Krupp Protze


The L 2 H 43 and L 2 H 143 "Krupp-Protze" was a six-wheeled 6x4 German truck and artillery tractor produced between 1934 and 1941 and heavily used in World War II. It was powered by a 4-cylinder, 55 hp or, from 1936, 60 hp Krupp M 304 petrol engine. Its main purpose was to tow artillery, especially the PaK 36, and transport motorized infantry.
This vehicle was extensively used on the Eastern Front, during the North African campaign and in France and Sicily. The "Krupp-Protze" was of relatively advanced design. Its fuel consumption was relatively high in comparison to the comparable Opel Blitz 1.5 t truck.
Total production was about 7,000 units.

Variants

A successful design, the Krupp-Protze was converted into several variants:
Sometimes anti-tank and anti-air guns were mounted directly on the truck bed. Note on troop carrying capacity: Kfz.69 carried 2 in front with 4 in a pair of forward and rear facing seats ; Kfz.70 carried 2 in front with 10 seated in the rear bed benches.