German engineers developed a halftrack with a low velocity 7,5 cm L/24 short barrel gun. The same gun was used in early panzer IV and StuG III tanks. It was developed for infantry support and fired high explosives shells.
The base was a Sd.Kfz. 251 Hanomag medium armored halftrack and it was the ninth original version therefore named Sd.Kfz. 251/9. Besides the 7,5 cm gun it had 2 Machine guns, Mg 34’s or Mg 42’s. it had one crew member more than the standard personnel carrier halftrack, a gunner was added. It carried 52 rounds and 2010 rounds of machinegun ammo. The vehicle was nicknamed “Stummel” Eng. Stub. Referring to the short cannon.
This particular Hanomag Sd.Kfz. 251/9 Stummel was licensed built by Adlerwerke. It still bears the original WH 1621754 license plate number and its original tactical number 523. It belonged to the 5. Kompanie, PzAufklAbl 20 from the 20. PzDiv commanded by Rudi Ehninger, Brigadier General of the German Panzertruppe.
– PzAufklAbl – Panzer-Aufklärungs-Abteilung, Eng. Armored Reconnaissance Department
– PzDiv – Panzer Division, Eng. armored division
– Panzertruppe – Tank Force
The 20th Panzer Reconnaissance Department company was set up in central Russia in April 1943 and was part of Army Group Mitte. During the summer of 1944 the detachment was destroyed by the Red Army near Bobruisk in eastern Belarus. October 1944, a Panzer Reconnaissance Department 20 was set up again at the Arys military training area in Military District I. Today the city of Arys is Orzysz and is located in north-eastern Poland . The new department was also subordinated to the 20th Panzer Division and was commanded by Major Johannes Schoenbeck.
