View source for Sd.Kfz. 2

{{Short description|German military half track motorcycle}}
{{DISPLAYTITLE:''{{lang|de|Sd.Kfz. 2|nocat=y}}''}}
{{Infobox weapon
| name               = {{lang|de|Sd.Kfz.2 Kettenkrad HK 101}}
| image              = Bundesarchiv Bild 101I-725-0184-22, Russland, Soldaten auf Kettenkrad.jpg
| image_size         = 300
| caption            = ''{{lang|de|Kettenkrad}}'' in Russia, Winter 1943/44.
| origin             = [[Nazi Germany]]
| type               = Light half-tracked [[artillery tractor|gun tractor]]
<!-- Type selection -->
| is_vehicle         = yes
| is_UK              =
<!-- Service history -->
| service            = 1941–1945
| used_by            = [[Nazi Germany]]
| wars               = World War II
<!-- Production history -->
| designer           = {{lang|de|NSU}}
| design_date        = 1939
| manufacturer       = {{lang|de|[[NSU Motorenwerke]]}}
| unit_cost          =
| production_date    = 1939–1948
| number             =
| variants           =
<!-- General specifications -->
| spec_label         =
| weight             = {{convert|1560|kg|lb|abbr=on}}
| length             = {{convert|3|m|ftin|abbr=on}}
| part_length        =
| width              = {{convert|1|m|ftin|abbr=on}}
| height             = {{convert|1.2|m|ftin|abbr=on}}
| diameter           =
| crew               = 1 driver
| passengers         = 2 passengers
<!-- Vehicle/missile specifications -->
| armour             =
| primary_armament   =
| secondary_armament =
| engine             = [[Opel]] [[Water cooling#Internal combustion engines|watercooled]] [[Straight-four engine|four-cylinder]] [[Straight engine|inline]] engine
| engine_power       = 36&nbsp;bhp (26&nbsp;kW)
| pw_ratio           =
| transmission       = 3 forward/1 reverse × 2 range
| payload_capacity   =
| suspension         =
| clearance          =
| fuel_capacity      =
| vehicle_range      =
| speed              = 70&nbsp;km/h (44&nbsp;mph)
| guidance           =
| steering           =
}}

The '''{{lang|de|Sd.Kfz.2}}''' ({{langx|de|[[Sonderkraftfahrzeug]] 2}}) is a [[half-track]] [[motorcycle]] with a single front wheel, better known as the '''{{lang|de|Kleines Kettenkraftrad HK 101}}''' ({{ety|de|klein|small||Ketten|chains/tracks||Kraftrad|motorcycle}}), shortened to '''{{lang|de|Kettenkrad}}''' (pl. {{lang|de|Kettenkräder}}). It was used by [[Wehrmacht|the military]] of [[Nazi Germany]] during the [[Second World War]].
[[File:Kettenkrad 1942 Antriebsstrang.jpg|thumb|View from above on the drivetrain of a 1942 NSU Kettenkrad. Driver's seat removed.]]

==Design==
The {{lang|de|Kettenkrad}} started its life as a light tractor for airborne troops. The vehicle was designed to be delivered by [[Junkers Ju 52]] aircraft, though not by parachute. The vehicle had the advantage of being the only gun tractor small enough to fit inside the hold of the Ju 52, and was the lightest mass-produced German military vehicle to use the complex {{lang|de|Schachtellaufwerk}} overlapped and interleaved road wheels used on almost all German military half-tracked vehicles of World War II.

Steering the {{lang|de|Kettenkrad}} was accomplished by turning the handlebars: Up to a certain point, only the front wheel would steer the vehicle. A motion of the handlebars beyond that point would engage the track brakes to help make turns sharper. It was also possible to run the vehicle without the front wheel installed and this was recommended in extreme off-road conditions where speed would be kept low.<ref>{{cite book |publisher=OKH |title=Army manual D 624/1, Kleines Kettenkraftrad, Gerätebeschreibung und Bedienungsanweisung |date=25 September 1944|page=72}}</ref>

