Krupp Protze

Krupp L 2 H 43 / L 2 H 143 / Kfz.70
Krupp Kfz.70 on display at Deutsches Panzermuseum, Germany.
Type	Artillery tractor / Utility truck
Place of origin	Germany
Service history
Used by	Germany  Hungary  Latvia
Wars	World War II
Production history
Designer	Krupp
Manufacturer	Krupp
Produced	1934–1941
No. built	7,000
Variants	Several, see text
Specifications
Mass	2,600 kg (5,700 lb)
Length	5.10 m (16 ft 9 in)
Width	1.93 m (6 ft 4 in)
Height	1.96 m (6 ft 5 in)
Crew	1 + 5 passengers + 1 light towed gun (Kfz.69), 2+10 (Kfz.70)
Armor	None
Engine	Krupp Boxer motor, 3.3 liters 53 or 60 hp
Payload capacity	1,150 kg (2,540 lb)
Fuel capacity	110 L (24 imp gal; 29 US gal)
Operational range	450 km (280 mi) on road
Maximum speed	70 km/h (43 mph)

The Krupp Protze (officially L 2 H 43 and L 2 H 143) 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 3.7 cm Pak 36 anti-tank gun (designated Kfz 69), and transport motorized infantry (designated Kfz 70).

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 (24 Litres / 100 km on road) in comparison to the comparable Opel Blitz 1.5 t truck (16.5 liters / 100 km, produced 1938 - 1942).

Total production was about 7,000 units.

A successful design, the Krupp-Protze was converted into several variants:

Kfz.19

Telephone truck

Kfz.21

Staff car

Kfz.68

Radio mast carrier

Kfz.69

Standard configuration for towing the 3.7 cm Pak 36 anti-tank gun. Carried 2 in front with 4 in a pair of forward and rear facing seats.

Kfz.70

Standard configuration for personnel carrying. carried 2 in front with 10 seated in the rear on benches.

Kfz.81

Ammo carrier conversion for 2 cm FlaK anti-aircraft gun, usually towed

Kfz.83

Generator carrier for anti-aircraft searchlight, usually towed

Sd.Kfz. 247 Ausf. A

Krupp built ten Ausf. A models on the chassis of its six-wheel Krupp Protze truck in 1937.

Sometimes anti-tank (37 mm Pak 36) and anti-air (2 cm Flak) guns were mounted directly on the truck bed (Portée).

• List of World War II military vehicles of Germany
• List of Sd.Kfz. designations

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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Krupp Protze.

• Pictures at Olive-Drab.com
• Pictures and technical data
• Pictures of a Krupp-Protze carrying a PaK 36
• Info and pictures about Krupp Protze