Tatra OT-810 half-tracks were produced after the end of World War II for the Czechoslovak army, based on the German Sd.Kfz. 251 half-tracks.
The Sd.Kfz. 251 was designed in 1936. Its construction utilized the chassis of the 3-ton Sd.Kfz. 11 artillery tractor. Production of the half-track began in 1939.
Four production variants were developed—designated Ausf. A, B, C, and D—which differed in terms of hull construction details and the placement of vision ports and firing ports. The final variant, the Ausf. D, featured numerous design simplifications, including a flat rear hull plate. Approximately 4,650 vehicles of the A–C variants were produced, along with 10,602 units of the Ausf. D.
Wartime production took place at facilities operated by Hanomag, MNH, Fr. Schichau (Elbląg), Wumag, Wasserhütte, Borgward, Evans+Pistor, Deutsche Werke, and Büssing-NAG.
This was a highly successful medium armored personnel carrier. Employed on a massive scale during the campaigns of 1939–1941, it became an integral component of the Blitzkrieg. It enabled German motorized infantry units to cover significant distances in a remarkably short amount of time. Toward the end of the war, due to insufficient tank production, the Sd.Kfz 251 began to be rearmed with increasingly heavy weaponry, such as anti-tank guns. This led to tank destroyers based on the Sd.Kfz. 251, such as the Sd.Kfz. 251 Ausf. D/22 equipped with a PaK 40 anti-tank gun.
TACTICAL AND TECHNICAL DATA
Crew: 2 + 12 troops (infantry squad)
Dimensions:
Overall length (mm): 5800
Height (mm): 1750
Width (mm): 2100
Track (mm): 1600
Ground clearance (mm): 320
Combat weight (kg): 9000
Payload (kg): 1500
Range: on-road (km) 300; off-road (km) 150
Maximum on-road speed (km/h): 52.5
Turning radius (m): 11.0
Fuel consumption: on-road (dm³) 40 (55?)
off-road (dm³) 80
