Sd . Kfz . 9 The Sd . Kfz . 9 ( also known as " Famo " ) was a German half - track that saw widespread use in World War II , and the heaviest half - track vehicle of any type built in quantity in Nazi Germany during the war years . Its main roles were as a prime mover for very heavy towed guns such as the " 24 cm Kanone 3 " and as a tank recovery vehicle . Approximately 2 , 500 were produced between 1938 and 1945 . Description . The " Sd . Kfz . 9 " had a ladder frame chassis . Power was provided by a Maybach 12 - cylinder , water - cooled , " HL 108 " gasoline engine of . It had a syncromesh ZF G 65 VL 230 transmission with four forward and one reverse gears . It had two fuel tanks , one of and the other of capacity . Both tracks and wheels were used for steering . The steering system was set up so that shallow turns used only the wheels , but brakes would be applied to the tracks the further the steering wheel was turned . The drive sprocket , like all German halftracks , had rollers rather than the more common teeth . The rear suspension consisted of six double sets of overlapping , interleaved " Schachtellaufwerk " layout roadwheels mounted on swing arms sprung by torsion bars . An idler wheel , mounted at the rear of the vehicle , was used to control track tension . The front wheels had leaf springs and shock absorbers . The upper body had a crew compartment common to all versions . This had bench seats , one for the driver and his assistant , and another for the crew . The rear portion of the upper body was adapted for the vehicle ' s intended role . The artillery model had two extra bench seats for the gun ' s crew and space for its ammunition . The cargo version had just two storage compartments mounted in the front of the cargo compartment , one on each side , that opened to the outside . The windshield could fold forward and was also removable . A convertible canvas top was mounted at the upper part of the rear body . It fastened to the windshield when erected . The " Sd . Kfz . 9 " was designed to have a towing capacity of . This was adequate for medium tanks like the Panzer IV , but two or even three or four were necessary for heavier vehicles like the Tiger I , Panther or King Tiger . It towed " Sd . Anh 116 " low - loader trailers to carry disabled vehicles . Design and development . Preliminary design of all the German half - tracks of the early part of the war was done by Dipl . Ing . Ernst Kniepkamp of the Military Automotive Department ( " Wa Prüf 6 " ) before the Nazis took power in 1933 . His designs were then turned over to commercial firms for development and testing . Fahrzeug - und Motorenbau GmbH ( FAMO ) of Breslau received the contract for the heavy towing tracked vehicle . Their first prototype , the " FM gr 1 " , was completed in 1936 . It had a Maybach HL 98 TUK engine and was only long . The " F 2 " prototype appeared in 1938 , but differed only in detail from its predecessor . The " F 3 " appeared in 1939 and was the production version . The design was simplified over the course of the war to reduce costs and the use of strategic metals . Some vehicles produced by Tatra had its 12 - cylinder , air - cooled " Type 103 " diesel engine fitted . Large spades were added at the rear of the chassis during the war to improve the vehicle ' s ability to recover tanks and other heavy vehicles . Variants . A new upper body was used for the " Sd . Kfz . 9 / 1 " which mounted a capacity crane in lieu of the crew ' s bench seat and the cargo compartment . It was issued to tank maintenance units beginning in September 1941 . A larger , gasoline - electric , crane was fitted on the later " Sd . Kfz . 9 / 2 " , but this required outriggers to stabilize the vehicle before operations could begin . " 8 . 8 cm Flak 18 " anti - aircraft guns were mounted on fifteen " Sd . Kfz . 9 " s in 1940 as the " 8 . 8 cm Flak 18 ( Sfl . ) auf Zugkraftwagen 18t ( Sd . Kfz . 9 ) " for anti - tank duties . The crew and engine compartments were lightly ( ) , but completely , armored , which limited the gun ' s ability to fire directly ahead . A platform with drop - down sides was fitted for the gun . Outriggers were necessary to brace the platform sides to support the weight of the gun crew . The vehicle weighed , was long , tall and wide . One source claims that these vehicles were produced as prototypes in 1943 . Production . Vomag of Plauen began producing the Sd . Kfz . 9 in 1940 and Tatra joined in the last years of the war . 855 were on hand on 20 December 1942 . 643 were built in 1943 and 834 in 1944 . Approximately 2 , 500 were built in total .