Panzer Tracts No. 17, Gepanzerte Nachschub Fahrzeuge (Armored Supply/Ammunition Vehicles) CK 3.01 to schwere Wehrmaacht-Schlepper

by Thomas L. Jentz and Hilary Louis Doyle

Published by Panzer Tracts, ISBN 0-9744862-4-8, 72 pages.

I’m running out of superlatives to describe successive Panzer Tracts, so perhaps I can just say that this is yet another essential reference book from the team. It covers every supply or ammunition carrier that you’ve ever heard of in the German army of WW2 and some you probably haven’t heard of, as well as including all the rocket-launching vehicles.
The early designs of the 1920s and 1930s are followed by the SdKfz 252 and then the SdKfz 250/6. Then come two vehicles built by Borgward, one not put into production but the other used in fair numbers on the Russian Front. Both of these are tempting conversions from the DML Borgward IV kits, sharing common suspensions with the Ausf A and B respectively. Next is a munitions carrier built by Weserhutte, one of which was found by the Allies in 1945 and has led to much recent speculation about what it was. The truth is here, and so is a four-view plan!
Three more conversions come next in the shape of the munition carriers modified from Pz I Ausf A and B, and then we get the Pz IV and Pz III ammo carriers for Karl and Ferdinand. Next are the gunless ammo carrier versions of Wespe, Hummel and Grille, all capable of conversion in the field back to the SPs so equally capable of conversion from kits of the SPs. Then, returning to the Borgward theme, there’s an ammo carrier built in some numbers by conversion from B IV Ausf As.
In a change of track attention next turns to the armoured Panzerwerfers on Maultier chassis and the launcherless ammo carrier, followed by a couple of pages on gunless anti-aircraft halftracks – the ammo carrying versions of SdKfz 10/4, 6/2, 7/1 and the Flak sWs. The last page gives us two photos of the only known sWs mounting the 15 cm nebelwerfer.
As I’ve mentioned above, this is converter’s heaven. Very highly recommended, especially to anyone who fancies something different without having to do a full scratchbuild!

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John Prigent