Tank Chats #170 | Sd. Kfz. 251 | The Tank Museum

Curator David Willey is back with another Tank Chat. This time, he will be discussing the Sonderkraftfahrzeug 251, which is more commonly referred to as the Sd.Kfz. 251.

00:00 | Intro
00:26 | Halftrack Origin
03:20 | Development
13:36 | Production and Use

Footage:
Replica Shakedown - German Sd.Kfz 251 (Czech Tatra OT-810)
By @WW2Armor

#tankmuseum #tankchats #DavidWilley #Sdkfz

[thetankmuseum]

Hey Tank Nuts! Let us know what you think about this vehicle.

[c.j.zographos]

Interesting to see a non-tank tank chat about a type of vehicle vital to mobile warfare; the APC and IFV had to originate from somewhere and this a fine presentation of such an example.

[RP-ksly]

I had the opportunity to drive an OT810 (Czech copy) and had a blast. It was very intuitive and was easy to great fun.

[christopherboudreau]

Still cooler looking than anything before or since.

[thewey]

I've always had a soft spot for the 251. As a modeler, It just looks so boss and menacing next to a Panzer 3 or Panzer 4 in Afrika Korps colors. I'd love to drive or ride in one someday.

[Blackcloud_Garage]

Happy to see more of this. The trucks, jeeps, APC's, prime movers, etc. never get the proper attention they deserve. Just as important to the fight as the tanks.

[Sir_Justin]

That's my all time favorite vehicle of WW2. Iconic machine of blitzkieg, same as ju87.

[kurtwoods]

At the end of the day one of the coolest looking armored vehicles ever built.

[DuxBrit-]

Another excellent video. Nice to see David back again.
At 13:06 you say that a more 'simplified' version was put in to production as the Model C in 1943. I think that you meant to say the Model D as the 'C' came in to service in late 1941 still with the angular sides & rear of the earlier versions i.e. the vehicle you have there.

[ottovonbismarck]

One of these famous yet overlooked vehicles. According to Military History Visualized, 251/1 carried one MG that belonged to the vehicle and was operated by the crew. The rear one, in case it was mounted at all, was the squad MG (or one of the squad MGs).

[beyondfubar]

RIP the third guy to jump out at 8:34 that had to be a painful and scary landing right next to the running gear of that APC.

[_ArsNova]

Always loved these since I was a kid! Grossly underappreciated in my humble opinion. This had as much of, if not more, of an impact on mechanized warfare as any tank. Even the best, most mobile, tanks are all but useless without infantry support.

[kaidzaack]

In case it was not mentioned before: Sd. Kfz. is the abbreviation of “Sonder Kraftfahrzeug”. So basically a “Special powered vehicle”. Maybe they used it to undergo Versailles treaties…nice vid! Cheers from Germany 👍🫶

[grumblesa]

In the late 1920s through mid '30s, Ford made a track option available for its truck based on the Model A. My Dad remembered seeing them fairly often during the winters in SD. (If you've seen the Rankin-Bass special "Santa Claus is Coming to Town" the mailman is driving one.) I'm sure a similar option was available from Ford for Canadian and Mexican farmers as well.

[rosied]

DW Looking good as per usual, great to see him😊😊😊

[axemand]

I always wanted to take one of these on the Paris-Dakar rally in what would probably be the height of bad taste. I always thought they were so cool looking. The Germans had the most interesting looking scout and armoured cars.

[at]

Among all the cool rigs I’d love to have in the backyard, this is high on the list.

[jacobpeters]

This was sick. I just built a custom 1/18 PAK wagen variant that was 3D printed for me. I've been hoping to see these gentlemen put together a few videos about some of these machines. Truthfully, when I was a kid, I came across a book in the library covering some of the armor used in the 2nd World War and on the cover was a 251 in action. Instantly, I was hooked. Also, my father works on heavy equipment for a living so naturally I feel an inclination to love anything with tracks

[davidbarnsley]

I have a corgi model of one from the 70s with the artillery gun towed behind 👍👍
Always been one of my favourites

[EP]

Thank you for this upload. 👍
Always been a fan of German halftracks. As a model builder I am now working on a 251/22 D Pakwagen in 1/16.
Can't wait to finish it but lots of time and patience is needed.