280032 SdKfz 250/1 Alte / SdKfz 253 (aka 250A)

The SdKfz 250 was a light armoured halftrack, very similar in appearance to the larger Hanomag-designed SdKfz 251, and built by DEMAG, for use by Germany in World War II. Most variants were open-topped and had a single access door in the rear. The SdKfz 250 was adopted in 1939 to supplement the standard halftrack. Production delays meant that the first 250 did not appear until mid-1941. The vehicle was used in a wide variety of roles throughout World War II. The basic troop carrier version was used as an armoured personnel carrier for reconnaissance units, carrying scout sections. This basic variant usually mounted one or two MG34 machine guns. Later variants carried 20 mm, 37 mm, and even 75 mm guns to support the more lightly armed versions. The initial design (Alte, the “old version”) had an armoured body made of multi-faceted plates, which gave good protection against small arms fire, but made this design both expensive to manufacture and quite cramped. Production of this early ver