The Krupp Kfz 81 (L2H43) had an air-cooled ‘Boxer’ engine and an all-independent suspension; it was used in a number of different roles, including prime mover for the 20-mm (0.78-in) anti-aircraft gun.

From the very outset, with the German Blitzkrieg on Poland, such warfare relied on mobility to push home the attack. During these early years much reliance was placed on the speed and efficiency of armoured thrusts backed by a mobile supply line. Unfortunately for the Germans, much of their supply line was still horse drawn and the number of available motor transport vehicles was totally inadequate for the task. To compensate for this inadequacy, many civil trucks were conscripted into service along with the few surviving vehicles of the Polish army. In contrast with this, the British Expeditionary Force that landed in France in 1939 was a fully mechanized formation. During the evacuation of Dunkirk very few vehicles could be rescued. They were thus captured (along with many different types of French trucks) by the Germans and pressed into service, leading to yet more spare parts problems. After this the German logistics department tried to rationalize matters in a standardization programme involving the Schell system, but even this never reached its target before the end of the war.

Invasion of USSR

The German Army, much like its Russian opponent, depended on horses more than trucks for transportation. While the horses allowed the troops to drag their heavy weapons and artillery along with them as they trudged across the battlefield, the trucks were needed to speed supplies, and troops, to areas where enemy troops (especially mechanized ones) were breaking through. Truck losses were heavy for the Germans. They never had enough trucks and they worked them hard, to the point that those unarmored vehicles often found themselves under fire. The worst period for German truck drivers was the first eight months of 1944. Between the battles in Russia and the Allied invasion of France in June, the Germans lost 109,000 trucks. This was 39 percent of what the German armed forces had and equal to their entire production during 1943. The losses were not only due to battle damage, but also to a chronic lack of spare parts. Moreover, the Germans looted several hundred thousand vehicles from occupied territories, further complicating their parts problems. Some units had over twenty different vehicle types, and many of the non-German vehicles were no longer produced. This further complicated the parts shortage, causing many basically sound vehicles to be abandoned because of the lack of common parts.

Only one mechanized foreign army has operated in Russia and it was a sobering experience. The Russians have always relied on “General Mud” and “Marshal Winter” to assist their armed forces in repelling the enemy. The spring mud was particularly difficult. Russia had few hard-surfaced roads; most were dirt tracks. During the spring rains (and melting of the winter snow) these dirt roads turned into deep mud. The Russians were accustomed to dealing with the problem, although even they tended to just not travel until the mud dried out. Horse-drawn vehicles were specially designed (lightweight and with the axle high off the ground) to better traverse the mud and Russian drivers knew from experience where the mud was shallow (and more trafficable).

The Germans got quite a shock during the spring of 1942, and by 1943 had stolen all the Russian horse-drawn vehicles they could find. German motor vehicles were another matter, and an ingenious solution was devised. The rear wheels of trucks were replaced with a tracklaying mechanism (like on a bulldozer). This was similar to the armored “half-track” personnel carriers the Germans and Americans used in large quantities for their mechanized infantry. The German half-track trucks accounted for one third of their truck production in 1943.

German Trucks in Russia

German trucks were very poor for difficult terrain. Most of them look like civilian stuff and a quick look at the specifications confirm this. Poorish ground clearance, tires unsuitable for off-road, too many trucks were 4 x 2 (only rear axle driven), suspension components quite delicate. This is in direct contrast with American trucks: rugged and durable design, adequate ground clearance, most trucks all-wheel-driven etc.

Some of German trucks from the beginning were not built specifically for the Army. They were civilian trucks and took over when the war started. More than 10000 civilian trucks were taken by the Army in Germany alone, in 1939.

Others were trucks confiscated from the defeated armies or from civilians of occupied Europe.
Preferred by the German command were the 6 x 4, but the demand was so big, that they used everything they got.

With so many models over 2000 vehicle types requiring over 1,000,000 spare parts repairs became very difficult.

Not only that but many of these trucks would have later to be modified to handle the low octane of the Russian fuel.

And because of the lousy Russian roads the bad state of the German trucks they required more fuel per kilometer then in Europe. As such the amount that was budgeted by the German army was only about 70% of that required.

In practice German infantry division structure sat on the fence …being nowhere near enough mobility to keep up with the Jones but far to much in other sense …..consider the following

Germans went into Barbarossa with 600,000 vehicles and each infantry army requires about 23,000 vehicles while each motorized army requires < 70,000 vehicles By comparison to later war years the same infantry army would have only 12,000 vehicles….did it have half the mobility , No.

What the Germans ought to have done was have motorized armies and horse drawn armies tha5t way they could have 7 [historically 4 ] motorized armies with 44-46 motorized infantry divisions and 19 Pz divisions , while the rest of the army [9 armies] hobbled along with mostly horsedrawn wagons and a few trucks mopping up the remains.

