Sd.Kfz.251/21 Ausf. D with Flakdrilling

[T. Dürrschmidt]

By the end of WW2 the German Luftwaffe had a big storage of unused 20mm aircraft cannons and the Wehrmacht was in desperate need of AA-vehicles. So three of the belt fed MG151/20 were mounted together in a 251/D Halftrack. The weapon was quite effective, also against ground targets. The biggest disadvantages were the cramped space inside the vehicle, the very simplified way to move the gun (with the gunners body weight) and the unsufficent armor protection for the crew.

The gunner wears a version of the late-war anti-Infrared Leibermuster dress, which was issued in very limited numbers during the last weeks of WW2.

Cheers from Bavaria

Thomas

[neffer38]

Very Nice! Certainly on my list of stuff to get from rubicon.

[Stuart]

That really is a spectacular model Thomas.

By coincidence I was just reading yesterday how one such vehicle was used against one of the Combat Commands of the 4th Armored Division in the ground target role, while the division was on its way to relieve Bastogne. Looking at your model though it would seem that depressing these guns for use in the ground role would be problematic. Is there something I am not seeing here?

Really like how subtle and effective the camouflage on the Hanomag is. Excellent work.