Sd . Kfz . 7 The Sd . Kfz . 7 was a half - track military vehicle used by the German Wehrmacht Heer , Luftwaffe and Waffen - SS during the Second World War . ( Sd . Kfz . is an abbreviation of the German word " Sonderkraftfahrzeug " , " special purpose vehicle " . A longer designation is Sd . Kfz . 7 mittlerer Zugkraftwagen 8t , " medium towing motor vehicle 8t " . ) Development of the Sd . Kfz . 7 can be traced back to a 1934 Wehrmacht requirement for an eight - tonne ( 7 . 87 tons ) half - track . Various trial vehicles were built by Krauss - Maffei from 1934 to 1938 . The production vehicle first appeared in 1938 and was intended to be used mainly as the tractor for the 8 . 8 cm FlaK gun and the 15 cm sFH 18 150 mm howitzer . Production was stopped in 1944 . The vehicle was made by Krauss - Maffei in Munich , the Sauserwerke in Vienna and the Borgward works at Bremen . Because of its heavy power , it often found use as a recovery vehicle . The vehicle could carry gun crews of up to 12 men in theatre - type seats . Under the seats was storage room for various tools , and the whole vehicle was spacious enough to carry their kit . The rear of the vehicle housed an enclosed compartment for storage of ammunition , though a second ammunition carrier was desirable . The tractor could tow loads up to 8 , 000 kg ( 17 , 600 lb ) in weight . Most were fitted with a winch that could pull up to 3450 kg . It had a payload of 1800 kg . The windscreen was able to fold down and a canvas roof could be erected . A number were also constructed with a hard top , but this was less common in service . A later simplified type appeared with a timber frame truck - type layout , the ammunition being stored behind the driver ' s station and the gun crew having space on wooden benches behind . The running gear consisted of two front wheels with hydro - pneumatic tires for steering and a track each side with 14 road wheels — 7 per side , overlapping and interleaved in the common " Schachtellaufwerk " design for German half - tracks — on each side of the vehicle ; a drive sprocket was located at the front of each track system . Minor variations on the track and road wheel design and manufacture took place throughout the course of service , some being combined in the field as repairs took place . In 1943 , the Maybach HL 62 engine was replaced with Maybach HL 64 . The use of half - tracked prime movers for artillery was common in the German forces but not elsewhere . Compared to wheeled vehicles , half - tracks are more difficult to maintain , they often suffer track breakages , and are slower on roads . However , they have better off - road mobility compared to wheeled vehicles . The iconic Sd . Kfz . 7 was used throughout the war . Sd . Kfz . 7 were seen during the 1940 Paris victory parade and the Sd . Kfz . 7 features in much German wartime propaganda footage , contributing to the myth of the mechanized Blitzkrieg . In fact , while produced in large numbers , there were never enough to fully equip the German forces . Typically like many other types , the artillery elements of Panzer and mechanized infantry units ( Panzergrenadier ) received them , while other units continued to rely on horses to draw their guns . The Sd . Kfz . 7 also became the basis of a number of self - propelled anti - aircraft variants based on 20 mm and 37 mm flak types in use . The Sd . Kfz . 7 / 1 was armed with 2 cm Flakvierling 38 quadruple anti - aircraft guns . The Sd . Kfz . 7 / 2 was armed with a single 3 . 7 cm FlaK 36 anti - aircraft gun . On many of these variants , the driver ' s position and the engine cover was armored ( 8 mm thickness ) . There were also conversions made mounting a single 2 cm anti - aircraft gun . Trial vehicles mounting a 5 cm FlaK 41 were produced but proved unsuccessful , and did not enter serial production . A variant with an armored superstructure based on the Sd . Kfz . 7 , the Feuerleitpanzer auf Zugkraftwagen 8t , was used by launch crews of the V - 2 ballistic missile . This was necessary as the V - 2 sometimes malfunctioned and exploded on the launch pad . It was also used to tow the launch pad in place . Bunkers were not used as the V - 2 was launched from mobile setups to avoid Allied air attacks . A licensed Italian - manufactured copy was built during the war ( designated Breda 61 , 250 produced 1942 - 1944 ) and is easily recognized by its longer hood and right - hand - drive steering . The British company Bedford Motors ( subsidiary of Vauxhall Motors ) built an improved copy during the war , designated the Bedford Tractor ( BT ) and codenamed Traclat ( from Tracked Light Artillery Tractor ) . Its intended use was to tow the 17 pounder , 25 pounder and Bofors 40 mm guns but the war ended before mass production was initiated . Six prototypes were built in 1944 for trials . The BT was powered by two Bedford engines and had ammunition lockers that were accessible from outside of the vehicle ( unlike the Sd . Kfz . 7 ) and it also had automatic steering . Some Sd . Kfz . 7 were taken into service by the Allies after the Second World War . The Czechoslovak Army used them for some years after the war . In The Tank Museum , Dorset , UK there is a detailed evaluation of a captured Sd . Kfz . 7 produced by Vauxhall Motors in 1942 . Basic Sd . Kfz . 7 prime mover , with open bodywork and theatre - type seating for gun crews . No armor . Sd . Kfz . 7 armed with a 2 cm Flakvierling 38 L / 65 quadruple anti - aircraft gun mounting , appearing with both open and armored cab . 319 produced , production ended in October 1944 . Sd . Kfz . 7 armed with a 3 . 7 cm FlaK 36 L / 57 anti - aircraft gun . Again , both open and armored cab variants existed . 123 produced , production ended in February 1945 . Observation and command post for the V - 2 ballistic missile . Unknown numbers produced . Breda - built licensed Italian copy , 250 produced 1942 - 1944 .