Some modifications were required to fit the gun and mounting hardware over the rear of the SdKfz 250 chassis and this included deletion of several of the passenger seats and the forward MG34 machine gun mounting to clear working space for the gunnery crew of three. A single 7.92mm MG34 machine gun was retained and this installed over the howitzer weapon for training the main gun as well as for self-defense. The driver's position also remained and the engine was still fitted to a forward compartment. Truck-like road wheels controlled steering at the front of the vehicle while the rear was driven by tank-like tracks with overlapping roadwheels. The main gun was allotted twenty rounds of 75mm projectiles. A radio kit was also carried.
The formal designation of the new vehicle was "Sd.Kfz 250/8 leichter Schutzenpanzerwagen (7.5cm)".
At the end of the conversion process, the weight of the SdKfz 250/8 reached 6.3 tons and this worked to reduce the vehicles speed on roads and when going cross-country. The addition of the turret and its associated structure also increased the vehicle's profile to over two meters which made it a tempting target for enemy tank-killers and tanks alike.
SdKfz 250/8 vehicles were in service from 1944 onward and fought as part of German light armored reconnaissance formations. Their guns were suitable as anti-infantry and suppression weapons when firing High-Explosive (HE) shells and could threaten light-armored vehicles at range. Their halftrack bodies also allowed for good cross-country performance.
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