SdKfz 251.16 Ausf C Flammpanzerwagen

Plastic kit from DRAGON, for the assembly of a German transrport vehicle of the Second WW, on 1/35 scale. Includes sprues with plastic parts, assembly instructions, clear parts, P.E. parts and decals.

The Sd.Kfz. 251 (Sonderkraftfahrzeug 251) half-track was a WW II German armored personnel carrier designed by the Hanomag company, based on its earlier, unarmored Sd.Kfz. 11 vehicle. The Sd.Kfz. 251 was designed to transport the Panzergrenadier (German mechanized infantry) into battle. Sd.Kfz. 251s were the most widely produced German half-tracks of the war, with at least 15,252 vehicles and variants produced by seven manufacturers. Some sources state that the Sd.Kfz. 251 was commonly referred to simply as "Hanomags" by both German and Allied soldiers after the manufacturer of the vehicle; this has been questioned, and may have been only a postwar label. German officers referred to them as SPW (Schützenpanzerwagen, or armored infantry vehicle) in their daily orders and memoirs.There were four main model modifications (Ausführung A through D), which formed the basis for at least 22 variants.

The initial idea was for a vehicle that could be used to transport a single squad of 10 panzergrenadiers to the battlefield protected from enemy small arms fire, and with some protection from artillery fire. In addition, the standard mounting of at least one MG 34 or MG 42 machine gun allowed the vehicle to provide suppressive fire for the rifle squad both while they dismounted and in combat. Some Sd.Kfz. 251 was equipped with two flame projectors and in the initial vehicles the same projector was mounted at the rear, detachable but still connected to the vehicle, to operate with dismounted infantry. This was additional to the machine gun in front. Six Sd.Kfz. 251/16 Flammpanzerwagens existed in every Panzergrenadier or Pioneer battalion. Although vulnerable, they were successfully used at night to quickly attack the enemy infantry that had just occupied German trenches, hitting the enemy before they could be reinforced and carry heavy weapons that would make it more difficult to retake.