110Close Combat

SdKfz 250 Light Armored

Troop Carrier

M3A1 Halftrack

Weight 6,660 kg (14,800 lbs)

Maximum speed 74 kph (45 mph)

Armament Various

Armor 6 mm (.24 in.)

The American military used a variety of halftracks during World War II; these half-tank, half-truck vehicles were used both as infantry carriers and weapons carriers because halftracks could traverse terrain that trucks could not, and they enabled infantry to be moved into combat with relative safety. The two most widely used were the M2 (later M5) and M3 (later M9). The M3 (M3A1) was powered by a White 147-hp engine. This model could carry 13 soldiers.

Halftracks were also used extensively as weapons carriers, mounting machine guns (both .30 and .50 caliber), mortars (81 mm and 4.2 in.), antitank guns (37 and 57 mm), and other armaments (40-mm antiaircraft, and 75- and 105-mm howitzers).

Weight 5,909 kg (13,000 lbs)

Maximum speed 74 km/h (45 mph)

Armament MG 34 machine gun

Armor 6 to 10 mm (.24 to .4 in.)

The SdKfz 250 was a light halftrack troop carrier with light sloping armor based on the SdKfz 10 one-ton prime mover chassis. It provided a lower profile than its predecessor and omitted its wind- shield. This model, which carried a crew of eight, was one of several variants based on the one-ton chassis; others included an armored ammunition carrier and an armored observation post. A similar, but heavier, vehicle was the SdKfz 251 medium halftrack troop carrier, based on the SdKfz 11 three- ton prime mover chassis.

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Microsoft Close Combat manual SdKfz 250 Light Armored Troop Carrier M3A1 Halftrack, Armament Various