The Krupp Protze Kfz. 69 was a light cross-country truck that was developed by Krupp AG in 1930. Delivered to the German national defence forces in 1933, it helped form the concept of motorized units for both the army and the air force and was very popular with the troops due to its good driving characteristics. It served as both a personnel carrier and as a tractor for the 3.7 cm anti-tank gun, and was widely used throughout Europe and Africa.

Dragon Armor is following up its earlier release of a 1/72 scale Kfz.70 6x4 truck with a second version. This type of vehicle served throughout WWII after mass production commenced in 1933. A total of about 7,000 trucks were produced up till 1942. This 6x4 vehicle was powered by an air-cooled 3.308-liter flat-four engine. The horizontal engine gave rise to the trucks distinctive sharply sloped nose, and also to its nickname Boxer. The truck was used for all kinds of purposes, and it was commonly employed for towing light artillery pieces such as the 3.7cm Pak 35/36 antitank cannon. However, Dragons new item shows the truck in its Kfz.70 Personnel Carrier configuration.

The fully built-up 1/72 scale miniature incorporates full detail both above and below the chassis. For example, the wheels and independent coil spring suspension are masterfully represented. The Kfz.70 Personnel Carrier is finished in a whitewash camouflage scheme so commonly encountered during winter on the Eastern Front. This scheme has been carefully brushed onto the truck, giving it a realistically worn look. This winterized Dragon Armor item is an excellent representation of the 6x4 truck that was a workhorse of the German military during WWII, and its a fine companion to Dragon Armors growing range of German soft-skin vehicles.

Pictured here is a 1:72 scale replica of a German Kfz. 70 Krupp Protze 6x4 cargo truck in a whitewashed winter camouflage. Sold Out!

Dimensions:
Length: 4-inches
Width: 1-inch

Release Date: July 2011

Historical Account: "Motor Transport" - In NATO and most other western countries, motorised infantry is infantry which is transported by trucks or other motor vehicles. It is distinguished from mechanized infantry, which is carried in armoured personnel carriers, infantry combat vehicles, or infantry fighting vehicles. In Russia and the former Soviet Union the term motostrelki (Мотострелки in Russian) is used to indicate mechanized infantry, and during the Korean War this usage prevailed in all Warsaw Pact countries.

Motorising infantry is the first stage towards the mechanisation of an army. Civilian trucks are readily adaptable to military uses of transporting soldiers, towing guns, and carrying equipment and supplies. This greatly increases the strategic mobility of infantry units, which would otherwise rely on marches or railroads. In practice, armies have found it advantageous to develop trucks to military specifications, such as all-wheel drive, in order to have vehicles that function reliably in extremes of weather and terrain.

Motorisation provides no direct tactical advantage in combat, because trucks and jeeps are vulnerable to artillery and small arms fire. For winter and mountain use, light tracked vehicles were employed, the Swedish made Snow Trac and Bandvagn 202 both found service with the British Royal Marines. But it does increase the infantry's flexibility, because motorized elements can travel with their own integral support weapons (heavy machine guns, mortars and artillery, anti-tank weapons, etc.). The disadvantage of motorisation is that the formation becomes dependent on supplies of fuel.

The British created the Experimental Mechanized Force between the wars to test the capabilities of all-arms formations of mechanised units, this included motorised infantry.

The speed advantages of motorised infantry first became important in World War II in the German Blitzkrieg. While no more robust than regular infantry moving on foot, its increased speed became decisive in the Blitzkrieg strategy because it could follow the panzer forces and defend its flanks. Notwithstanding the obvious advantages of motorisation, most countries opted only for partial motorisation of their infantry because of the cost and logistical implications caused by the deployment of so many vehicles. Even large armies were affected by these factors. The bulk of German and Soviet infantry remained on foot, while U.S. infantry divisions could, if needed, redirect the activities of enough trucks to motorise an infantry regiment. Likewise, infantry divisions of the UK Britain and its Empire could motorise chosen subordinate units, but infantry advanced on foot in most cases.

Currently in the post Cold War world, motorisation of infantry is becoming more popular since humanitarian deployments are more prevalent with troops acting as quasi-police units. There is also a trend for motorised infantry to be up-armoured due to the situation of insurgency and terrorism in post-invasion Iraq.