Tracked Vehicle Help

[MJC]

Can anyone ID this vehicle and what purpose it served? Any help with the divisional insignia would be appreciated as well. Thanks!

Mike

[rkdek]

Hi Mike,

You have a pic of a very rare vehicle:
if I'm not mistaken, it is the Frenck half track Unic P39.

The type of tracks is referred to as the Kegresse type, like the ones used on the expeditions in Afrika and Asia in the 1920s.

The German denomination for the vehicle is Zgkw 37 Unic (f) or Zugkraftwagen 37 Unic (französisch)

[Hans Rinsma]

Hi Mike, I think it is the Unic P 107 indeed known in germany as Leichter Zugkraftwagen 37 Unic ( f ) or as Zgkw.U 304 ( f ).
Produced by Unic and Citröen, it was one of the most widely used halftracks of the Frensch Army up to the World War II, built by Unic/ Georges Richard in Puteaux from 1937 in several versions, many were pressed into German Wehrmacht service after the fall of France. It is used as a Artillery Half-Track Tractor mosly towing the 75 - mm gun.

Hans

[R MICHAEL]

Mike, according to info garnered from the web the symbol on the left fender designates the branch of service and in this case that symbol is for artillery. Great photo! Mike

[Steve Manns]

Can someone explain why he's wearing light coloured trousers?

Pity the photo is back to front....but still an interesting one.

[MJC]

Thanks for the info. A question though. Is this a soldier standing proudly on a destroyed French gun tractor, or a soldier standing on a formerly French gun tractor, now pressed into German service and damaged? I have the neg if more pics will help. Thanks,


M.

[R MICHAEL]

Steve, those "light" colored pants are part of the working uniform. It is not uncommon to see the combination worn, though not by forward troops during operations.


Mike, I would say since it still has the French branch symbol that it has not been put to use by the WH.

[Steve Manns]

Originally Posted by R MICHAEL

Steve, those "light" colored pants are part of the working uniform.

Thanks, I've never seen those before.

[MJC]

Thanks to all. I didn't know the symbol was French.

Mike

[David Lehmann]

Hello,

UNIC P107
3932 pieces of this halftracked artillery tractor were in service in 1940. Used to tow the 75mm and 105mm C field guns.
There were also an engineer version of the P107, an air force tractor version as well as 2 vehicles converted to radio trucks (ER30 / R30 radio sets) and used by the 1e DCR.
Weight : 3.55t (live load 1.5t + towed load 1.5t)
Length : 4.85m
Width : 1.80m
Height : 2.30m
Maximum speed : 45 km/h (4 cylinders, 3460 cm3, 52 hp at 3200 rpm)

German use and conversions : Zugkraftwagen U304(f) (Unic-Kégresse P107)
• Leichter Artillerieschlepper P107 U304(f) (to tow 3.7cm Pak36, 7.5cm Pak97/38, 7.5cm PaK40, 10.5cm leFH18)
• Mittlerer Munitionskraftwagen (munition transporter)
• Leichter Mannschaftstransportwagen (with a wooden open-top compartment to transport troops)
• Bergefahrzeug (towing/reparation car)
• Leichter Schützenpanzerwagen : in 1943/44, P107s were converted to personnel carriers leSPW U304(f). They were stripped of their superstructures and fitted with armored hulls that were almost like the SdKfz 251 series (20cm higher). Issued to armored units in France.
• leSPW U304(f) (Funk) - Equivalent of the Sdkfz 251/3 radio/command vehicles
• Selbstfahrlafette U304(f) with FlaK 38 – Unic P107 partially armored mounting the 20mm Flak 38
• Selbstfahrlafette leSPW U304(f) with FlaK 38 –armored P107 mounting the 20mm Flak 38 (72 produced for the Schnelle Brigade West)
• Zugführerwagen leSPW U304(f) (PaK 36) - Equivalent of the Sdkfz 251/10, mounting the 37mm PaK 36
• Granatwerfer leSPW U304(f) (8cm GrW) - Equivalent of the Sdkfz 251/2, mounting the 8cm mortar
• Sanität leSPW U304(f) - Equivalent of the Sdkfz 251/8 ambulance
• Nachrichtenkraftwagen

The Unic factory was also used by the Germans. In all about 200 Unic TU1 U305(f) and 3000 Unic P107 U304(f) were used by the German army.
Best regards,

David

[mietek]

Hi

Ammunition on the truck looks as 75mm.

Small number of Citroen-Korgesse was used by Polish army pre-1939.
Regretable this one is not Polish.

mietek

[David Lehmann]

Hello,

This one is a Unic-Kégresse. Citroën-Kégresse halftracks would be different vehicles.