The {{lang|de|Sd.Kfz.2}} was designed and built by the {{lang|de|[[NSU Motorenwerke|NSU Werke AG]]}} at {{lang|de|[[Neckarsulm]]|italic=no}}, Germany. Patented in June 1939, it was first used in the [[Operation Barbarossa|invasion of the Soviet Union]] in 1941.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.kettenkrad.com/intro.html |title=Kleines Kettenkraftrad (Sd.Kfz.2) Typ HK 101 |first=Philip |last=Ulzheimer |work=kettenkrad.com |year=2006 |access-date=15 August 2014 }}</ref> Later in the war {{lang|de|[[Stoewer]]}} from {{lang|de|[[Szczecin|Stettin]]|italic=no}} also produced {{lang|de|Kettenkrad}}s under license, accounting for about 10% of the total production.<ref>{{cite web |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091020131346/http://geocities.com/Pentagon/3620/sdkfz2.htm |archive-date=20 October 2009 |url-status=dead |url=http://www.geocities.com/Pentagon/3620/sdkfz2.htm&date=2009-10-25+09:26:32 |title=Vehicles of the Wehrmacht 1939–1945 |first=George |last=Parada |access-date=15 August 2014 }}</ref>

The {{lang|de|Kettenkrad}} came with a special trailer ''Sonderanhänger 1'' (Sd.Anh.1) that could be attached to it to improve its cargo capacity. The trailer carried {{convert|350|kg|lb|abbr=on}}.

Being a tracked vehicle, the {{lang|de|Kettenkrad}} could climb up to 24° in sand and even more on hard ground.<ref>{{cite book |publisher=OKH |title=Army manual D 624/1, Kleines Kettenkraftrad, Gerätebeschreibung und Bedienungsanweisung |date=28 October 1942|page=9}}</ref>

==Service==
{{Unreferenced section|date=April 2023}}
[[File:Bundesarchiv Bild 101I-154-1986-03, Russland, Kettenkrad mit Anhänger.jpg|thumb|{{lang|de|Kettenkrad}} with Sd.Anh.1 trailer, Russia 1943]]

Most {{lang|de|Kettenkräder}} saw service on the [[Eastern Front (World War II)|Eastern Front]], where they were used to lay communication cables, pull heavy loads and carry soldiers through the [[rasputitsa|deep Russian mud]]. Later in the war, {{lang|de|Kettenkräder}} were used as runway tugs for aircraft, especially for the [[Messerschmitt Me 262]] jet fighter, and sometimes the [[Arado Ar 234]] jet reconnaissance-bomber. In order to save aviation fuel, German jet aircraft were towed to the runway, rather than taxiing under their own power.

The vehicle was also used in the [[North African Campaign|North African theater]] and on the [[Western Front (World War II)|Western Front]].

==Variants==
{{Unreferenced section|date=April 2023}}
Only two significant sub-variations of the {{lang|de|Kettenkrad}} were constructed. The mittlerer Ladungsträger Springer (Sd.Kfz. 304)  was a remotely controlled demolition vehicle. Also an enlarged five-seat version of the Kettenkrad was developed but only prototypes were built. 

Production of the Kettenkrad was stopped in 1944, at which time 8,345 had been built. After the war, production resumed at NSU. Around 550 {{lang|de|Kettenkräder}} were built for agricultural use, with production ending in 1948 or 1949 (sources vary).

==See also==
[[File:Kettenkrad in a military museum.JPG|thumb|Kettenkrad at [[The Tank Museum|The Tank Museum, Bovington]]]]
* [[Springer (vehicle)]] ({{lang|de|Sd.Kfz. 304}}), a one-use military demolition vehicle based on the {{lang|de|Kettenkrad}}{{'}}s powertrain.
* [[List of Sd.Kfz. designations]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commonscat|Kettenkrad}}
* {{cite web |url=http://www.kettenkrad.com/ |title=Kettenkrad USA web site |first=Philip |last=Ulzheimer |work=kettenkrad.com |year=2009 }}
* {{cite web |url=http://www.kettenkrad.de/index_e.htm |title=The NSU Kettenkrad Homepage |first=Andreas |last=Mehlhorn |work=kettenkrad.de |year=2011–2023 }}
* {{cite journal |url=http://www.lonesentry.com/articles/ttt07/kettenkrad.html |title=German Motorcycle Tractor |journal=Tactical and Technical Trends |publisher=U.S. Military Intelligence Service |number=19 |date=25 February 1943 }}
* {{cite web |url=http://www.military-kits.com/sections.php?op=viewarticle&artid=161 |title=Vues générales d'un Kettenkraftrad début de production avec ratelier pour équipements |work=military-kits.com |year=2014 |language=fr |access-date=28 September 2007 |archive-date=2 October 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111002032732/http://www.military-kits.com/sections.php?op=viewarticle&artid=161 |url-status=dead }}

{{WWIIGermanAFVs}} 
{{WWIIGermanVehicles}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2017}}

[[Category:World War II military vehicles of Germany]]
[[Category:World War II half-tracks]]
[[Category:Half-tracks of Germany]]
[[Category:Military vehicles introduced from 1940 to 1944]]