Notice anything.........

[captskillet]

out of place in this picture???

[BrucePowers]

The tents in the background look a little wierd to me with their wooden windows[:)]

[qgaliana]

Optical illusion or does the passanger have only one foot?

[captskillet]

optical illusion methinks!!!

[BrucePowers]

You have a point. If it is an optical illusion, it's interesting because that left boot sure sticks out.

[BrucePowers]

By the way, what the heck is that thing they are sitting on?

[Mark VII]

The thing is German but I can't think of its name right now. The odd thing is that we have GI's riding the German thing, probably directly after the war.

[qgaliana]

I don't know but I'm sure we're supposed to find some grongnard like reply about the gas tank cap having been replaced with some rare pre war version

I'm barely capable of finding the missing tie in picture #2. [:D]

[BrucePowers]

Wherever that place is it sure is flat. You can see a long way behind those tents.

[captskillet]

MarkVII wins the exploding stogie............that thing I think was called Katttrak (sp.?) Lufftwaffe ground crews used them to move planes etc.

[Naskra]

Disregard of helmet laws for motorcycle half-tracks.

[m10bob]

I believe this is the USAAF airfield at Foggia Italy, 1943-44, the vehicle is a German Kettenrad,and it was used by the Wehrmacht to haul ammo to forward troops.(It may have been used by the Luftwaffe, I don't know.)
The wooden windows on the tents are not unusual, while designed as "temporary billets", if units were permanent party, any alterations were possible.
In some cold weather units, I have seen sheets of plywood put over the metal framework of M151's and the canvas put over the wood,(the theory being it would allow the heat to remain in the vehicle a few seconds longer.)
G.I.'s seek expedients in order to find comfort.
Heck, M1911a1's are used as bottle openers.[8D]

[captskillet]

It was used in both cases m10..........watched a Wings of the Luftwaffe awhile back that showed ground crews moving FW 190's with one.

[BrucePowers]

The thing looks overly complex for an aircraft tug. This is just my opinion.

[captskillet]

Not when you consider Bruce that they operated on mostly unimproved airfields from the latter part of 1944 on...........all the traditional 'airfields' had long since been shot up and bombed out of existance...........tracked vehicles work much better in mud etc that wheels!

[tonel]

It's a Kettenkraftrad, they were used for a variety of purposes, including towing aircraft - they were used to position Me262s ready for takeoff due to fuel shortages near the end of the war.

[BrucePowers]

ORIGINAL: captskillet

Not when you consider Bruce that they operated on mostly unimproved airfields from the latter part of 1944 on...........all the traditional 'airfields' had long since been shot up and bombed out of existance...........tracked vehicles work much better in mud etc that wheels!

It definitely makes more sense then.

[sven6345789]

The vehicle is a SdKfz 2, also called a Kettenkrad (short for Kettenkraftrad). Used mostly on the eastern front for liason and for towing light guns in parachute units. First used on Crete. 8345 were built.

[BrucePowers]

They look like they might be prone to breakdown.

[Mark VII]

Yea, thats what the German thingy is called!

ORIGINAL: sven6345789

The vehicle is a SdKfz 2, also called a Kettenkrad (short for Kettenkraftrad).