1) Artillery tractors :

CITROEN-KEGRESSE P14 (CK P14)
The French army used 52 pieces of this halftracked artillery tractor in September 1939. Generally towing the 155mm C Schneider field gun.
Weight : 3.6t (live/towed load 1.7t)
Length : 4.87m
Width : 1.75m
Maximum speed : 25 km/h (6 cylinders, 2655 cm3, 48 hp at 2800 rpm)

CITROEN-KEGRESSE P17 (CK P17)
The French army used 1442 pieces of this halftracked artillery tractor in September 1939. Generally towing 25mm AA guns, 47mm AT guns and 75mm AT and field guns.
Weight : 1.85t (live load 0.7t + towed load 1.3t)
Length : 4.38m
Width : 1.69m
Height : 2.09m
Maximum speed : 32 km/h (4 cylinders, 1770 cm3, 31.5 hp at 2800 rpm)


2) Troops carriers :

VLTT : "voiture de liaison tout terrain" = cross country liaison vehicle
VDP : "voiture de Dragons Portés" = "Dragons Portes's car" (vehicle used to carry Dragons and/or Chasseurs motorized infantry)

CITROEN-KEGRESSE P19B (CK P19B) (VLTT)
The French army used about 600 of these liaison halftracks in 1939.
Weight : 2.23t (live load 0.65t)
Length : 4.70m
Width : 1.70m
Crew : 6 passengers
Maximum speed : 52 km/h (6 cylinders, 2442 cm3, 42 hp at 2800 rpm)

CITROEN-KEGRESSE P19 (CK P19) (VDP)
Used by the French army since 1932 and still 547 halftracks in service in 1940. Sometimes also used as a tank destroyer version carrying a 25mm L/72 AT gun. These halftracks were usually issued to the Dragons (motorized infantry) regiments (RDP = Régiment de Dragons Portés) of the DLCs (Division Légère de Cavalerie). At the mobilization in 1939, there were 547 CK P19. The 1e and 4e RDP had been completely equipped with 6-wheels vehicles (Laffly S20TL for the 1e RDP and Lorraine 28 for the 4e RDP). The former CK P19s of these units were then issued to other units during the winter 1939-1940. Most of the CK P19 took part in the May/June 1940 campaign, being issued to the RDP of the various DLC : 2e, 3e, 5e, 14e and 15e RDP (depending from the 3e, 2e, 1e, 4e and 5e DLC). These RDP had 2 battalions, one equipped with the CK P19 halfracks and one equipped with light trucks (Peugeot DK 5 J, Citroën 23 or Renault ADK probably).
Weight : 2.23t (live load 0.7t)
Length : 4.70m
Width : 1.70m
Crew : 7 men
Maximum speed : 46 km/h (6 cylinders, 2442 cm3, 42 hp at 2800 rpm)
Autonomy : 350 km
Armament : none except AAMG mounts for protection during travel


"Dragons Portés" (Portés means grossly carried by a vehicle) is a motorized infantry kind of unit. The Dragons Portés were professional units of better morale, though few personnel had any combat experience (senior officers were often WW1, Poland and/or Rif war veterans though). They were the motorized infantry in the Division Légère Mécanique (DLM) and Division Légère de Cavalerie (DLC). The firepower of the squads was high since each was armed with two LMGs instead of only one for a typical infantry squad. The Dragons Portés squad was designed to cover a large ground area and as such during initial planning for these units (in the early 30's), each squad received 2 LMGs. At the beginning, all squads were equipped with 2 vehicles (Citroën-Kégresse P19) carrying each 1 LMG and 7 men : in fact 1 half-squad of 6 men + 1 driver. So a Dragons Portés squad squad had 12 men (1 VB launcher, 2 LMGs) and 2 vehicles. The problem was the number of vehicles. So a bigger vehicle has been designed (Laffly S20TL for the Dragons Portés) to carry the whole squad, but this time reduced to 10 men, keeping the same armament (1 VB launcher, 2 LMGs). Each Laffly S20TL was equiped with two AA mounts, which could possibly be fitted on each aft corner, on each side, and on the center of the first row of rear seats. The devices could accomodate either a FM 24/29, a 8mm Saint-Etienne Mle1907 MG or a 8mm Hotchkiss Mle1914 MG (often two vehicles in a company convoy were equipped with a Hotchkiss ot Saint-Etienne AAMG for the AA protection). However for combat, both LMGs of the squad were supposed to be used by the squad (only during transport would the LMGs be used in an AA role. (RDP = regiment de Dragons Portés).

Regards,

David

[MJC]

David,

Sorry I didn't see your follow-up post. Thanks very much for the info!

Mike