Chapter Two
For the invasion of Russia, code-named Barbarossa, the German Army assembled some 3,000,000 men, divided into a total of 105 infantry divisions and 32 Panzer divisions. There were 3,332 tanks, over 7,000 artillery pieces, 50,000 motor vehicles, 625,000 horses, and some 10,000 half-track vehicles. This force was distributed into three German army groups: Army Group North, commanded by Field Marshal Wilhelm Ritter von Leeb, had assembled his forces in East Prussia on the Lithuanian frontier. His Panzergruppe, which provided the main spearhead for the advance on Leningrad, consisted of 812 tanks. These were divided among the 1, 6 and 8.Panzer-Divisions, 3, 36.Motorized-Infantry-Division and the SS.Motorized-Division ‘Totenkopf ’, which formed the Panzergruppe reserve.
For the Russian offensive, the Panzer divisions had been slightly modified in armoured firepower. They had been in fact diluted in strength in order to form the deployment of more divisions. The planners thought that, by concentrating a number of Panzer divisions together, they were able to achieve a massive local superiority. Spread among the Panzer divisions for support were the various half-tracks comprising of the Sd.Kfz.2, 7, 8, 9,10, and 11. To provide armoured reconnaissance troops in the Panzergrenadier divisions with flexible armoured off road flexibility, hundreds of Sd.Kfz.250 supported the drive east. The Sd.Kfz.251 too was also used extensively in the attack against the Soviet Union.
The Panzer divisions contained one tank regiment of two, sometimes three abteilungen, totaling some 150–200 tanks; two motorized rifle (schützen) regiments, each of two battalions, whose infantry were carried in armoured half-tracks or similar vehicles, and a reconnaissance battalion of three companies (one motorcycle, two armoured car). The motorized infantry divisions accompanying the Panzer divisions in the Panzergruppe were similarly organized, but severely lacked armoured support. The divisional artillery comprised of two field, one medium and one anti-tank regiment and an anti-aircraft battalion. These were all motorized and more than capable of keeping up with the fast moving pace of the Panzers. All of the components that made up a fully-fledged Panzer division comprised of various half-tracks and artillery prime movers.
During the early morning of 22 June 1941, the German Army unleashed the maelstrom that was Barbarossa. After a month of victorious progress, the German armies were fighting on a front 1,000 miles wide. Along the entire front the half-tracks had exploited the terrain and had progressed at considerable speed. Yet in spite of these successes, the half-tracks were very thinly spread, and the bulk of the transportation still had to be undertaken by animal draught.
Nevertheless, between June and late September 1941, the Panzer and motorized divisions were more or less unhindered by lack of supply, difficult terrain or bad weather conditions. However, on 6 October, the first snowfall of the approaching winter was reported. It melted quickly, but turned the dirt roads into quagmires and rivers into raging torrents. The Russian autumn with its heavy rain, sleet and snow had arrived. The armoured drive east began to slow. Wheeled vehicles soon became stuck in a sea of mud and could only advance with the aid of tracked vehicles towing them. No preparations had been made for the winter and the Panzer divisions lacked the most basic supplies for cold weather. There were no chains available for towing vehicles, and no anti-freeze for the engine’s coolant systems. Tank and infantrymen alike had no winter clothing either.
In blizzard conditions, where temperatures fell to 30 degrees below zero, the exhausted Panzer divisions soon ran out of fuel and ammunition, and were compelled to break off their attack within sight of Moscow. On 6 December, all plans to capture the Russian capital in 1941 had to be abandoned.
By the end of 1941, the battle weary divisions of the Panzerwaffe, which had taken part in Operation Barbarossa, were no longer fit to fight. Mobile operations had consequently ground to a halt. Fortunately for the exhausted Panzer crews and supporting half-track units, no mobile operations had been planned during the winter of 1941, let alone for 1942. In the freezing arctic temperatures, the majority of the Panzer divisions were pulled out of their stagnant defensive positions and transferred to France to rest, reorganize and retrain.
As for the half-tracks, these continued to be used extensively throughout the winter of 1941. The Wehrmacht and Waffen-SS owed much to their versatility on the battlefield. Many of the vehicles were used to transport troops from one sector of the front to another. Others assisted in towing heavy artillery or vitals supplies, where animal draught had failed due to terrain or the extreme arctic conditions.
An interesting photograph showing a Sd.Kfz.251/1 Ausf.B preparing to cross a river during operations on the Eastern Front during the summer of 1941. Note the number of Pioneers assisting the vehicles through the water.
