The Sd.Kfz. 251 halftrack was an armoured fighting vehicle built by Germany during World War II. There were four main models (A - D), with many variants. The initial idea was for a vehicle that could be used to transport a squad of troops to the battlefield protected from enemy fire. The open top meant that the crew was still vulnerable. The first 2 models were produced in small numbers. The C variant had a larger production run, but was a quite complex vehicle to build, involving many angled plates that gave reasonable protection from small arms fire. The D version utilised a much simpler design, and can be easily recognised by its single piece sloping rear with flat doors. Although designed for cross country work, it had some limitations as the front wheels were not powered. The standard personal carrier version was equipped with a 7.92 mm MG 34 or 7.92 mm MG 42 machine gun mounted at the front of the open compartment, above and behind the driver. Variants were produced for specialised purposes, including anti-aircraft guns, rocket launching (with 3 large rockets fitted on either side of the vehicle) as well as a version with an infra-red search light used to spot potential targets for associated Panther tanks equipped with infrared detectors
German Military Vehicles. ISBN-10: 087349783X Armoured Fighting Vehicles of Germany World War II. ISBN-10: 0214203077 Encyclopedia of German Tanks of World Two. ISBN-10: 1854095188 For a complete list of sources
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