The Krupp Protze (officially L 2 H 43 and L 2 H 143) was a six-wheeled 6x4 German truck and artillery tractor produced between 1934 and 1941 and heavily used in World War II. It was powered by a 4-cylinder, 55 hp or, from 1936, 60 hp Krupp M 304 petrol engine. Its main purpose was to tow artillery, especially the 3.7 cm Pak 36 anti-tank gun (designated Kfz 69), and transport motorized infantry (designated Kfz 70).
| Krupp L 2 H 43 / L 2 H 143 / Kfz.70 | |
|---|---|
 Krupp Kfz.70 on display at Deutsches Panzermuseum, Germany. | |
| Type | Artillery tractor / Utility truck |
| Place of origin |  Germany |
| Service history | |
| Used by | Germany Hungary Latvia |
| Wars | World War II |
| Production history | |
| Designer | Krupp |
| Manufacturer | Krupp |
| Produced | 1934–1941 |
| No. built | 7,000 |
| Variants | Several, see text |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 2,600 kg (5,700 lb) |
| Length | 5.10 m (16 ft 9 in) |
| Width | 1.93 m (6 ft 4 in) |
| Height | 1.96 m (6 ft 5 in) |
| Crew | 1 + 5 passengers + 1 light towed gun (Kfz.69), 2+10 (Kfz.70) |
| Armor | None |
| Engine | Krupp Boxer motor, 3.3 liters 53 or 60 hp |
| Payload capacity | 1,150 kg (2,540 lb) |
| Fuel capacity | 110 L (24 imp gal; 29 US gal) |
Operational range | 450 km (280 mi) on road |
| Maximum speed | 70 km/h (43 mph) |
This vehicle was extensively used on the Eastern Front, during the North African campaign and in France and Sicily. The "Krupp-Protze" was of relatively advanced design. Its fuel consumption was relatively high (24 Litres / 100 km on road) in comparison to the comparable Opel Blitz 1.5 t truck (16.5 liters / 100 km, produced 1938 - 1942).
Total production was about 7,000 units.
Variants
editA successful design, the Krupp-Protze was converted into several variants:
- Kfz.19
- Telephone truck
- Kfz.21
- Staff car
- Kfz.68
- Radio mast carrier
- Kfz.69
- Standard configuration for towing the 3.7 cm Pak 36 anti-tank gun. Carried 2 in front with 4 in a pair of forward and rear facing seats.
- Kfz.70
- Standard configuration for personnel carrying. carried 2 in front with 10 seated in the rear on benches.
- Kfz.81
- Ammo carrier conversion for 2 cm FlaK anti-aircraft gun, usually towed
- Kfz.83
- Generator carrier for anti-aircraft searchlight, usually towed
- Sd.Kfz. 247 Ausf. A
- Krupp built ten Ausf. A models on the chassis of its six-wheel Krupp Protze truck in 1937.
Sometimes anti-tank (37 mm Pak 36) and anti-air (2 cm Flak) guns were mounted directly on the truck bed (Portée).
See also
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