A Sd.Kfz.251/1 Ausf.A is being put through its paces during summer fighting somewhere on the Eastern Front in 1941. This vehicle features the standard gun shield on the forward mount, but no MG34 machine gun is apparently fitted.
Moving steadily across rough terrain is a Sd.Kfz.251/6 Ausf.B. The vehicle is fitted with a special frame antenna. Note the spare track links attached to the front of the half-track for additional armoured protection.
A column of vehicles negotiates a very muddy road following a heavy downpour of rain. A Pz.Kpfw.I tank has halted in the mire and one the crew members watches a support vehicle and a pair of Sd.Kfz.7 half-tracks move along the road.
A pair of Sd.Kfz.7 half-tracks, both with a foul weather tarpaulin, advance along a muddy road. Even during the summer periods on the Eastern Front a heavy downpour could easily delay or halt an entire armoured column.
A Sd.Kfz.10/4 armed with a 20mm FlaK 30 has pulled-up inside a wooded area in order to conceal itself from both ground and aerial observation. The 20mm FlaK 30 can be easily identified by the asymmetrical splinter shields, which confirms this vehicle as a 10/4 variant.
An armoured column approaches what appears to be a concrete obstacle topped with barbed wire. An early production model StuG.III leads the column. Behind the StuG.III is what appears to be a Sd.Kfz.251.Ausf.A.
A column of various vehicles from the 2.Panzer-Division on a road somewhere on the Eastern Front. Alongside a Pz.Kpfw.III Ausf.J, two Sd.Kfz.10s can be seen with a full complement of crew.
Bitter fighting in the East during the relentless summer battles of 1941 and a Sd.Kfz.253 can be seen halted on a road. Its crew observe the battle unfolding in the distance through a pair of 6 × 30 field binoculars. This vehicle was a battery command and observation vehicle attached to one of the new Sturmgeschütz units.
A Sd.Kfz.252 passes through a destroyed town somewhere in the East. The Sd.Kfz.250 was designed to provide armoured reconnaissance troops to the Panzer and Panzergrenadier divisions with a flexible armoured vehicle that possessed better off road capability than the Sd.Kfz.222 armoured cars.
A Mittlerer Zugkraftwagen 8-ton Sd.Kfz.7 prime mover hauls an 88mm FlaK gun towards the battlefront during the summer battles in the East in 1941. These half-tracks were widely used in Russia not only to tow FlaK guns, but 100mm s.K 18 and 150mm s.FH 18 artillery as well. They were regarded by both the Wehrmacht and Waffen-SS as the workhorse half-track of the Second World War.
Along the front line during a heavy enemy contact, a number of Sd.Kfz.251 half-track personnel carriers can be seen with a Pz.Kpfw.III. Smoke can be seen rising into the air following a shell impact. It is difficult to tell whether the explosion has been caused by enemy aerial or ground contact.
Wehrmacht troops who have aided an injured comrade take cover behind a Sd.Kfz.252. There were twelve different variants of the Sd.Kfz.250 series of half-tracks, two of which were issued to the Sturmgeschütz units. One of them carried ammunition, known officially as the Sd.Kfz.252, and the other was a battery command and observation vehicle, known as the Sd.Kfz.253.
A photograph taken during a training exercise. A number of Sd.Kfz.251 half-track personnel carriers, two of which can be seen mounted with the MG34 machine gun and splinter shield, approach two infantry dugout positions. One position is defended by a light MG34 and the other with a Karabiner 98K bolt action rifle.
A Sd.Kfz.252 advances through a Yugoslavian town passing what appears to be local women in their native wear, lining the street and greeting the German column into their town. Some flowers have been adorned to the half-track by the local populace, probably more for German propaganda than the Yugoslavians.
A Platoon commander can be seen shouting out a signal to his troops as his Sd.Kfz.250/10 Ausf.A variant moves toward the battlefront. These half-tracks were fitted with the 37mm PaK 36, together with gun shield and sight.
A group of officers confer with the aid of maps sitting at the side of a road. Behind them are a motorcycle, motorcycle combination and a stationary Sd.Kfz.251 armed with mounted MG34 machine gun and splinter shield.
Advancing through a captured town is an Sd.Kfz.251 accompanied by two motorcycles. Painted in white or yellow on the rear of the vehicle is the letter ‘G’, which indicates that this half-track is attached to General Guderian’s ‘Panzergruppe 2’. This photograph was more than likely taken during summer operations on the Eastern Front in 1941.
