In the film Saving
Private Ryan, there is a scene where American troops in Normandy after
D-Day are driving a German Sd.Kfz.2 half-track
motorcycle; better known as the Kettenkrad. This vehicle was designed by the
Wehrmacht to pull heavy loads, travel over rough ground and fit inside a JU-52
transport plane. The crew was one driver and up to two passengers.
8,345 of the vehicles
was built by NSU Werke AG From 1941 to 1944. It saw action in the Soviet Union,
Italy, North Africa and Normandy, France. It was powered by an Opel 1.5 liter,
four-cyclinder, water cooled, gasoline engine. Typical of German half-track
vehicles during WWII, the Kettenkrad had overlapping, interleaved wheels. This
arrangment was thought to provide a smoother ride over very rough terrain. Its
top speed was 70 km/h (44mph) and it could climb 24°slopes.
My model carries the
marking of a reconnaissance unit of the
91 Luftlandedivision (air tansported division) that saw extensive action
in France after the Normandy invasion.
U.S. Army Intelligence made a contemporary analysis and
description of the Kettenkrad, which is available at: http://www.lonesentry.com/articles/ttt07/kettenkrad.html.
#WWII #Wehrmacht #Kettenkrad #motorcycle #half-track
#Blender #Cycles
