Its main roles were as a prime mover for very heavy towed guns such as the 24 cm Kanone 3 and as a tank recovery vehicle.

Power was provided by a Maybach 12-cylinder, water-cooled, 10.8-litre (660 cu in) HL 108 gasoline engine of 270 hp (200 kW).

The rear suspension consisted of six double sets of overlapping, interleaved Schachtellaufwerk layout roadwheels mounted on swing arms sprung by torsion bars.

An idler wheel, mounted at the rear of the vehicle, was used to control track tension.

The artillery model had two extra bench seats for the gun's crew and space for its ammunition.

[citation needed] Preliminary design of all the German half-tracks of the early part of the war was done by Dipl.Ing.

Ernst Kniepkamp of the Military Automotive Department (Wa Prüf 6) before the Nazis took power in 1933.

It had a 200 horsepower (150 kW) Maybach HL98 TUK engine and was only 7.7 metres (25 ft) long.

Some vehicles produced by Tatra had its 12-cylinder, air-cooled Type 103 diesel engine fitted.

[6] There was also a tank recovery version with a giant spade-like metal plate connected to the rear of the frame.

It was meant to stabilize the vehicle while winching a heavy object on soft ground.

The crew and engine compartments were lightly (14.5 mm (0.57 in)), but completely, armored, which limited the gun's ability to fire directly ahead.