Another question, this one about halftracks
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Xveers
- Posts: 91
- Joined: Tue Oct 31, 2006 7:18 am
- Location: Vancouver, BC, Canada
Another question, this one about halftracks
Heyas, I've done some digging, but I'm also wondering about the differebce between the "neu" and "alt" versions of the german 250 halftrack. When were these ones introduced? My Osprey book dosen't tell me much about this distinction and my websearching hasn't cropped up anything usable either. Assistance appreciated! Thanks guys!
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pmskaar
- E5
- Posts: 2173
- Joined: Sun Apr 17, 2005 5:45 am
Halftracks
Hi Xveers
From what I can gather, the 250/1 "Alt"started to appear in September 1941. The 250/9 version which had the 20mm turret and started to replace the sdkfz 222 armored cars didn't start showing up until mid 1943. The "Neu" version of the 250 started to appear in mid to late '43 if memory serves me correctly. If you are doing a unit of 250's from say 1944 it would be appropriate to include a mix of the 2 types. The "Neu" version was introduced to simplify the construction process in order to make the vehicle easier and thereby faster to produce. The 251D was also introduced around mid 1943 as well for the same reasons as above. I'm sure one of the other regular forum guys probably has more definitive info on these vehicles from somewhere but I hope this will help a bit.
Pete - Binpicker, Out!
From what I can gather, the 250/1 "Alt"started to appear in September 1941. The 250/9 version which had the 20mm turret and started to replace the sdkfz 222 armored cars didn't start showing up until mid 1943. The "Neu" version of the 250 started to appear in mid to late '43 if memory serves me correctly. If you are doing a unit of 250's from say 1944 it would be appropriate to include a mix of the 2 types. The "Neu" version was introduced to simplify the construction process in order to make the vehicle easier and thereby faster to produce. The 251D was also introduced around mid 1943 as well for the same reasons as above. I'm sure one of the other regular forum guys probably has more definitive info on these vehicles from somewhere but I hope this will help a bit.
Pete - Binpicker, Out!
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JMD
- Posts: 20
- Joined: Sat Oct 01, 2005 8:46 am
- Location: Ohio
Re: Halftracks
Correct, It was difficult and time consuming to produce the complex shape of the old Sdkfz 250, and as many flat plates as possible were introduced to ease and speed construction. The number of main armor plates dropped from 19 to 9 with the Neu version. The Sdkfz 250 Neu entered production in October of 1943.pmskaar wrote:Hi Xveers
The "Neu" version was introduced to simplify the construction process in order to make the vehicle easier and thereby faster to produce.
Pete - Binpicker, Out!
Total Sdkfz 250 alte 4,250
Total Sdkfz 250 Neu 2,378
Source: Encyclopedia od German Tanks of WWII by Doyle, Chamberlain, Jentz.
-JMD