The Sd.Kfz. 251 itself was developed by the German company Hanomag in 1938 on the basis of the Sd.Kfz. 11 artillery tractor and was mass-produced from June 1939 to March 1945. A total of 15,600 of these armored personnel carriers were built.
During World War II, the Sd.Kfz. 251, along with the light Sd.Kfz. 250, was Germany's primary armored personnel carrier. It served as the basis for an entire family of armored vehicles for various purposes, from engineering to anti-tank.
During its construction at the Stalin Line, the engine, gearbox, and frame from a Soviet ZIL-157 truck were used. The torsion beams were taken from a Soviet AT-P tractor. The wheels, tracks, and rollers were from various tracked vehicles.
