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SdKfz 251

2022-07-06T18:06:11Z

2607:FB90:A379:7A16:2574:7521:77A4:C154: /* IRL */

[[File:Sdkfz251mini.png|thumb|"I call shotgun! No Franz! Ve cannot, not since that horrible [[The World Wars#The First World War|var]]..."]]

The SdKfz 251 (more commonly known as the Hanomag) was the primary combat half track for the German Wehrmacht in World War II. It had almost 2 dozen official subvariants, and is an iconic vehicle along with the Tiger and Panther.
==Early War==
[[File:Sdkfz251statcard.jpg|thumb|left|Die Stats]]
==Mid War==
==Late War==
==IRL==
[[File:SDkfz251.jpg|thumb|"der Hurensohn! You nearly hit my mother back there!"]]
The Hanomag started as an improvement on the Sd.Kfz 11 open topped half-track made by the Hanomag company. This new Half track was to take the decent features of the 11, but improve the protection of the passengers from small arms fire, and especially a degree of protection from artillery fire, provided said artillery didn't hit the vehicle directly.

The Hanomag was first deployed in earnest against the Polish in September of 1939, where it saw great success, allowing Panzergrenadiers to keep pace with the Panzer II and IIIs that made up a majority of the German Arsenal with ease, while laying down tons of suppressive fire with the MG 34 it was equipped with.

The Hanomag, like all half tracks, had benefits and upsides. The simplicity of the vehicle, combined with the tracks, made it an easy to operate all terrain vehicle, though a dedicated tracked vehicle or wheeled vehicle was better on rough terrain or roads respectively. The open top eased deployment of troops and allowed for better situational awareness, but left the passengers exposed to mortars, grenades, artillery, and flamethrowers. However, these shortcomings were just as prevalent on the M5/M3 Half track, and the sloped design of most later Hanomags meant that objectively, the allied Half tracks had marginally less protection for their crews.

As stated, almost 2 dozen different subvariants exist, but the biggest of these was the 1943 D variant, which simplified the design in order to speed up production. Two variants that stand out are the 251/21 and 251/22. The 21 was an AA half-track equipped with either a 15 or 20mm autocannon, and the 22 had a Pak 40 strapped to it, a clear attempt to try and get some T-34 kills without having to risk the valuable and powerful big cats.

{{Template:German Forces in Flames of War}}

M10

2022-07-06T00:34:58Z

2607:FB90:A379:7A16:2574:7521:77A4:C154: /* IRL */

{{Topquote|Wolverine, on the prowl.|Company of Heroes}}
The '''M10 Gun Motor Carriage, 3 inch''', also called the '''Wolverine''' by the Tea Drinkers, was an allied Tank Destroyer in service with from 1943 to the end of the war.
[[File:M10 3-inch.png|thumb|3-inches of fuck you, all in a single package.]]
==Mid War==
[[File:M10 3-inch Statcard.png|thumb|left|The stats]]
==Late War==

==IRL==
The M10 was developed in anticipation of fighting the German Blitzkrieg tactics, using the American Tank Destroyer doctrine of light armor, but a big fuck-off gun. To accomplish this, a 3" gun was strapped into an open turret on top of a modified Sherman hull for the prototype. The hull was given sloped armor along with a pentagonal turret to add some extra defensive capabilities to the vehicle. The final 300 vehicles were given 76mm guns to give them better performance over the 3" M7. An M2 MG was strapped to the top for additional anti-aircraft and anti-personnel defense.

The Wolverine performed adequately but was found to not conform to the American Tank Destroyer doctrine of WWII due to its heavier hull. The Army in the Pacific hated the vehicle due to the open-top making them vulnerable to Japanese zerg tactics, while the Russians had no records of their service. The Free French were supplied with them, and most notably killed a Panzer V during the Liberation of Paris. The British developed their own variant called the Achilles, which put a QF-17 Pounder in the M10 chassis. Audie Murphy earned a medal of honor using the MG on the rear of the vehicle to hold back German soldiers while using the radio to call in artillery barrages.

Near the end of the war, the M10 was increasingly obsolete, and desperate attempts to keep the vehicle viable in combat service included strapping sandbags and lumber to the outside for extra protection. It also had a hand traversed turret, something that was increasingly obsolete in the latter part of the war against the modern and more efficient electrically traversed Panzers. It was largely replaced by the M-18 and the M-36 by the end of the war, but was kept on due to the sheer number of them and ease of repairability.

Some were exported to nationalist China, but these were obsolete on arrival and were replaced by captured Japanese surplus material.

{{US Forces in Flames of War}}