OT: Halftracks

Gary Grigsby’s War in the West 1943-45 is the most ambitious and detailed computer wargame on the Western Front of World War II ever made. Starting with the Summer 1943 invasions of Sicily and Italy and proceeding through the invasions of France and the drive into Germany, War in the West brings you all the Allied campaigns in Western Europe and the capability to re-fight the Western Front according to your plan.

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heliodorus04
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OT: Halftracks

Post by heliodorus04 »

What is the actual purpose of front wheels on a halftrack? Does that mean the track didn't have an independent suspension for each track? One would think a tracked vehicle would turn by slowing one track just as in tanks. Just curious this morning.
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RE: OT: Halftracks

Post by RedLancer »

They do the steering. Tracks provide the motive force.
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heliodorus04
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RE: OT: Halftracks

Post by heliodorus04 »

Kind of what I figured.

I'm curious if this was a cost-saving measure for production purposes, or whether the front-wheel design was more mobile than say, a Bren carrier.

The Bren carrier existed, and yet the British still took Lend-Lease halftracks.
Everything I've heard about the Bren is that it was a very effective troop transport. Certainly more costly than trucks, and halftracks had greater passenger/cargo capacity.

How does one reconcile the Bren versus halftracks?

And what the heck purpose did the Kettenkrad serve!
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RE: OT: Halftracks

Post by decourcy2 »

Full track vehicles are extremely fuel inefficient.
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RE: OT: Halftracks

Post by KWG »

heliodorus04

"And what the heck purpose did the Kettenkrad serve!"

Would be very helpful on a farm, in the woods, ....
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RE: OT: Halftracks

Post by Denniss »

Bren carrier was mobile but small with limited transport capacity, trucks were cheap with good cargo capacity. Now combine both and you have a highly mobile vehicle with good cargo capacity but still rather cheap to manufacture.
AFAIR on german halftracks the front axle was only for steering, no propulsion. Propulsion was only from tracks. On steep curves the inner track applied brakes to help steering.
AFAIR US halftracks had propulsion by both tracks and wheels.
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RE: OT: Halftracks

Post by kch »

On the subject of halftracks and bren carriers, are they abstracted in the game? I can see that the motor sections / carrier sections seem to be armed with quite a few machineguns and have an armour value of 1. Does this mean that they are included in the section without showing up as individual elements?
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RE: OT: Halftracks

Post by Steelers708 »

The Kettenkrad was originally intended/used by airborne troops as a light tractor, it could fit inside a JU52 transport.
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RE: OT: Halftracks

Post by LiquidSky »



I like how the Canadians took the Priest SPG and took the turret off to make a real armoured personnel carrier: The Kangaroo.
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RE: OT: Halftracks

Post by Q-Ball »

ORIGINAL: kch

On the subject of halftracks and bren carriers, are they abstracted in the game? I can see that the motor sections / carrier sections seem to be armed with quite a few machineguns and have an armour value of 1. Does this mean that they are included in the section without showing up as individual elements?

Yes, the ones that carried infantry are abstracted. That is why "Mech Inf" squads have armor, and cost a lot to build; they include the halftracks

Specialty halftracks are NOT abstracted, like the M-16 Quad AA Halftrack, or the various German AT, Mortar, and other types
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RE: OT: Halftracks

Post by KWG »

Real life mods - home made AFVs

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RE: OT: Halftracks

Post by barkhorn45 »

But the sdkfz 250-251 front axle was unpowered so if the tracks were non-differential it would just plow forward no matter what the angle of the front axle.
So there was a differential in the tracked section.Those wheels out in front would have helped crossing ditches and trenches though by extending the wheelbase.Ugh track base..whatever
ORIGINAL: Red Lancer

They do the steering. Tracks provide the motive force.
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RE: OT: Halftracks

Post by kch »

ORIGINAL: Q-Ball

ORIGINAL: kch

On the subject of halftracks and bren carriers, are they abstracted in the game? I can see that the motor sections / carrier sections seem to be armed with quite a few machineguns and have an armour value of 1. Does this mean that they are included in the section without showing up as individual elements?

Yes, the ones that carried infantry are abstracted. That is why "Mech Inf" squads have armor, and cost a lot to build; they include the halftracks

Specialty halftracks are NOT abstracted, like the M-16 Quad AA Halftrack, or the various German AT, Mortar, and other types
Thanks for the info. It would be about a halftrack per squad, right? Same would go for trucks I guess. Any idea of how many carriers were used per squad?
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RE: OT: Halftracks

Post by Denniss »

251 had space for ten men on its back + 1-2 crew.
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RE: OT: Halftracks

Post by JeffroK »

Australian manufactured Bren Carrier & 2pdr AT gun


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RE: OT: Halftracks

Post by JeffroK »

Bren Carrier

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RE: OT: Halftracks

Post by JeffroK »

Bren Carrier & 2pdr

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RE: OT: Halftracks

Post by JeffroK »

White Halftrack, possibly ex-IDF

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