he concept for the Sd.Kfz. 7 dates back to 1934 when the need for this type of vehicle was realized. It wasn't until 1938 before the first vehicle actually left the factory. The vehicle had theater-type bench seats capable of carrying up to 12 men. There was stowage room at the rear for ammunition for the large guns it usually towed. These vehicles required a lot of maintenance and were prone to tracks breaking. The on road speed wasn't very good but it off-road abilities made up for it. The Luftwaffe spearheaded the invasion of Poland and Western Europe with great results. But Operation Barbarossa brought a new realization that the Luftwaffe wasn't invincible. Severe aircraft losses both on the Eastern front and in North Africa meant the Luftwaffe had more men than airplanes so the personnel were assigned to ground combat duties. They ended up forming 2 mechanized divisions as well as 10 Parachute Divisions and 21 Field Divisions. At one point the Luftwaffe ground forces equaled that of the Wehrmacht.
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