German half-track vehicle Sd.Kfz 7 COBI 2275 - World War II

You know that:

• The development of the vehicle began as early as 1934 on the basis of the German army's request for a wheeled, manoeuvrable vehicle for towing trailers weighing up to 8,000 kg and transporting infantry.
• The Krauss-Maffei company of Munich produced the first unit in 1938 as a 150 mm howitzer tractor.
• The passenger seats were placed in rows behind each other and therefore the soldiers simply called the vehicle "Theater".
• The vehicle proved particularly successful during the African campaign, but German industry could not produce enough units to meet the demands of the Wehrmacht.
• The basic version 7 had a storage compartment behind the wooden driver's bench for small arms ammunition and a compartment in the very rear for the crew's personal belongings.
• The vehicles were also produced under licence by Italy under the designation Breda 61. The front hood was longer and the steering to the right.
• Great Britain also tried to produce a half-track vehicle. Bedford Motors was in charge of the design and was tasked with building a vehicle for any terrain. When the design was almost complete and the British company was preparing to build a prototype, they were given the opportunity to examine a captured Sd. Kfz. 7 of German manufacture. After tests on the polygon, the British had to acknowledge the high qualities of the German machine.
• The actual development was stopped, the plans destroyed. All that was left was to copy what was perfect. 
• The Sd. Kfz. 7 were also used by the Czechoslovak army after the war.
• An interesting version was an armoured vehicle designed to protect personnel launching V-2 ballistic missiles. Many missiles exploded during launch and for these cases the crew hid inside the armoured vehicle.

Technical parameters:

• dimensions: length 6.85 m, width 2.35 m, height 2.62 m 
• weight 11 550 kg
• power unit gasoline 6-cylinder Maybach HL62 TUKRM engine with 99 kW
• number of gears 7 forward + 1 reverse
• maximum speed 50 km/h
• range 250 km
• fuel tank capacity 215 l
• crew driver + 11 persons