The abbreviation FAMO comes from Fahrzeug- und Motorenbau GmbH which was a vehicle and engine construction company from the city of Breslau in Germany. The Famo Halftrack was Germany’s heaviest halftrack of World War Two. Designated Sd.Kfz. 9 – Schwerer Zugkraftwagen 18 t, or Heavy Tractor 18 tons.
The Famo was powered by a 12 cylinder Maybach engine and developed to pull the most heavy artillery pieces like the 24 cm Kannone 3. It was designed to pull 28 tons, enough to pull tanks like the Panzer IV but for more heavy tanks like the Tiger two to four Famo half-tracks were needed. The Famo half-track came into four versions; the standard version, a tractor with gun crew seats, second a tank maintenance version with an 6 tons crane, a recovery vehicle with a plate on its rear which functioned like a ground anker when pulling out stuck tanks or vehicles, and the last was a version with an 88 mm Flak gun in anti-tank setup. Only 15 conversions were ever built from the latter.
Around 2500 of these heavy 18t half tracks were made. They were also built under license by VOMAG and Tatra.
In the photos is the standard version with Gun Crew seats.
