Sd.Kfz. 234/5 Mammut (Mammoth) UpdateAlthough belonging to the Luftwaffe, the Fallschirmjäger had always been regarded amongst the elite of Germany’s fighting soldiers. None more so than the 1st Parachute Division who’s impressive and extensive combat history records it as the unit that was responsible for all of the early German airborne victories.
Given their elite status, the Fallschirmjäger benefitted from the very best of training and had access to the very best of equipment. That said, paratroopers, by definition and employment are, at best, little more than light infantry and whilst courage, endurance and fighting spirit are without doubt combat multipliers, a lack of heavy equipment has always been a tactical limitation.
Whilst by the summer of 1944 the Fallschirmjäger had, for all intense and purposes, lost their airborne role, they still maintained their fighting spirit and elite status. Wherever the fighting was hardest or at its most desperate, the ‘Green Devils’ could be found. In recognition of their new earth-bound role, the Orbat of the Parachute Divisions was changed to closer reflect that of their line infantry cousins.
However, given the tendency for commanders to use the Fallschirmjäger to bolster the line wherever it was at its weakest, their lack of tactical mobility was a problem. Virtually all of the Army’s Sd. Kfz. 251/1 Hanomag halftracks went to the hard pressed Panzergrenadiers and whilst lorries were available, they were not tactically suited to the needs of the paratroopers. In the end, Hermann Göring himself intervened and so it was that Sd. Kfz. 234/5 Mammut (Mammoth) was born.
Built on the 8-wheeled hull of the Sd. Kfz. 234/1 Armoured Car, the Mammoth was, nevertheless, a somewhat more radical change in design over the other vehicles of the 234 family. With the large 14,825cc, air-cooled Tatra 103 diesel engine mounted in the front, the rear troop compartment could comfortably accommodate a crew of 2 + 10. Although the Mammoth’s off-road capability was slightly less than the Hanomag, its top speed of 80km/h more than made up when compared to the leisurely pace of the halftrack (52km/h).
Even with their bespoke carriers, there were never enough Mammoths in circulation for the Fallschirmjäger to be considered true armoured infantry. Indeed, it was the norm that the Division’s combat Regiments remained as light infantry but were supported by a mobility Regiment of Mammoth APCs.
The model depicts the 3rd vehicle, 3rd platoon, 2nd company of the 1st Parachute Division’s mobility Regiment and is made out of an Italeri Sd. Kfz. 234/2 Puma, a Tamiya Sd. Kfz 251/1, some bits and pieces from the spares box and, of course, our good ol’ friend Mr Plastic Card.
