German Sd.Kfz. 2 kleines Kettenkraftrad (kl.K.Krad), NSU HK101

German light tractor Sd.Kfz. 2 kleines Kettenkraftrad (kl.K.Krad), NSU HK101.

Sd.Kfz. 2 (kl.K.Krad) was the standard designation of a small (kl.) tracked (K.) motorcycle (Krad) intended primarily as a light tractor and cable layer. It was first deployed in the landings in Crete in 1941. German Fallschirmjäger parachute and airborne troops used the Kettenkrad, as it was popularly know, to tow recoilless guns and light anti-tank guns, and to transport ammunition. The Kettenkrad shown here is on display at the Auto & Technik Museum Sinsheim, Germany.

Available Scale Model Kits

  • Sd.Kfz. 2 – NSU HK101 – kleines Kettenkrad
    • Kettenkrad, 1:32 Britains 9780
    • Kettenkrad, 1:35 Tamiya 35029
    • Kettenkrad with Püppchen anti-tank launcher, 1:35 DRAGON Models 6114
    • Kettenkrad with 37 mm anti-tank gun, 1:35 NITTO KAGAKU
    • Kettenkrad with Infantry Cart trailer, 1:48 Tamiya 32502
    • Kettenkrad with Starthilfeanhänger, 1:48 Tamiya 32533
    • 1:72 Hasegawa MT13
    • 20 mm SHQ GV21, with 3 Fallschirmjäger Crew
      • Fallschirmjäger Hand Cart, 20 mm SHQ GV22
    • 20 mm RAFM
    • 1:87 Trident 90124, with trailer
    • 1:100 Roskopf 60, with Leichtgeschütz LG II
    • Kettenkrad (× 4), 15 mm Battlefront Miniatures GE402
      • Sonderanhänger 1 trailers, 15 mm Battlefront Miniatures GSO26
    • Kettenkrad (× 4), 1:285 GHQ G40
    • Kettenkrad (× 2), 1:300 Heroics & Ros G098
  • Sd.Kfz. 2/1 – NSU HK101 – small Cable Layer
    • Kleines Kettenkrad für Feldfernkabel
  • Sd.Kfz. 2/2 – NSU HK102 – large Cable Layer
    • Großes Kettenkrad für schwere Feldfernkabel

Technical Specifications

  • NSU HK101 (kl.K.Krad)
  • Designation: Kleines Kettenkraftrad
  • Engine: Opel Olympia, 4-cylinder, I-I-W-C, 1478 cc, 26.9 kw @ 3400 rpm
  • Maximum Speed: 80 km/h
  • Transmission: 3 Forward 1 Reverse × 2, controlled differential.
  • Brakes: mechanical
  • Tires: 3.50-19
  • Trackwidth: 170 mm
  • Length: 3000 mm
  • Width: 1000 mm
  • Height: 1200 mm
  • Weight: 1235 kg
  • Crew: Driver and 2 Passengers
  • Production: 1940–1944

Bibliography

  • Hinrichsen, Horst: German Military Motorcycles in the Reichswehr and Wehrmacht 1934–1945

Historical Employment

  • German Army, 1941 – May 1945

Related Films

  • Private Ryan, an award-winning war film directed by Steven Spielberg, starring Tom Hanks, Edward Burns, Matt Damen, and Tom Sizemore. American Rangers and Paratroopers use an abondoned Kettenkrad to lure enemy tanks and infantry into an ambush near an important bridge somewhere in Normandy.

Museum Exhibits

Kl. Kettenkrad, Gelbbraun con Graugrün, Technik-Museum Sinsheim, Germania

Kl. Kettenkrad, Gelbbraun con Graugrün, Technik-Museum Sinsheim, Germany

The Kettenkrad tracked motorcycle is an unusual military vehicle which deserves a place in any collection of 1:72 scale models.

German Miniatures of World-War Two