mittlerer Schützenpanzerwagen (Sd. Kfz. 251/1)

The mittlere Schützenpanzerwagen. (Sd. Kfz. 251/1) was used as transportation vehicle of an l. MG Gruppe  (light machine gun group) or two s. MG Gruppen (heavy machine gun groups). It had a crew of 12 resp. 11 men. This Sd. Kfz. 251/1 Ausf. B was photographed in Winter 1941/42. The Sd. Kfz. 251/1 was the most important fighting vehicle of the motorised infantry. (Photo: German federal archive via Wikimedia Commons; License: Creative Commons BY-SA-3.0-gb)

To increase the fire power of the Sd. Kfz. 251/1 for two s. MG Gruppen, a special s. MG Lafette (heavy machine gun mount) was developed. At the end of July 1941, 28 of the ordered 980 mounts were available. The efficient range of the s. MG was 1,200 meters. This Sd. Kfz. 251/1 Ausf. C with s. MG Lafette was photographed on the southern sector of the east front in late summer 1942.
(Photo: German federal archive via Wikimedia Commons; License: Creative Commons BY-SA-3.0-gb)

Production figures increased noticeably with the Ausführung D of the m. Schützenpanzerwagen. So, at least one battalion of the motorised infantry regiments could be equipped with such vehicles. Some elite divisions had whole regiments equipped with these vehicles.

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