WesWorld

Designed with the assistance of Hanomag, derived from the SdKfz251. Differs in having a more powerful diesel engine and is fitted with a hinged armoured roof over the driver's and troop compartments.

General

Crew: 2 (commander, driver)
Seating capacity: 11

Battle Weight: 8,400 kg
Overall length: 5.71 metres
Overall width: 2.19 metres
Overall height: 2.10 metres
Ground clearance: 320mm
Engine: V-12 air-cooled diesel of 14.5 litres displacement, rated at 250 bhp at 2,500 rpm
Transmission: Epicyclic pre-selector transmission with four forward and one reverse gear.
Suspension: Wheels – transverse semi-elliptic; Trackwork – torsion bar

Armour

Engine compartment: 15-8mm
Driver’s compartment: 8mm
Troop compartment: 8mm
Roof: 8mm

Performance

Road speed: 60 kilometres/hour
Cross-country speed: 30 kilometres/hour
Road range: 400 kilometres

Gradient: 12 degrees
Side Slope: 14 degrees
Trench Crossing: 1.5 metres
Vertical Obstacle: 300mm
Fording Depth: 700mm

Armament

Varies upon role

Doesn't Yugoslavia already have US-built M3 halftracks? Aside from the overhead cover for the compartment and a bit longer range, this doesn't have any apparent advantages over the existing vehicles - and in terms of suspension, is probably a step backward. (I rate the American HVSS suspension as superior to that Germanic torsion bar system with the interleaved road wheels.)

Why not design an improved M3 variant with this thing's diesel engine and overhead cover?

Quoted from "Brockpaine"

Doesn't Yugoslavia already have US-built M3 halftracks? Aside from the overhead cover for the compartment and a bit longer range, this doesn't have any apparent advantages over the existing vehicles - and in terms of suspension, is probably a step backward. (I rate the American HVSS suspension as superior to that Germanic torsion bar system with the interleaved road wheels.)

Why not design an improved M3 variant with this thing's diesel engine and overhead cover?

Yugoslavia does have American halftracks; they are getting worn out, and spares are problematic (without World War Two's massive production and an active US player I am not going to assume that hundreds are available on the second-hand market). A full track infantry carrier would be nice but that is beyond Yugoslavia's capabilities at the moment, so the M48 is an interim vehicle that can be produced at home.

Quoted from "BruceDuncan"

A full track infantry carrier would be nice but that is beyond Yugoslavia's capabilities at the moment, so the M48 is an interim vehicle that can be produced at home.

M48? Or M47? ?(

Chile's got a lot of US halftracks too, and they are manufacturing some parts and undertaking some smaller modifications along the way. (Chile bought a lot of US-built vehicles but also assembled many themselves.) So if you're ditching all your M3s, the Chileans would be willing to purchase your retired stockpile and rebuild them to their spec.

As for a full-track infantry carrier, Russia's got the old BTR-35, and will start buying a replacement (the BTR-46) sometime this year to replace the BTR-35s. I haven't settled on BTR-46 stats yet, though (and I haven't even decided if it'll be a joint project between France and Russia, or just a Russian project alone).

M47 - so shoot me. :P

It will take a while for production to ramp up, but If Chile wants the surplus M3s when they have been replaced, I believe we can talk turkey. Longer term the Russian vehicle could prove interesting.

However, replacing the older AT-36s and then the M44s will take priority. Production of the M47 halftrack and the M48 tank will strain the industrial base but lofty goals must be set.

At some point in the past I was hoping someone would build some of these SdKfz251 clones but now I can't remember why or who for!

Quoted from "Hood"

At some point in the past I was hoping someone would build some of these SdKfz251 clones but now I can't remember why or who for!

Well, if you do remember, please let me know. The Yugoslav arms industry is always ready to consider cold hard cash deals! :D