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Germany's Maultier:
During the first winter in Russia it became evident that wheeled vehicles were unable to deal with the conditions. A low cost half-track was sought. This was done by taking Opel and Daimler-Benz trucks from production, removing their rear axles, then putting the tracked assemblies from PzKpfw IIs.
It was only on the Eastern Front for mainly routine supply purposes.
3.7cm Flak 36 auf Maultier:
Bundesarchiv, Koblenz
| Maultier, "Mule", 3 ton | Maultier, 5 ton | |
|---|---|---|
| Crew | 3 | |
| Physical Characteristics | ||
| Weight | 15,653 lb Empty: 3,930 kg2 Loaded: 5,930 kg2 |
Empty: 7,740 kg2 Loaded: 12,700 kg2 |
| Length w/gun | ||
| Length w/o gun | 19' 8" 6 m2 |
7.9 m2 |
| Height | 8' 6" 2.71 m2 |
3 m2 |
| Width | 7' 2.5" 2.28 m2 |
2.36 m2 |
| Ground clearance | ||
| Ground contact length | ||
| Ground pressure | ||
| Turret ring diameter | ||
| Armament | ||
| Main | ||
| Secondary | ||
| MG | ||
| Side arms | ||
| Quantity | ||
| Main | 20 | |
| Secondary | ||
| MG | 2,000 | |
| Side arms | ||
| Armor Thickness (mm) | ||
| Hull Front, Upper | ||
| Hull Front, Lower | ||
| Hull Sides, Upper | ||
| Hull Sides, Lower | ||
| Hull Rear | ||
| Hull Top | ||
| Hull Bottom | ||
| Turret Front | ||
| Turret Sides | ||
| Turret Rear | ||
| Turret Top | ||
| Engine (Make / Model) | 3.6 liter Open2 |
Mercedes Benz2 |
| Cylinders | 6 | |
| Net HP | 682 | 1122 |
| Transmission | ||
| Fuel Type | Diesel2 | |
| Octane | ||
| Capacity | ||
| Performance | ||
| Traverse | ||
| Max Speed | 30 mph 38 kph2 |
36 kph2 |
| Cross Country | ||
| Road radius | ||
| Turning Radius | ||
| Elevation Limits | ||
| Fording depth | ||
| Trench crossing | ||
| Vertical Obstacle | ||
| Suspension (Type) | Wheels: Longed ditto2 Tracks: Spring2 |
Wheels: Longed ditto2 Tracks: Spring2 |
| Wheels each side | ||
| Return rollers each side | ||
| Track length | ||
| Tires | ||
| Track width | ||
| Track centers/tread | ||
| Production |
Sources:
- The Encyclopedia of Weapons of World War II, Chris Bishop, 1998
- Halbkettenfahrzeuge, German Half-Track Vehicles 1939-1945, J. Williamson, 1972
