Military Model Scene

The Sdkfz 9, the 'Famo' was the 18ton member of the German family of half-track vehicles. It was used as a Prime Mover for heavy artillery, and particularly as a tank recovery vehicle. Designed before WW2 but it served throughout the war, with well over 2,000 examples being built. Powered by a Maybach 12-cylinder petrol engine it had torsion bar suspension on the interleaved roadwheels. Other half-track types covered the 3-, 5- and 7-ton versions. The Famo was a powerful machine, but it still needed 2 or 3 to recover the heavier tanks of the second half of the war, such as the Panther, Tiger and King Tiger.
This one has been very well restored and has been a regular visitor to military vehicle rallies in recent years. I photographed this at the War & Peace Show in Kent. It is huge.

Robin