The Kettenkrad was typical of vehicles designed and manufactured for the German Wehrmacht during WW2: innovative, well made, but over-complicated and expensive to make. Designated 'SdKfz 2' by the German Army, the Kettenkrad was an ingenious half motorcycle, half-tracked vehicle, hence its name – 'ketten' meaning tracks, 'krad' meaning Krafttrad or motorcycle.

Kettenkrads were used in almost every theatre of the war and proved very reliable in all conditions from the arctic Russian winter to the heat of the Western desert. They were used to tow anti-tank guns as part of feared tank-busting teams; tow ammunition trailers to the front line; lay cables and ferry troops to difficult locations. Their excellent cross-country ability made them the last vehicles to bog down in the clinging Russian mud. Later in the war, they were even used to tow Messerschmitt Me 262 jets up to the runways in an effort to save scarce aviation fuel.