Germany Armoured Cars

Germany - Armoured Cars

Bussing A5P - experimental World War I 4x4 armoured car
Ehrhardt E-V/4 - World War I vehicle
Daimler DZVR 21 / SdKfz 3 - interwar 4 wheel armoured car
Kfz 13 - interwar 4 wheel light armoured car
Kfz 13 1945 - uparmoured and closed in Kfz 13

Leichter Panzerspähwagen - a series of light 4x4 armoured cars from Nazi Germany

SdKfz. 221Base model and first production series of light armoured car built on a standardized chassis for military use. The Sdkfz. 221 was armed with a single 7.92 mm Maschinengewehr 34 machine gun, manned by a two man crew, and had 4-wheel drive. Armour protection was originally 8 mm thick, but increased to 14.5 mm later in production.

SdKfz 221 mit 2.8cmArmed with a 28 mm sPzB41 "heavy anti-tank rifle" in a modified turret.

SdKfz. 222This version of the vehicle was armed with a 2 cm KwK 30 L/55 autocannon and a 7.92 mm MG34 machine gun. Crew increased to three by the addition of a gunner, relieving the commander of that task. Some versions included a 28 mm anti-tank cannon.

SdKfz. 223 PanzerfunkwagenA radio car version, armed like the 221 with a 7.92 mm MG34 machine gun. Included additional radio equipment, and had a large "bed-frame" antenna over the vehicle. Over 500 of the SdKfz 223 were produced.

Kleiner Panzerfunkwagen SdKfz 260
Kleiner Panzerfunkwagen SdKfz 261 An unarmed radio car version. Included additional radio equipment, and had a large "bed-frame" antenna over the vehicle. Generally used for signals use, three were used as armoured cars in Finland.

Schwerer Panzerspähwagen - a family of 6x6 and 8x8 heavy armoured cars deployed by Nazi Germany
Six wheelers
All 6-rad versions were produced from 1932 to 1937. The designation Sd.Kfz is Sonderkraftfahrzeug (special purpose vehicle).

Sd.Kfz. 231 The first of the German armored cars, the Sd.Kfz. 231 was based on a modified 6x4 truck chassis.[which?] The 231 was armed with a 2 cm KwK 30 L/55 autocannon, and a Maschinengewehr 13 machine gun. It had a second driver in the rear so that the vehicle could be driven either forwards or backwards with relative ease. The 231 was introduced into service in 1932 and began to be replaced in 1937 when the German Army switched production to 8-wheeled armoured cars instead of 6-wheeled. Despite being replaced, they were used by Aufklärungs (reconnaissance) units during the Invasion of Poland, the Battle of France, and the invasion of the USSR. They were withdrawn afterwards for use in internal security and training. The crew consisted of a commander, gunner, driver, and a radio operator/rear driver.

Sd.Kfz. 232 The 232 carried a Fu. Ger.11 SE 100 medium range radio and a Fu. Spr. Ger. "a" short range radio. This model was visually distinctive because of the heavy "bedstead" antenna over the body of the car. At the point where the antenna was connected to the turret a special joint was installed which supported the aerial but still allowed the turret a full 360° traverse.

Sd.Kfz. 263 A radio vehicle "Funkspähwagen" equipped with extra long-range radio equipment and an additional radio operator. To support the additional equipment, the turret was omitted, the superstructure was raised, and only a single ball-mounted machinegun was mounted. Note that there is also an 8 wheeled Sd.Kfz. 263.

Eight wheelers

Sd.Kfz. 231 Loosely based on the hull of the Sd.Kfz 231/6-Rad vehicle. The hull was modified to swap the main driver & reverse driver/radio operator positions in order to place the engine at the rear and the 3 axle truck chassis replaced with a pair of 2 axle 4 wheel trucks, for an eight-wheeled, all wheel drive, all wheel steering chassis to improve off road capabilities and maneuverability. The turret was also altered to a hexagonal shape for increased internal volume. Armament was unchanged.

Sd.Kfz. 232 The Sd.Kfz. 232 (8-Rad) was produced from 1938 to 1943, when it was superseded by the Sd.Kfz. 234/2 "Puma". The 232 were not withdrawn from service; many of the old vehicles were upgraded with new radio communication equipment, replacing the "bedstead" with more modern and compact wire antennas. These vehicles are often referred to as Sd.Kfz. 232 (Fu) (8-Rad) (Fu; Funkapparat; radio, Rad;wheel) It was armed with a 2 cm KwK 30 L/55 autocannon that had a muzzle velocity of 899 m/s, the 232 also carried a 7.92 mm Maschinengewehr 34 machine gun.

Sd.Kfz. 233 Converted 232 (8-Rad) chassis, adding the short barrelled 7.5 cm KwK 37 L/24 gun in an open fixed superstructure. Due to the short length of the barrel this gun earned the nickname of "Stumpy". One hundred and nine of these vehicles were built at the Büssing-NAG plant, between December 1942 and October 1943. A further 10 were converted from 231/232 chassis in October 1942. This variant of the Sd.Kfz. series entered service during 1942 and remained in use throughout the war. They were issued as a platoon of six vehicles in support of reconnaissance battalions.

SdKfz 234 and Variants

Sd.Kfz. 263 An eight wheeler with a fixed superstructure and a single 7.92 mm Maschinengewehr 34 machine gun. A dedicated radio vehicle with the bedstead frame aerial. This was based on the Sd.Kfz. 232/3 series. Note that there is also a 6 wheeled Sd.Kfz. 263.

Steyr ADGZ - ex-Austrian 8x8, more ordered by Waffen-SS units