which can boast of almost any museum of military equipment in Europe. And at the same time, you have an idea about its performance characteristics, armor, weapons, and even various modifications.
