American Convoy With Captured Nazi Kettenkrad in Liberated Cherbourg, 1944

June 22, 2025 - Reading time: 4 minutes

A U.S. military convoy crosses Cherbourg’s Place du Général de Gaulle in 1944. Visible on the right is a captured German NSU HK-101 Kettenkrad, pressed into Allied service.

Cherbourg, 1944. The air still smells like cordite, but the stars and stripes are already on the move.

A column of American military trucks, loaded with GIs and supplies, rolls through what was once Marshal Pétain Square — now Place du Général de Gaulle, renamed just days after liberation. It’s a triumphant procession, steel-ribbed and dust-covered, signaling that the Allies are here to stay.

But look closely to the right of the frame — and you'll spot an unexpected guest: a captured NSU HK-101, better known as the Sd.Kfz. 2 Kettenkrad.
Built by the Germans as a lightweight, high-mobility half-track for recon, cable-laying, and airborne use, the Kettenkrad looked like a motorbike and tank had a baby — and the baby inherited all the weird genes.

It ran on a 1.5-liter Opel Olympia car engine, pushed 36 hp, and weighed just 1.3 tons. The driver sat in a motorcycle-style saddle, steered with handlebars, and could tow up to 325 kg of payload at speeds approaching 70 km/h. This particular unit was likely requisitioned by U.S. Military Police for use in patrolling or utility transport. Irony, thy name is captured tech.

This photograph doesn’t just show a convoy — it captures a moment where two worlds briefly collided: the industrial might of America’s war machine rolling alongside the overengineered oddities of Nazi Germany.

📷 Technical photo data:
📸 Photographer: Unknown
📅 Date: 1944
📍 Location: Cherbourg, France

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