This Sd.Kfz.7 is pulling an 88mm FlaK 18 on a Sd.Ah 201 limber. The vehicle has rod style grab handles mounted between the row of seats in order to allow quick mounting and dismounting by the crew.
Two Sd.Kfz.251 armoured personnel carriers with Panzergrenadiers advance towards the frontline. This was one of the quickest and most effective means for troops to enter the forward edge of the battlefield onboard a half-track.
Two Sd.Kfz.7 prime movers haul 150mm s.FH howitzers through the snow during winter operations in Russia in November or December 1941. The two trucks in between the half-tracks probably carry ammunition for the howitzers.
In the depths of the Russian winter in December 1941 is a Sd.Kfz.7 towing an 88mm FlaK gun along a snowy road. The vehicle still retains its original dark grey camouflage scheme. Note the letter ‘G’ on the windshield indicating that it belongs to ‘Guderian’s Panzergruppe 2’.
The crew of a Sd.Kfz.10 rest with their vehicle. The half-track has been purposely parked in dense overgrowth in order to help conceal it from either ground or aerial detection. All the troops are wearing the standard M1938 field cap.
A Sd.Kfz.7 has halted inside a newly captured town somewhere on the Eastern Front. By the appearance of littered wreckage along the road there has been some significant fighting in the area.
Three crewmen pose for the camera in front of their prime mover during winter operations on the Eastern Front in December 1941. This artillery tractor has been finished in overall dark grey with no visible markings.
The crew of an artillery tractor pose for the camera in front of their vehicle during winter operations on the Eastern Front. The crew has applied whitewash camouflage paint over the entire vehicle in order to try and conceal it in the snow.
An 8-ton Sd.Kfz.7 is hauling a 105mm 1.FH 18 field howitzer across a pontoon bridge. The 105mm field howitzer provided the division with a relatively effective mobile base of fire. It was primarily the artillery regiments that were given the task of destroying enemy positions and fortified defences and conducting counter-battery fire prior to an armoured assault.
A Sd.Kfz.253 negotiates a small wooden bridge. This vehicle’s intended role was as a command and observation vehicle for a Sturmgeschütz battery. The radio antenna can be seen attached to the vehicle, which enabled the crew to communicate with other vehicles in the field including the command post.
Out in a field and the crew of a Sd.Kfz.10/4 observe enemy aerial activity. The gun’s commander uses a pair of binoculars to track the target, whilst another crewmember uses a range finder. Mounted onboard the half-track is an un-shielded 20mm FlaK 30 elevated and prepared for firing.
At the side of a road stand the destroyed remains of a Sd.Kfz.251/1 Ausf.A. The vehicle has obviously received a direct hit in the rear compartment area. The tracks have been ripped off in the explosion along with one of the front tyres.
A Sd.Kfz.7/1 armed with the quadruple 20mm gun FlaK 38 leads a column of vehicles along a road during summer operations in Russia. The crew have applied foliage to parts of the vehicle in order to break up its distinctive shape and reduce the possibility of it being attacked by aircraft.
A Sd.Kfz.250/1 Ausf.A advances through a city. The vehicle has been fitted with an MG34 machine gun complete with fifty-round basket drum magazine. The Sd.Kfz.250 was a light armoured personnel carrier for reconnaissance duties.
In the depths of the Russian winter and a Sd.Kfz.251 armoured personnel carrier with a full complement of Panzergrenadiers onboard follow a Horch cross country car and a Pz.Kpfw.III.
Two Luftwaffe crewmen, one equipped with skis, pose for the camera in front of a Sd.Kfz.7 half-track. This 8-ton tractor still bears the old dark grey camouflage scheme and no attempt has been made to use winter whitewash paint.
A Sd.Kfz.7 has halted in the snow. The prime mover is towing a 37mm FlaK gun. This weapon was used in conjunction with light flak, often to protect important military installations. It was widely used by Luftwaffe flak units.
A Sd.Kfz.7 can be seen in the snow. The vehicle still retains its old dark grey camouflage paint and there are no other markings.
On a pontoon bridge and the crew of a Sd.Kfz.7 half-track pose for the camera. During the war much was owed to the half-track, which remained until the end of the war a very versatile, sturdy and reliable machine, often salvaging men and equipment from near destruction.
A Sd.Kfz.7 advances across a tract of sandy soil creating a dust cloud that could be easily identified by aerial observation. On the Eastern Front in particular, especially during the summer periods when the land was very dry, large columns of armoured vehicles often produced immense dust clouds, which regularly gave away the advance to the enemy.