Krupp Protze

The Krupp Protze (officially L 2 H 43 and L 2 H 143) was a six-wheeled 6x4 German truck and artillery tractor produced between 1934 and 1941 and heavily used in World War II. It was powered by a 4-cylinder, 55 hp or, from 1936, 60 hp Krupp M 304 petrol engine. Its main purpose was to tow artillery, especially the 3.7 cm Pak 36 anti-tank gun (designated Kfz 69), and transport motorized infantry (designated Kfz 70).

Krupp L 2 H 43 / L 2 H 143 / Kfz.70
Krupp Kfz.70 on display at Deutsches Panzermuseum, Germany.
TypeArtillery tractor / Utility truck
Place of origin Germany
Service history
Used by Germany
 Hungary
WarsWorld War II
Production history
DesignerKrupp
ManufacturerKrupp
Produced1934–1941
No. built7,000
VariantsSeveral, see text
Specifications
Mass2,600 kg (5,700 lb)
Length5.10 m (16 ft 9 in)
Width1.93 m (6 ft 4 in)
Height1.96 m (6 ft 5 in)
Crew1 + 5 passengers + 1 light towed gun (Kfz.69), 2+10 (Kfz.70)
ArmorNone
EngineKrupp Boxer motor, 3.3 liters
53 or 60 hp
Payload capacity1,150 kg (2,540 lb)
Fuel capacity110 L (24 imp gal; 29 US gal)
Operational
range
450 km (280 mi) on road
Maximum speed 70 km/h (43 mph)
Krupp M305 motor schematic diagram

This vehicle was extensively used on the Eastern Front, during the North African campaign and in France and Sicily. The "Krupp-Protze" was of relatively advanced design. Its fuel consumption was relatively high (24 Litres / 100 km on road) in comparison to the comparable Opel Blitz 1.5 t truck (16.5 liters / 100 km, produced 1938 - 1942).

Total production was about 7,000 units.

Variants

A successful design, the Krupp-Protze was converted into several variants:

Kfz.19
Telephone truck
Kfz.21
Staff car
Kfz.68
Radio mast carrier
Kfz.69
Standard configuration for towing the 3.7 cm Pak 36 anti-tank gun. Carried 2 in front with 4 in a pair of forward and rear facing seats.
Kfz.70
Standard configuration for personnel carrying. carried 2 in front with 10 seated in the rear on benches.
Kfz.81
Ammo carrier conversion for 2 cm FlaK anti-aircraft gun, usually towed
  • Kfz.83
Generator carrier for anti-aircraft searchlight, usually towed
Sd.Kfz. 247 Ausf. A
armoured personnel carrier, six-wheeled version, only 20 built in 1937; production went to Daimler-Benz, who built the Ausf. B four-wheeled version in 1941 and 1942.

Sometimes anti-tank (37 mm Pak 36) and anti-air (2 cm Flak) guns were mounted directly on the truck bed (Portée).

See also

Notes

    References
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