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List of Sd.Kfz. designations - Wikipedia

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Sonderkraftfahrzeug (abbreviated Sd.Kfz.,[1] German for "special purpose vehicle") was the ordnance inventory designation used by Nazi Germany before and during World War II for military vehicles; for example Sd.Kfz. 101 for the Panzer I, and Sd.Kfz. 251 for the armored personnel carrier made by Hanomag.

The Reichswehr and its successor, the Wehrmacht began systematically allocating numbers to its vehicles from around 1930, including horse-drawn vehicles, cars and trucks, combat vehicles, and trailers.[2] Sd.Kfz. numbers were assigned to armored, tracked, and half-tracked vehicles. Cars and trucks were allocated Kfz. numbers[3] and trailers were designated with Anh. (Anhänger) and Sd.Anh. numbers.[4]

Sd.Kfz. numbering system

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Allocation of the numbered series was as follows:[5][2]

  • Sd.Kfz. 1 to 99: Unarmoured half-tracked vehicles
  • Sd.Kfz. 100 to 199: Tanks and tank variants, including tank destroyers and self-propelled artillery
    • Sd.Kfz. 101 to 120: Panzer I and variants
    • Sd.Kfz. 121 to 140: Panzer II and variants[a] and Panzer 38(t) and variants
    • Sd.Kfz. 141 to 160: Panzer III and variants
    • Sd.Kfz. 161 to 170: Panzer IV and variants
    • Sd.Kfz. 171 to 180: Panzer V (Panther) and variants
    • Sd.Kfz. 181 and above: Panzer VI (Tiger) and variants
  • Sd.Kfz. 200 to 299: Armored cars (reconnaissance), armored half-tracked personnel carriers, and command tanks
  • Sd.Kfz. 300 and above: Radio-controlled mine-clearing tanks and demolition charge-laying vehicles

Some combat vehicles, often based on existing vehicles in the Sd.Kfz. series and produced in relatively small numbers, weren't allocated a number and were only described with a name.[6]

Sd.Kfz. 300 and above

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Sd.Kfz. 303 version of the Goliath used a petrol engine as a cost-saving measure
  • Sd.Kfz. 300 - Minenräumwagen remote-controlled mine destroyer
  • Sd.Kfz. 301 - Borgward IV heavy remote-control demolition layer
  • Sd.Kfz. 302 - Goliath tracked mine (Leichter Ladungsträger Goliath) light remote-control demolition vehicle with electric motor
  • Sd.Kfz. 303 - Goliath tracked mine light remote-control demolition vehicle with petrol engine
  • Sd.Kfz. 304 - Springer medium remote-control demolition vehicle
Notes
  1. ^ The Pz. Kpfw. II Ausf. L (Sd.Kfz. 123) was placed in the 100-series as a tank variant, although it was designed and named as a reconnaissance vehicle (usually the 200 series)
Citations
  1. ^ Chamberlain, Peter; Doyle, Hilary (1978). Encyclopedia of German Tanks of World War Two: A complete illustrated directory of German battle tanks, armoured cars, self-propelled guns and semi-tracked vehicles, 1933-1945. Arco Pub. Co. p. 17. ISBN 978-0668045650.
  2. ^ a b "Classification-system of the Reichswehr and Wehrmacht". Kfz der Wehrmacht. Retrieved 16 October 2024.
  3. ^ "Kraftfahrzeug Nummern (Kfz.) - Kfz. Numbers". Kfz der Wehrmacht. Retrieved 16 October 2024.
  4. ^ "Motor vehicle trailers". Kfz der Wehrmacht. Retrieved 16 October 2024.
  5. ^ Feist, Uwe (1978). Deutsche Panzer 1917-1945. Fallbrook, CA: Aero Publishers. p. 40. ASIN B0006XPCGS.
  6. ^ "Special motor vehicles without number". Kfz der Wehrmacht. Retrieved 16 October 2024.

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