Panzer-Pioniere Armored Vehicles Thread

[Rui Esteves]

This thread, will show a not-well known subject, the armored vehicles in the specialized role of the Panzer-Pioniere.
It will be interesting to see the production/delivery numbers, unit assignments, the strengths and losses of this specialized kind of vehicles.

Here are some the main vehicles used by the Panzer-Pioniere:
Pionierpanzerwagen III Ausf. L/M
Engineer tank, without turret, that could carry different Pioniere equipment, including in each side the elements of the assault bridge (Pionierbruecken).

Sd.Kfz. 251/1 Ausf. C/D mittlere Schützenpanzerwagen mit "Wurfrahmen 40"
Rocket launcher (nicknamed "Stuka zu Fuß").
Armed with six side mounted box crates with Würfkorper rockets, 280 mm high-explosive rocket (Sprengranate) in wooden crates and 320 mm incendiary projectile, jellied petrol (Flammgranate) in metal crates.

Sd.Kfz. 251/5 Ausf. A/B/C/D mittlere Schützenpanzerwagen für Pionierzug
Command Vehicle for Panzer-Pioniere platoons, that could carry different Pioniere equipment.
Could be armed with two 79.2mm MG34/MG42.

Sd.Kfz. 251/7 Ausf. A/B/C/D mittlere Pionierpanzerwagen
Assault engineer vehicle that can carry assault bridge ramps on the side fittings. Transport vehicle of the Panzer-Pionere.
Could be armed with two 79.2mm MG34/MG42 or with one sPzB41 and one 79.2mm MG34/MG42.

Sd.Kfz. 251/16 Ausf. C/D mittlere Flammpanzerwagen
Flamethrower half-track.
Armed with 2 x 14mm Flammenwerfer on each side in Ausf C/D and with a portable 7mm Flammwerfer 42 only in Ausf C.


Here is a Sd.Kfz 251/7 Ausf. C Pionierpanzerwagen, with 37mm PaK36



Best regards,

Rui Esteves

[Rui Esteves]

The image below, is from a Sd.Kfz.251 Ausf. C m.SPW mit Wurfrahmen 40, during the Warsaw uprising, 1944.




Could this vehicle be from Sturm-Panzer-Pionier-Abteilung 500? (Also present in the Warsaw uprising)

(Do you know any info about this unit?)



Best Regards,


Rui Esteves

[Kelvin]

Hello , Rui, if according to Peter Chamberlain " Encyclopedia of German tanks of world war two " sdkfz 251/7 were armed with two MG34/42 with 4,800 ammo and one 7.92 mm PzB 39 with 40 AP.

I also saw some website said Panzer Lehr division had sdkfz 251/7 with 2.8 cm sPzB 41 in southern Normandy in June 1944. Is it all sdkfz 251/7 upgunned with these weapon by 1944 ? or just some optional weapon. How many ammo they carried if they had sPzB 41 ? Do you know that ?