The Sonderkraftfahrzeug 8 ("special motorized vehicle 8") was a German half-track that saw widespread use in World War II. Its main roles were as a prime mover for heavy towed guns such as the 21 cm Morser 18, the 15 cm Kanone 18 and the 10.5 cm FlaK 38. Approximately 4,000 were produced between 1938 and 1945. It was used in every campaign fought by the Germans in World War II, notably the Invasion of Poland, the Battle of France, the Balkans Campaign, the Eastern Front, the North African Campaign, the Battle of Normandy and the Italian Campaign.

The Sd.Kfz. 8 had a ladder frame chassis. Power was provided by a Maybach 12-cylinder, water-cooled, 8.52 litre (520 cu in) HL 85 TUKRM gasoline engine of 185 horsepower (188 PS). It had a semi-automatic ZF transmission with four forward and one reverse gears. The driver selected the desired gear and initiated the shift by depressing the clutch. It had two fuel tanks, one of 40 litres (11 US gal) and the other of 210 litres (55 US gal) capacity.

Both tracks and wheels were used for steering. The steering system was set up so that shallow turns used only the wheels, but brakes would be applied to the tracks the farther the steering wheel was turned. The drive sprocket had rollers rather than the more common teeth. The rear suspension consisted of six double road wheels, overlapping and interleaved in the usual Schachtellaufwerk system used for German half-track vehicles, mounted on swing arms sprung by torsion bars. An idler wheel, mounted at the rear of the vehicle, was used to control track tension. The front wheels had leaf springs and shock absorbers.

The upper body had a crew compartment with three bench seats, one for the driver and his assistant, and two others for the crew. The rear cargo area contained storage compartments, one on each side and two in the rear. The windshield could fold forward and was also removable. A convertible canvas top was mounted above the rear storage compartments. It fastened to the windshield when erected.

The Sd.Kfz. 8 was initially designed to have a towing capacity of 12 tons (12 long tons; 13 short tons), but the wartime DB 10 could tow 14 tons (14 long tons; 15 short tons).

Pictured here is a 1:72 scale replica of a German Sd.Kfz.8 DB10 Gepanzerte (Armored) 12-ton prime mover painted in a serpentine camouflage pattern. Now in stock!

Dimensions
Length: 4-1/2-inches
Width: 1-1/2-inches

Release Date: October 2017

Historical Account: "Gaining Traction" - Daimler-Benz and Krupp were the main builders of the Sd.Kfz. 8 during the war, but Krauss-Maffei produced 315 in 1940-41 and Skoda joined in the last years of the war. 1615 were on hand on December 20th, 1942. 507 were built in 1943 and 602 in 1944. Approximately 4000 were built in total. The Sd.Kfz. 8 was used by Czechoslovakia after the war, but it is not known if production continued at Skoda or when they were finally discarded.

In 1942, four Sd.Kfz. 8 connected together were used to pull a trailer carrying a 30.5 cm gun barrel for Batterie Mirus. News Report transporting barrel and operating gun

Unlike most of the other German half-tracks, the Sd.Kfz. 8 was almost always used as a tractor for heavy artillery pieces and was not modified for other roles.