WWII German trucks Production

The following info is from a book on the Militaerfahrzeuge of the Wehrmacht as are the quantities produced

Light Trucks: leichte Lastkraftwagen[le.Lkw]

Manufacturer, type	years produced	quantity
Mecedes Benz G3a	1929 to 1935	2005
Mercedes Benz G3	1928	89
Buessing-Nag G31	1932-1935	2333
Magirus M206	1934-1937	1153
Krupp L2H43 and 143	1934-1942	10000+
Praga RV	1935-1939	2033
Astro-Daimler ADGR	1936-1940	361
Buessing-NAG einheits-Diesel	1937-1940	3200+
Faun einheits-Diesel	1937-1940	350
Henschel einheits-Diesel	1937-1940	1500+
Magirus einheits-Diesel	1937-1940	620
MAN einheits-Diesel	1937-1940	1795
Tatra 92	1937-1940	500+
Steyr 640	1937-1941	3780
Adler W61	1938-1939	900+
Opel-Blitz 2.5 32	1938-1942	16410
Citroen 23R	1940-1943	6000+
Mercedes-Benz L1500A	1941-1944	4500+
Steyr 1500A	1941-1944	12450
Phaenomen Granit 1500A	1942-1943	2600+
Steyr 2000A	1944-1945	6400+

Medium Trucks: mittel Lastkraftwagen (m.Lkw)

Manufacturer, type	years produced	quantity
Krupp L3H63 and 163	1931-1938	1500+
Buessing-NAG 3GL6	1931-1938	300+
Henschel/Magirus 33D1 and 33G1	1933-1942	22000+
Mercedes-Benz LG63	1935-1938	500+
Opel-Blitz 3.6-36S	1937-1944	92478
Mecedes-Benz L3000	1938-1939	2500+
Ford G917St 111a	1939-1941	19158
Borgward B3000A/O and A/D	1939-1943	8000+
Borgward B3000S/O and S/D	1939-1943	22000+
Mecedes-Benz L3000S	1940-1942	5000+
Mecedes-Benz L3000A	1940-1943	4000+
Opel-Blitz 3.6-6700A	1940-1944	24981
MAN E3000	1940-1944	1500+
MAN ML4500A	1940-1944	1200+
MAN ML4500S	1940-1945	3700+
Ford G917St 111b	1941-1942	6041
Magirus GS145	1941-1942	500+
Magirus GA145	1941-1942	200+
Magirus A3000	1941-1943	300+
Magirus S3000	1941-1944	600+
Ford V3000S	1941-1945	24110
Opel-Blitz 3.6-36S	1942-1944	4000+ halftrack truck
Ford V3000S	1941-1944	13952 halftrack truck
Magirus S3000	1942-1944	2500+ halftrack truck
Ford V3000A	1943-1944	758

Heavy Trucks: schwere Lastkraftwagen (s.Lkw)

Manufacturer, type	years produced	quantity
Buessing-NAG 9000	1937-1939	75
Faun L900D5676	1937-1939	80
Vomag 6L	1938-1939	120
Mercedes-Benz L6500	1938-1940	150
MAN F4	1938-1942	200
Krupp LD6.5	1939-1941	150
Mercedes-Benz L4500S	1939-1944	600+
Buessing-NAG 500S	1940-1941	813
Buessing-NAG 500A	1940-1941	8500+
Citroen 45	1940-1943	285
Saurer BT4500	1940-1943	350
MAN 4500A	1940-1944	1700+
Kloeckner-Deutz GS145	1941-1942	500+
Kloeckner-Deutz GA145	1941-1942	200+
Mercedes-Benz L4500A	1941-1944	200+
MAN 4500S	1941-1945	3700+
Tatra 111	1942-1944	250
Buessing-NAG 4500S-1	1942-1945	1500+
Buessing-NAG 4500A-1	1942-1945	400+
Saurer SG4500	1943-1944	200+
Mercedes-Benz L4500R	1943-1944	1480 halftrack truck

Towing Tractors–half tracks: Radschlepper/Zugkraftwagen et al.

Manufacturer, type	years produced	quantity
SdKfz 7 by Krauss-Maffei is 8 ton	1934-1944	12000+
SdKfz 8 by Daimler-Benz is 12 ton	1934-1944	4000+
SdKfz 6 by Buessing-NAG is 5 ton	1935-1943	3000+
SdKfz 11 by Hansa-Lloyd is 3 ton	1937-1938	500+
SdKfz 10 by Demag is 1 ton	1937-1945	17500+
SdKfz 11 by Borgward is 3 ton	1938-1944	8500+
SdKfz 9 by Famo is 18 ton	1938-1944	2500+
Faun Type 2R	1940-1944	400+
Hanomag ST100W	1940-1944	300+
Steyr RSO/01	1942-1944	16210
Buessing-NAG sWS	1943-1945	1000+
Magirus RSO/03	1944-1945	500+
Skoda GST6-T	1937/1939	150+

These vehicles were primarily used as towing vehicles for trailers, other vehicles and artillery and other towed guns.

Buses: Kraftomnibus

Manufacturer, type	years produced	quantity
Opel 30 seat Type 3.6-47	1939-1944	8336
MAN 26 seat Type E3000	1940-1944	2800+
Graef & Stift 40 seat Type S6	1939-1940	170

These could be used as a pure bus or a command vehicle for staff.