This item has been added to My eBay for Guests. As a guest, you can: Track up to 10 items on this computer in My eBay Receive an email reminder for this item a few hours before it ends
During the early years of panzer development it was recognized that the infantry should be equally mobile. A full-track vehicle seemed to costly, wheeled vehicles with the required cross-country performance were not available. A halftrack vehicle with the official name Sd.Kfz. 251 "Gepanzerte Manschafts Transportwagen" evolved. There are earlier developments on the 3-ton chassis, but for the 251 they are a sidestep. An Anti-tank project of three 75 mm equipped examples in 1934 and 1935. Büssing-NAG is ordered, in cooperation with Deutschen Werke, in 1937 to design an armored hull for the 3 ton artillery prime mover chassis. That starts its design-life with Hansa-Loyd-Goliath in 1933 but is standardized as Hanomag Hl Kl 6 (Sd.Kfz. 11). The chassis is adopted and named Hkl 6p. The changes that are necessary: # New steering shaft with the wheel at a 45 degree angle. # Larger, flatter radiator with two vents instead of one. # Redesigned and repositioned exhaust. # Changed gasoline tank. A company of the first panzer division (Wehrkreis Weimar) is the first to be equipped in the spring of 1939. Extensive training and trails make the crews familiar with the new machines. They see action during the Polish campaign. Units of the 2nd Panzer division also see action with the 251. The concept of carrier born infantry is proven. The favored status and the fact that there are never enough soon grows into a shared production program. Engines are produced by Maybach, Norddeutsche Motorenbau and Auto-Union. Chassis are made by Hanomag, Adler, Auto-Union, Borgward and Skoda. Superstructures are made by Ferrum, Schöller & Beckman, Bömische Leipa and Steinmüller. Final assembly is done by Wesserhütte, Wugam and F. Schichau AG. After the seizure of Austria 30 million Reichsmark was invested in several "Kriegswichtige Bauten" (Buildings that are important for warfare). Several went to companies that co-produced or made secondary products like sheet-steel. The Schöller Bleckmann works move their armor body production from factory 'Ternitz' to the new 'Südwerk' (south factory) near Mürzzuslag in September 1940. Among others the production of 251 bodies is taken on. In 1940 92 bodies were produced. An average of 25 a month is achieved. Böhler produced 800 bodies in the first half of 1942. In the second quarter of 1942 Schöller Bleckmann works gets an order for 800 bodies. From May on this is raised to 1200. In October 1942 Schöller Bleckmann gets an order for 60 251/9 bodies. In November they are ordered to raise the month production of 160 to 300 bodies. From May 1943 Schöller Bleckmann starts a new batch of 2000 bodies. MG shields and several other parts are also produced. In a document of 20-6-1944 Schöller Bleckmann is mentioned as fully occupied with production of parts for the 251/9. December 1944 they are still doing that. The end of the war sees a total of 2322 bodies from Schöller Bleckmann.On January 27 of 1945 Speer mentions official production numbers. Several other numbers are mentioned. All numbers in books are quoted mixed. Total: Speer (other) 1939 (232) 1940 348 (337) 1941 947 (424) 1942 1190 (1200) 1943 4250 (4258) 1944 7800 (7785) 1945 (1016) total:(15'252), (16'000) June 1939 to September 1943 4'650 Version A B and C. 1943 till end of production 10'602 version D. Schöller & Beckman 40-44 2'322 bodies. Borgward, 1941 411 chassis, 1942 631 chassis One source claims 4165 model "C". That would mean 485 model A and B. 1939 production is claimed to be A-version only production years: /A 1937 - 1940, /B 1939 - 1940 /C mid 1940 - august 1943 /D 1943 - 1945 The 251/A is claimed to have the following serial-numbers: Borgward, 320831 to 322039 Hanomag, 796001 to 796030 Hansa Loyd Goliath, 320285.
Track up to 10 items on this computer in 
)
