 The SdKfz 2, better known as the Kleines Kettenkraftrad HK 101 or Kettenkrad for short (Ketten = tracks, krad = military abbreviation of the German word Kraftrad, the administrative German term for motorcycle), started its life as a light tractor for airborne troops. The vehicle was designed to be delivered by Junkers Ju 52 aircraft, though not by parachute. The vehicle had the advantage of being the only gun tractor small enough to fit inside the hold of the Ju 52.
Steering the Kettenkrad was accomplished by turning the handlebars, if little movement was used then the wheel would steer the vehicle, however if they were turned further they would engage the track brakes to help make turns sharper.
The SdKfz 2 was designed and built by the NSU Motorenwerke AG at Neckarsulm, Germany. Later in the war Stoewer from Stettin also produced Kettenkrads under license, accounting for about 10% of the total production.
Most Kettenkrads saw service on the Eastern Front, where they were used to lay communication cables, pull heavy loads and carry soldiers through the deep Russian mud. Late in the war, Kettenkrads were used as runway tugs for aircraft, including jets such as the Me 262. In order to conserve aviation fuel, the aircraft would be towed rather than run the engines while taxiing.
The vehicle was also used in the North African theater and in Europe.
Being a tracked vehicle the Kettenkrad could climb up to 24° in sand and even more in hard ground, as long as the driver had courage for it. |
1939 World War II Kettenkrad
Harley 1941 Police UL
