Kettenkrad

Kettenkrad

The SdKfz 2, better known as Kettenkrad for short (Ketten = tracks, krad = military abbreviation of the German word Kraftrad, the administrative German term for motorcycle), began life as a light tractor for airborne troops.  The SdKfz 2 was built by the NSU Motorenwerke AG at Neckarsulm, Germany although later in the war Stoewer from Stettin also produced Kettenkrads under license. Most Kettenkrads saw service on the Eastern Front, where they were used to pull heavy loads, lay communication cables and carry soldiers through the deep Russian mud. It was also used in the North African and Europe at the time.

The Kettenkrad also came with a special trailer that could be attached to it to improve its cargo capacity. Being a tracked vehicle the Kettenkrad could climb up to 24° in sand and even greater on hard ground. Only two substantial sub-variations of the Kettenkrad were constructed, and production of the militray vehicle ceased in 1944, at which point 8,345 had been constructed. After the war ended, production went on until 1949 for agricultural use.

Related Posts