Zvezda 1/35 German L4500R Maultier Halftrack Kit

At the beginning of Operation Barbarossa, most of the Wehrmacht’s transport vehicles were trucks produced as part of the “Schnell Program” or “Program of expedited production of lorries”. These trucks were adequate for fighting in Western Europe, with its extensive network of roads, but in the inclement weather of Russia and the absence of hard roads in the East, thousands of vehicles were stuck in the mud and snow and were abandoned in the first winter. Even the all-wheel drive Mercedes-Benz L4500A could not carry goods across Russia.

In 1943, Mercedes-Benz began manufacturing the L4500R “Maultier” (“Mule”), built on the base chassis of the earlier L4500A. The caterpillar track from the light Pz.Kpfw.II tank was mounted instead of a rear axle, giving the vehicle good mobility in the difficult terrain of Eastern Europe.

The modifications resulted in a much heavier vehicle, which had a carrying capacity of up to 4.5 tons, a maximum speed of 36 km/h, and a fuel consumption of 200 liters per 100km. The L4500R was manufactured until 1948, and 1486 such vehicles were built.