Krupp-Protze in its standard troop-carrying version, Kraftfahrzeuge 70 or Kfz. 70
Krupp-Protze was a military truck produced by Germany's Krupp.
Background[]
Manufactured between 1934 and 1941, the Krupp L 2 H 43 and L 2 H 143 (informally called Krupp-Protze) was a 6x4 utility truck and prime mover for artillery and anti-tank guns. Although its 55 hp (60 hp from 1936 onwards) Krupp M 304 4-cylinder petrol engine was not particularly efficient, at 24 liters per 100 km, far more than the Opel Blitz, it was a reliable, powerful vehicle that saw service on all fronts of the war. Kraftfahrzeuge 70 refers to a troop carrying variant, capable of carrying ten soldiers with full combat equipment on its rear benches. Localized variants usually had different designations: Hungary designated its vehicles as 37M Krupp.
Models[]
- Kfz. 70 (SD2): The German variant.
- Sd.Kfz. 247B: Sd.Kfz. 247B was an armored personnel carrier manufactured by Daimler-Benz on the basis of the Krupp-Protze chassis, with a simplified four-wheeled chassis and armor plating providing protection from small arms fire.
- AB 247: Romania received Sd.Kfz 247 armored cars in 1943 for use in the 1 Blindata "România Mare". Survivors were later transferred to Romanian cavalry divisions.[1]
- 37M Krupp: The Hungarian variant. Hungary ordered 72 L2.H 143 trucks from Germany in 1937. L2.H 143 trucks were of the same family of trucks as the Kfz. 70. These were used as anti-tank gun tractors.
- 37M Krupp PK.: Command vehicle with additional radios.
- 37M Krupp T.V.: Another troop carrying variant.