coe Posted October 29, 2003 Share Posted October 29, 2003 ok I never found this out but what in the dickens does Sdkfz stand for and what is the translation? On a funny note, I had a pioneer lob a demo charge at the enemy - the blast killed like two of the enemy but also killed the pioneer. Conan 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redwolf Posted October 29, 2003 Share Posted October 29, 2003 SdKfz = Sonderkraftfahrzeug = Sonder-Kraft-Fahrzeug = Special motorized vehicle It just says: not a truck or a normal passenger car. Gotta love the pioneers 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
K_Tiger Posted October 29, 2003 Share Posted October 29, 2003 It isnt/wasnt a common name. The german used this to cover their pre-war projekts. After the threadment of versailes, it was forbidden for the germans to field a capable landforce, so they tryed to confuse the allies with those designations. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mattias Posted October 30, 2003 Share Posted October 30, 2003 Originally posted by K_Tiger: It isnt/wasnt a common name. The german used this to cover their pre-war projekts. After the threadment of versailes, it was forbidden for the germans to field a capable landforce, so they tryed to confuse the allies with those designations. Later on all German armoured and special purpose military vehicles were given a SdKfz number for administrative purposes. It was a quick way of seeing exactly which vehicle type, model and special official modification one was dealing with. M. [ October 30, 2003, 02:00 AM: Message edited by: Mattias ] 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ant Posted October 30, 2003 Share Posted October 30, 2003 Originally posted by Mattias: </font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />Originally posted by K_Tiger: It isnt/wasnt a common name. The german used this to cover their pre-war projekts. After the threadment of versailes, it was forbidden for the germans to field a capable landforce, so they tryed to confuse the allies with those designations. Later on all German armoured and special purpose military vehicles were given a SdKfz number for administrative purposes. It was a quick way of seeing exactly which vehicle type, model and special official modification one was dealing with. M. </font> 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eichenbaum Posted October 30, 2003 Share Posted October 30, 2003 Originally posted by redwolf: SdKfz = Sonderkraftfahrzeug = Sonder-Kraft-Fahrzeug = Special motorized vehicleI always thought the full name was Sud Kampffahrzeug 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redwolf Posted October 30, 2003 Share Posted October 30, 2003 Sud? KFZ is Kraftfahrzeug, not Kampffahrzeug. It is still the official title for a car or truck in Germany. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elmar Bijlsma Posted October 30, 2003 Share Posted October 30, 2003 I'm with Redwolf on this one. Those silly Germans with their LKWs and PKWs. If it was kampffahrzeug the Poles do wel to be worried. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eichenbaum Posted October 30, 2003 Share Posted October 30, 2003 Sonderkraftfahrzeug maybe be the correct name. I don't know. After some searching with google I got more hits with kraftfahrzeug then kampffahrzeug. It's still strange though, even a website like Feldgrau.com does say kampffahrzeug. I'll certainly use the kraft-version in the future but I still find it strange. Maybe somebody made an error a long time ago I've learned something new today 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redwolf Posted October 30, 2003 Share Posted October 30, 2003 "Kampf-" is used in combination with "-wagen" (wagon) not "-fahrzeug" (vehicle), as in "Panzerkampfwagen". Feldgrau is not perfect, but that is far less worse than all that "Liebstandarte" that you find in many printed books, up to the titles(!) of thick expensive historical research books. Yeah, right 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mattias Posted October 30, 2003 Share Posted October 30, 2003 Its not very complicated once one start confusing things by guessing. Basically it works thusly: SdKfz stands for Sonderkraftfahrzeug and that refers to vehicles that are special purpose military vehicles. In order to keep track of the different types they are given a number for administrative purposes. SdKfz 251 for example is, as we know, a medium halftrack. Of the SdKfz 251 there existed a large number of specialised verions, the 251/3 for example is a radio halftrack. And then in turn there existed several layouts and detailed equipment options for the SdKfz 251/3 radio halftrack, named 251/3 I (roman numerical), and going all the way up to 251/3 IV. And that is just one example… Now, that is just to keep track of things in books, what you actually call them as you use them is another story. The SdKfz 251/3 II for example would be referred to as a “mittlere Funkpanzerwagen”, because that is what it is, a medium radio armoured truck (“wagen” in one form or another being used to describe most basic ground vehicles in the car to tank range in German). All SdKfz numbered vehicle also had a designation of this type. For example, the SdKfz 265 is a kleine Panzerbefehlswagen (small command tank), the SdKfz 2 is a Kettenkrad (tracked motorcykel), the SdKfz 171 is a Panzerkampfwagen V… which brings us to another aspect of the naming convention: Panzerkampfwagen V is perhaps best known as the “Panther”. The name is a so called “suggestivename”, a name that is more suggestive, or sexy if you want. These names are given (officially designated that is) for a number of reasons mostly related to propaganda and moral. It just sounds better and does wonders for public recognition. So, the full name of that famous vehicle could be for example, Panzerkampfwagen V Ausf A (SdKfz 171) Panther. There is more to it but which name you choose for a certain vehicle pretty much boils down to when, why and what your trying say about it M. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tar Posted October 30, 2003 Share Posted October 30, 2003 far less worse than all that "Liebstandarte" I guess it wasn't love of the Fatherland, then, was it? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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