SdKfz 9 Famo

The SdKfz 9 Famo was a half-track used by Germany during World War II.

Description[]

The Famo was powered by a 270 hp, 12-cylinder, water-cooled 10.8 liter Maybach HL108 petrol engine, and had a maximum speed of 50 km/h on roadways. The Famo had a ZF G 65 VL 230 gearbox and four speed forward, one speed reverse transmission, and a ladder frame chassis. The total ground clearance was 44 centimeters without payload or passengers. The total cargo carrying capacity for the Famo was 2,620 kilograms, and at least one driver was required to operate the vehicle. Depend on the body configuration fitted, the passenger capacity for the Famo varied according to which role the vehicle was tasked with, but at least one passenger in the front seat besides the driver could be carried. The standard front seat configuration comprised the driver's compartment, which had a single bench seat and a fold-down windshield, which was also removable. When the windshield was erect, a canvas roof could be attached from the upper part of the rear compartments to top of the windshield. Artillery tractor versions had an open load bed with a bench seat behind the driver's compartment for the artillery gun crew, while the open load bed was used to carry ammunition. The cargo carrier version had two storage compartments just behind the driver's compartment, one on either side which opened outwards, while the main load bed was used as the main cargo compartment.

The front wheels were suspended on a leaf spring suspension and had shock absorbers, while the tracks comprised of six double sets of interleaved roadwheels mounted on swing arms and sprung by torsion bars, and the tension of the tracks were controlled by an idler wheel at the rear. Both the tracks and the wheels were used for turning, shallow turns being negotiated by only the wheels, but the further the steering wheel was turned, brakes would then engage on the tracks, allowing for a sharper turn. The Famo measured 8.32 meters long, 2.6 meters wide and 2.85 meters high, and weighed approximately 18,000 kilograms. The maximum fuel capacity for the Famo was 320 liters carried in two separate tanks, one holding 90 liters, the other 230 liters, and the maximum operational range was 260 kilometers on roadways, and 100 kilometers cross-country. The Famo had a winch fitted just below the cargo compartment, and a towing capacity of 28,000 kilograms, and was therefor capable of towing tanks up to the size of the Panzer IV with ease. However, two, three, and sometime even four were required to tow heavier tans such as the Panzer VI Tiger. The Famo could also tow the SdAnh 116 low-loader trailers for moving disabled vehicles.

Variants[]

The SdKfz 9/1 was fitted with a new body configuration for carrying a 5,900 kilogram capacity crane in placed of the rear bench seats and cargo compartment. The 9/1 was used by tank maintenance units as of the September of 1941. Another mobile crane variant, the SdKfz 9/2, was later introduced, and was fitted with a heavier 9,800 kilogram capacity crane, and required outriggers for stabilization before use. A tank recovery variant was also created, and featured a large spade-like metal plate attached to a holding frame on the rear of the vehicle, and could be raised for transport. The device was designed to stabilize the vehicle while winching a heavy object on soft ground.

A self-propelled gun variant was also created. This variant, known as the 8.8 cm Flak 18 (Sfl.)auf Zugkraftwagen 18t, was created in 1940 by mounting a 88 mm FlaK 18 anti-aircraft gun on the rear compartment of the SdKfz 9, and was used for anti-tank duties. The engine, rear and driver's compartments were completely armored with 14.5 mm of steel plate, but this effected the gun's ability to fire forwards. Drop-down sides were fitted to the rear compartment, and outriggers were required to stabilize the vehicle while firing. The vehicle measured 9.32 meters long, 2.65 meters wide and 3.67 meters high, and weighed 25,000 kilograms.

History[]

The original design of the Famo was created by Dipl.Ing. Ernst Kniepkamp of the Military Automotive Department prior to the Nazi take-over in 1933. His designed were then sent to commercial firms for development and testing, and the first firm to produce a prototype was the Fahrzeug und Motorenbau GmbH (FAMO), hence the vehicle's nickname. Their first prototype was completed in 1936 as the FM gr 1. It featured the early 200 hp Maybach HL98 TUK petrol engine, and was a mere 7.7 meters long. The following prototype, the F2, was completed in 1938, but only had detail changes to the original. The final prototype, the F3, was completed the following year, and was chosen as the production version, and the Wehrmacht accepted the vehicle for military service in 1940 as the SdKfz 9. The design was continuously modified throughout the war to reduce production costs and the use of certain rear materials. While FAMO Breslau was still the primary manufacturer, Vomag Plauen began producing the SdKfz 9 in 1940, and the Tatra company too began producing the Famo in the last years of World War II, however, instead of assembling the vehicles with the original Maybach petrol engine, Tatra produced them with their own Type 103 diesel engine. The Famo was used by Germany throughout the war, as well as it's ally, Romania. Around 2,500 were produced in total.