The Sd.Kfz. 11 (Sonderkraftfahrzeug - special motorized vehicle) was a German half-track that saw very widespread use in World War II. Its main role was as a prime mover for medium towed guns ranging from the 3.7 cm FlaK 43 anti-aircraft gun up to the 10.5 cm leFH 18 field howitzer. It could carry eight troops in addition to towing a gun or trailer.

The basic engineering for all the German half-tracks was developed during the Weimar-era by the Reichswehr's Military Automotive Department, but final design and testing was farmed out to commercial firms with the understanding that production would be shared with multiple companies. Borgward[Notes 1] was chosen to develop the second smallest of the German half-tracks and built a series of prototypes between 1934 and 1937. However development was taken over in 1938 by Hanomag who designed the main production version, H kl 6.

The chassis formed the basis for the Sd.Kfz. 251 medium armored personnel carrier. Approximately 9,000 were produced between 1938 and 1945, making it one of the more numerous German tactical vehicles of the war. It participated in the Invasion of Poland, the Battle of France, the Balkans Campaign and fought on both the Western Front and the Eastern Front, in North Africa and in Italy.

Pictured here is a 1:72 scale replica of a German Sd. Kfz. 11 3-Ton Personnel Carrier / Prime Mover that was attached to the 11.Panzer Division, then deployed to the Eastern Front during 1941. Sold Out!

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

Release Date: July 2012

Historical Account: "Full Circle" - 11.Panzer Division was formed in August 1940 and fought in the Balkans campaign. It saw action on the southern sector of the Eastern front from June to October 1941 before it was transferred to the central sector, where it remained until June 1942 when it returned south. It fought at Belgorod, Kursk, and Krivoj Rog, but suffered heavy losses when it was encircled at Kresun, south of Kiev.

Afterwards, it was transferred to France for refitting in June 1944 where it absorbed the 273.Reserve Panzer Division. It opposed the allied landings in southern France before being withdrawn through France and into Germany. It fought in the Ardennes and later near Trier and Remagen before surrendering to the US Army at the end of the war.