Sd.Kfz. 9/1 FAMO with 6-tonne crane

The largest German half-track of the war, carrying a 6-tonne crane to lift tank engines and turrets in the field. Trumpeter’s 1/72 kit, finished in September 2023.

An Sd.Kfz. 9/1 crane half-track during the repair of a Panzer III in Russia
Panzer III repair, Russia. Photo: Bundesarchiv, CC BY-SA 3.0 de
The model, 1/72

The history

The Sd.Kfz. 9, built by FAMO, was the largest German half-track of the Second World War: an 18-tonne prime mover for the heaviest guns, and a recovery vehicle strong enough to drag a disabled tank off the field. About 2,500 were built between 1939 and 1945, each powered by a Maybach HL 108 engine.

The 9/1 carried a 6-tonne slewing crane on its rear deck. Repair units used it to lift engines, gearboxes and turrets out of tanks wherever they had broken down, as in the wartime photo above of a Panzer III being repaired in Russia.

The build

Trumpeter’s 1/72 kit, finished in September 2023.

The Sd.Kfz. 9/1 on the cutting mat after painting
On the bench
The finished Sd.Kfz. 9/1 with the crane jib raised
Crane up
Front of the finished FAMO
The front
Side view of the Sd.Kfz. 9/1
From the side
Close-up of the 6-tonne crane
The crane
Rear three-quarter view with the outriggers down
Outriggers down

Build sheet

Kit
Trumpeter Sd.Kfz. 9/1 Drehkran 6t auf Zugkraftwagen 18t
Kit number
07251
Scale
1/72

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