The Commander Series Forum

I'm starting to assemble Pz gren regt 115, largely for May/June '42.

As far as I can tell I need a lot of the 4x4 Horch type cars with a smattering of sdkfz 10s to pull the AT guns(37mm and 50mm). BUT, several lists refer to the Protze light trucks - the 6x4 version as tows. However, I can't find ANY pictures of them in DAK service.

Can anyone advise what would be best?

Thanks in advance,

My Osprey "Rommel's Afrika Korps" Number 20 has a detailed section on trucks. Few 4x4s were available. The tough conditions lead to breakdowns. SdKfz 10s are shown a lot in the photos and the book has no pictures of Protzes. Protzes are mentioned as being among the "more than 150 off-road light trucks for personnel transport" in late 1941 indeed but they may have become unserviceable quite quickly too. 70% of the divisions vehicles were unserviceable in January 1942. It says that DAK relied heavily on the use of captured British vehicles. The scope is there to include a variety of trucks of all shapes and sizes. Kuebelwagen were given over-sized aircraft tyres but the engines lasted only a fifth of their usual lifetime.

A motley assortment of both purloined British and Italian trucks are always in order!

There are some videos on youtube of DAK trucks.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S0aX34hw5D...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-cgjlg6iCA...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QIjgBGFK5g...

The third video shows some panzers in action. quite a bit of distance between the panzers, even while moving along a road.

Great videos!

All of the truck / transport stuff seems to show a distinct lack of the 6x4 Protze types. I'll go with a host of Horch type cars, blitzs, and a few Italian and British types with sdkfz 10s as tows.

Some photos do appear if you look for the Protze on an image search. See link below-in German and asking the same question if it was used. Perhaps they were not considered worthy to photographers out there?http://www.deutsches-afrika-korps.de/viewt...

Given the appalling hodge podge of transport the Germans had I reckon you could get away with a mix of mostly anything! Provided most is modelled broken down with swearing squaddies kicking the tires and hitting the engine with spanners

There was no Kwikfit in those days! Waiting for the part from Germany perhaps?

Wow! So some were there.

One thing I do notice: where it's possible to identify the owning unit, it seems to be Luftwaffe?

The Luftwaffe may have been the only units equipped with them. There were several Luftwaffe units assigned to the DAK

135 flak regiment (1/18, 1/33 mixed flak battalions) towed 88s(3 batteries) and 20mm (2 batteries)
606 and 617 self propelled flak battalions (3 20mm batteries)
612 towed flak battalion (3 towed 20mm batteries)

The 612 became towed in March 42. Prior to that it was a static battalion assigned to coastal defense from February 41. 1/33 had been part of 5th Light Division from February 41 before becoming part of the 135th flak regiment by August 41. The others were present from August 41

By August 42 the 612 was self propelled and the 617 self propelled had been added. The 135 Luftwaffe flak regiment now had 1/18, 2/25, 1/43, and 1/53 mixed flank battalions. The 1/33 was no longer present.

Information from Frank Chadwicks's "Guide to the Afrika Korps" in Command Post Quarterly #3

Probably more information than needed, but some of the German TO&E sites may be able to provide numbers assigned to the units.

Regards,
Bill