SdKfz 250 prototype September 1939

[MarkSheppard]

Originally Posted by DRG

Well something interesting came from that as I was digging around.......Beobachtungskraftwagen Sd.Kfz.253.

I dug up some information that may be relevant to the use of the 253:


Sources:
"Sturmartillerie: Spearhead of the Infantry" by Thomas Anderson

In May 1940, the following StuG A units were available for initial limited combat operations of the Sturmartillery concept. Their names and assigned units were:

640. Sturmbatterie -- Attached to Infanterieregiment Grossdeutschland on 8 April 1940. Became an integrated part of GD (16. Sturmbatterie/Infantrie Regiment “Grossdeutschland”) and never left Grossdeutschland.

659. Sturmbatterie (XIII Armeekorps)

660. Sturmbatterie (3. Infanteriedivision)

665. Sturmbatterie -- Established 9 May 1940 with intention of being ready for combat by 1 June. Crossed into France on 10 June. Apparently used for anti-Magniot line operations.

SS-Sturmbatterie -- Its creation was ordered on 16 April 1940 and they took the last 6 x StuG Ausf A ever built, originally scheduled to be delivered to 660. Sturmbatterie. Attached to SS-Standarte LSSAH (SS-Liebstandarte).

Sturmbatterie Organization (According to KStN 445 dated 1 NOV 1939)

Batterietrupp:
2 x SdKfz 253
2 x Kfz 15 (Horch 4WD passenger Car)

Nachtrichtenstaffel:
1 x SdKfz 10

1. through 3. Zug (aka Platoons) of StuGs organized so that each Zug has the following:

1 x Sd.Kfz.253 light observation halftracks for platoon leaders and battery commanders.

2 x Sd.Kfz.142 StuG Assault Guns

1 x Sd.Kfz.252 light armored ammo carrier halftrack (original 1939 KStN says they have 2, but this was reduced to 1 in 1940.)

1 x Sd.Kfz.251/12 halftrack. -- Messtrupp und Gerätpanzerwagen. Survey and instrument carrier for artillery units. Never built.

Muni-Staffle:
5 x LKW 3-Ton Trucks

Gefechts-Tross:
1 x Kfz 15 (Horch 4WD passenger Car)
3 x LKW 3-Ton Trucks
1 x Kfz. 4 (7.92mm MG AA passenger car)
1 x Passenger Car?

Kfz-Inst.-Trupp: (Recovery Team)
KfZ 2/40 (Small maintenance motor vehicle, basically a mechanic's car)
4 x LKW 3-Ton Trucks
1 x SdKfz 9 with SdAnh 116 flatbed trailer to tow Armored vehicles.

Gepaeck-Tross:
1 x LKW 3-ton truck

Reality:
Because of production delays, many Sturmbatterie received substitutes for assigned unit vehicles in 1940:

Sd.Kfz.253 = Some units received either the PzKpfw I Ausf A or Kl PzBef Wg as substitutes for the light observation halftrack role, because only ten Sd.Kfz.253's had been manufactured in March-April 1940, with the remaining fifteen in the initial order of Sd.Kfz.253's being completed May-June 1940.

Sd.Kfz.252 (Ammo) = The first 10 Sd.Kfz.252's ever built were completed in June 1940, so for the French campaign, most units received SdKfz 10s, but in one case, Sturmbatterie 660 received six modified PzKpfw I Ausf A hulls for munitions carriers.

Sd.Kfz.251/12: Because the 251/12 as originally envisioned was never built; so instead normal Sd.Kfz.251/1s were used, but in some cases when they were not available, SdKfz 11's were used as stand ins.